The Bromantics are ready to rock the Mae Wilson Theatre on May 18 with all the crowd favourites from the ‘50s and ‘60s, which is, as bassist Jim Mitchell says, “just some of the best music there's ever been.”
Kurt Gillet, the saxophonist of the group, agrees; he promises people will hear everything they love about that era’s music, and maybe even some original songs the group has only taken to stage a few times before.
Most of their shows are more like a sock hop, which makes playing the Mae Wilson a treat. (supplied)“It's a good sampling of the music that we do. I think since we're playing for a seated audience, we might be able to present a more varied program, where we can do some slower tunes or a real range of what we do,” said Mitchell.
“Hopefully we'll play a couple of original songs, this show, which we haven't [in Moose Jaw] before. So that will something to kind of look forward to,” added Gillett.
The list of material in their repertoire is impressive — from James Brown to the Beach Boys, and so much in between — that Mitchell estimates the group has about four hours worth of music to build their setlist from.
For a band that originally hopped on stage together as a one-time-thing, the group’s popularity is a real feat. They play in small towns all over the province, even venturing into Alberta, but they still call Moose Jaw home.
“We were playing kind of a fundraiser thing and [Rob Haakenson, the guitarist,] just wanted to throw together a group to play this era of music, like one set, just for fun, one time,” said Gillett. “But people really liked it and we decided to do another show, and then another. It kind of just spiraled from there.”
It began as Gillett, Haakenson, vocalist Tim Lynchuck, and drummer Justin Hauck in 2013, but expanded a few years later to include Mitchell and keyboardist Gregg Gower.
The group has certainly kept themselves busy over the years, playing fundraisers, dances, and even weddings. For Gillett and Mitchell, the real reward is the enjoyment of the crowd.
“We play the songs, we feed off the crowd, but we also feed off of each other. Every night, it's a different show. We always have some fun on stage, between the six of us,” said Mitchell. “It gets into the crowd and they have more fun because of that, and when they have more fun, it's so much more fun for us.”
“Even when we're not playing, we're just having fun together, so I think that's the best part. And that's what keeps a band together, you know?” added Gillett. “People say when they come to the show to watch, 'it just looks like you're having so much fun up there.'”
The Bromantics start their show at 7:30pm, and they encourage people to come out and enjoy the show with them.
“We are very excited to be back in Moose Jaw, playing for our hometown crowd,” said Mitchell. “You can go out and you can purchase yourself a sodie-pop, ginger ale or root beer and you can bring it into the theater, and party with the Bromantics.”
Tickets are available on the Cultural Centre’s website, as well as through the box office in person or by calling (306) 693-4700.
