Tablet Pharmacy: Ever find yourself waiting endlessly at a big box pharmacy, feeling like just another number? At Tablet Pharmacy, they provide the personalized service you deserve. They offer free delivery and blister packaging options to make managing your medications easier than ever. Check their competitive prices online at tabletpharmacy.ca.

Rockin' Rhonda: Peter and Dave, they're on the mics. All right, join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.

Peter McCully: back to The Pulse Community Podcast. I'm Peter McCully. And with the unofficial start of summer behind us, we here in the mid-Vancouver Island region are enjoying the kind of weather that reminds us of why people move here. 

Dave Graham: And I'm Dave Graham. As a native Islander, I call people who move here guests, but I don't blame them.

This is beautiful BC after all, and I'm confident in saying that pretty much on a daily basis I get to witness something of the natural world that takes my breath away. 

Peter McCully: And that's another reason to get outside and enjoy what this wonderful world has to offer. 

Dave Graham: Have you seen the action at the pickleball courts lately?

Those places are hopping. 

Peter McCully: Yeah, Dave, it's great to see people getting out and getting the most of life. 

Dave Graham: And that leads us nicely to mention one of this episode's featured people. 

Peter McCully: At the age of 95, Eva Hilborn founded a charity called The Wonderful World of Books. Almost five years later, Eva is still involved with arranging the delivery of free books to 250 children across School District 69 every month.

Eva Hilborn: There's great potential. The research shows that children who have 80 or more books in their home progress greater. I see also the children getting rid of some of the anxiety problems that we hear- Mm-hmm ... about now. So- Yeah ... it's just a wonderful program. It's the volunteers that make this program. I think we have anywhere from 50 to 70 volunteers, you know, going out to homes each month, and they're coming back with just wonderful stories about what's happening.

The children, they're happy to get a book each month. 

Dave Graham: Eva Hilborn. How inspiring to be 95 and looking for something to do. Wow. And I encourage you to be listening for Eva's answer as to how she has achieved such a long and active life. 

Peter McCully: Also joining us today, Kyle McKearney. Kyle is bringing his To The River tour to Vancouver Island this summer, including Sunfest, Rock the Range, and the Parksville Museum Concert Series.

Kyle McKearney: My band plays on my records, right? When we're collaborating in that way and we're working on songs in the studio, it has its own thing and it doesn't sound like other records or Nashville studio bands or other country bands in Canada. It just has its own thing and I, I really dig that. It's just a group of highly skilled, highly talented musicians who have a lot of swagger and soul and could essentially play any genre of music.

They do all the time. 

Dave Graham: A band with swagger and soul. How can you miss when you have swagger and soul? Although I warn against over-swaggering. That can make the difference between being acceptably cool and being unbearably arrogant. Well, sometimes it can be a tricky line to follow. At least that's what I hear.

Not speaking from experience or anything like that. What were we talking about? 

Peter McCully: We were talking about our upcoming podcast guests. We'll be chatting with Ron Thorogood. He'll tell us about the Parksville Car and Bike Show planned for the community park in July. 

Dave Graham: Cheryl Gill will be here soon to talk about Beach Fest and all the events that surround one of the island's favorite summer events.

Oh, have I mentioned that I DJ for the sand sculpting competition? I say without hesitation that Parksville is truly one of the finest places on Earth in which to watch adults 

Peter McCully: play with sand. And award-winning author Sam Wiebe is here to chat about his sixth Wakeland novel, Guns Across the River, which is out now.

SOSD69: When families are supported, our whole community thrives. That's why SOS launched For Our Families, a campaign dedicated to keeping essential and enriching SOS child, youth, and family programs open, accessible, and vibrant. You can make a donation through the SOS website, and you can help by teeing off at the first ever SOS For Our Community Golf Tournament June 6th at Morning Star Golf Club.

For just $180 per person, enjoy the driving range, 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, buffet dinner, on-course challenges, the chance to win a brand-new vehicle from Parksville Chrysler, and other great prizes. Bid on great local items in the silent auction. Support local children and youth. Strengthen local families.

Learn more at sosd69.com. 

