The Cultural Arts Theatre is going to be a hub of varied music this Friday when the T. Buckley Band comes to town.
Tim Buckley leads the ensemble, which will feature five musicians during the performance.
Buckley explained the group performs as either a trio or a quintet, depending on the venue and type of show.
Joining Buckley on stage will be bassist Derek Pulliam, guitarist Tim Leacock, drummer Jon May and fiddler Scott Duncan.
Based out of Calgary, Buckley said it’s difficult to categorize his musical sound, but if he had to, he would call it roots music.
“It’s songwriter based and story based,” he said. “The sound itself is rooted in this part of the country.”
There’s a western Canadian feel to his music, he added, as it tells the stories and draws on the imagery of the area.
Buckley said he and his band have played in myriad venues in their careers, from pubs and bars to Legions and outdoor festivals.
“It’s a real treat when you get to play some of the nicer folk festivals, and then rooms like the one we’re going to play [this week] in Westlock,” he said.
And while they have a current residency at a bar in Calgary, he said their style tends to lend itself best to what he calls “listening crowds,” much like the one the Cultural Arts Theatre provides.
Those in the audience on Jan. 10 can expect a show that runs the gamut from songs off the band’s most recent album through songs from the previous record, as well as covers of pieces that have influenced the band.
“I think it’s a good show,” Buckley said. “It’s a dynamic show, which I like.”
The show will have a bigger band feel to it, in part because there will be five men on stage. Even with the larger stage presence, he said the audience can expect the sound to vary all evening.
“Some of it’s going to be … we strip it right down to the occasional solo performance and a couple of trio arrangements,” he said.
Buckley got into singing and songwriting from a young age. He grew up in a musical family, and starting writing in his early 20s.
He met Pulliam at the now-defunct Bar Named Sue in Calgary.
They started playing together and eventually recorded an album. Later on, Leacock joined Buckley and Pulliam, and the three men have been together ever since.
