There are various avenues for musicians to find exposure and prosperity even in smaller cities like Kelowna but it’s not easy. There are certain essential elements, talent and versatility being at the top of the list. Neville Bowman is one such musician both adroit and multifaceted enough to keep very busy.

I first met Neville a couple of years ago at a theater audition. I was the one auditioning, Neville was the musical director seated at the keyboard. Next to him were the director, the producer and the stage manager. I handed him my music and after just a brief glance he was able to play it spot on, (which made my job a whole lot easier). As musical director at Kelowna Actor’s Studio, Neville not only grinds out the keys for hundreds of auditions but he also furnishes all the music that accompanies the performances.

The next time I heard Neville’s name was as the bass player of the local Rock band, Ten2Nine. Here he trades in the keyboard for the bass to set down the rhythm for such instant classics as Smoke in the Light. (Catch this act Nov. 19 at the Kelowna Community Theatre).

You would think that between those two gigs, Neville would be busy enough but wait there’s more, lots more. He also does studio work with the likes of Vytas Sinkevicius at Treefort Studios. (I recorded some stuff with Vytas a couple of years ago and it was a very memorable experience. Treefort is a gorgeous mountain side studio, with an acoustically wicked cathedral ceiling in the main room. Vytas is an enthusiastic, accommodating and patient professional who has all the state of the art toys. For my money, this guy is the best in town. But I digress).

Does Neville have enough to do yet? Nope. There is also a jazz quartet that he plays with on occasion and as if that isn’t enough, he also has a budding solo gig on the rise. Which brings us to last Friday night at the Greenroom. A Greenroom is a back stage room in a theater, studio or other public venue where performers hang out when they’re not required to be on stage. But I’m not referring to an actual Greenroom here. I’m referring to a cozy little night spot smack in the middle of Kelowna’s cultural district.

It was suggested to me that I make reservations because they were supposed to be busy but when we got there at 6:45, fifteen minutes before the show, there was only three or four tables occupied. Whatever. We ordered desert. I had the three cheesecake platter yes three slices of cheese cake! Bring it on! It was heavenly. And then something really weird happened. It was just after seven when all of a sudden people started piling in and before Neville had finished his second song, the place was packed. What the hell happened? Was everyone hiding in the bushes outside, in some contest to see who could be the most fashionably late? It didn’t matter everyone soon settled in and it was all good.

Jazz is the perfect music for a place like the Green Room because it’s busy enough to keep things lively but subtle enough not distract patrons from a truly pleasurable dining experience. When Neville played standards like, ‘It had to be You,’ it was almost as though his voice and the notes on the piano were a part of the symphony of conversations swirling around the room he couldn’t have planned his set better.

In between sets I just had to ask, (because even after everything I’ve said, believe or not, Neville has yet another side to his musical vocation). “Is it true you’re going to be in the musical Sweeney Todd?” Not only is he in the play, he is the lead. “I’ve been reading up on the real Sweeney Todd,” he told me, “He was not a nice person.” We chatted a bit more and then he moved on down the room leaving me thinking, ‘I thought I had a strong work ethic. This guy makes me look like a complete slug.

Here’s where I usually give you a web address or two but Neville’s is currently under construction so I don’t know if I should… oh what the heck, Neville Bowman and if you love comfortable, laid back ambiance, thrilling food and drinks and some of the best talent this neck of the woods has to offer then pop into the Greenroom, (but not between 7:01 and 7:04... bit of a bottleneck at the door around then).

Greenroom Restaurant

Colm O'Reilly is a musician and playwright, residing in Kelowna for the past fifteen years. As a writer and a lover of all things arts and entertainment, Colm felt that it was his duty to put his prose to work to let the Castanet community in on what’s happening in the Okanagan.