Ian Lindsay & Associates: Ian Lindsay of Lindsay and Associates has played an active role in the local community since 1979. He has been with RE/MAX, Vancouver Island's most advanced real estate business network, since 1996, marketing and selling residential, rural, strata, recreational, investment, and project development real estate.

Ian has received several awards recognizing his exceptional community commitment locally, as well as awards for outstanding performance and achievement from both RE/MAX International and the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. You'll find true real estate professionals at ianlindsay.ca. 

Peter McCully: Stay tuned to the podcast, our website, and our social pages for upcoming giveaways.

We have an outstanding selection of free tickets ahead. 

Dave Graham: Right you are, Peter. Truly some fine prizing, as we say in the biz. There will be tickets for April Wine, Beachfest Rocks, Blue Rodeo. And if you head to our website, Facebook, or Instagram 

Peter McCully: page, you'll find the links to enter. The best place to start is always thepulsecommunity.ca.

Now let's get our first guest up to the microphone. Here's Marilyn. 

Marilyn: Eva Hilborn has spent nearly a century believing in the power of a good book. The retired early childhood educator founded the Wonderful World of Books at age 95, inspired by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Today, at 99, her charity delivers free books to 250 children across School District 69 every month.

Kathy Van Herwaarden is vice president of the Wonderful World of Books. 

Dave Graham: Eva, it's wonderful to meet you. Welcome to the podcast, and congratulations on a wonderful success. This organization you founded, The Wonderful World of Books. Can you tell us the origin story? 

Eva Hilborn: First, being interested in early childhood education, and then realizing if children are reaching kindergarten without the right skills, literacy skills, social skills, we have to do something at the parent level.

So this is why I thought, "Oh, I can do that." 

Dave Graham: What was it that triggered you then from, "I can do that," to actually manifesting with books? 

Eva Hilborn: It's hard to say. There's so many factors in, in dealing with this. But I thought, "I have to do something with my 90s." I'd survived COVID-19 or, and the heatwave. I needed an activity.

And so I thought, "Yes, I can give books to children, and I'll start at Bowser. That will give me about 25 books. I can handle that. So let's have some fun." 

Dave Graham: It was 25 books you said that was the start? 

Eva Hilborn: Yes. 25 children, delivering it up to their homes. Now, that was interesting because my neighbors helped me deliver them.

And then one of my neighbors happened to contact Robin Bird, who was with Chek TV, and she interviewed me, and she gave me a little clip, and then CTV gave me the five-minute happy story at the end of their program. It took off. Here I was with 100 children. What to do with them? Hand them over to Cathy. I got about eight women in Qualicum to be on the board of directors, and so that's how we started off.

Dave Graham: So from couple of dozen participants in Bowser, and then to Qualicum, where do you reach now? How many kids are we talking about?

Eva Hilborn:  500. We had the three- and four-year-olds for five years. And then somehow we got involved with the library and found they had the books for babies, but they didn't know how to deliver them, so we delivered them for them.

And this year we included from birth to four years old. The, uh, the three- and four-year-olds will get roughly 10 to 12 books a year. The three and-- the little ones will get four books a year. Who knows? We might throw in another one here and there. 

Dave Graham: These fortunate children, how do they end up getting these books?

Does the family register? How, how do they get involved? 

Cathy Van Herwaarden: We advertise in a sort of different ways. Word of mouth tends to be the best and most popular and easiest one. Facebook, posters in different places, stores. We have a website. Walking in the grocery store, you see a mom with a baby, and you say, "Hey, do you know about the Wonderful World of Books?"

And you give them a card, and they register, and then from there they can go to an online registration, and that comes through to one of our administrators, and they're registered. It's simple and easy. 

Dave Graham: You have 500 kids. You also have some significant sponsors. What's the capacity? You've yet to reach it.

Cathy Van Herwaarden: We tend to keep growing. Every day there's more and more registrants. Sometimes we even get babies that are not even born yet being registered. We have one that's going to be born July 22nd that the parents have registered already. So capacity-wise, it's depends upon our donations that we receive, right?

I mean, yes, we have sponsors, and we apply for grants, and donations are very, very important, and people do get an income tax receipt as well. 

