The Wharf Sessions: Blu & Kelly Hopkins
Blu and Kelly Hopkins are a Shuswap duo who together create folk, roots and country music. They have a classically Canadian sound, and were a pleasure to work with when we live recorded their song “Bitter Route” for the Wharf Sessions album. Kelly replied to our interview questions—we hope you enjoy!
1. How did the band come together?
The Blu & Kelly Hopkins duo came together after one of the members in our band Blu Hopkins & Silvercreek passed away, and another one moved away.
It was a natural progression for us as we play, write and live together.
2. Who writes your music, and what does the process look/feel/sound like?
We write individually and we co-write. Blu is a poet and primarily a lyricist and I tend to write melodies and tunes first. For Blu, he gets a song idea, writes it down and then spends hours or days crafting the lyric and honing the music that best fits the lyric. I tend to just get a line or a verse in my head and just write the song and then go back and edit it. Often, Blu will have a great lyric and be looking for a tune which I can help to come up with. When I read a lyric I frequently hear the music. When I'm stuck on a line or a word Blu has great suggestions. We also sometimes sit and bounce ideas off one another and write the whole song as a collaboration. We can just be going about our day and hear a line or a story that triggers that creative impulse and provides a hook or an anchor to build the song around.
3. How has the pandemic affected your band?
It has affected us deeply as all of our gigs and tours were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 is uncertain. When it became obvious that we wouldn't be playing live gigs due to the pandemic we decided to invest in the equipment we needed to begin recording live videos and started a Blu & Kelly Hopkins YouTube channel. Performing to a camera instead of a live audience has proven to be very challenging as the energy from an audience is completely lacking. We are continuing to write and play and Blu has taken up the octave mandolin which is a great addition to our sound. We are currently working on new songs to add to our YouTube channel and will hopefully be sharing them with live audiences again in the near future.
4. What was it like to come together to record at Song Sparrow Hall?
We were really excited to be included in this project and it was great to be playing our music on a stage again. Song Sparrow Hall is a lovely addition to our community and this album project is a great way to keep the music alive in the Shuswap. We are grateful to the Arts Council and WOW for facilitating this collaboration.
5. What would a dream summer performance schedule look like for your band?
Pretty much like 2020 was booked to be for us. Festivals, tours, house concerts and other performances throughout the summer and the rest of the year.
6. Tell us the story behind the song Bitter Route that’s on the album.
Funny story. Blu was working for me at the time and was downstairs at his desk. I went down to get something and saw that he had written a lyric on a sheet of paper. I read it and really liked it. I heard the tune for it in my head. When he came downstairs I asked if he had written it and if he had music for it. He said yes he just wrote it and didn't have the tune for it yet. He was thinking an autobiographical song along the lines of a gospel song. I said "hey grab your guitar, how about this" and started singing it to the tune I had in my head. He said "did you have to use every chord in that key"? We laughed, he started working the song, saying it was nothing like what he had in mind but the more he played it, the more he liked it. And that's how "Bitter Route" became a co-write.
7. I’m about to press play on your track, what’s the ideal listening setup?
You should be driving up a scenic road listening. It's a road song.
The Arts Centre is grateful for the support it receives from its sponsors, without whom this project would not be possible: SASCU, Chad Eliason Mortgage Broker, Askew’s Foods, the Armstrong Regional Co-op, Johnston Meier Insurance, Grant Thornton, Stella-Jones, Shuswap Tourism, the City of Salmon Arm, and the Government of British Columbia.
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Photography by Kristal Burgess