Sue Medley and Gerry Barnum

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Saturday, December 13th, 2014
8:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Although she’s sometimes been called a country singer, she sees herself in a broader light. “Instead of defining what I do by a name of a genre, I’d rather say something like… well, let’s say if you take a bit of Melissa Etheridge, a touch of Sheryl Crow and throw in a handful of Bonnie Raitt, you’d get me,” she says, laughing.

She started out with a drum kit at age 11. In Grade 7, while attending Courtenay Junior School, she took up guitar. When she was 16, she joined the Comox band Punch. “That was a great way to start out, because the other band members were 10 years older and really great musicians—they still are; they still live here. Once I graduated from high school, there was no

 In 1989, Medley released an independent country single called Cryin’ Over You. “That was way long ago,” she says now with a laugh. “Back then you sat down with a stack of your 45s, put ‘em in envelopes, stuck some stamps on and mailed then out to the radio stations. We actually got quite a lot of airplay that way.”

The single garnered her five West Coast Music Awards, including best vocalist of the year and best country vocalist of the year. It was followed by Angel Tonight a couple years later. By then she had made an appearance at the Big Valley Jamboree in Saskatchewan and on television on the Tommy Hunter Show.
 She describes 1989 as the year she was “discovered. I was playing live at the Commodore at the West Coast Music Awards. Afterwards, an A&R guy from Polygram Records came up and gave me his card, and the rest was history, as they say.”

On the heels of the singles "Dangerous Times", "Maybe the Next Time", "That’s Life", and "Love Thing", she toured North America the rest of the year opening for Bob Dylan and other high profile artists. “To be up there on stage at Madison Square Gardens and look out and see that crowd—that was hands down the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve ever had!”

Her second album, Inside Out, was once again co-produced by Medley and Wanchic and was aided by the musical help of slide guitarist Sonny Landreth and drummer Kenny Aronoff. The album, released in 1992, continued her radio success with a handful of additional singles and national tours with such artists as Tom Cochrane, Kim Mitchell and 54.40, keeping her in the spotlight. The first single "When the Stars Fall" became a hit on album radio and reached #2 on The Record's chart (being locked out of #1 only by U2). In October 1992 she was invited by John Mellencamp to participate in the Bob Dylan Tribute at Madison Square Gardens in New York City, and performed a duet with Mellencamp on the classic Dylan track "Like a Rolling Stone". Later that month she received a SOCAN award for her song "Maybe the Next Time", which was one of the most played songs on Canadian radio in 1991.

 As well as purely commercial tours, Medley also toured for the military in Bosnia and Israel. “Someone invited me, and I thought, ‘yeah’. Wow—it was life changing. You go to places like that and it puts things in perspective and makes you really appreciate what we have here.”
Medley’s second CD, Inside Out, was released in 1992 and was followed by a support tour with the likes of Tom Cochrane and 54.40. The single When The Stars Fall became a hit on album radio and reached #2 on music industry magazine The Record’s chart (being locked out of #1 only by U2).

 And on it went—more tours, another single, a video, placing songs on the TV show Dawson’s Creek, more awards, including several SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) awards and Juno Awards for Most Promising Vocalist and Album Art, playing at Farm Aid in Louisville, Kentucky, on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno backing up John Mellencamp, and at the televised Juno Awards.

 Sue now lives in Comox and has recently released her 5th studio album, “These Are The Days” – Sue Medley & The Back Road Band, available on iTunes.

 JOHN MELLENCAMP: "I've shared my stage with Sue on several occasions. The girl can sing!"
 PAUL STUPIN/"Dawson's" Exec.Producer: "The richness of Sue's voice, coupled with such strong emotions and melodies created some of our most memorable musical moments. Our TV series wouldn't be the same without her songs."
 BILLY BOB THORNTON: "Sue Medley has one of the greatest voices you'll ever hear."
 GLOBE AND MAIL: "(Opening for Bob Dylan) Medley rose to the occasion, garnering kudos from the press and audiences alike for her aggressive and colorful performances. Bob dylan knows talent when he hears it: she came across as confident and totally in control.

GERRY BARNUM

Gerry Barnum is a well seasoned musician with over 30 years of performing experience in venues as diverse as clubs, festivals, coffee houses, house concerts, stadiums and major theatres and studios. He describes his style as” soulful roots/original. ” After a dozen years steeped in the Vancouver music scene,along with some cross Canada touring, Gerry returned to his hometown of Parksville on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Gerry has recorded three CD’s since being back on the island and divides his time between teaching and performing solo as well as with his band.

Gerry plays guitar and harmonica and his vocal style is smooth yet visceral and soulful: He is often referred to as a musician’s musician.

Gerry’s deep feeling for Blues and Gospel have become the foundation for much his songwriting and his songs range from tender to footstompin.’

“My time in Vancouver was a rich musical experience: I was playing alot: live fronting a band, as a sideman and I was doing a fair amount of studio sessions as well. I opened for some of the artists I grew up listening to such as John Mayall,Spencer Davis Group, John Hammond, Delbert McLinton, Lyle Lovett, as well as touring Canada with country rocker Sue Medley. That’s where I got a taste of playing for some big crowds: opening for a Dwight Yoakum cross Canada tour and playing the Big Valley Jamboree in Craven Saskatchewan.