Eva Hilborn: We have lots of sponsors, people across Canada interested in literacy. They seem to be willing to give, like, $5,000 donations. So if we continue to do that, good, and we hope that people also will leave legacies to Wonderful World of Books in their will.

Cathy Van Herwaarden: As well, we're connected with the Parts for Qualicum Community Foundation. We have received grants through their community foundation already for us, but we are now registered with them as a charity for others that donate to that community foundation. 

Dave Graham: There's a correlation I've heard between the number of books a family might have in a household and what the possibility of a child's reaching their greater potential in school or getting better grades, whatever it is.

Eva Hilborn: Oh, there's great potential. The research shows that children who have 80 or more books in their home progress greater. I see also the children getting rid of some of the anxiety problems that we hear- Mm-hmm ... about now. So- Yeah ... it's just a wonderful program. It's the volunteers that make this program. I think we have anywhere from 50 to 70 volunteers, you know, going out to homes each month, and they're coming back with just wonderful stories about what's happening.

The children, they're happy to get a book each one. 

Cathy Van Herwaarden: There's a label inside each of the books, so each child's name is printed in each of the books that they receive. And so we encourage the parents to keep the books together as their own personal little collection, 'cause most of these books will then become their first reader-type books when they get into school.

Right now, we're just introducing them to books. This is what a book is. This is how you hold a book. This is how you turn the pages. It's front to back, and it's not upside down, and there's lots of just learning language and learning about the scribbles on the page make words. There's a lot of skills to learn about books before they actually learn to read.

Eva Hilborn: One of the parents sent a photograph of her older boy who received a Brown Bear, and his little brother received it this year. And there they were, the little brother turning the book and the older boy assisting him. You know? Yeah. It, it's just the conversation that goes back and forth. 

Dave Graham: And they're not looking at a screen.

Eva Hilborn: As you know, the research shows that children looking at a screen are being harmed with their thinking skills. 

Cathy Van Herwaarden: Some of the stories that we get are unbelievable. I mean, there's comments like, "Unwrapping a new book each month is as exciting as receiving a birthday or a Christmas gift. Our daughter was absolutely ecstatic to receive a new book each month.

The joy on her face each time a little brown bag sat at the door with her name on it was celebrated. She would immediately go inside and dive into the book." Such a wonderful gift to our children. It's great to see the smiles on their faces and the joy in their eyes when they receive the books. We hear that word a lot, joy, and it's not just the children, but it's the parents that are joyful.

The volunteers that deliver the books are filled with joy. As the board of directors and those of us behind the program, we're filled with joy. I mean, it's just a wonderful thing when you mix children and books. As a retired school teacher, yes, we've been always into books and literacy, and we know how important it is, but it's the children that receive the books that are just so excited.

Eva Hilborn: You know, what could be better? 

Dave Graham: I'm feeling it now. It spreads. How do you decide what books to give away? 

Eva Hilborn: Well, I have a, a background in selecting books. I did all the kindergarten books in Alberni, and so I knew a lot about it. But we have lots of people contributing books, and then we have book committees who select.

For the first five years, I selected. 

Cathy Van Herwaarden: As far as books go, I mean, we all have our favorites. Having taught in the elementary school system, you end up knowing a lot of books, and you know which ones children respond to. Then also there's so many new books that come out that it, that you have to s- kind of stay on top of all that also.

So we get lots of different input from, even parents give us input. Lots of our volunteers give us input. We are walking through bookstores all the time, checking them out. All our local bookstores are very supportive. We purchase our books locally. Parks Fog Quallicum bookstores are very supportive of us and offer us, "Here's an idea.

Maybe this one will work for you." Or, you know, sometimes you see a book on a, on a Facebook page, it's like, "Oh, wow, I gotta check into that." And there's constantly new books coming up with, "Look at this one. Isn't this one great?" And then we do have a book selection committee that chooses the books that we're going to use each month.

Eva Hilborn: In adult books today, you find the adult author is going back to Mark Twain, D- Dickens, and building on them. When I started the writing program at kindergarten, the grade nine teacher, nine years after the program got going, said his students were better writers when it came to compositions. 

Dave Graham: Have we sufficiently covered ways people can help if they, they want to assist, to donate, to volunteer?

