Indie rock rules - or, to put it another way - independent 21st century original rock music written by local songwriters and performed on Saturday night in a venue other than a garage is alive on the Sunshine Coast.
I know because I've been there. The suggestion that I needed to see for myself came from Sinmobile's vocalist Irene Orallo who has organized Indie Night on the last Saturday of the month at the Sechelt Legion since last March.
She and husband Mike Soper on guitar, Kody Raymond on drums and Rick Raymond on bass, make up Sinmobile. (The name comes from a cheesy 1970s van that one of the musicians bought years ago.)
"I didn't think the scene was out there until the Battle of the Bands," said Orallo.
When they arrived to play at this 2009 event at a Gibsons restaurant, they were surprised to find 20-plus bands competing, all of them local.
"We all got a chance to showcase our original music," she remembers. "Contestants had to perform two to three songs and were judged by a panel of local musicians and an audience vote. Sinmobile was proud to have come in second place."
Some of their friends, who play in the band BOAB, were third.
Encouraged by this, Orallo and Soper approached the Legion to see if they were interested in a regular gig. They were.
"The bands are mostly local, although sometimes we have a Vancouver band. We've met other musicians and made lots of friends. You should see for yourself," she told me.
I explained that the music isn't exactly my demographic, as I come from an older musical generation fed by the Stones and Bob Dylan. But when Orallo began citing some of her influences - Fleetwood Mac and Blondie - she had me. No time to get a tattoo. I made a date at the Legion last Saturday evening to hear three local groups: Get Away Van, Sinmobile and BOAB. I wasn't going to feel out of place, Orallo assured me, as many of the Legion members of all ages stop in to listen.
I staked out a table at 9:15 just before Get Away Van hit the stage among the gathering crowd of about 50 people. The four musicians play heavy rock, their own tunes. You can't miss it. They are LOUD.
Most have a driving beat that sets my spine vibrating in a tempo as fast as punk rock, but with less aggression. I like their energy.
Towards the end they play a country rock tune that could get them a career in that genre.
Someone steals my seat while I'm up buying a beer, but I squeeze in anyway. That's because the place is filling up fast. Just watching the fashion statements is entertaining: everything from cut-offs over black tights to perky cute Katy Perry style dresses. And those were the guys! Just kidding.
Sinmobile hits the stage with their fans cheering. The musicians may not be earning much cash from these gigs, but they're feeling the love.
Orallo is petite and dark haired, with a powerhouse voice.
"I'm on my way," she sings. Indeed. She writes the lyrics, and Soper writes the tunes.
"Some people want to hear music they know, but I love to hear original music and see what others are writing," she said.
Soper gets down to his guitar and the four are drenched in sweat by the end of their set.
The guy next to me likes what he's seen so far.
"They're not garage bands," he said. How do you define that? I ask, ever the enquiring journalist.
"They're not sloppy," he points out.
Each band gets only one set, and a six-person, well-dressed band known as BOAB is next up. Their music is ska reggae rock, a bit slower, but very danceable. I dance out the door after this inexpensive evening of good music.
Sinmobile is looking for new venues to host the rock music nights, partly because it would be good for bands to have exposure in other communities. Meanwhile, Indie Night on the last Saturday of the month continues.
