The Fredericton Swinger’s Club takes the stage this weekend.
A few months ago, Lukas Bailey hatched a plan. The idea was simple: to create an avenue for Fredericton musicians to collaborate outside of their traditional comfort zones and work alongside others within the community. And just like that, the Fredericton Swinger’s Club Showcase was born.
Together with a few friends, Bailey put the word out and received a flood of responses. Almost immediately, musicians from all backgrounds and levels of experience jumped on board to take part.
‘We got a really good response right off the bat,” said Bailey. “77 people signed up and as a result, we ended up creating 15 bands. There are a few three-piece groups, some quartets and even an eight piece band in the mix. We really wanted to mix it up and play around with these dynamics as well as the whole mixing and matching of musicians.”
The lineups were handed out in July, giving each ensemble just over a month to get together, become familiar with each other’s tastes and musical styles, and start creating for the project.
An idea of this scale isn’t without its challenges, however. What if the planned ensembles don’t work out? There’s always the possibility of some groups simply not being able to reach any creative common ground.
“I think there have been a couple of groups that didn’t work out because the people just weren’t a good fit,” said Bailey, “but we knew that would be a part of the challenge. And even now, we’re not 100% sure of all 15 bands are going to perform. At the end of the day we expect at least 12 bands to perform at the event and that’s totally fine.”
At the root of the Fredericton Swinger’s Club Showcase is the basic mission of strengthening the local music community. Bailey hasn’t let himself get too hung up on the whys, the hows or the what ifs, because even if a group isn’t able to get something together in time, the simple act of meeting new people within the community could lead to a new project further down the road. It’s really a win-win no matter how you look at it.
“I’ve already met a lot of new people and have seen a lot of new faces,” said Bailey, who has offered up his rehearsal space for groups in need of a place to hammer out some music. “The feedback I’ve been getting from a lot of musicians is that they’re really having a good time with this.
“And it’s been a pretty open experience in terms of rehearsing and even the writing process,” said Bailey. “We want people to be open to anything including new songs, cover tunes or even remixes. Anything they want to do creatively is right by us.”
The inaugural project will be presented to the public on August 29, 2015 at The Capital Complex beginning at 8:00 p.m.
The Fredericton Swinger’s Club Showcase | The Capital Complex | August 29, 2015 | Show starts at 8:00 p.m. | $10 at the door.
The Fredericton Swinger’s Club Showcase has graciously offered to donate all funds raised to support Grid City Magazine and for that we’re truly grateful. Can’t wait for the show!