Eva Hilborn: They can contact me or Kathy- Uh-huh ... and say what they'd like to do, whether they want to serve on a committee or whether they would like to deliver. We speak to many organizations and always get a good response. 

Cathy Van Herwaarden: You asked about volunteers and how people can help. If they're interested in connecting with us and finding out more, they can check through the website, thewonderfulworldofbooks.com.

There's a Contact Us section, and they can send us a message through that. We have lots of volunteers. Some help with delivering books, some help with labeling of books, some help with choosing of books. We could probably help, get some help with some fundraising events that could possibly be happening. I mean, we're open to any of the ideas that somebody might have.

Eva Hilborn: How do people donate? Well, we have e-transfers, and we do take checks. And Canada Helps is another organization they can donate through. 

Cathy Van Herwaarden: Again, checking on the website, there is a Donate button, so that can help people there, or contact us and we can let them know as well for donations. 

Dave Graham: Cathy, you have some specific information as to the benefits of literacy at home?

Cathy Van Herwaarden: There have been several studies that have been done. One of them from 2023 from the Home Libraries Research Foundation says that a child with access to 25 books in their home will, on average, complete two more years of school than those without access to books in their home. So it's important to have those books in their hands and be available in the home for reading.

One of the comments that we received from a parent was, "My son is autistic, diagnosed at two years old. When we first started receiving books, he couldn't talk at all. One of the first books we reviewed was Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I read it to him every night for a month, and it led to his first words, 'Brown bear.'

Over time, he could say every color and each animal in the book and the sounds that each animal made. He's four years old now and still very speech delayed, but he's learned so many words from his books." 

Dave Graham: Eva, I've heard that you're gonna be marking something of a milestone birthday this summer. Is that true?

Eva Hilborn: Yes. Yes. I'll have my 100th. I shouldn't have made it, but I did. 

Dave Graham: Well, that leads to the inevitable question for people that reach your age as to, you know, what's your secret? Uh, do you have any advice to impart? 

Eva Hilborn: Oh, keep busy. Keep a job. Do something positive, and I think that's what's kept me going. I'm having a hard time even now giving up.

I'm still going to do books for babies until I hit my 100th. I encourage people to keep physically able. There was a day when I used to run every night. I'd golf by myself in the evening, and do all sorts of things like that. But this wonderful world of books interacting with people, you know, maybe 70 people a month.

I don't know any 90-year-old who has that kind of contact, and it's great. They just pop in, and I love it. And I just see this wonderful world of books going on for years, and I think that the educational system has to recognize parents' input into the children's educational system. I don't want them deciding any program, but just providing them with even money to buy more books for them.

The parents need help, and I'm hoping through this program, and I hope it stimulates other people to work with children, and especially the intermediate children. And so I can see a real success coming. I wish I could stay around another 100 years. 

Peter McCully: Eva Hillborn and Kathy Van Herwaarden. And what a story that is.

Eva started the charity at 95, still going strong. She'll be turning 100 this summer. And if you'd like to support The Wonderful World of Books, look for the links in our story notes at thepulsecommunity.ca. 

Dave Graham: If you have someone in mind that you think we should be talking to, then please speak to us. You can reach us and leave a voice or a text message.

Head to our website. Click on the contact link. You know, when you turn 100, you can receive greetings from His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister of Canada if you want, but it does require an application. Best done at least eight weeks in advance. Oh, and let me just save everyone some time and say that there's no point in asking for a signed photo of the king.

They won't give you one, no matter how many times you ask. 

Peter McCully: Visit our website to explore our archive of stories, plus the Vancouver Island webcam links, event listings, contest information, and more. thepulsecommunity.ca. 

Dave Graham: You can also find us on Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube. Plus, we're on Facebook and Instagram.

Stone Poets: Hey kids, this is Mark. This is Scott. This is Shirelle. And we're Stone Poets. 

Award-winning Stone Poets are coming back to their favorite island venue, Shar's Landing Public House in Port Alberni, on Saturday, July 4th at 7:30 PM. Stone Poets is a harmony-driven music trio rooted in poetic songwriting, emotional honesty, and a deep belief in music as a force for connection. Shar's Landing is a celebrated island music hall with an uplifting atmosphere, and of course, everyone loves Shar. From pop sensibilities to soulful balladry, join Shirelle, Scott, and Mark and explore the shared human experience, love, resilience, community, and hope in an intimate concert setting. Tickets are on sale now at sharslanding.com/events or call 250-730-1636.

