? Cruisin' with the Boomers, July 16-27 at 7: 30 p.m., The Revue Stage on Granville Island, Vancouver. Tickets: $39 (July 16 preview: $29), available at vancouvertix. com or 604-629-8849.
THE dressing room backstage contains enough fashion relics from bygone decades to stock a trendy thrift store.
There's bellbottoms, ruffle-trimmed shirts, feather boas, sunglasses with impossibly round frames and other fads popularized by classic pop-rock musicians. Over the course of one evening, North Vancouver resident Joani Bye goes through about a dozen costumes, from a figure-hugging gold lamée gown à la Marilyn Monroe to Janis Joplin's signature fringe and feathers.
It's all part of her role in Cruisin' with the Boomers, a musical revue featuring hit songs from the 1960s and '70s. Bye provides vocals, guitar and also does vocal arrangements for the six-member ensemble, which invites audiences to take a cruise down memory lane.
"It's a total musical ride," Bye says of the theatrical performance, which has 10 show dates scheduled between July 16 and 27 at the Granville Island Revue Stage. "Every boomer that goes will be able to sing along with every word."
That's not to say only the baby boom generation will enjoy the act. Bye's 21-yearold daughter has watched the show "and she knew every song in it."
"Kids are listening to the music that I listened to, amazingly," Bye says. "It appeals to everybody."
Presented by Jupiter Productions, the evening's set lineup covers many different genres and includes chart toppers by David Bowie, The Beatles, Carole King, Bob Dylan, The Doors, The Righteous Brothers, BB King, Elton John, as well as disco, Motown and Woodstock medleys.
It's music that transports Bye back to her youth.
"The protest songs that were speaking to the politics of the day, I always loved those," she says before crooning a few words from
"Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
"Music is pretty visceral, it brings back memories for most people."
For Bye, hearing the R&B song "O-o-h Child" will forever remind her of the day she got dumped by her junior high boyfriend.
Between songs, the performers will talk about significant historical events - such as the Vietnam War - and discuss how these events influenced the musical landscape of the day.
Born and raised on the North Shore, Bye is the youngest of three musical siblings. Together they formed The Bye Sisters and had a regular spot on a TV variety show in the early '70s. Over the years, Bye has worked with a number of bands doing live performances, she's spent time in the studio recording commercial jingles, and she can be heard in the background on tracks by Bon Jovi, Cher, David Bowie and INXS.
Her fellow Cruisin' with the Boomers castmates include established West Coast musicians Dave Pickell (musical director, keyboards, guitar, harmonica), Oliver Conway (vocals, guitar, harmonica, sound design), Peter Padden (drums, percussion, vocals), Tim Porter (guitar, vocals) and West Vancouver's Linda Kidder (vocals, bass, drums).
Kidder also grew up in a musical family. In high school, she started playing drums in her parents' Vancouver-based show band and has been working in the industry ever since. She has released four CDs, recorded commercial jingles and has toured with Canadian artists Gary Fjellgaard and k.d. lang. She is set to perform at Party at the Pier in North Vancouver with her musical duo Tangent this Sunday at 11 a.m.
The music that Cruisin' with the Boomers revisits reminds Kidder of her carefree teenage years.
"Hanging around the park with my friends, going out on Friday nights," she says. "Or you lay in the living room in the dark at your girlfriend's house listening to The Beatles. That's what we used to do."
She expects the Granville Island shows will attract a wide demographic and are definitely "not just for boomers."
"But boomers get the biggest bang for their buck, I believe, because of all the memories that these songs bring back."
Kidder says the "fun" and "feel-good" musical revue commands a standing ovation after every performance.
"And then these people that we've never met come out at the end and hug us when we're standing out saying goodbye to everybody," she says. "I think it's just because we've made them happy and taken them back to a really good time in their lives."
