Music
Press
Conal MacMillan
Record Staff
Break out the bell-bottoms, dig
out the platform shoes and toss on
a headband — disco’s back, baby!
For one night only, Fort Sas-
katchewan will be morphed back
to the ‘70s when the Boogie Won-
der Band hits the stage at the Shell
Th eatre next weekend.
Th e 10-piece band is bringing its
brand of disco to western Canadian
stages for the fi rst time since debut-
ing 14 years ago in Montreal night-
clubs. The band rapidly gained a
following and has now travelled the
world to play concerts and private
parties, including shows for Céline
Dion, hockey players’ weddings
and a birthday party for real estate
magnate Donald Trump.
The show doesn’t stop, Boogie
Cindy said Monday in an interview.
The band plays medleys of songs,
switching to new ones before the
audience realizes it, she added.
“We try to go somewhere with
the music,” Cindy said. “We try to
bring people back to Studio 54.”
People who want to party will be
dancing in the aisles and people
who want to kick back and watch
the band do its thing to a big light
show will be able to do that too, she
added of their Fort show.
The band is all about fun. That
much is evident on their web-
site, which last week featured
on its main page a 90-second
video tour of the bus they had on
their southeast U.S. tour last Janu-
ary, bathroom included. “We were
very excited about the tour bus,”
she laughed.
Cindy, the bassist, has been with
the band since its start. She’s per-
formed in nearly 2,000 shows with
the group in over 300 cities world-
wide.
One of the most memorable
experiences was performing in
China, Cindy said.
“They had no idea what disco
was.”
Supplied
The 10-piece Boogie Wonder Band brings disco back to Fort Saskatchewan next
weekend when they take to the Shell Theatre stage. The Shell Theatre has also
hired Spin City DJ for a post-concert dance party in the lobby.
WIN FREE TICKETS
The Record and the Shell Thea-
tre have teamed up to give away
10 free tickets to next weekend’s
Boogie Wonder Band concert.
All you have to do is drop by The
Record’s office during regu-
lar office hours and tell us your
Top 3 favourite disco hits.
Limit of 2 tickets per person.
Who Boogie Wonder Band
What Concert
When Saturday, Mar. 20
What time 8 p.m.
Where Shell Theatre
Cost $49.50 adults, $46.50
students/seniors, $5 eyeGo
Tickets available at Ticketmaster.ca
SHOW PREVIEW
Boogie Wonder Band brings disco back to Fort for one night only
see DISCO Page A12
- Fort Saskatchewan Record
Boogie Cindy is her name, and boogying down tonight is her game -- never mind that the game in question peaked some 30 years ago.
We're talking disco, baby: pure, 100-percent burn-that-mama-down '70s gold.
Which means we're also talking Cindy's brainchild: the Boogie Wonder Band, a 10-piece caravan that has led the disco-tribute-band pack since it was founded nearly 14 years ago.
The group takes over the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts Saturday for a night that starts upstairs, then segues downstairs to an ad hoc disco in the BCPA Ballroom.
What goes around comes around, of course, and the music fad that once "sucked" has now become fashionably, even lovably, retro.
Back in '96, Boogie Cindy was still smarting from her years "dreaming of fame and fortune in the bowling world."
When that didn't happen, she hauled out her bass guitar to start a band, playing the music she loved.
Which brings us up to 1996, and the turning point.
Cindy, we should note, was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, but wound up in Montreal, acquiring a distinct French accent, which renders any disco discussion slightly surreal.
As in: a Canadian disco tribute band founded by a female, bass-playing, ex-bowling American ex-pat.
During disco's original pass through global pop culture (roughly 1974-79), she was too young to shake her booty on down to Studio 54. Maybe that helped save her from any preconceptions about the music, which suffered a lethal backlash at the decade's turn, with mass public record burnings and the infamous "disco sucks" sloganeering.
Cindy Boogie escaped all of that ugliness.
"I guess," she says, "because I was a bass player, I discovered that I loved disco-funk's bass lines."
And that, she thinks, is what separates the resulting band from the legions of imitators who've followed: The Boogie Wonder Band arose from a working musician's love of the live funk sound -- not the heavily processed studio music -- that captured her fancy.
In fact, the bands that truly set the patter were funk-favoring acts with live instrumentation, like Kool & The Gang, Ohio Players and Earth, Wind & Fire (whose "Boogie Wonderland" provided the namesake for Cindy's group).
"I just did this thing for fun," she says. "I put together a 10-piece band -- three singers, two brass players, and one percussionist, keyboardist, guitarist and bass player -- and then tried to play as close to the recorded sounds as we could."
Current lineup
In keeping with her Boogie Cindy handle, the players were christened accordingly, with the current lineup sporting the colorful likes of Stardust, Kat Brown, Dr. Tony Fever and Marky de Sax.
"We had no idea," says Cindy, "that it would last this long."
