A local band is ready to rock an all-ages show tonight, July 13, at the Burnaby Winter Club.
Halfway to Hollywood, the 20-something pop-rock trio that formed last year, is working on a new EP and has plans for a crossCanada tour later this summer.
Lead singer and guitarist Grant Walker says the band's growing popularity is largely due to the predominantly teenage fan base that attends shows at all-ages venues.
"Vancouver kind of has this reputation of being a no-fun city, and I've talked to a lot of older guys in touring bands and they're like, 'Oh, yeah, Vancouver audiences are awful,'" said Walker. "And you know, I've played a few bar shows in different bands in the past, and I don't know if I can totally vouch for that, but definitely the younger teenage fans get into music a lot more. They're a lot more open-minded and accepting of new things, and just more enthusiastic in general about music. We have a fairly decent bar draw too, and bar shows are always fun, but it's just a different animal."
The group was initially influenced by poppunk bands like Hedley and Marianas Trench, but Walker noted Halfway to Hollywood's sound has evolved to become more mid-tempo, pop-rock.
In March 2011 the group had an EP mixed by Steve Klassen (These Kids Wear Crowns, Faber Drive) and has been using social media since then to garner a following.
"We just threw those songs up on our Facebook and the rest is history, pretty much."
Walker said Halfway to Hollywood has sold 800 digital singles online. The Facebook page has almost 2,000 "Likes."
"Social media has been huge for us," he said. "Twitter has been kind of our main way of spreading the word. Facebook, that kind of thing. And then just getting out and doing shows with other bands."
Walker's background in music is not unusual for a rock musician.
He played saxophone through middle school, but didn't much enjoy the class, and was a self-proclaimed "goof-off." His teacher passed him on the condition that he never take band class again.
He did, however, keep dabbling in music at Burnaby Central high school on an unofficial level by taking some music composition courses.
After high school, he kept playing with various bands and then got serious about it when he formed Halfway to Hollywood.
"It's pretty much all I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember," he said.
Today, Walker and his two bandmates, bass player Brenden White, and drummer Roman Zugarazo, have their focus squarely on their music careers.
The band's three-week tour, starting Sept. 5 in Penticton, will see the group travelling to Montreal and back with about 20 shows along the way.
Tickets for the July 13 show are available in advance through the band's Facebook page, or at the door. Doors open at 6: 45 p.m. at the Burnaby Winter Club, 4990 Canada Way.
