It wasn't long ago that The Statistics were high school kids scrabbling for small spotlights and corner stages to perform their punk-pop rock 'n' roll music.
This Friday, brothers Erin and Darby Yule will show hometown Prince George just how much they've evolved.
The duo has been recording and performing all over B.C. and Canada in the last couple of years, recording songs and videos that have gotten them on awards shortlists and in demand as collaborators. Friday is the night they unleash their latest single, Old Habits, and make their Prince George Playhouse debut.
"We are pulling out all of the stops. We not only have craft beer available for the first time ever at the P.G. Playhouse, we have a full light show, full band, and brand new merchandise all ready to go," said Darby.
"We are a very different act than we were a year ago," added Erin. "We are more mature, more practiced, and understand a lot more about performance. Our actual set is very dynamic and full of new material and big show moments. It has moments where we will harken back to our roots with a solo acoustic song as well as moments where you will see where we are going. This is definitely our own take on a full-on rock show.
"You can also expect a lot of our sense of humour to come out during the show," Darby said.
"Basically, this is a one-of-a-kind experience. It's an unattempted feat for a local band. Successfully pushing boundaries like this seems to be our specialty."
It's not just a Prince George secret anymore. The Statistics were nominated at the Toronto Independent Music Awards this year for best out-of-province act (the trophy went to Brittany McQuinn - high peer company indeed) and the new single features acclaimed New York vocalist Amy Kirkpatrick.
"As for our immediate future, we head off to play Indie Week Toronto after this show is done," said Darby. "We get two showcases. One at The Piston and one at The Paddock. Both are unreal venues and we are beyond excited. We got to go to the Piston last time we were in Toronto and I made it a goal for myself to play there soon. It's awesome that we get to do it so fast. Amy Kirkpatrick may even come play Old Habits with us again."
Erin said the release of Old Habits has been "our most successful piece of music ever. We also just finished a leg of our Old Habits Tour," and it turned them into a bona fide Canadian act.
You don't get your rocker stripes in this country until you've hit snowstorms in the band van on your way to the next gig in a province other than your own, and that is a check mark they got to make in recent weeks on the road in Alberta. Erin said they turned it into a show of its own on Facebook "because we did a live feed for a portion of our six-hour drive from Calgary to Edmonton."
It's a trip that normally takes half that duration.
"Overall, it was really nice to get out on the road again."
For the Prince George show on Friday, The Statistics will be backed up by opening act Genevieve Jade, another local rising star. She began her musical aspirations as a member of the Bel Canto Children's Choir and carried straight on into an aspiring singer-songwriter career.
She's been a Top 2 finalist at the Road To Riverfest competition this past summer, and the voice competition held by 101.3 the River in 2015, and she won the BCNE Idol Competition last year.
She is a voice coach, a product of the reputed Selkirk College music school, and has a collection of recordings forming now into a release she'll be making in the near future.
The show at the Playhouse starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online or in person via the Central Interior Tickets service or at the door while supplies last.
