Fans of music from yesteryear will have the chance to step back in time next month, when the next show in St. Mark’s concert series takes the stage.
On Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m., Alexander Browne and his Aristocrats will perform at The Parish of St. Mark Ocean Park (12953 20 Ave.), bringing to life music from the Roaring ’20s and the early 1930s.
For Browne – familiar to those on the Semiahmoo Peninsula in his role as a longtime reporter at the Peace Arch News – authenticity is the key when playing music from the art deco era.
“A lot of musical acts, movies and theatre productions today reference the 1920’s and 1930s in one way or another – just look at the success of Downton Abbey and Miss Fisher’s Mysteries,” Browne said.
“But our watchword has always been authenticity – we present the ‘original sounds’ which means that, rather than giving a modern ‘impression’ of the era, we play from orchestrations that were actually used by working dance bands and recording groups in the 1920s and 1930s.
“I’ve collected and restored historic arrangements for years, often writing new parts to replace missing or tattered old ones. Some of the arrangements were actually given to me by musicians who played them way back when, who were glad to see us bring the music back to life again, the way it was originally heard.”
For Browne and his band, the upcoming show is the band’s second in front of Peninsula audiences in recent months – last November, they performed at the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch 240 as part of a fundraiser for Sources Community Resources Society.
Tickets to the May 3 show are $15, and are available online at http://alexbrowne.brownpapertickets.com.
For more information, call 604-535-8841.
