Are you an entertainer at heart? Love seeing smiles? Maybe you played an instrument in school and have nowhere to play? Got some skills, but looking for something different? Do you like adventure and travel? What about hanging out with a fun group of musicians? Live in the Kamloops, BC area, or have a private jet to make it to rehearsals and shows?
The Rube Band is looking for musicians!!!
The Rube Band is a performance focused group with many long-standing songs in our repertoire. We pull out new material and musty-dusty material as well. Some bands practice half the year to perform the music once, then hand the music back in. Not us.
Much of our music is march-flavoured…somewhere between a saunter and Mardi Gras parade style. Not that we march much. Think of us as a marching band that does a stage shows in funky costumes. The music ranges from Dixieland to Oktoberfest to marches to swanky just about anything tunes. Some of it’s good too.
How often do we perform? If you count Rodeo parades, the Santa Parade, Canada Day, Music in the Park, Remembrance Day, Santa Parade, Seniors lights tour, Christmas concerts, Walk to Remember, dropping in on school concerts, and wherever else we can sneak in….lots. Don’t worry if you can’t make them all.
Qualifications
If you have moderate to advanced musical skills with a love for silly antics and Rubish humour, you might be Rube material. We don’t audition, but the band isn’t for beginners. Rehearsals are fast-paced and dynamic. We try to keep it fun too. Moderate sight reading skills are an asset as you may only get one shot at a ‘new to you’ song before performing. If your chops are out of shape, but you’ve played at a suitable level in the past, come on out. We’ll get your chops back in fine form.
We rehearse almost every Monday night at 7:30pm. Local changes depending on the time of year.
Instrumentation: Tuba, euphonium, baritone, trombone, trumpet, saxophone (baritone, tenor, alto), clarinet, flute, and marching band style bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, stump fiddle and other percussion instruments that defy explanation. For that matter, skills with slide whistles and rubber chickens are assets.
If you are interested or have questions, send us a note through the form at the bottom of this page. We will get back to you shortly.
To quote one of the founding members, Claude Richmond, “If you think …(we are) just a bunch of clowns and some easy tunes from the 1940s, well it’s…difficult music. So if you want a challenge and to improve yourself, this is a great opportunity.”