The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Canadian country sensations Beverly Mahood and Gil Grand rocked the R.H. Channing Auditorium last night in one of the most anticipated local concerts in years. And while the enthusiastic crowd of just under 300 was thrilled to see the popular performers in person, the singers were just as pleased to make Flin Flon a stop on their western Canadian tour. "The smaller towns are where you have the people who enjoy it the most," smiled Mahood during a rehearsal yesterday afternoon. "They respect that you came to their town to play. They listen and I love that about it." "Whether it's a theatre or a community centre in a smaller town, obviously most of those places don't get a lot of marquee acts that come in," said Grand. "So they really appreciate it, they come out and it's usually a good response. People are happy to see us and we're happy do it." For Mahood, performing in Flin Flon for the first time since 1998 caused her to reflect on how she has grown as an artist over the past six years. Back then, she was still making a name for herself in the competitive country music industry. Consequently, she arrived in town in a humble station wagon and couldn't afford to bring along her entire band. Now several hits later, including The First Day (You Wake Up Alone), which is number four on the Canadian Top 10 Countdown, Mahood is a big name. "It's good to see that things actually progress," she said. "You realize that when you go back to a place that you've played before and see that now you can bring your full band and now you have songs that people know. And that's a great feeling." Yesterday marked Grand's first trip to Flin Flon and he couldn't wait to walk out onto the stage. "I like all of the aspects of this career," he said. "From going into the studio and recording music, songwriting, shooting videos Ñ that's all fun stuff. But ultimately getting on stage and performing those songs for the fans is still the best part." Like Mahood, Grand has built up an impressive resume in recent years. One of his career highlights came last year when he was named Independent Male Vocalist of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association. Like all performers, Mahood and Grand look ahead at which steps they would like their careers to take. Both, however, are satisfied and feel grateful to be where they are. "Every day I get to live my dream and that's exciting," smiled Mahood. "Instead of having the top ten single in Canada, I'd like to have it in the States and everywhere, but those are things you work towards. Right now, I'm happy about where I am." Grand hopes to be able to keep doing what he's doing and mature as an artist. "With every new album, I think you find out a little bit more about yourself," he said. "As long as the fans are interested in buying the CDs and coming out to the shows, I'll keep doing it."
