Playing at the amphitheatre in Ladysmith’s Transfer Beach Park is a dream gig for Victoria-based band Roadstars, who’ll be there Sunday, July 14 as part of the Concerts in the Park series.
“I’ve been trying to get our band in the venue for a couple of years now,” said guitarist and singer Tom Mitchell, who encourages people to come out and enjoy an evening of outdoor entertainment.
“Don’t be surprised if you hear a little bit of everything when you hear us,” he said. “We prefer to play a variety of stuff.”
The four-piece Roadstars are known for their county rock and classic rock but they also enjoy blues and newer rock as well. All four members of the band — guitar players Mitchell and Steve Lezect, bassist Julie Hughes and drummer Vance Anderson — sing and write their own music. Sunday’s show will include well-known audience favourites with a few original songs mixed in.
“I think the important thing is just to keep moving forward, keep practising, keep getting better,” said Mitchell, whose love of music began when he was a child growing up in rural Ontario.
“I come from a very musical family,” he said. “Every Sunday, we would go down to my grandparents’ place and the living room would be full of musicians, you know guitars, fiddles, banjos. So we kind of just grew up with music. I started playing when I was young and always played, always loved it. I just find it brings people together.”
Mitchell and Lezect met through work and began playing together about five years ago. They did a few gigs before finding Hughes and then Anderson to round out the band.
“We’re pretty seasoned musicians, and we’re all different singers,” said Mitchell, adding that Hughes spent 10 years on the road in Alberta as part of a band before moving out west. Both Mitchell and Lezect have been playing for more than 30 years, and Anderson has a long history as a musician — though at first, he wasn’t a fan of country.
“Vance [Anderson] has been in countless rock bands,” said Mitchell. “He didn’t think too much of country music when we first started playing together, but we kind of concerted him. So now he shows up in a cowboy hat, with his county gear.”
Cowboy hats are optional for Sunday’s show, but everyone is welcome at the free event. The band takes the stage at 6 p.m. Donations to the Ladysmith resources Centre Association will be accepted.