Arrowsmith Recreation: The Arrowsmith Community Recreation Association is hosting the thirty-fifth annual Coombs Community Picnic on Friday, June the fifth from five thirty to seven thirty PM at the Coombs Fairgrounds. Come meet your neighbors and enjoy live music, field games, educational displays, and free food at the concession while supplies last. Bring your lawn chair and make it an evening at this entirely free event. We hope to see you there. 

Tablet Pharmacy: Ever find yourself waiting endlessly at a big box pharmacy, feeling like just another number? There's a better way. At Tablet Pharmacy, they provide the personalized service you deserve. Check their competitive prices online at tabletpharmacy.ca before you even leave home. They offer free delivery and blister packaging options to make managing your medications easier than ever. With convenient locations in Parksville, Qualicum Beach, and now open in Nanaimo near The Brick, Tablet Pharmacy has been serving Vancouver Island since twenty nineteen. Stop being just a prescription number. Experience the Tablet Pharmacy difference today. Visit them online and check their prices at tabletpharmacy.ca. 

Peter McCully: Dave, as we heard, Eva Hilborn started the Wonderful World of Books because she wanted to stay busy in her later years, and it has since impacted the lives of hundreds of children. Does that inspire you for a new project?

Dave Graham: A new project? Me? The project half-finished guy? Eh, to be honest, Peter, maybe not. But what her story did do was act as a springboard for other thoughts, which have led to action. And that, to me, is the sign of a successful story. I've decided to spend less time on chores and more on fun stuff. Admittedly, that's a little different from Eva's charitable contributions to the world, but this is what is working for me right now.

Less vacuuming. Yeah. Hey, maybe it's time we started our next story. Here's Marilyn. 

Marilyn: In the green room is Kyle McKearney. He's a Métis singer-songwriter from northern BC who stopped chasing hit songs, found his voice, and hasn't looked back since. The multi-award-winning artist is bringing his To The River Tour to Vancouver Island this summer, including Sunfest, Rock ThE Range, and the Parksville Museum Concert Series.

Peter McCully: Welcome to the podcast today, Kyle. 

Kyle McKearney: Hey, how you doing? 

Peter McCully: I'm doing well. I'd like to talk about where it all started for you. I know you grew up in Fort St. John, and now you're based in Alberta. How much does that sense of place, being a westerner, a prairie kid, a coastal kid, show up in your music? 

Kyle McKearney: I think it shows up a lot.

I grew up in northern BC. Like you said, Fort St. John, it's way up there, so it's a desolate oil town really. A lot of industry up there and where a lot of oil business happens. It's a good place to practice and learn how to play because there's long, cold, hard winters. Not a lot else to do. We didn't have a ton of sports.

I think there was baseball. There was lots of hockey. I didn't do any of that, so I played a lot and practiced and learned guitar and singing and songwriting. That's pretty much what I spent my time doing in my childhood. It can't help but seep into how I write because that's the world that I know. I grew up without YouTube, without social media, without any of that stuff.

So my music is more real-life stuff, I would say. And being in Alberta now, it's essentially more things around here, right? More people. 

Peter McCully: Music clearly runs in your family because your grandparents, as I understand it, played in bars, and your dad chased Nashville with the East Coast Riders. Tell us about them.

Kyle McKearney: That's right. My dad was in the East Coast Riders until I was five years old, so I grew up on the road with that band. I have vivid memories of hotel rooms and hearing the band down in the bar when I'm up in the hotel room, and the smell of cigarette smoke and people laughing and yelling, and those memories are really cool from when I was a child.

Dad left the East Coast Riders when I had to start school, and then later on in life when I was, like, 13, I think, he moved to Nashville and made a go of it. He spent eight years there. So I got to go there lots as a kid and kind of experience the talent level there, the pool of songwriters and everything that happens down there, so that was really neat.

My grandpa broke his back when he was 45, so he was in a wheelchair after that, and they had always played at dances and weddings and had a family band But after that, they had to depend on it a lot more, I believe, for income. That's what they did. And then my dad and my grandpa started a duo later on and did that all around western Canada.

