Jesse Cook was back in Kelowna last week for a concert at Mission Hill Winery and as always, put on a fabulous show. I've seen him live many times - first was when he headlined at Salmon Arm Roots & Blues on the Friday night, 2001, then in Vernon a couple of times, but the one show that will forever stand out will be the night I went home with the band at Kaslo Jazz Festival a few years back. No, it's not what it sounds like... let me explain...
I was supposed to meet some friends at the festival but when I got there, discovered there was no cell service. I looked for them all day and never did find them. THere was not a campground spot to had within 50 kilometers or more and as the began to set i realized I'd probably end up having to sleep in my car.
During Jesse's show, i was shooting it (shot on my website under music) when his manager came over and asked if I wanted to meet the band after the show. Of course I said no...
Well, there I was sitting backstage sipping a beer with Jesse and the band (what awesome, awesome people!) and when I finished, I made a comment about having to sleep in my car. "Don't be silly," they said, "we've got an entire heli-ski lodge to ourselves, you can come sleep there with us." Of course, I said no...
Funniest part was Jesse's manager Darryl didn't have a jacket so I loaned him my baby pink coloured hoodie to wear. As he hopped onto his Harley to ride to the lodge he looked around and made a comment that he could potentially get beaten up for this.
I ended up sharing a room (it's okay, Mom, I had my own bed) with Jesse's guitar player at the time, Dominic. Truly a gentleman. As for Jesse, he said he had sunk to an all time low that evening as someone had given him a can of beans to autograph.
