Put on your Valentine's Day brights and be ready to boogie woogie with the best!
Kenny Blues Boss Wayne is taking to the Kinsmen Place stage for a fundraising party, Raise the Tower, for local community radio station CFIS Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.
The non-profit station has received the all clear from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to expand its broadcasting power to 500 watts (from five watts) and needs $30,000 to put all the pieces together to make it work. The organization is about half way to the fundraising goal and every little bit helps.
"We're aiming to have the money in place by early June or July," Dwight Scott Wolfe, president of the Prince George Community Radio Society. The society has an arrangement with the Prince George Amateur Radio Club, that has space on Carney Hill and got CKPG's old radio tower donated to them when CKPG upgraded years ago. The community radio society will share space with the amateur radio club and build the tower, Wolfe added.
"So our transmitter will be attached to the tower when it is erected," said Wolfe. "So we're working with contractors to make sure everything will be done according to specifications."
When it's all in place, more people will be able to tune into CFIS throughout the Prince George area.
"The complexion of the radio station and the dedication of the volunteers - that's not going to change substantially," said Wolfe. "Programming is primarily locally produced and we feature a wide variety of shows. We want to be able to do more of that. Our demographic for the station is boomers and blues music genre fits. Kenny Blues Boss Wayne does a lot of oldies and his music fits our demographic. We did this fundraiser last Valentine's Day and it was a sell out and we thought we'd do it again. We're blessed to have him come up here. People who haven't seen Kenny Blues Boss Wayne should come out because he's one of those entertainers you'll want to see again and again." He's just that good.
Despite the weather, it's the nice warm people that keep bringing the Blues Boss back to Prince George, Wayne said.
"I'm ready for it, whatever the weather has in store," said Wayne, who says the cold weather is a great excuse to get nice and close to one another. "I want people to think of this as a Mardi Gras party or close to that - sort of a New Orleans kind of a feel. We've got two horns (trumpet and saxophone) so it's going to be swingy, bluesy New Orleans-ish music. They will be dancing up a storm."
Backing up the Blues Boss will be local musicians, Curtis Abriel on bass, Nick Rubadeau on drums, Cam Bell on trumpet and Thomas Nowak on saxophone.
"The guys - we've played with them before - they're great," said Wayne. "I'll be playing some music from my last CD - old rock and roll, and some of my music from earlier CDS so probably half will be originals and the rest will be big band swing, like Big Joe Turner and Fats Domino - music for dancing."
The Blues Boss is known for bringing the fashion to the stage, with a dapper suit and styling hat.
"I will definitely be wearing red for Valentine's," said Wayne. "I'll be all dolled up."
For more information about Wayne, check out his website at www.kennybluesboss.com.
The Raise the Tower dance is held Saturday at the Kinsmen Community Complex, 777 Kinsmen Place. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at Books & Company, 1685 Third Ave., or Studio 2880, 2820-15th Ave., or by calling 250-563-2880.
