The Kettle Valley Brakemen have released three CDs to date.
Climb Aboard tells about the ‘mountain railway with a glorious tradition of service under the harshest of conditions’, The Kettle Valley Railway. It tells about the people who made the Kettle Valley Railway work, Bill Miner’s Jailbreak, heroes, wrecks; it even deals with the question of women’s rights.
Railway Tales Along the Trail explores that part of the 16,000 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Trail that includes the Kettle Valley Railway. According to Jack Godwin, a trekker would be crossing countryside steeped in railway tradition, a tradition the Brakemen are dedicated to sharing with visitors. From Midway to Hope and all stops in between the person trekking that section of the Trans-Canada Trail is invited to take this CD along. Let’s go Trekkin’ the Trail.
Train Talk has another collection of fascinating and, for the most part, true stories of B.C.’s railway era. The CD is peopled with amazing and amusing characters; there are tales of bravery as well as an immersion course in train talk for the neophyte.
A fourth CD, Kettle Valley Railway Memories, is due to be released later this fall.
Climb Aboard tells about the ‘mountain railway with a glorious tradition of service under the harshest of conditions’, The Kettle Valley Railway. It tells about the people who made the Kettle Valley Railway work, Bill Miner’s Jailbreak, heroes, wrecks; it even deals with the question of women’s rights.
Railway Tales Along the Trail explores that part of the 16,000 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Trail that includes the Kettle Valley Railway. According to Jack Godwin, a trekker would be crossing countryside steeped in railway tradition, a tradition the Brakemen are dedicated to sharing with visitors. From Midway to Hope and all stops in between the person trekking that section of the Trans-Canada Trail is invited to take this CD along. Let’s go Trekkin’ the Trail.
Train Talk has another collection of fascinating and, for the most part, true stories of B.C.’s railway era. The CD is peopled with amazing and amusing characters; there are tales of bravery as well as an immersion course in train talk for the neophyte.
A fourth CD, Kettle Valley Railway Memories, is due to be released later this fall.
Much of Canada’s development was dependent upon her railways. Until 1850 there were only a few miles of track, but then came the first great period of railway building when the Grand Trunk Railway was was formed.Canada’s second great period of railway building came just after Confederation, reaching its climax with the building of the Canadian Pacific. The Kettle Valley Railway in British Columbia, once part of the CPR, is now one of the most scenic sections of the Trans-Canada Trail - or so The Kettle Valley Brakemen tell me.
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The Kettle Valley Brakemen is a heritage group from the Okanagan Valley, whose music brings the days of the steam railway to life, albeit with a special emphasis on the Kettle Valley Railway. Their repertoire is a unique blend of blues, bluegrass, with a hint of jazz, and just a touch of country at times, each song an original composition from group founder Jack Godwin. You can hear about railway brawls, train wrecks, hoboes, rattlesnake rain, heroes, and railway philosophy. Every word of it true.Godwin describes The Brakemen as virtuoso string players who sing strong harmony and love playing to an audience. He says that if musicians were paid according to their talents, each of The Brakemen would be earning over $100,000.00 a year. However, he adds, “in the words of Pat Metheny, “music is as noticed as wallpaper these days”, so, alas, every Brakeman has a day job and is a member of at least one other musical group. Bills have to be paid.”
For more information about the Kettle Valley Brakemen, to order CDs, or book a gig, visit their website at
http:/www.kvbrakemen.com
Tell them kerri sent you!
http:/www.kvbrakemen.com
Tell them kerri sent you!
