IN CONCERT
What: Bachman & Bachman
Where: Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Sidney
When: Sept. 24-Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $150 from a or 250-656-0275
Rock legend Randy Bachman and his son, singer-songwriter Tal Bachman, have reached new creative heights during the past few months. That鈥檚 not the story for most musicians these days, many of whom are finding it difficult to navigate the pandemic world.
鈥淭he whole industry is in tatters. It鈥檚 in pieces,鈥� Randy Bachman said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e quite lucky on 91原创 Island. I have friends living in the States, it鈥檚 like a bad horror movie. They are living it, and they can鈥檛 do anything about it.鈥�
The father-and-son duo, who live together in Randy鈥檚 home in Sidney, are working on several projects under the newly minted Bachman & Bachman banner, including a Beatles-based show on SiriusXM satellite radio. Bigger news for 91原创 Island audiences are four hometown concerts at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, the first of which gets underway tonight. The shows have a capacity of 50 people, and include social-distancing and other health protocols.
In terms of music, spontaneity will be a key ingredient, as the acoustic performances are designed to resemble a campfire singalong, according to Tal. Neither musician has a handle on what they are going to perform, which will give the shows a 鈥渢rainwreck鈥� quality, Randy said with a laugh. 鈥淭his is just us being us. If you forget the song, you just morph into another song. We couldn鈥檛 follow a script. It would be too hard.鈥�
The shows in Sidney will be patterned after Friday Night Trainwreck, the unofficial title of the Bachman & Bachman series on YouTube, which has been picking up steam since its April debut (Episode 26 hit the streaming service on Sept. 18). The hour-long episodes feature the two Juno Award winners鈥� characteristic laidback approach and wealth of stories. Live performances of songs by the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive are interspersed with material from further afield, from Los Lobos and Cream to Oasis and the Marshall Tucker Band.
鈥淭here鈥檚 obviously a generation gap between me and my son, as there is with most parents and their kids,鈥� Randy said. 鈥淪o when Tal brings five or six songs he wants to do, I may have heard them on the radio, but I鈥檝e never, ever played them or even tried to sing them. I鈥檒l bring some of my favourites, which are from a generation before, and he doesn鈥檛 know those, so a lot of times we鈥檙e blindly playing songs for the first time and looking at each other鈥檚 scribbled notes of lyrics.鈥�
Randy and Tal tighten up their delivery for Musical Mystery Tour, their new show on The Beatles Channel on Sirius XM. Two episodes have aired so far, but if things go as planned, the monthly show could turn into a weekly endeavour. Randy has some experience in that area, having hosted the very popular Vinyl Tap music show on CBC Radio since 2005. The Beatles have always factored into his broadcasts, but Musical Mystery Tour has given Randy a new creative outlet.
The program has also earned him one very famous fan. 鈥淲hen we sent in our first show, we were a little apprehensive about how it would be received,鈥� Randy said. 鈥淸SiriusXM head of programming] Lou Simon called me back and said: 鈥業 played it for Paul and he loves it.鈥� And I said: 鈥楶aul, who?鈥� And Lou said: 鈥楾here鈥檚 only one Paul.鈥� 鈥�
Tal and partner KoKo 鈥� both big parts of the Bachman family business 鈥� moved into Randy鈥檚 house in Sidney once the pandemic hit. Tal has played in Randy鈥檚 band for years, so having the family under one roof wasn鈥檛 strange at first, he said. But seven months into an abbreviated working schedule, COVID has certainly taken its toll.
鈥淚f we didn鈥檛 have KoKo keeping track of the [YouTube] shows, I鈥檇 have no idea of how many we鈥檝e done,鈥� Tal said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 know if it was 10 or 100. I don鈥檛 even know what month it is anymore. The entire year has been a total washout.鈥�
Randy was expecting to have a big summer for himself, including a cross-Canada arena tour with singer Burton Cummings, his former Guess Who bandmate. Their July concert at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria was postponed to June 14, 2021. Most of his other concert dates were also pushed off to next year.
But there鈥檚 an upside, he said. If not for the virus, he never would have had time to do the YouTube series with Tal. 鈥淚t never would have happened. We wouldn鈥檛 be doing the gigs at Mary Winspear, either. We are having fun doing this. And it鈥檚 all evolving out of COVID.鈥�
Tal is happy to have the opportunity to perform, but he鈥檚 also glad to be helping others out financially. 鈥淲hen people come to the show, they鈥檙e helping us support the many great 91原创 Island businesses we鈥檝e invited on to our team. Keeping things local is a real goal of ours. Our graphic artist, T-shirt manufacturer, music retail shops, guitar repairmen, videographers, sound engineers and crew are all local, as is obviously the team at the Mary Winspear Centre.
鈥淲e鈥檝e all had a tough few months. Now is the time for us to all rise again together.鈥�
