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Tour brings singer home

A northern B.C. music star got to come home for a winter's tour of his old familiar area. Pop-classical vocalist Cody Karey was commandeered by another of Canada's up-and-coming musical acts.
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Cody Karey performs "You Are The Song" at the Closing Ceremonies. Citizen photo by Brent Braaten March 1 2015

A northern B.C. music star got to come home for a winter's tour of his old familiar area.

Pop-classical vocalist Cody Karey was commandeered by another of Canada's up-and-coming musical acts. Roy & Rosemary is a piano-violin duo who have sizzled up the this nation's ranks of instrumental acts. They met as accompanists for The Tenors and decided to join musical forces. They have now performed three times at Carnegie Hall in New York, at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, for two American Presidents, shared the stage with Marie Osmond and John Schneider for the Children's Miracle Network, plus many other highlights in their young careers. They are constantly touring around the world from their home base of Vancouver, but this slice of time was devoted to north-central B.C.

"We always look forward to playing shows in smaller communities," said Roy Tan, the pianist of the act. "The cold and the snow is a surprise. It's been a wonderful trip, a nice cool down from San Diego. It's a nice change of pace and a great homecoming for us because we both consider ourselves British Columbians as well."

Karey was part singer on this jaunt and also part tour guide. He got his start as a teenage sensation in this region who caught the attention of superstar producer David Foster who mentored the youngster through his formative transition to full-time musician.

Karey also attained sustained national profile when he made it deep into the MasterChef Canada televised cooking competition, proving he is an artistic force in two genres.

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am to finally have the opportunity to come home and bring some of my music, live, to the people of the north," said the Fort St. James expatriate who now bases his music career out of Vancouver. "I've always admired the sense of community that exists in among residents of the interior and it's great to be back. The welcome had been warmer than I could have imagined."

The tour made its way through Burns Lake, Smithers, Kitimat, Terrace, Prince Rupert and closed Tuesday in Fort St. James.

"The Highway 16 tour is all about connecting with people through music in an intimate, unplugged, conversational way. Each concert is a story, and each show is a little bit different," said Karey.

Karey travelled in the same Vancouver musical circles as Roy & Rosemary so inevitably they crossed paths and became mutual fans and friends.

"They are both world-class talents and a treat to play with - not to mention, we have a great time travelling together so touring my home region as co-headliners made sense," Karey said.

For the northern boy, this diversion is a bit of a break from his main creative project. Karey is one of the members of acclaimed pop group Citizen West.

"This year is shaping up to be a busy year with a lot going on," Karey said. "Plans are in the works to completely revamp and rebrand with a new solo project, things are moving forward with my band Citizen West, and it seems likely that there may be several other collaborations this year as well. In other words, I'm busier than ever, I'm aiming higher than ever, and I look forward to sharing all this new music with the people of the north in 2018."