The Dudes winding up a successful year with New Year’s Eve in Lethbridge

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Calgary rock band the Dudes are four really happy guys according to guitarist/ vocalist Dan Vacon. They are looking forward to playing the Stone with the Phantom Creeps for New Year’s Eve.

 The Dudes have already had a few high profile gigs in Lethbridge this year including opening for Sam Roberts at the Exhibition Pavilion, April 29.
“He’s a prince, ” Vacon said.


“He’s shorter than I thought he was. My mom and aunt came down to see him and were backstage tormenting him but he didn’t seem to mind it,” he continued.The Dudes Dan Vacon.  Photo by Richard Amery
He has pleasant memories of the show.


“ I love that venue. But I remember the fans. There was a lot of singing along and that’s pretty heartwarming to see,” he said.
 He also remembered playing the University of Lethbridge’s back to school bash with Said the Whale and the Pack A.D.


“I don’t remember what it was called, but nobody parties harder than university students,” he enthused.


“We play a lot of bigger markets, but nothing quite clicks like it does in Lethbridge,” he said.


 The core of the Dudes have been together since high school, and haven’t looked back in 12 years.


“ Me and Bobby ( Quaschnick)  formed for a school talent show and didn’t even make the second round. But we thought it was so much fun that we decided to keep doing it. And we haven’t looked back,” he continued.


 While the band is basically a full time gig,  they all have projects on the side to make extra money.


 Vacon does some DJing and makes posters while Scott Ross tends bar, Brock Geiger paints houses sometimes  and Bob “builds things for people. He’s a freelance  carpenter,” Vacon said.


 For now, they are looking forward to  playing Lethbridge.

“We’ll be playing a lot of new songs from a new CD we’ll be releasing in a  couple months and also  some older songs. It will be a high energy, good time,” he said.

 


“The new release will be a 12 inch record with eight songs and a  download code so can have something big that you can hold and and still rock out on your iPod,” he enthused.


 They had a good year including playing a couple being one off shows with big names like Sam Roberts as well as playing several festivals plus  releasing a song on a floppy which was included with the Sled Island Music Festival program.


 They will take a little time off before making their debut in the Yukon at the Frostbite Festival in February.
 “That us will make us true Canadians because we will have played all of the provinces and territories,” he said.


 They will be playing two shows and a couple of showcases at the Frostbite Festival.


Advance tickets for their New Year’s Eve show at the Stone, which also features Lethbridge  psychobilly/ punk band trio the Phantom Creeps, cost $25. The show begins at 9 p.m.

 A version of this story appears in the Dec. 28, 2011 edition of the Lethbridge Sun Times

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 December 2011 12:24 )