Eight months ago, Mike Hurley and Joe Keithley were rivals.
They were both running to unseat Derek Corrigan as mayor of Burnaby before Keithley dropped out, endorsed Hurley for mayor and opted to run for councillor instead.
Now the two men are council colleagues and bandmates. Life comes at you fast.
Keithley, frontman of legendary punk band D.O.A. and now a Green Party councillor, revealed at a Monday council meeting that he and Hurley, Burnaby’s independent mayor, were booked to play a Burnaby Arts Council event in June.
He described their band as “yet unnamed and quite unformed and unrehearsed” but said he was looking forward to playing a set with Hurley at a June 8 Live at the Gallery event at Deer Lake Gallery.
Keithley’s announcement was a surprise to many in council chambers, Hurley included.
The mayor said he and Keithley had previously discussed playing music together, but he was unaware he had been booked for the arts council event.
“He signed me up for it,” Hurley told the NOW the next day. “Him and I had discussed doing some things together, but I hadn't heard that.”
Hurley, a guitar player and lifelong musician originally from Northern Ireland, said he has played nearly every type of music except punk.
Nevertheless, he said he’s looking forward to rehearsing with Keithley and playing the show in June. More gigs could follow for local fundraisers and events, he said.
“Joe's a lot of fun, so it will be a fun thing to do,” he said.
