Waverley Hotel and Pub, Vancouver Island

Since 1907

Entertainment

An inset photoOne of the most significant changes lately at the Waverley is the hiring of a fulltime entertainment coordinator. avigdor schulman (vig) has been presenting music and performance art on the westcoast and N.S.W. Australia for 25 years. In the past 3 years he has successfully coordinated shows for entertainers as diverse as MARIA MULDAUR and NOMEANSNO. From blues to hiphop, the clientele ranges in age from 19 to 70 and the weekends are hopping.

Five Alarm Funk

Friday, May 21, 2010 | Advance tickets are $20 at the Waverley, Bop City and by phone 250 336 8322

Five Alarm Funk

Five Alarm Funk is Vancouver's own afro-funk orchestra. For more than four years the band has brought their relentless grooves to clubs and major festivals across Western Canada. Intense horn lines and percolating afro-beat guitar combined with the interplay of four percussionists create an unstoppable dance party. The 11-piece phenomenon has performed over 140 shows throughout Western Canada and the U.S., sharing stages with such artists as Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Herbaliser, Sly & Robbie, Fishbone and Xavier Rudd. In the process the band has built an enthusiastic fan base, large enough to sell-out the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on numerous occasions. Voodoo Hairdoo, the band’s second studio album, captures the boundless energy of Five Alarm Funk’s live show. It is a journey from fast funk and dance-crazed Latin to epic reggae and thunderous Afro-beat. The title track blends a tight funky groove with punchy horn shots, searing lead guitar and outerspace keyboards. The song then shifts gears, dropping to a percussion groove that builds to an epic Afro-beat climax. “Keeps Me Up At Night” is a slap-bass driven, heavy funk workout reminiscent of Earth Wind & Fire. The song features guest appearances by soul-singing powerhouses Tim Fuller and Dawn Pemberton, adding a new element to the band’s trademark instrumental grooves. “We spent over three weeks in the studio to record and mix the 10 brand new heavy-hitting tracks,” says Justin Kennedy, one of the band’s four percussionists. “We were able to isolate each part and make the grooves pop like Orville Redenbacher’s freshest kernels. This album will make the land that rhythm forgot remember.”

Five Alarm has played the Big Time Out and 4 sold out shows here in the Valley.If you've been there you know. If not come check it out. This is the band in demand.

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