Winter at the Memorial Hall just keeps getting hotter. The next concert there will be The Paperboys, Saturday, February 26, at 8 p.m.
This is one of Harrison’s favorite bands, says Harrison Festival Society's Ed Stenson, and the Celtic Latin band was a hit at the Vancouver Olympics cultural events.
Always good for a party, The Paperboys have expanded their Celtic ‘Stomp’ to include Latin material. They've also expanded the band from five to eight members, with the addition of horns. No wonder tickets are going fast.
Band leader Tom Landa is of Mexican and Irish-Canadian heritage, and was heavily influenced by the band Spirit of the West. Much to Landa’s delight, founding flutist for Spirit of the West, Geoffrey Kelly is now a member of The Paperboys. The Paperboys developed a sound that was Celtic and Roots music, and in recent years, Landa has embraced his Hispanic roots and added Latin influences and a horn section.
The band describes their sound as respecting tradition, but not traditional. “It is World Roots Music. It's POP music. It is GOOD music. It has a tendency to connect people and means a lot to many folks the world over, and for that we are very grateful. It is the only multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-lingual, multi-instrumental, genre bending, co-ed band you will hear today.”
The Paperboys routinely sell out shows in some of the most popular and prestigious clubs and festivals throughout Canada, the US, Mexico and Europe. One of their most notable appearances was being asked to perform at the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
In Canada, The Paperboys appeared at almost every folk festival across the country, including Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto. The band has been asked to return almost every year to several festivals across Europe, head lining at the U.K.’s Warwick and Trowbridge festivals. According to Landa, their European travels are some of their most successful and popular performances.
The Paperboys' live performances have been described as high energy and accessible, and they have a reputation for gaining new fans after a single performance.
The loyalty of fans to The Paperboys has been previously described as "a growing cult-like following in recent years."
Tickets for this high energy show are $22 and are available by phone at 604-796-3664, online at www.harrisonfestival.com or in person at Agassiz Shoppers Drug Mart.