Highbar Gang

ALL TICKETS – $44.50

Since the band was formed in the summer of 2010, the High Bar Gang has been bringing its unique take on old time bluegrass to the people of Western Canada.
Vocal harmony is key to the band’s sound, and the blend of Shari Ulrich, Wendy Bird and Kirby Barber along with guitarist Barney Bentall and banjo player Dave Barber is simply stunning. Supported by Rob Becker on bass, and Colin Nairne on guitar and mandolin, the band’s repertoire stays mostly rooted in the golden age of bluegrass music with songs by the likes of Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers and Del McCoury.

Highlights for the High Bar Gang include opening for Canadian music icons Blue Rodeo at Vancouver’s Malkin Bowl, and the many sold out shows they have played throughout Western Canada, including the prestigious Cedar Creek Winery Concert series and the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt. From the Brackendale Art Gallery and Victoria’s famous Butchart Gardens to Vancouver’s International Jazz Festival and San Francisco’s legendary Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the band has built a solid reputation for their wonderfully upbeat brand of old time bluegrass and stories.

In 2013 the band signed a record deal with True North Records resulting in the release of their debut recording “Lost and Undone: A Gospel Bluegrass Companion”. Along with extensive airplay in Europe as well as in North America, the album garnered several award nominations in 2014 including a Juno Award nomination in the ‘Contemporary Christian/Gospel’ category as well as a Western Canadian Music Award nod in the ‘Spiritual’ category. The High Bar Gang went on to be nominated for three Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2014 and won that year for Best Vocal Group.
The summer of 2015 saw the band return to performing with appearances at Vancouver Island Musicfest, Harrison Festival, West Vancouver’s Harmony Arts Festival and in Toronto at Panamania for the 2015 Panam Games.

In early 2016 the band finished their sophomore recording ‘Someday the Heart will Trouble the Mind’ with engineer Dave Meszaros at Watershed Productions in Vancouver. Also released on True North Records the album was nominated for a Juno Award in the Traditional Roots Album of the Year. The band played several sold out shows in 2016 and 2017 including the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver and a return engagement at the Raven’s Cry Theatre.

The spring of 2018 HBG made the trip across the mountains to do shows in Alberta, including two shows in Calgary for the Foothills Bluegrass Society and another in Bragg Creek. Moving into
2019 the HBG visited Vancouver Island twice, Langley, Bowen Island and Brackendale, and started writing their first album of original songs.
Like most people and practically all musicians and bands, the HBG hunkered down during the pandemic/lockdown. Winter of 2021 finds them continuing working on the new record as well performing live once again in the spring of 2022.

Performance venue:

The Capitol Theatre

421 Victoria Street
Nelson, BC V1L 5R2
Phone: (250) 352-6363