LOCAL band King Crow and the Ladies From Hell is on Vancouver Island thanks to rented transportation after their tour bus broke down in the North Okanagan earlier this week.
The bus, dubbed the Happy Adventure, gave up the ghost June 11, leaving half of the band hitching a ride in a tow truck called to the scene and the other half relying on a friend to get them to their Kelowna venue on time.
“We left the Happy Adventure, the band bus, in Kelowna and have rented a 10-foot U-haul cube van and a seven passenger mini van for the rest of the tour,” reported band promotions manager Sarah Zimmerman last night as the band relaxed on a ferry taking them to Nanaimo.
The band hopes to pick up the bus after their Vancouver Island dates.
"Even though it was a pretty stressful situation, we managed to figure out a solution so we won't miss any gigs," says mandolin player, Mark Billey. "We are really excited about the island gigs this week."
A concert in Cumberland was rescheduled until June 16 and other dates, including a stop in Victoria, are on track.
The band's provincial tour is in support of the newly-released CD, Songs of Misery and Hope.
Jamie Norton, King Crow's fiddler, notes that the sold out tour kick off show in Terrace which had admission by donation, helped the band absorb the increased costs of the rental vehicles.
"People in Terrace have been so supportive," said Jamie, adding family members have helped buy parts for the bus and friends in the Kelowna area also rallied behind the band when the bus broke down.
The band plays in Nanaimo tonight, Tofino on the 14th, has its rescheduled show in Cumberland on the 16th and Victoria on the 17th before three shows on the mainland to finish the tour.