NOTE: This story was updated May 3 with new information.
Downtown New Westminster is getting new life as a live music destination.
Five Nights at the Columbia, a new concert series taking place at the historic Columbia Theatre, kicks off tonight (Thursday, March 28) with a 7:30 p.m. show by the Wild Blue Herons. The band, led by pianist Bill Sample and vocalist Darlene Ketchum, blends jazz, funk, soul and blues sounds.
Each of the five shows features a different band, representing a different genre of music each time.
“My vision is to do whatever I can to help create the healthiest possible live music scene in the Lower Mainland,” said concert promoter Michael Dunn in a write-up about the concert series. “By this I mean that the venues are able to keep their doors open, musicians are able to make a decent living and audiences get treated to top-quality performances.”
Dunn, who moved to New Westminster in the mid-1990s, got interested in trying to help revitalize the downtown area by making it a destination for live music.
In 2016, he started organizing the first in a series of Great Gig events, bringing top-notch live performers to the Columbia for a number of shows over the following two years.
The theatre is now under the management of Amicus Performing Arts Society, a non-profit group, and its executive director, Michael Hwang, has overseen an investment into updated sound and lighting.
“I was really worried when I heard the theatre was sold last year. I didn’t know what was going to happen to it,” Dunn said in the release. “Michael (Hwang) shares my passion for live music and the continued revitalization of the old downtown of New Westminster. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with.”
Dunn noted that the Columbia is an excellent place to take in a musical performance.
“The descending floor levels of the original theatre, from rear of room to stage, ensure great sightlines, but, unlike conventional theatre, seats are table-based so you and your friends can enjoy full food and beverage service right at your seat, cabaret-style,” he said in a press release.
The Five Nights at the Columbia lineup also includes the female-fronted funk band Raincity on Saturday, April 13; rock/soul sounds with Josh Wyper and friends on Saturday, April 27; acoustic guitarist Don Alder on Tuesday, May 14 (a change from the originally announced date of May 16); and the “prog-funk” quintet Daniel James’ Brass Camel on Saturday, May 18.
Tickets range from $15 to $25, depending on performance. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to the New Westminster Secondary School band program (a decision Dunn came to after reading a recent story about the band program’s struggles in the March 14 edition of the Record).
Find all the details at www.musicnewwest.com, or buy tickets for the concerts through www.eventbrite.ca.
