The second performance in the six-part monthly indoor concert series leading up to the fifth annual Squamish Equinox Rock Festival (SERF) at the Squamish Oceanfront is fast approaching.
Santa Lucia LFR, a seven-member, Victoria-based Latin funk rock band, is set to perform at the Ocean Port Hotel on Friday (Feb. 18). The event will serve as a fundraiser for the SERF outdoor event, scheduled for June 25 at the Squamish Oceanfront.
Whistler rockers Tommy Honest and the Liars and Quest University's Fogon, both of whom played Live at Squamish this summer, will open for Santa Lucia LFR.
Like a multi-ethnic gathering of friends, Santa Lucia LFR has created a sound that evokes the early days of Latin funk from such acts as Santana and War while adding their own blend of rock and funk grooves.
The addictive combination of Nuyorican boogaloo, West Coast funk and the ever-present Cuban grooves engulfs the stage with monstrous horns and bass, funky breaks, polyrhythmic beats and furious lyrics in English and Spanish.
Lead-up SERF concerts are being played at two Squamish venues - The Rock Bar and Grill and the Ocean Port Hotel and Bar.
"Our gigs at the OP [Ocean Port] have more of a concert feel to them, similar to what you would expect at the Biltmore or The Media Club in Vancouver," said SERF president Paul Hudson.
"The OP is such an amazing space for live gigs. The acoustics at this venue are really good and regardless of how packed the bar is, you can see the stage from all angles."
Hudson said the concert series has two main purposes.
"First off, it brings live music culture to our town regularly, which is really exciting," he said.
"Secondly, and more pragmatically, SERF is a community-oriented festival and our goal has always been to keep our ticket prices affordable for locals while also engaging the community when it comes to financial support."
Hudson aims to keep festival ticket prices at around $25.
"We are the lowest price [festival] you will find in the province," he said. "To continue with affordable pricing, our concert series will serve as a fundraiser for the festival itself."
He said if all six concert events sell out, the money raised combined with help from other local financial supporters will allow the festival to continue in the future.
Future concert series acts include the East Vancouver hipsters Blackberry Wood and Newfoundland's ska-circus The Idlers.
Tickets for the Feb. 18 event cost $10 and are available at Trinity Romance, or $12 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m.
