It was a homecoming of sorts for CIVILIANA at Fernando乌鸦传媒檚 Pub on Saturday night.

乌鸦传媒淒id we say how good it is to be back?乌鸦传媒� asked the band乌鸦传媒檚 lead vocalist and drummer Calen Trentini to the pub packed with family and friends. 乌鸦传媒淏ecause it乌鸦传媒檚 really good to be back.乌鸦传媒�

The members of alt-rock group CIVILIANA all grew up and found their musical roots in Kelowna before starting the band in Vancouver in 2015. Saturday乌鸦传媒檚 show at Fernando乌鸦传媒檚 marked the first time the group was able to come back and rock their hometown crowd.

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乌鸦传媒淧laying a place where you乌鸦传媒檙e from, you definitely get a warmer crowd,乌鸦传媒� guitarist Adam Wilson said. 乌鸦传媒淎 place like Fernando乌鸦传媒檚 isn乌鸦传媒檛 a big venue, so you fill it with your friends and family and it just ends up being a big party.乌鸦传媒�

Trentini added, 乌鸦传媒渋t feels a bit different in Kelowna. In Vancouver, we grind away, we market our shows hard and try to pull in as many people as we can. We come to play here and it乌鸦传媒檚 kind of like an exhale moment. Like, 乌鸦传媒榣et乌鸦传媒檚 just play in front of these people that we grew up with and have a bit of fun with it.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮�媒�

The band is formed by Trentini and Wilson, alongside bassist Spencer Daley and guitarist Daniel Ponich, who all met while attending school in Kelowna. Trentini met Daley in Grade 7 music class and starting a band was 乌鸦传媒渙bvious乌鸦传媒� for the two rhythm section members. Trentini and Daley played several shows in Kelowna as a bass/drum-duo before being introduced to Wilson who rounded out the band then known as Civilian with some guitars.

The friends all went their separate ways after high school and reunited once they all eventually ended up in Vancouver. It was there that Ponich and the 乌鸦传媒楢乌鸦传媒� at the end of the band乌鸦传媒檚 name were added and CIVILIANA was born. In the four years since they started playing together again, the group has taken a more synth-based approach to its classic rock inspired riffs乌鸦传媒攇iving CIVILIANA its own modern twist on a guitar-driven sound.

乌鸦传媒淭he city and the esthetic of being in a big city makes you less just want to play straight ahead rock and roll and instead incorporate something like maybe a synthesizer; something that乌鸦传媒檚 a bit more widely accessible by somebody who would live in Vancouver,乌鸦传媒� Trentini said.

乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 think that was the primary driver of why we started incorporating a ton of electronic stuff into our music, but when I look at Vancouver, I think our music now is more represented by it than our older stuff.乌鸦传媒�

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The group has been going strong for the past three years, releasing its first EP Out the Window in 2016 and following it up with singles Carry a Light and Void this year. The singles outline the story of navigating a relationship throughout your twenties, which Trentini says he乌鸦传媒檚 well-versed in.

乌鸦传媒淲hen we went into the lyrical meanings for the song they did kind of take on a connected meaning,乌鸦传媒� Trentini said. 乌鸦传媒淰ery much, I was writing about what I knew. While it might乌鸦传媒檝e changed now, what I was going through was relationships and the messiness and different things that come with those.乌鸦传媒�

Trentini describes the narrative of the songs by placing Void first, symbolizing the loss of 乌鸦传媒渄irection and meaning as the result of a relationship,乌鸦传媒� which then moves into Carry a Light, which describes the post-breakup phase of 乌鸦传媒渓onging for what you once had and not being ready to do anything else.乌鸦传媒�

The third release in the narrative is Melt, a yet-to-be-released song about being ready to move on.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 the gooey centre,乌鸦传媒� Wilson said.

乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 the fun part,乌鸦传媒� added Trentini. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 when you乌鸦传媒檙e ready to move on and you乌鸦传媒檙e looking for those new connections. And the messiness and trickiness that comes along with it.乌鸦传媒�

CIVILIANA doesn乌鸦传媒檛 have any future show dates set yet, but be sure to keep an eye on its to find any other information and see where the hometown boys end up next.

michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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