It’s been 17 years since the five musicians graced a stage together, but on Aug. 9, for one night only, it was the reunion that more than 200 people had been waiting for.
Drunk and Pretending, a “rockin’ beer punk band”, described as sweaty bar-room rock and rowdy punk chaos, got back together for a night of music and fun at 97 Street Pub in Kelowna.
The band originally got together in late 2003 after linking up with drummer Mike Harrison and bassist Dean Irving, who needed musicians for a recording project, said guitarist Shaun Groenesteyn.
“The chemistry clicked instantly, and by 2004 we were fully active as a band,” he said.
Adding Chris Barker to vocals, Dan Harding to lead Guitar and Drunk and Pretending started playing at every bar and pub in the Okanagan.
“We spent the next four years raising noise and lowering expectations until we wrapped things up in 2008,” explained Groenesteyn.
The name, Drunk and Pretending, originally came from an incident with the founding member and guitarist, Shara Mendoza, who had once been ‘drunk and pretending’ to hit Harrison in the face with her guitar, explained Groenesteyn.
“Except she wasn’t pretending hard enough. She actually clipped him right between the eyes. The name stuck, the scar faded — and here we are,” he said.
Fast forward to 2025, and the five musicians are now spread out across B.C. and are in their 40s, which means any time they are drunk and pretending while doing pretty much anything, it takes a different toll.
But, Groenesteyn missed his band and the friendship.
“I missed performing too, so I reached out to the boys with this crazy idea,” said Groenesteyn of doing a reunion show.
“Everyone said yes. Mike and I even flew in from our different cities just to jam for a weekend in March, and the spark was still there. That sealed it — from that weekend on, the August reunion was a done deal.”
The reunion show packed the 97 Street Pub, with many punk lovers making it out for a night of good music and connecting with old friends. Many of those in attendance were regulars from Doc Willoughby's Pub, which closed in 2022 and transformed into Bernie’s Supper Club.
Doc Willoughby's Pub used to be a prime location for Drunk and Pretending shows, back in the early 2000s.
The union was better than Groenesteyn could have ever imagined, saying it was more than just a gig, “It was a reunion of friends, family, and faces we hadn’t seen in years.”
“People who used to come out to shows back in the day were right there in the crowd, singing and partying with us like no time had passed,” he said.
The entire band called the reunion a night to remember, with the nostalgia hitting hard.
“The energy was insane, and honestly, it was the kind of night none of us knew we needed until it happened,” said Groenesteyn.
What’s next for the band?
It’s complicated, as the members don’t all live in the same city and many are married with families; it’s harder to get together and jam than it was in 2003.
“But if everyone’s into it, maybe we’ll do a show once in a while,” laughed Groenesteyn. “After how much fun the reunion was, it’d be rad to get back on stage again.”
