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Mud River playing second annual Christmas concert

From out of the river mud comes a country-rock band ready to kick up your Christmas heels. For the second year in a row, local band Mud River is hosting a concert for the fans of golden-age Nashville and white Bing Crosby snow.

From out of the river mud comes a country-rock band ready to kick up your Christmas heels.

For the second year in a row, local band Mud River is hosting a concert for the fans of golden-age Nashville and white Bing Crosby snow. The local five-piece group is active at all times of the year, but they feel especially inspired this time of year.

"We go back to our favourites when we grew up," said guitar player Gordon Dorish. "The average age of our group is 64 years old. And the younger generation doesn't listen to Christmas music like we did, it was a really big deal in our younger days, so we're going back to that."

The set list will have old favourites like White Christmas, some Elvis, and especially old carols like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen done up with a jazzy feel.

They will make the audience chuckle with novelty Christmas tunes like Snoopy's Christmas and Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. They will celebrate the snowy weather with Gordon Lightfoot's moody Song For A Winter's Night, and pump it up country-style with the peppy Christmas Time's A-Coming.

"That's the stuff our band plays. We like a mix, but it's all in that stream of country and out of the old rock 'n' roll world back to the '50s," said Dorish.

Since the night will be eclectically Christmas anyway, it's also a perfect opportunity for some in-house talent to shine. Mud River will perform the songs Christmas In Kandahar and Old Country Christmas, each written by members of the band.

"David Schulte is a really good songwriter. He was just featured on Shaw TV's local music show Earl's Music Emporium, and he wrote Christmas In Kandahar," Dorish said. Garth Laferdy wrote the other tune "and we like playing that one; we think the audience will enjoy it as well."

Dorish is also a songwriter but hasn't penned a seasonal composition yet. He said "I keep telling myself I'll have to write a Christmas song and it'll have to be for next year, I'm really pushing myself now to do that. We've always been writing our own songs, but we've only gotten into it lately as a band, and we're finding that's what really makes a band grow closer, and bring friendships in the band even closer together."

Mud River is made up of Dorish, Schulte on bass, Laferdy on guitar, Marlene Bernier on guitar, Gerry DeBoer on various instruments, and for this Christmas show they are setting up an extra chair for Blaine Powel on drums. It's not usual for them to use a drummer but, said Dorish, "it's better to have a solid bottom end when you do a dance or need that extra presentation quality, and Blaine knows how to work with our mix, he's that kind of sensible drummer."

The Mud River concert happens at the Elder Citizens' Recreation Association at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12. Tickets are $15, available from any member of the band or at the door while supplies last. The 2015 concert sold out.

For advance tickets call Dorish at 250-563-7904, DeBoer at 250-964-1617, Laferdy at 250-964-6656 or Schulte at 250-613-9273.