Irving K. Barber Centre rocked for fundraiser

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT (REVIEW) — The Irving K. Barber Centre has seen many a high-level summit and formal ceremony but it’s doubtful it’s ever rocked the way it did tonight (Saturday).

Roots2Rock, part of the Music In The Round series, brought together a trio of performances that were both diverse and connected. TRU’s Barber Centre was the perfect venue for it, easily accommodating the range of styles and origins of the Celtic duo Crossbow, the rich harmonies of the choir Serious Options and the retro rock of The Infectuals.

It was like having a concert in your living room. There’s something very comfortable and civilized about sitting in such an intimate setting enjoying a glass of wine, up close with the musicians.

Neil Burnett on harp and Christina Zaenkar on cello and vocals opened the evening with a half dozen traditional Celtic pieces including The Moth and the Moon, The Limmerick Rake and Receipt for Whisky.

Serious Options began by spreading themselves around the stairwells of the unique Barber Centre space and singing a moving West African devotional called Mojuba. In most venues, placing the singers at such distances from one another would have made it impossible not to lose the cohesiveness so essential to a choir, but that was no problem this night.

Then followed Wangol and The Battle of Jericho. When Serious Options, directed by Noralee Quast, got to Will The Circle Be Unbroken the thread was becoming clear — as explained by artistic director Daniela O’Fee, it “assimilates the vocal inflections of the spirituals with blues, the fundamental language of rock.”

The Infectuals were simply a treat, covering artists from the 1930s on up and adding some of their originals for good measure. The star of the show was easily Kris Ruston on lead guitar, who never stopped moving and never stopped giving of his amazing talent.

Russell Graham on vocals and Richard Graham on drums and Mike Turner on bass complete the group, and bringing in guests Mike Whitehouse on trumpet and Julian Veres on sax  for several of the numbers was genius, enabling an extension of the range of styles from blues to heavy rock.

The highlight was a recreation of Ray Charles’ iconic What’d I Say, which featured Mike Turner switching from bass guitar to keyboard and had the crowd in full participation mode.

Roots2Rock was presented by Thompson Rivers University and Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music to fundraise for TRU student awards and KISSM.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy a concert in the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Centre yet, don’t miss the next one.