Backyard Sessions: Dirty Blues & Bad Decisions (Past Event)

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
Originally from Pittsburgh, KELS built her career from the ground up—she moved to Atlanta and started cleaning houses by day to fund her music career, writing songs between jobs, and playing anywhere and everywhere she could including busking on the street.

Rather than waiting for a label, manager, or viral moment, KELS created her own path. She promoted individual songs through hundreds of original posts, sometimes sharing as many as 500 pieces of content around a single record. She then took her music directly to fans, independently booking, funding, promoting, and managing a 52-show U.S. “Secret Show” tour without a label or management support. What began with a living-room performance for five people grew into sold-out shows across the country.

That relentless work ethic helped turn her song “Gone” into a viral breakthrough. After promoting the record daily for more than six months, KELS amassed more than one million social media followers and over 10 million streams in less than six months.

Blending blues, folk, country and soul, into a sound she calls “dirty blues,” KELS has earned co-signs from Big Boi and Timbaland while continuing to build an unusually direct connection with her listeners. In 2026, she returned home to perform in front of over 300,000 fans during the NFL Draft , before taking center court to sing the national anthem at Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

With the release of her entirely self-written debut EP, Dirty Blues Princess, KELS has emerged as one of music’s most exciting genre-defying new voices.

Her rise may appear sudden –but it was built one house, one mile, one show, and one fan at a time

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.