iN VIDEO: Kamloops music duo broke Guinness World Record for charity

From open mic nemeses to a fundraising musical duo, these Kamloops artists are making their way in the music industry. Kevin Roy and Jon Fennell are known as the acoustic pop duo LooPS. They broke the world record for the most concerts played in 12 hours in different cities and raised nearly $20,000 for BC Children’s Hospital Foundation last year. LooPS had an unlikely start to their friendship and partnership. They were both hosts at open mic nights in Kamloops. “We had kind of the reputation at the time of the best two open mic nights in town, but they were on the same night. So, Jon came down in the spring just to check out my show one night, and right away just kind of got along famously,” Roy said. That was back in 2019, and in 2023 they decided to go for the world-record. LooPS played nine concerts in different cities from Chilliwack to Squamish. READ MORE:JONESIE: The importance of local news? Please https://infotel.ca/newsitem/jonesie-the-importance-of-local-news-please/it105885 The duo released a music video last month for the song they ended each concert with, “Last Goodbye”, to commemorate the record-breaking fundraiser. Roy said BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is important to him personally. “My two nieces have cystic fibrosis, so they spent a big chunk of their life at that hospital,” he said. “Even before that, I had a younger brother who passed away from a severe immune disease at the Toronto SickKids Hospital when I was a kid. So, I've always wanted to do something on a grand scale for the SickKids Hospital, whether Toronto or Vancouver.” The challenge of driving all around the province and playing quick concerts had unforeseen obstacles, like venues cancelling shows. “A couple locations, with about a week and a half to go, pulled out,” he said. The duo turned to unlikely partners to find new venues: Ford dealerships in the Lower Mainland. The dealers set up stages in their car lots and allowed the pair to play their brief sets. “We had three Ford dealerships that were amazing and they helped us out for our Abbotsford, Burnaby and Squamish stops,” he said. READ MORE: Right place, right time: Kamloops woman captures viral nature photo https://infotel.ca/newsitem/right-place-right-time-kamloops-woman-captures-viral-nature-photo/it105872 Roy said LooPS started out doing shows for charity during the pandemic. They played virtual concerts to raise money for The Kamloops Royal Canadian Legion around Remembrance Day in 2020. LooPS released a virtual music advent calendar with a new video, cover, or original song each day to raise money for the Salvation Army in December. These days the pair are doing what regular bands do, and playing regular shows. They made a recent stop in Kelowna and had a show at Stoneboat Vineyards in Oliver on Friday. LooPS plan to make an appearance at Kamloops Ribfest in August.  Click here for LooPS’ official website. https://officialloops.com/ Click here for their social media. https://www.instagram.com/official_loops/ To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .