In Agassiz or Harrison you might find a gaggle of geese, a school of fish, or even a scurry of squirrels. But soon you’ll be able to see A Parliament of Owls in Pioneer Park.
Grab your picnic blanket and lawn chairs and get a spot in the grass on Aug. 1 to see the newly formed B.C. band perform live.
Parliament of Owls, featuring Agassiz-raised singer/songwriter and guitarist Andrew Christopher is the second performance to take over the park this summer for the Twilight Concert Series. The evening concerts in the park are put on by the District of Kent and sponsored by the local Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce and Barton Insurance Brokers.
Christopher has performed for the Twilight Concert Series in the past, and in May the band played a fundraising concert in Agassiz, helping Agassiz Elementary Secondary Students raise money for the high school’s Amazing Race trip.
Christopher told the Observer he’s excited to perform in his hometown again.
“Usually a few familiar faces show up, people I haven’t seen in a while,” he said. “So it’s nice to reconnect with them. It’s a beautiful place [and] I always love when I get to go back there.”
Christopher’s music career started back in 2008, when he spent the year busking in Australia and realized his passion for making music. He joined the Chilliwack alt-rock band Pardon My Striptease upon returning home and the band gained international recognition, playing stages like Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Christopher’s first solo album, Gone, was released in 2012, just before Christopher lost his young daughter, Lilee, after a long fight with cancer. The soulful, often heart-wrenching album talks of love and loss over soft yet powerful acoustics.
Over the years his music evolved, and Christopher eventually joined forces with friend and fellow musician Jamie Rowe, creating Parliament of Owls. The band doesn’t focus on a definitive genre – Christopher said “they write songs they like the sound of.” But a scroll through videos on the band’s Facebook page shows off some folk and bluegrass vibes.
Using original lyrics, mandolin and guitar, both acoustic and electric, the band’s sound has something for every body. There’s notes of Christopher’s influences, Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews Band in the soft strumming and summer vibes of the band’s single, This Beach.
The duo is working on recording an album and hopes to have one out later this year.
“This summer’s kind of a warm up,” Christopher said. “Next summer I think will be doing a few more festivals and a few more road trips once we have the album finished.
“I do enjoy the smaller [shows],” he said, of performing in Agassiz. “You get to feel like you interact with each person in the crowd rather than interacting with the crowd as a whole.”
Parliament of Owls is performing in Pioneer Park Aug. 1 from 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. The family event is completely free. The concert is cancelled in the event of rain.