Vancouver’s annual Boozapalooza draws in its crowd of rambunctious, rowdy rockers for more than just the inebriation-encouraging name. Local band and organizers The Town Pants are such a riot that this is their third year filling cups with beer. Combining their Irish, Acadian and Scottish influences this “West Coast Celtic” band has seen success all over North America and now in Europe as well. Duane Keogh (guitar, vocals, spoons) tells Press+1 about how Boozapalooza came to be, what to expect from their new album, and a little history about The Town Pants. 

Press+1: This is the third year in a row for your annual “roots rock rebel revolution,” what do you look to accomplish each year?

Duane Keogh: A bigger and bigger crowd and drinking like a mofo. You want everyone to realize there are great local bands in Vancouver and it’s great to see how much support there is for these bands. Music lovers don’t have to go to New York, etcetera to see a great performance and have a great time.

Press+1: Why Boozapalooza?

DK: We wanted a name that would hype the event! It seemed to represent the event well, you know, there’s Lollapalooza, so Boozapalooza seemed to fit well. It gets people in the right mood, they show up and think this is going to be a crazy party!

Press+1: Run GMC has also been an annual attraction, what’s your connection with them?

DK:  There are a few connections with Run GMC. I do some acting as well, and Aaron, one of the guys from Run GMC, and I run into each other at quite a few auditions and what not. Sam, the slide guitar player, played on my dad’s CD actually. They’re all just great guys, but I don’t even know where I know them... the origins. They’re a very entertaining band and have a really good following so they certainly have first choice for Boozapalooza.

Press+1: You mentioned your dad having a CD; does music run in the family?

DK: My dad won awards as a country singer in Toronto and Ottawa back in the day. He’s always entertained at parties. When we’re on our Eastern tour he’ll drive down to New York and play a few songs in our band now and then.

Press+1: If he was into country music, where do you get your Celtic sound from?

DK: Also my dad’s side of the family. My grandpa was from Ireland. So I think we took some of those old Irish tunes and scrambled them. My mother is French, well Acadian actually, so there’s a lot of music on that side as well that has added to the mix. Aaron Chapman has Scottish heritage. It’s kind of what you hear and grew up with makes it’s way into the music.

Press+1: Back to Boozapalooza, how did you choose the third act, this year: Rich Hope?

DK: I’d have to say I’ve heard lots of amazing things about Rich Hope. We played with him once. Aaron Chapman is the one who piloted that one and got Rich Hope on board.

Press+1: This year, Boozapalooza is also acting as a CD Release party for your album: “Shore Leave.”  What can we expect from the new CD?

DK: I think it’s our best yet. It’s got a lot more layers than our previous recordings. We’ve become better songwriters and I think it shows. We kind of unofficially released the CD when we were in New York and one of the owners of a radio station happened to come to one of our shows and fell in love with the band and CD, so he started playing this song called “Coming Home,” which actually has a lot of Vancouver references in it. It’s gotten regular airplay in a couple of cities in New York. People are requesting it and it’s done very well! It shows the recording is good enough to get on the radio even though it is roots rock; it still has appeal to a wider audience.

Press+1: You’ve toured all over, do fans differ much? And what’s an example?

DK: Oh for sure! Copenhagen, Denmark used to be my favorite place to play. It took absolutely nothing to get them onto the tables; I think it might have even been encouraged! So the whole place would be standing on the tables. 

The Commodore is my favorite room in all of North America that I’ve ever been in or performed in. I love the Vancouver crowd, but (generalizing) I think they can be a little more mellow than the New York crowd, grading on a curve. I think when we play Boozapalooza, St. Patrick’s Day, New Year, all of that, people come out with a game face and they’re ready to just get enough.

I think there’s a lot of support for music in the US, more so than in Canada. I think we’re a little spoiled with the amount of talent in Canada. So when you play somewhere in the States they just appreciate the Canadian talent so much they become huge fans. There was a couple from Pennsylvania that came to 27 of our shows this summer!

Press+1: Do the members of The Town Pants still hang out when you’re not making music together and if so, what do you do?

DK: Well one member is my brother so we spend a lot of time together. We get off the road where we’re 24/7 together for four and a half months on tour, so we get a little bit involved with our own lives when we get back. We see each other at least once a week whether it’s band business or something social like going to a concert together. We’re all good friends but we take some decompressing after the tour. There are Christmas parties and poker nights!

Press+1: Thanks Duane, I look forward to the show on Friday!

Written by :

a.waschuk

 

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