Board members for Sunday Afternoon Live, the group that brings entertainment to the Raymond Theatre, saw Tom Rigney &Flambeau in 2007 and have tried to book the band ever since. The payoff is Sunday.
The band brings an eclectic range that includes Cajun, blues and rock ’n’ roll, created by an electric guitar, piano, electric bass, violin and drums. Their multiple international tours over their 10 years as a band brought them to Italy, Turkey and Greece, including a Mediterranean cruise.
The Father’s Day concert starts at 2 p.m. Virginia Carlson, chairperson emeritus on the Sunday Afternoon Live board, said members saw the band perform at a booking conference and knew the band had to come to Raymond. She said they tried booking them several times they were in the state playing at other venues, but it didn’t work out until this year.
“Our audience and budget have grown, we were able to block-book and this year we have finally snagged them,” Carlson wrote in an email.
The band, based in San Francisco area, has eight albums of original music, not including Rigney’s half dozen solo ventures.
“This concert will be our usual mix of American roots music styles,” Rigney said. “Expect some Cajun two steps, blues, a waltz or two, a bit of boogie woogie piano, and I’ll check the temperature of the room, but maybe some rock ‘n’ roll and New Orleans Mardi Gras tunes as well.”
Although a similar band was put together before falling apart, the current five members have been together and touring for the past 10 years. Rigney said new album releases alternate between the band and his solo career, where he often collaborates with artists from many different genres.
“I’m always writing and composing so it’s good for me to get exposed to different artists and bring that back to Flambeau,” he said.
The band is always a surprise to people because of their eclectic lineup of original and classic songs, he said.
“I certainly hope the audience feels better when they leave than when they come in,” he said. “I hope to introduce them to some music or styles they haven’t heard before, and that they like them.”
The next venture for the band, which recently released a live show CD and DVD combo, is to be one of 12 bands featured on the new PBS series “Music Gone Public.” The band should be featured this fall or early 2015, Rigney said.
For this Sunday’s concert, beer and wine catered by The Pitchwood Alehouse will be available before the performance and during intermission in the community lobby next door. All proceeds go to the theater.
Tickets are $12 in advance at three locations, Sagen’s in Raymond, South Bend Pharmacy and the Raymond Theatre at 323 Third St. Tickets also can be ordered by phone, 360-875-5831; by email at sal@reachone.com; by mail, PO Box 221, South Bend, WA 98586; or by PayPal online at Sundayafternoonlive.org. Tickets on the day of performance are $15.
For more information on the band or to see where they’re headed next visit
Alexandra Kocik: 360-537-3928 or akocik@thedailyworld.com and @DW_AKocik on Twitter
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