Peter McCully: And at what point, Kyle, did you realize that it's not just a family tradition, it was your path as well? 

Kyle McKearney: I realized it early. I was very into it at a very young age. Like when I was 10 years old, that's all I wanted to do, and I knew that. I always dreamed of having a super band and writing great songs and being on the radio and playing arenas and all the things. So I've done every one of those things that I listed there now. 

Peter McCully: Now you're coming back to Vancouver Island this summer with several dates. There's Sunfest in Lake Cowichan, Rock the Range, Qualicum Beach, which is with 54-40 in September, and you're also at the Parksville Museum concert series. So when you look at that variety of venues and settings, what stands out to you about playing on the island specifically?

Kyle McKearney: Yeah, they're pretty diverse, I would say. I've played on the island a few times before as well. I did the theater in Duncan. That was really beautiful. I always like coming there. It's one of the most beautiful places in Canada, let's be real. It's where everyone wants to end up. Sunfest will be like most other festivals, I would imagine, where people are there to have a really good time and drink and dance, and that'll be really fun.

54/40 show will be really cool 'cause it's a, it's a fundraiser for cancer, I believe. Playing with 54/40 will be great. 

Peter McCully: At one point in your career, Kyle, you joined the touring cast of We Will Rock You as a guitar player. I wondered what playing the guitar in a Queen musical taught you about your own music and who you wanted to be as a musician, and how much fun was that?

Kyle McKearney: It was a lot of fun. It was a really cool ride. It was big buses and trucks and big venues. Like, we played the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden for four or five nights in a row, sold out every night. There were some massive venues. We played the Microsoft Theatre in LA. We played in a lot of states, I would say two-thirds of the states, and then we did the whole thing in Canada as well.

It was 130 shows in six months, I believe we did. So it was night after night. It was really fun. The truth for me is that I was away from my wife and son for that six months, and my son was young. He was two or three. I struggled on that tour a bit because I was drinking a lot to go to sleep on the bus 'cause I missed my family, and, uh, I wasn't feeling that well lots of the time.

There's lots of tours like that, where it's a bit of a grind, but then those shining moments at those amazing venues kinda makes it all worth it and creates the memory that you'll hold forever. I think what I learned about my own music was that I started creating it then. I got into writing songs that I love for myself and things I wanted to say.

That's when I really first started to do that, was on that tour. 

Peter McCully: Now, when you came home from that tour and started posting your songs online, what was the response? 

Kyle McKearney: It was shocking. There was a very big response. I think the first video that I posted of a cover song, it got, like, 10,000 views overnight on Facebook and Instagram, so that was very shocking actually.

It was just at a time, I think it was the song What a Wonderful World, and it was right when COVID hit, so I think there was something about that made people feel hopeful, and they enjoyed it. Every video I posted after that did quite well. It was a wild ride. It was fun doing those covers. I was pleasantly surprised by the response.

Peter McCully: Your album To the River is described as your most personal record yet. What do you think when you listen back to it now? 

Kyle McKearney: That's funny. I was listening to some of it the other day. I think it sounds great, and I think the songs are great. It is a very personal record, so I think looking back at any moment where you were being very vulnerable can feel a little scary sometimes.

So listening to some of those songs is like, "Eeh, I don't know. I don't know if I wanna listen to this." But I do appreciate that moment in my life and what I was experiencing, and I think it's a great record still. 

Peter McCully: Now, you co-produced the record with Russell Broom, who's also in your live band. What does it mean to make something that personal with someone who's not just a collaborator, but somebody on stage with you every night that you trust?

Kyle McKearney: Yeah. It just takes the right match, the right fit, the right kind of person. I feel very comfortable with Russell, and able to be myself, and he's always pushing for that level of vulnerability and that level of introspection. So it's easy for us to work together in any capacity. 

Peter McCully: And I was reading the liner notes, and imagine Peter's shock when he read that Vance Powell, who's mixed Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, and Beyoncé- Mixed your record. What did he bring to the sound? 

