Sound Of The North is having its very own Octoberfest.
The dormant local country-folk band is coming back to public presence in a big way, in the days ahead, with a traditional German theme as their primary motivation. Since there are no big Octoberfest events like there used to be in Prince George, they are touring the area to create a sort of portable festival all of their own.
First on the list is a dinner and dance in Mackenzie at the invitation of the town's Rotary Club on the night of Oct. 15.
Next they will play a show at the Chateau elders' housing facility in Prince George for the residents and their guests.
The third in the series is Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Elder Citizens' Recreation Association where they perform a full public concert for $15 per person (get them in advance by calling 250-565-1025 or at the door while supplies last).
The fourth gig is a house concert in Vanderhoof.
The fifth is another Prince George public concert, this time on Oct. 22 at The Black Clover restaurant downtown. Tickets are $10, showtime 7 p.m., and the night will have a German theme in the food and beverage offerings.
So why the big emphasis on German Octoberfest motifs?
"I was born in Germany, close to Munich, so I know the authentic German folk songs and the yodelling," said Heidi Burtenshaw, one of the band members.
"I have no German ancestry in my background, but since my childhood, as far back as I can remember, I loved German music - the oom-pa, polka, traditional folksong stuff," said Beth Bowman-Bressette, another member of Sound Of The North. She will specialize in the accordion for these folk retro shows.
The two will be adorned in traditional German dirndl dresses, and the two men of the group - bass player Jim Dow and guitarist Ken Mierke - will do their part with hats and suspenders suggestive of that alpenhorn look.
As for the long time gap since the last Sound Of The North concert, there are two reasons, both of them practical.
Firstly, Burtenshaw moved from the area to Gabriola Island where she is now the neighbour of well-known musicians Gary Fjellgaard and Nathan Tinkham but is no longer physically present for her longtime Sound Of The North neighbours.
Secondly, and more profoundly, band member Don Redden passed away in early 2015 so the band took an emotional hiatus.
"Don was one of the founding members and an integral part of the band," said Bowman-Bressette.
"We sure miss Don. It's hard to play without him, but we all think he would want us to carry on."
Burtenshaw has occasionally come back to the area to perform with Bowman-Bressette but this is the first time in more than a year that the whole band has been gathered. They put together the little tour to take advantage of her visitation.
"We will see how it goes, but this Octoberfest thing could become something we do annually," Burtenshaw said.
"It's harder to do, but with email and Skype we can still practice long-distance," said Bowman-Bressette. "At this stage of our lives we can concentrate on our music."