Certainly, she adds, the concept of a disco tribute band in 1996 was virtually alien, with no competition to speak of; now, she notes, there are dozens of similar acts around the world.
"We were something people had never seen before -- and we immediately started playing a lot of private parties and hotels and casinos."
They've played countless celebrity birthday parties, from Celine Dion to Donald Trump, who has personally requested their services twice.
What's a Donald birthday bash like?
"Lots of girls," she observes. "Girls, girls everywhere."
Eventually, Cindy adds, "because of the size of the band and the show, we couldn't do clubs or small stages anymore."
After 14 years, the Boogie Wonder Band can dispense around 4½ hours' worth of booty-shaking, disco-burning live music.
"It's 100-percent live -- really edgy live music -- Earth, Wind & Fire meets KISS," she says.
An average concert clocks in with 60 to 70 songs, with many of them polished off in carefully calculated medleys designed to lift bottoms out of seats and into the aisles.
"Even in the sit-down theaters (like the BCPA), people just have to get up and dance," she says. "They really need to. And they will."
At A Glance
What: "Let's Get Down Tonight" with the Boogie Wonder Band
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, 600 N. East St., Bloomington
Tickets: $23.40 to $35
Box office number: 866-686-9541
Boogie Cindy's 10 best
Boogie Wonder Band founder Boogie Cindy counts down her personal disco top 10:
1. "Good Times," Chic
2. "Let's Groove Tonight," Earth, Wind & Fire
3. "Disco Inferno," The Trammps
4. "She's a Bad Mama Jama," Carl Carlton
5. "This Groove Is Bad," Skyy
6. "Disco Nights," GQ
7. "Don't Leave Me This Way," Thelma Houston
8. "Let's Start the Dance," Hamilton Bohannon
9. "Stomp," Brothers Johnson
10. "Le Freak," Chic
- The Pantagraph
Bubbles Burnett
These kids have been tearing up the dance floor from Montreal to Vegas for 13 years, and their newest studio album features seven medleys of songs by Blondie, ABBA, Donna Summer, Kool & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire. Listen, these covers aren't great art, but they are well done, and if you don't want to play DJ at your house party, just pop in this disc, turn up the volume and boogie! - The Hour
La agrupación canadiense repasó lo mejor de la música del 70 y 80 en el Centro de Convenciones
El objetivo del grupo canadiense Boogie Wonder Band era revivir la década del 70, en la que predominababan los trajes multicolores, los zapatos de plataforma, los pantalones con basta ancha, el cabello afro. Era la época que sonaba la música de Gloria Gaynor, Rick James y los grupos Earth, Wind & Fire y Village People. Y esa meta se cumplió el jueves pasado, en el Centro de Convenciones de Guayaquil.
El viaje hacia aquella época se inició a las 22:00 cuando los diez integrantes de la agrupación saltaron al escenario.
Llegaron y formaron una fila en la que sus cuerpos quedaban dando la espalda al público, luego de forma sincronizada se dieron la vuelta para así darle la bienvenida al público. Ellos lucían atuendos con lentejuelas, flecos en sus chaquetas, pantalones basta ancha y ellas vestidos y conjuntos ceñidos al cuerpo acompañados por sombreros brillantes.
El primer clásico que interpretó Isaac ‘The Jam’, uno de los tres vocalistas del grupo, fue Boogie nights.
Continuó con otras como Off the will, Disco inferno, Let’s groove.
Ecuador es el primer país de Sudamérica que este grupo visita durante su gira 2010, dijeron sus integrantes
Pero no fue hasta que soltó las primeras estrofas de Everybody dance lo que provocó el alboroto de los presentes que pasaban de los 30 años y quienes sacaron a bailar a sus parejas para recordar aquellos pasos que una vez inmortalizó Elvis Presley en los 50: los movimientos de pelvis.
Y es que eso era lo que proponía Boogie Wonder Band, que lo retro se recuerde en todos los aspectos: música, baile y diversión. Toda una fiesta.
I love the night life, Heaven know y Voulez-vous en las voces de Stardust (la rubia) y Kat Brown (la de cabellos rizados) no hicieron más que avivar la celebración de la noche dedicada a las décadas de los setenta y ochenta.
Para el tema Raining me, los tres vocalistas interactuaron con el público. De hecho, Isaac, quien domina mejor el español, dijo: “Ecuador es el primer país de Sudamérica con el que abrimos la gira y esta es una de las mejores experiencias del mundo”.
Isaac, con la ayuda de los demás músicos y a la cuenta de “one, two, three”, arrancó con su interpretación. Sus movimientos de cadera y los saltos fueron una constante durante la velada.
Había pasado más de una hora desde su aparición y la banda continuaba recordando viejos temas. Entre ellos So many man, That´s the way, I’m your boogie man, September y Jungle boogie.
La otra hora la utilizaron para repasar temas como Celebration, de la agrupación Kool & the Gang.