Kyle McKearney: Oh, he was unbelievable. He's just got such great ears and instincts. His sounds are amazing too. He doesn't do anything in the box. It's all analog outboard gear. He's got walls of it and racks of it, and he has it all patched and chained so that he can do certain effects and he's a one-off for sure.

There's nobody like Vance, and there's nobody who can sound like Vance. So it was a very special opportunity to get to have that record mixed by him. 

Peter McCully: Is there a story on how that came to be? 

Kyle McKearney: Uh, it's interesting. I think that my manager, Jeff, had reached out for the previous record, and Vance was very busy, but it made him aware of who I am, I think.

And so when we came back to do this one, the timing just worked out very well. I think that's all it was, essentially, was him hearing your music. He has to decide if he thinks it's good enough or not, and he did, so that was very lucky. We tricked him. 

Peter McCully: Wedding Day is described as a ballad that has resonated with fans worldwide.

I wondered where the song actually came from. What was the moment or feeling where it all came together? 

Kyle McKearney: I had the idea for it, but it was just melody and just guitar chords and melody kind of thing. And then when I got down with Aaron and Lydia, they're two songwriters that I write a lot of my stuff with and finish songs with quite often.

I think it was Lydia's idea to have it about a wedding day. I don't know. I can't remember. But I have this friend in Calgary. He's very wealthy. I just was thinking about that idea, maybe during the songwrite or after, but it's just like, if that guy ever tried to make a situation happen where he was going after somebody who was with somebody else, he would be a hard person to say no to because he can create quite a life for somebody because of his wealth.

That concept and that idea is very interesting and wild to think about if you really think deeply about it.

Song: Wedding Day - Kyle McKearney

Peter McCully: Kyle McKearney, "Wedding Day." Kyle, your band, The Outliers, includes your wife, Sarah, on vocals and guitar. What's it like sharing the stage and your creative life with your partner? Is there a boundary between the professional and the personal, or do the lines just blur? 

Kyle McKearney: That's a great question. I think we're still figuring it all out, but it's all been pretty natural.

It's been okay. There hasn't been many moments where we've felt uncomfortable with how it feels or how it works, and I don't think anybody in the band has felt uncomfortable about it. They've never said anything, so hopefully that is the case. It's honestly the greatest, though. I had to do a few shows without Sarah.

It definitely leaves a giant hole in the whole thing. It's very important that she's there, I think for the fans and for me and for the band. It's become just what it is and what it needs to be. 

Peter McCully: Now, you've described the band's name, The Outliers, as fitting because none of you would normally play traditional country.

So does it feel like you're building your own sound? 

Kyle McKearney: That's the cool thing about it. It's like my band plays on my records, right? When we're collaborating in that way and we're working on songs in the studio, it has its own thing, and it doesn't sound like other records or Nashville studio bands or other country bands in Canada.

It just has its own thing, and I, I really dig that. It's just a group of highly skilled, highly talented musicians who have a lot of swagger and soul and could essentially play any genre of music. They do all the time. They go out and they play R&B and they play blues and they play rock. When we all get together and play this version of country, it's country rock, Americana, bluegrass.

Like, I'm a bluegrass kid, essentially. I grew up, my grandparents loved bluegrass and my dad loved bluegrass, so everything that I do has a little bluegrass influx. When you get this group of people playing that music, it just, yeah, it just sounds really cool. 

Peter McCully: Kyle, you and the band have shared stages with The Black Crowes, Lainey Wilson, Darius Rucker, just to mention a few. What do you take away from those experiences? 

Kyle McKearney: It's fun to watch the big show. I always learn a lot. I love just sitting there and enjoying what's happening, but also, like, taking away little nuggets, you know? Like, oh, that was a good bridge into that song, or that was a good talking moment. Whatever it is, I always take away little things and put them in my subconscious somewhere, and then they come out on stage lots of the time later on 

Peter McCully: Now you had the opportunity to have one of your songs featured on the season 18 finale of Heartland, which is a pretty famous show in Canada. The song was Tomorrow. That's enormous exposure for a very specific Canadian audience. 

Kyle McKearney: That was really cool, that whole experience. They actually put five of my songs throughout that episode, and then they had the band live on the episode as the band for one of their parties that they were having on the show, and so that was really cool.

