June 25, 2007 - Jo Hikk at Brooks Hotel

On June 1 & 2, I had the chance to play lead guitar for Jo Hikk at the Brooks Hotel. Jo Hikk is a full-time country band that performs across Alberta on a regular basis. Guitarist Kenny Sitter could not be there for the aforementioned dates, so I agreed to fill in for him.

I spent a great deal of time practicing and learning the country style for this gig. It wasn't the first time I've played country, but I learned a lot more this time around. I learned that the country guitar style is one of the most aggressive styles (even more so than rock or metal). I learned a lot of country licks, and I managed to make it a part of my playing.

In any case, the drive out to Brooks was a leisurely one. The highways are very straight in Alberta, with very little scenery except for the monotonous and ever stretching fields.

It was a particularly hot weekend out in Brooks. When we hit the stage on Friday night, we were all sweating bullets. The hot weather, combined with the hot lights, combined with performing usually results in extreme perspiration. Anyway, I guess you don't really need to know about the sweating. All you need to know is that it was very hot.

With each set, the crowd grew. By the last set, we were playing to a packed out room. An enthusiastic crowd danced, drank, and generally just had a lot of fun. We had fun.

Saturday was also a good day. I had the chance to drive around Brooks and see the town. I stopped for lunch at Subway. I noticed that Brooks had a lot of parks. I also dropped by The Fox radio station to see if they got my CD, but it was the weekend and it looked like no one was there. Oh well.

In the afternoon, the band was to host the jam. It was essentially a matinee because there wasn't really anyone there to jam. We played the four sets in the evening again, and packed up and headed out afterwards. I made a brief stop at MacDonald's on the way out.

All in all, it was a very valuable experience for me. I learned a lot about playing country music, and live performance in general. If I have the opportunity to play at the Brooks Hotel again, I'm sure I would.