Live music is back at The Yard and soon will be at other venues in the city. (Photo from Facebook/The Yard)

By Chris Brown

Back on stage

Live music returning to venues around Medicine Hat

Jun 21, 2021 | 4:53 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Alberta’s move into Stage 2 of the summer reopening plan put live music back on the menu at clubs and pubs around Medicine Hat.

Josh Hopkins, managing partner at The Yard, wasted no time booking performers for the downtown spot. He had That Guy from the Radio (Shaun O’Neill) on June 11 and Taking August and Oliver Hopkins on June 12.

This past weekend Mr. T and Tyler Casat performed and there will be six different acts between Thursday and Sunday this week.

“We’re so excited to, A, be back open for our second season and to have the live music back. It just creates such an atmosphere that you don’t get with a Sonos speaker and you know ‘Hey Google, change to the next song,’” Hopkins says. “That live music, that live interaction just creates such an atmosphere that I think we’ve all really missed.”

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He says local artists got on board as soon as he explained the new provincial regulations and the safety measures that would be at The Yard.

Hopkins says he is happy to give local artists a place to play again.

“Local to us is exactly why we opened this. Most of our menu is local, a lot of our beverages and food that we bring in is as local as we can possibly get and that goes right into the music,” he says

“There’s so much talent within this city between bands, single musicians. And we just like to feature that here. We like to be a place where Medicine Hatters can come see what we’ve got to offer.”

Hopkins says he hopes to have live music at The Yard each weekend until September. He adds any local musicians are welcome to reach out to The Yard for a future show.

Across Medicine Hat, the city’s largest dance floor has been empty since March 2020.

Brad Hayward, general manager at Ralph’s Texas Bar & Steakhouse, says he’s “crazy excited” to get musicians back.

“A little nervous because it’s new business again and we’re just ready to have everyone back,” he says. “We’re getting ready, we’ve got everything started. We updated our sound system to everything to be ready to go.”

Ralph’s will have Mahoney in early July on the patio, Brad Chase on the big stage indoor on Stampede weekend and Hayward is already booking into October.

He says with all the pivoting they’ve had to do over the past 15 months has opened some eyes to what Ralph’s has to offer.

“We have a great steakhouse, we’ve got a great pub we have two fantastic patios. So that part of our business is actually picking up with people understanding that Ralph’s is just not a nightclub with live music.”