As the summer winds down, why not attend a concert featuring the music of the 60s and 70s hitmakers the Carpenters and the Mamas and the Papas? Local singer Nadia Douglas and her band plus local folk rock band the Very Groovy Things will bring back memories with music that ruled the airwaves during that fertile era in pop music history.
The concert will be held on Thursday, August 31 at 7 p.m. at the Salle Pauline Boutal Theatre at the Franco Manitoban Centre, 340 Provencher Blvd. Tickets are available for $30, all taxes included at Eventbrite.ca. Just search “Remember” and you can purchase your online tickets in advance.
Nadia Douglas is a mainstay of the local jazz scene in Winnipeg. She has appeared with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, at the Winnipeg Jazz Festival, and the new Club Room at the Hotel Fort Garry, to name a just a few recent performances. She has always included a few Carpenters songs in her show, but decided, along with her pianist and music director Rick Boughton, to dedicate a set to the 70s music Douglas loved growing up.
“I’ve had such a great response to the Carpenters tunes in my shows that I thought more of the catalogue was worth exploring. Then Bill Quinn from the Groovies approached me about doing a show together with that bans, and it was a no-brainer.” says Douglas.
The Very Groovy Things Band was formed in 2018 with some of Winnipeg’s finest singers and players. The singers include Quinn, tenor Dan Rochegood, soprano Olivia Maxfield and alto Jodie Borle. Borle had already developed a following as one of the city’s best jazz vocalists, but loved the idea of singing in a band doing 60s music. Quinn and original guitar player Laurie MacKenzie figured a band doing the music of the Mamas and Papas could capitalize on the trend of many groups covering classic rock acts playing in Winnipeg. The 10 piece folk rock band started small, playing house concerts and some special events.
The group saw the potential for bigger venues when they sold out the Berney Theatre in March as part of the Music and Mavens series at the Rady Jewish Cultural Centre. Quinn figured a Carpenters/Mamas and Papas show would be something a baby boomer audience would enjoy. Hope to see you there!
