Upcoming event revives dance hall traditional
Wendy Fischer recalls a time when her now-septuagenarian parents were among those who regularly attended weekly evening dances at TheRedDog.
A funk dance party coming to the Hunter St. W. tavern Saturday aims to revive that tradition, while raising money for the fifth annual Petebrorough Live music festival in 2018.
“It’ s something tome, that’ s missing right now ,” said the organizer of the event that features a lineup of Bridget Foley (rhythm and blues, funk), the 16-piece Knightshift (big band), Something Extra (funk) and local 12-year-old rockabilly sensation Nicholas Campbell.
The event includes a wide range of genres and ages of musicians, which is great representation of what Peter borough Live is all about, Fischer said.
“We want to support lots of different genres ,” she said Wednesday. “I’m really excited that Live can support a dance for those who want one.”
The event picks up where When the Night is Young, a series of dances organized by Laurie Davis several years ago, left off, Fischer said.
The idea is that musicians play earlier, before returning after a break. Fischer hopes that an early, younger crowd will be joined by others as the night goes on.
Campbell, who has been playing Wednesday’ s at The Black Horse all summer, said he looks forward to being on such a diverse list of acts.
“It feels like I am really contributing to Peter borough Live ,” he said, citing his passion for playing in front of audiences. “It feels really good to get out there.”
The Grade 8 student at Adam Scott Intermediate, who has been playing guitar for three years, has been having fun wowing crowds before they learn his age. His dad was a big influence, not to mention listening to Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley.
“It makes me feel good, but at the same time, I feel like I’m a novelty,” he said, pointing out how that feeling, however, only motivates him.
While Foley and Knightshift are also Peter borough acts, Juno Awardnominated Something Else is an Oshawa-based band that regularly plays across the Greater Toronto Area.
Fischer praised the support of Mike Stone at The Historic Red Dog and Dave Searle of guerrilla STUDIOS for their sponsorship, for making the event possible.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begin sat 7:45 p.m. Tickets are available at the door (189 Hunter St. W.) for $10 or on ticketscene.ca. Limited reserved table seating is also available for $15 per person, in advance via ticketscene and at the door.