Join Freddy Vette and the Flames for a rock 'n' roll revival on Sept. 28 in Huntsville
By Gillian Brunette
Back by popular demand next week are Freddy Vette and the Flames, who appear at the Algonquin Theatre on Friday, Sept. 28 beginning at 8 p.m.
It will be almost to the day a year ago that the ghosts of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Bill Haley and others came alive in Huntsville as Vette and his musical entourage kicked back to the 1950s.
The dynamic costumes and creative choreography allows the audience to relive this classic era with their favourite juke box hits.
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE: Freddy Vette returns to the Algonquin Theatre on Sept. 28 with his group the Flames in what has been termed as the ultimate ’50s rock ’n' roll show. The 8 p.m. concert is a Huntsville Festival of the Arts presentation.“After the show our audience members left still singing and asking us to bring them back,” said Huntsville Festival of the Arts general manager Rob Saunders. “Freddy is wonderful with the audience. Everyone loved the performance. It was a really great night.”
So how does a guy born in 1972 end up as the real-deal front man for a ’50s rock ’n' roll show? That seems to be the most asked question when it comes to Vette.
“Good music is good music no matter what kind it is or when it was made. You don’t have to be from the 1700s to play Mozart, you don’t have to be from the ’30s or ’40s to play jazz, and you sure don’t have to be from the ’50s to play rock ’n' roll,” Vette said in reply.
It also didn’t hurt that Vette came from a musical family. His mother and father had a country music band, so there were instruments around the house. The first thing Vette tackled was the drums, then guitar, and piano along the way.
At 14, Vette played with his parents on the road and that was the beginning of his performing career. He appeared in various bands playing various kinds of music, until the music of his childhood – rock ’n' roll – came back to him.
Over the next few years, Vette joined several rock ’n' roll bands and during that time he re-acquainted himself with the piano, an instrument he had played as a child but gave up for guitar.
“Piano rock ’n' roll is such a big part of this music and I knew I had to learn that style of playing. As I started learning from those old recordings, it gave me a new love for the piano. Now, it’s my favourite instrument to play.”
In 2002 Vette formed his own band featuring drums, upright bass, sax, guitar, three female singers and himself on guitar and piano.
The show is a musical journey through the beginnings of rock ’n' roll, not only featuring the biggest hits from the biggest artists but telling the story of the music along the way.
The three ladies who share the stage with Vette perform all the great ‘girl’ hits from the rock ’n' roll era including songs from Leslie Gore, the Shirelles, the Shangri-Las and Patsy Cline. Four outstanding musicians round out this high-energy, exciting eight-piece act.
“The audience has been the lifeblood of Freddy Vette and the Flames. There’s such a huge audience out there who are hungry for this music and aren’t able to see it performed live. We continue to discover them, and they continue to discover us. It’s a great relationship that keeps rock ’n roll alive,” said Vette.
Tickets for Freddy Vette and the Flames are $25 for adults and $15 for youth under 18, plus GST. They are available at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by dialling 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.