La interpretación de la melodía fue la más ovacionada por el público. Le siguieron otras, como Le freak, Funkytown, Hot stuff y Bad girls.
Una de las más esperadas fue la clásica I will survive, de Gloria Gaynor. Ahí, Kat Brown se atrevió a modificar un poco el tono de voz a la hora. No obstante, Kat conservó la misma esencia que la hizo famosa a Gaynor.
Lo mejor llegó cuando sus integrantes entonaron YMCA y Macho man, de Village People. Luego You should be dancing con la que cerraron su actuación a la medianoche.
Fue un espectáculo en el que Boogie Wonder Band resucitó a la música retro. Una noche en la que, además, se homenajeó a Oswaldo Valencia (Mr. Soul Train) por sus 46 años de impulsar a la música disco. También participó el grupo La Pandilla, como telonero del show. - El Telegrafo - Gayaquil Ecuador
Discography
Keep Disco Alive (Live album) 1997
The Kings of Discoland 1998
Boogie Down Santa (christmas EP) 2000
Fly (originals) 2001
Kiss My Disco (double live album) 2004
Supercool 2009
see more on www.boogiewonderband.com
Photos
Bio
BIOGRAPHY
Boogie Wonder Band was created in 1996 from Boogie Cindy and her group’s passion for disco music from the Seventies and Eighties. Boogie Wonder Band immediately became a reference for that era of disco music to the world. By 1997, with the release of the album “Keep Disco Alive” and the release the following year of “Kings of Discoland”, the Band’s show was already distinguished by its blazing style, its multicoloured costumes and its contagious energy. It must be said that with 10 singers/musicians on stage and their manager Michael Weisinger on the scene, this 11 member group never leaves anything to chance. Having collaborated on the albums of Joe Cocker, Paula Abdul, Kool and the Gang, The Fugees and several others as a sound engineer, Michael Weisinger used his expertise to give the group a “vintage” sound, very close to the original songs. It is partly this sound which still to this day distinguishes Boogie Wonder Band from the other groups.
During the years that followed, the group performed at several major events: Formula One Grand Prix (Monaco, Indianapolis and Montreal), PGA tournaments, Grey Cup and many more. Stars like Celine Dion and Donald Trump recognized their talent and called upon the band to entertain at their own parties. They have also performed for some of the largest companies in the world, such as Cirque du Soleil, Mc Donald's, IBM, Walt Disney, Bombardier, General Electric, Club Med and many others.
Because of their growing popularity, Boogie Wonder Band quickly became the darling of American and Asian casinos. Casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and also in several other American, Canadian & Chinese cities have called upon them regularly to perform at their establishments.
Boogie Wonder Band is recognized and appreciated by the original performers of several of the songs which make up their repertoire. They have shared the stage with huge stars of disco music and funk, including Rick James, Kool & the Gang, Earth Wind & Fire, Gloria Gaynor and KC & The Sunshine Band.
From Montreal to Tokyo, New York to Monaco and even to Hawaii, everywhere the party is triumphant. In 2001, pressured by the love of their fans, Boogie Wonder Band returned to the studio to record “FLY”, their first album of original songs. In 2004, at the unrelenting request of the public, the group immortalised their show in a “live” album, recording more than 75 of the biggest disco music hits in history! A true gold standard, the double album “KISS My Disco” contains more than 2 and ½ hours of music.
The year of 2006 was a charmed year for Boogie Wonder Band, who celebrated their 10th anniversary. To mark this occasion the band was featured in the Casino de Montréal’s Cabaret where they performed nearly 70 shows and this to a full house every night. Following their success at the Montreal Casino, Boogie Wonder Band began a major tour of theatres and show rooms in Quebec. To the greatest delight of the fans and the group, they have continued to gain success right up to the present.
The year 2009 was ‘’ bigger,badder and better than ever’’ as the Boogie Wonder Band welcomed a new singer and saxophonist! In preparation for a new studio album, the group also received support in the person of Denis Savage, sound engineer of the mega star Celine Dion. Charmed by the infectious energy of the group at a show givien to celebrate the end of the world tour "Taking Chances", he offered his services to record what became the hit album "SUPERCOOL". By the end of 2009, Boogie Wonder Band will have performed their show at more than 2000 venues, to more than 2,000,000 audience members and in more than 400 cities around the world.
In the early months of 2010, their new album launched and their "SUPERCOOL" show ready to hit the road, Boogie Wonder Band embarqued on its long planned North American tour.
In less than three months, they will have performed in Toronto (Ontario), Pembroke (North Carolina), Bunnell, Fort Lauderdale and Melbourne (Florida), Uncasville (Connecticut), as well as in various cities in Quebec, Medicine Hat and Fort Saskatchewan (Alberta) and many more. All without forgetting a series of performances in Salinas and Quito, Ecuador.
Soon to be celebrating its 15th year, the BWB is charging full steam ahead,bringing disco to the people and spreading the word…Supercool !!
see more on www.boogiewonderband.com
Links
