Backyard Sessions: Dirty Blues & Bad Decisions

Live Music Events in Kelowna

Velvet Vocals, Cherry-Red Glam, and a Soundtrack made for Trouble.

There’s a particular kind of night that only happens when the sun’s going down, the drinks are cold, and the music’s just starting to warm up, and that’s exactly what we’re building for our next Backyard Session: Dirty Blues & Bad Decisions. Picture cherry red and dusty pink, vintage neon glowing against the evening light, a backyard blues club energy that feels equal parts glamorous and a little wild. This is the kind of night you get dressed up for, where you gather all your favourite people, and lose track of time. Dress in your freshest threads, snap a photo in our vintage photo booth, and let a lineup of genuinely exciting live talent carry the night from there.

KELS
KELS didn’t wait for a record label to hand her a career, she built one from scratch. She cleaned houses by day in Atlanta to fund studio time by night, busking on street corners, and writing songs between shifts. She independently booked, funded, and managed a 52-show U.S. “Secret Show” tour with zero label support, turning living-room performances for five people into sold-out rooms across the country.

That same relentless hustle turned her single “Gone” into a viral phenomenon, pulling in over a million social media followers and 10 million-plus streams in under six months. Blending blues, folk, country, and soul into a genre she’s coined “dirty blues,” KELS has earned co-signs from Big Boi and Timbaland, performed for 300,000-plus fans at the NFL Draft, and sang the national anthem at Game 2 of the NBA Finals, all in 2026 alone.

With her self-written debut EP Dirty Blues Princess out now, KELS isn’t just the namesake of this event’s theme; she’s the reason it exists.

Rebecca Sichon

Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Sichon (pronounced SEA-shon) is a 2025 WCMA R&B Artist of the Year nominee whose voice moves effortlessly between R&B, soul, and jazz with a depth and emotional honesty that’s drawn comparisons to Yebba and Amy Winehouse. She’s played over 250 stages worldwide, including Winnipeg Folk Festival, New Skool Rules, and Nest Fest (where she opened for Ruby Waters), and has graced the stage at Massey Hall as part of Honey Jam’s 30th anniversary.

With features on CBC Radio, Apple Music’s Soul Revival playlist, and Pandora’s Rhythm and Brew playlist, plus over 500,000 streams and press from EARMILK, Sichon brings a rich, soul-soaked sound that fits right into Red Bird’s backyard blues club atmosphere.

Ben Dunnill

Ben Dunnill is a jazz-pop crooner with a party trick that has to be seen to be believed, he performs over 5,000 songs entirely from memory. A professional performer since age 13, Ben paid his dues in Vancouver’s piano bars and became one of the city’s most in-demand entertainers, blending old-school charm with modern digital reach (5 million-plus streams, 200 million-plus video views). Praised by icons like Laufey and David Foster, Ben brings a classic soul with a thoroughly modern edge to open the night.