The Gin Joints will be hopping and bopping at Coquit-lam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre Saturday night.
Make that Birch Pereira and The Gin Joints, a Seattle-based group, that will headline the Music on the Grill series this week at the centre’s Studio Theatre.
Pereira is the front man for the band, which performs genres from back in the day that get audiences up and down the west coast moving. They play a variety of music from the 20th century from vintage sock hop rock to hard rock to blues, jazz, soul and more.
“For me, I’ve been playing all kinds of music growing up,” said Pereira, 35, who was raised by folk musicians in Corvallis, Ore.
His first ventures into music were in hip hop and rock but “I just got to the point where I was hearing all of the same stuff, and was missing the old music. I was really drawn to the style of music. I thought, you know, there isn’t enough of this anywhere.”
He went out and found some other thirtysomethings with similar mid-century modern tastes. The best thing for them is not only the music but the opportunities it has given them. Instead of clubs and restaurants, they can play theatres and all sorts of festivals, from blues and jazz to folk and more.
“It’s been a whole new world I can explore,” said Pereira, who is described as an “old soul” tenor voice and also is a skilled bass player.
He cited one band member, Rex Gregory, who gets to play an instrument he loves, clarinet, instead of sticking to the saxophone. “He gets to do some stuff he’s practised but never had the opportunity to show.”
Also on the Music on the Grill’s musical menu is the husband-and-wife duo of Sundae and Mr. Goessl who blend blues, swing, country and latin sounds. Their songs range from the roaring ’20s to modern classics. Along with Goessl’s dazzling guitar playing and Sundae’s sultry vocal interpretations, they use technique, technology and unique instrumentation to give their performance a big band sound.
The pre-show artist will be Australian guitarist, banjo player and singer Jack Ray who is currently based in Vancouver and leads a group called The Milk Crate Bandits and also performs regularly with Harpdog Brown, The Yardbird Sweethears and The Jen Hodge All Stars.
The event runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., but the barbecue dinner has already sold out. Theatre doors for the concert open at 7:30 p.m., with the concert at 8 p.m. Tickets for the concert only cost $39. They are available online at evergreenculturalcentre.ca/events.
ggranger@tricitynews.com
