Eclectic mix

Mark Saturday, July 13 on the calendar if you are a fan of live rock music.

That is the day Music Attack!, a multi-band concert, hits the ANAVETS in the city.

The show will feature; Hello, Lady an alternative rock band from Regina, SK., heavy hitting Phantom Radio hails from Saskatoon. Super Nintendo inspired psychedelic rockers The Peanut Butter Genocide come from Regina as well, along with former Yorkton resident and show opener (and organizer), Kyle Westberg.

Westberg was asked why he decided to organize such an event in the city?

"Being from Yorkton, I knew I wanted to do a show here eventually with my band Hello, Lady," he replied. "A while back, we were planning on doing a small tour out east. We decided against the tour and just kept two dates in Saskatoon and Yorkton.

"At first Yorkton was just going to be another show on the tour, no big deal.

"It wasn't until I actually started planning the show that it became something more.

"Now it's really something I want to do for the community more than getting our bands some more exposure.

"Hopefully a lot of people will come out and enjoy a variety of music and this could be the start of something bigger."

So what genre is Hello Lady?

"We always found that Hello, Lady was tough to slap a genre on, but I think we've got it narrowed down to like a Bluesy Neo-Punk tainted Indie Rock band," said Westberg.

As for the other bands in the show, Westberg said, "I've always thought of The Peanut Butter Genocide as Super Nintendo Inspired Psychedelic Rock. And Phantom Radio is a Hard Rock/Metal band."

Westberg said there is a lot of connectedness between the bands.

I picked these bands because they feature at least one or 2 members each that are from Yorkton or have family here and also because we've wanted to do shows together so I figured this was the perfect opportunity.

"My band, Hello, Lady which was formed last fall, will be headlining the show," he said. "My cousin from Saskatoon's band Phantom Radio is a hard rock band. And there's also Andy Goodson's music project The Peanut Butter Genocide which features Mitch Doll on bass; both from Yorkton.

"I've been playing music with Andy and Mitch since High School and we're still good friends. I played guitar in PBG for a while as well.

"I'll be opening the show with a solo acoustic performance as well."

Westberg said the heart of the show is that the music is original.

"The thing I love about these bands is that it's something original for once you know," he said.

"And, I don't really think any of us are really trying to prove anything. We're just making music and playing shows because it's what we love to do. Hello, Lady is the greatest band I've been in because we work together so well and it's very collaborative which is great!

"As for The Peanut Butter Genocide, for anyone who hasn't heard them, or seen them live - prepare yourselves!

"And I wish I could say something about Phantom Radio but I've never seen them live and I've only heard a couple songs online. I can tell you they rock though! It's going to be a good time."

Westberg said he hopes the show draws interest so that he can do more in the future.

"Definitely! As often as I can anyway," he said. "And it doesn't have to be me necessarily you know? Maybe some kids will come out to this show and want to start up a band and put on their own shows around town. That's how me and my friends started doing this.

"If after this show, some kid walks into Fuzztone and wants to buy a guitar because of some bands he saw one night in Yorkton, then I've done my job as far as I'm concerned. Even if it inspires people to look into more local/independent music, real music, then awesome!

"It's all about the music man! When I was in school there were lots of bands starting up and shows coming through then suddenly it seems like it just stopped. I mean, I've been away so I could be wrong but I haven't heard of anything so I just assumed I guess. But anyways yeah, if it means bringing back a music scene to Yorkton then hell yes I would do this again as much as possible."