As a frontman, singer and manager of one of the best special event bands in the world, my life is likely as exciting as it gets. Morning traffic jams, working long hours, beholden to a twitt of a boss, and spending most of  life in an office that smells like sardines and body odour, are not part of my life, although I have experienced all of the above!! Below is an account of one of our more memorable "working weekends" in a distinctly "none-office" type environment! 

This weekend gone, Ten Souljers, Canada's #1 Event band, were invited to perform at the Sirens and Sapphires Fund-raising gala in the city of Lloydminster. Half of the city is in Alberta and half in Saskatchewan, as (rather bizarrely!) the border cuts the city in half! The city itself is in the middle of nowhere, very flat terrain, and when we arrived it was below freezing, with snow already falling! 

Our next trip away at the end of this month we will be in Las Vegas, admittedly a more glamorous geographical location! But Lloydminster will be remembered for all the right reasons. What makes Lloydminster so great is it's people!! They are untouched by the mechanics of a bigger city, and that "keep oneself to oneself" mentality, so prevalent in bigger cities where mistrust and a suspicious mentality dominantly reign. The people of Lloyminster took us back to how it used to be once upon a time - prior to cultural integration, and the new concept of ignore thy neighbour! It was so nice to be mixing with people who know each other intimately, yet want to welcome and get to know outsiders, to acknowledge and interact with them with no strings attached. 

The event itself was for a great cause. Lloydmonster fire and rescue. Held at the Stockdale Centre, the decor was breathtakingly outstanding with sweeping ceiling drapes, the red uplighting created a special ambience, and event planner Dale, brought in some excellent raffle and auction prizes. Dale, (and colleague Bob) are without exception the most dedicated, motivated, sincere and friendly event planners in Alberta - a joy to work with! The stage was excellently appointed and Lonnie, the production director had everything set up for us and the Meyer rig sounded amazing!

On the day of the show, we were picked up in a Limo and taken to the venue. A special treat indeed! Our girls, D'arcy and Karina had their very own make up and hair stylists and they looked amazing! Despite our lofty status, we do still fit the mantle of a "party band" but every now and then we get to feel like true stars and the lavish treatment afforded to us in Lloydminster will never be forgotten. 

Our show was full of blood and thunder, energy and passion. Frankly it was the very least we could do after being so warmly welcomed! It was a true privilege to be involved in such a worthy cause, and having served in the emergency services myself, it held extra special meaning. The after-party attended by some salt-of-the-earth Lloydminster people  was as rampant as always! Then 2 and a half hours of refreshing sleep before the long journey back to Vancouver, hung over and looking like we'd been dragged through a hedge backwards!

This article is dedicated to the people of Lloydminster. We sincerely hope to be back next year. Lots of Ten Souljers love you guys!!