No matter where his musical travels take him, Kris Mihilewicz is always happy to be back in his hometown.
The former Prince Albert resident will be back on Saturday when he performs with Saskatoon-based Oscar’s Hollow at the Rock Trout Event Centre. Mihilewicz said he’s played the venue once before, and is eager to return.
“It’s always great to be back in Prince Albert playing for old friends and family,” said Mihilewicz, who plays guitar and sings lead vocals for the group. “The Rock Trout, we played there once before in 2018 and loved the room and everything about it.”
The last two years have been busy ones for Oscar’s Hollow. Mihilewicz spent much of his time building a sound studio in his home, and the band began recording their first release since an EP in 2019.
Originally, the group hoped to have a full record out in 2024, but delays have pushed it back a few months. Ideally, Mihilewicz said the group hopes to release a single by the end of the year, with a new album scheduled for 2025.
“It is something that we’ve been working on for some time,” he said. “We’re pretty anxious to get it out there, but we want to make sure it sounds the way we want it to sound and that sort of thing.”
Joining Mihilewicz in Oscar’s Hollow are keyboard and accordion player Darryl Dozlaw, bassist Byron Shaw, and drummer Kurt Burnett.
The group draws its musical influence from The Band and Blue Rodeo. Mihilewicz said they love how both groups combine harmonies and spread out the songwriting.
On Saturday, they’ll be joined at the Rock Trout by former Prince Albert resident Shayne Lazarowich and Red Pheasant First Nation’s Falynn Baptiste.
Mihilewicz said they’ve known Lazarowich, and recently played a gig together in Saskatoon. That got them talking about doing something similar further north.
“Because both Shayne and I have roots in Prince Albert, we thought, ‘let’s do this again in Prince Albert,’ so we did,” Mihilewicz said. “We’ve played with Shayne on numerous occasions, like the River Road Festival in St. Louis, things like that, so we’ve known Shayne over the years for quite a while.”
Baptiste also has roots in Cumberland House, and was one of five musicians to receive an honourable mention for 2024 TD Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. Mihilewicz said they haven’t performed as much with Baptiste, but what they have heard is impressive.
“She’s got an amazing voice, and incredible style of music, so we’re very happy to be playing with her again,” he said.
Doors open for Saturday’s show at 7 p.m., with the music starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door.
