There are songs that push buttons. Some are forgettable tunes, generic or dated ditties, but some are loaded with evocative lyrics or universal melodies that stand the test of time. Some even stand as cultural touchstones for certain eras.
Doug Jack has been performing music for a long time. He is a veteran of casino showrooms, special event mainstages, clubs, tours and theatres. He has been in the band or at the sound board for groups like The Mamas & The Papas, Freddy Fender, The Inkspots, The Platters and others.
On the local scene, he was a member of hall-of-famer Gary Fjellgaard's band at one point, and played sometimes with recording artist Tony White, among other gigs. He was a fixture in the Prince George live music community during the peak of the city's nightclub heydays.
Now he is the driving force behind multimedia shows that look back to bygone times, combining images on a screen and songs from the piano, and a lot of memories in the viewers' minds.
The most ambitious of these shows is entitled Ode To Woodstock and Theatre North West has joined with Jack for a special presentation May 6-8.
"It's memories, it's stories, it's songs, it's big-screen images all about a time that is part of the collective consciousness," said Jack.
"Music has always been a big part of my life, but I love the stories that go with the songs. I love the behind-the-scenes information, like why a song was written by one person but performed by another instead, or why a particular line was written, or who worked with whom to create a special song."
As a fan, he relishes the live concert experience for more than just the live rendition of the songs.
A great performance artist has a stage presence, offers visual accompaniment, and takes the tunes to the next visceral level with costumes and lights and props.
Jack set about to make his own show a multi-sensory, value-added extravaganza.
"What (Jack is) providing here...which is interesting to me, is... what it was like in 1963 or '64 when you were in the room when in walked The Beatles or Chuck Berry and they hit their instruments and it wasn't just a song they were playing, it was breaking open your mind, it was feeling emotions you'd never felt before, it was changing how we thought about our lives and what was important to you," said TNW artistic director Jack Grinhaus.
"There is a lot of theatre in what Doug does, but the big difference is, there is no fourth wall with him," said Grinhaus, referring to the imaginary plane that separates the actors on stage and audience in the seats. "He is interactive. He talks to the audience and gets the audience to talk back. We have a place that's conducive to that kind of intimacy. Our theatre is perfect for a show like this."
The music Jack covers in his performance ranges from the 1930s through to the Motown era of the 1970s, with the apex over the pivotal Woodstock period in American/Canadian culture - that breaking point where youth broke free of long-held traditions and world views passed down from their parents' generation and prior. It was when the philosophy of "the institution" or "the establishment" as benevolent guide was exposed and cast aside as being more about perpetuating itself than about actually fostering a free and creative society.
"That didn't all just start like that (snaps his fingers) in the late '60s," said Jack.
"It began somewhere earlier and grew into that moment. That's why I start out with the influence of earlier music. Chubby Checker doing The Twist and Elvis Presley's swiveling hips getting banned on TV weren't at Woodstock, but that's where the sparks were that started all that.
"It led to Booker T, Herman's Hermits, and then the protest songs and Motown Records, and it was all part of that buildup to a real cultural revolution."
"It's a chronology," said Grinhaus describing Ode To Woodstock. "The music played so much of a role in that, and that is something you don't see today. There is no longer such a close connection between today's music and today's politics. Yes, there is great music being made and there are a lot of musicians out there who are making social commentary, but back then it was intrinsically reflective of the policies and world events of that time, and the music was tied right into those changes."
The fact that Jack's show is illustrative and not preaching was what made it into a truly theatrical presenation, Grinhaus added.
"What we are doing at Theatre North West is more than entertainment, we are embracing the role an exceptional theatre company has to be a moral compass. Art points the way, but doesn't insist on one particular point of view."
Also part of the stage show are Anastasia Klassen and Odelia Kranz. Jack added that the show would be enhanced by having a set of up to four background dancers.
Anyone who can help Jack in this regard is asked to contact him at 250-640-4098.
Ode To Woodstock runs May 6-7 at 8 p.m. and May 8 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are on-sale now online at the TNW website or in person at Books & Company.