They said my name in the show, and I got a lot of messages and a lot of people ordering merch from the U.S. that are big fans of Heartland 'cause that show, it has, like, a massive following in other countries actually, countries that kind of fantasize about Western lifestyle, and they don't have that, and they don't really understand it, and Heartland is, like, the bridge to it.

And they were a great group to work with, and they were so kind, and they feel like family, kind of like my band does. They've all been working together for a long time. Very good at what they do and made us feel awesome. Well, 

Peter McCully: Sunfest at Laketown Ranch in Lake Cowichan is British Columbia's largest country music festival now.

Big crowd, camping culture, pretty serious country fans. Do you have a different approach to a festival set like that, say, from a more intimate show like the Parksville Museum Concert Series? 

Kyle McKearney: I think so. I usually feel the vibe when I arrive, and then I'll tweak the setlist based on that. I'll be like, "Okay, yeah, we need to pull out all the fast rocking tunes and kind of stack them this way."

So I just play it by ear, but I always make adjustments before we go on stage and try and make it optimal for the experience of the situation. I have a pretty good sense of what that one'll feel like, though, 'cause I've done lots of those before. Gotta keep 'em moving. 

Peter McCully: Well, I read somewhere that you said you'd rather have a deep impact on 1,000 people musically than a shallow reach to millions.

Kyle McKearney: Did I say that? Wow. It's very true, though. I think it's important, especially today, to keep the essence of rock and roll and country music and the origin of the garage, how these things come to be, how bands come up, how real music is created, human music. I think that's really important, and it's part of my ethos.

I just won't use any AI for anything to do with art. And I use it all the time for learning things or trying to figure out how to build a shed in my backyard or whatever it is. I'll use YouTube and AI and things like that. But when it comes to art, when it comes to creating, I truly believe that it's important to keep that a human experience and to teach that and try and inspire young kids and influence them to not lose that.

Peter McCully: What would you like someone who's never heard your music to walk away feeling after they see one of your shows this summer on Vancouver Island? 

Kyle McKearney: I want them to walk away saying, "Oh my God, that was the best show I've ever seen in my life 

Dave Graham: Kyle McKearney. And another inspiring story. There's a man who walked away from what everyone else thought he should be doing and went and found his own thing, and built a career on it.

Yes, more power to you, brother. I encourage you to go see Kyle this summer. You'll be glad you did. His tour dates are in our story notes. 

Peter McCully: And we have a growing library of children's stories at thepulsecommunity.ca. Look for our Skookum Kids Stories with Captain Dave and the crew of the Mellow Submarine, and Peter and Gracie the Eskimo Dog.

Our newest tale has Captain Dave and his first mate, Larry the Lobster, exploring the kelp forests off of Saratoga Beach. 

Dave Graham: Our kids stories now come with coloring pages with each new episode. I tend to favor crayons for these, but every now and then, only felt tips will do. 

Peter McCully: The Pulse Community includes Cindy Thompson of Parksville.

Cindy hosts a resilience project, and this week's story is extraordinary. When Keris Craig was 11 years old, her father was murdered. Years later, she made the choice to correspond with and ultimately meet the man responsible. Look for the link on our website. 

Dave Graham: Plus, we feature non-partisan hacks with Parksville councilors Joel Grandz and Shawn Wood, allowing listeners a look behind the scenes at municipal politics and processes that directly impact Vancouver Island taxpayers.

Peter McCully: Our Radio Archaeology classic radio series features original episodes of Dragnet with Sergeant Joe Friday and Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke. 

Dave Graham: You'll find these podcasts and more at thepulsecommunity.ca, and we invite you to sign up for our newsletter and be among the first to know of the latest podcast guests and contests.

Peter McCully: Thanks for listening to The Pulse Community Podcast. We hope you'll join us again soon. 

Dave Graham: Meantime, get out there. Have your breath taken away by the beauty that surrounds us, uh, especially in areas that are not deep in the woods. 

Peter McCully: Still on about Bigfoot, are we, Dave? 

Dave Graham: Awareness and preparedness, Peter. It's all I'm saying. Awareness and preparedness. 

Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter, here comes Dave, oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So to speak. Laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat. Peter and Dave, they're on the mics, all right. Join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.