Yukon Blonde is a band from Kelowna that’s been around since 2009, and they’ve changed their style from indie rock to rock and roll for their latest album, “Friendship & Rock ‘N” Roll”. They also happened to be playing in Vancouver on October 24 at Green Auto.
They really wanted to capture the essence of recording like it’s live. For a while, they’ve spent time writing in the studio, but when making this album, they started with acoustic ideas that they brought to the jam space, and they continued from there.
Usually in bands, there is a member that specializes in one thing like voices and guitar while the other is on bass, drums, or keys. When Yukon Blonde recorded this album, each member took a turn as lead vocals and songwriters.
This record is celebrating their 20 year journey together as friends and going back to how they first started. It’s really the simple things that blossom into their songs.
Friendship & Rock And Roll
When they have extra time off, they choose to spend it hanging out with each other, and a two decade friendship is something I can only fantasize about from what I’ve seen in stories.
While I’m not in a band where I’m singing or playing drums, I did get to experience the fun of being on a long and fun bus ride with my band class. The destination wasn’t that noteworthy, and people were falling ill one by one. There’s still lots to remember about the days we spent in the bus like rushing to the opposite window for photos, taking bad angle shots of our sleeping friends, literally pushing each other’s buttons, and playing dirty games of charades.
For Yukon Blonde, if they were asked about what they remember fondly, it’s probably not any big achievements, but little things like van games and comfort foods in the time they spent together in their band rides.
The creation of this album was different from working in a studio with formalities and higher pressure, and it felt like making a fun jam session with friends. Still, when their goal was to make it feel like a live recording, they need to rehearse their songs as best as they can before recording as one.
This is another example of how Yukon Blonde likes to freely change their sound in a new record, and they are proud to celebrate their journey in “Friendship & Rock ‘N’ Roll”.