The Kootenai Community Centre Society is raising funds for its residential youth housing project, and helping out will be the Surrogate Band, a Pink Floyd tribute band featuring former Creston resident Micah Snow.
The band is an ensemble formed at Nelson’s Selkirk College, where Snow is in the contemporary music program, and was a perfect fit.
“There are different ensembles formed at college, and this year one of my teachers decided to start a Pink Floyd ensemble,” he said. “I’ve got all their albums and pretty much anything they ever recorded.”
Surrogate will play at the Prince Charles Theatre on April 13, and will be joined by Creston’s own Nightshade, featuring Rick Potyok and Erich Schmidt on guitar, Jan MacDonald on bass and Neil Ripski on drums. The event will also feature a silent auction and door prizes, including a prize for the best 1970s costume.
The 20-year-old Snow was born in Montana and moved with his parents, Susan and Gary, to Creston in the mid-1990s, and although his father, Gary, always played, the Surrogate guitarist-vocalist didn’t try the guitar until he was 13.
“I played sax for few years before I ever discovered the guitar, then all went downhill from there,” he said with a laugh. “What really inspired me to pick it was watching the Jack Black movie, School of Rock. I discovered bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin through that and wanted to be those guys.”
Snow has played over a dozen times in Creston, but next week’s concert marks his first time since 2010 and his first with Surrogate.
“The feeling of being on stage and having the ability to really express yourself and have that many people into it,” are among his favourite things about performing, he said. “It’s almost like a high.”
Joining Snow in the Surrogate Band are Steven Lee (keyboards, vocals), Pat McTaggart (bass guitar, vocals), Andrew McBain (drums) and Selkirk guitar program head Darren Mahe (lead guitar, vocals). The handpicked ensemble is looking forward to the fundraiser.
“I figure if we’re going to be playing some music there, the fact that we’re going to be helping out a cause like that is pretty much icing on the cake,” said Snow.
Tickets to the benefit are $10, available at Black Bear Books, Kingfisher Used Books and at the door. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30. For more information, call 250-428-2470.