Birchmount Bar and Grill bringing country back to the city
A Scarborough country music band is playing at the Birchmount Bar and Grill’s Country and Western Night this Saturday, Aug. 16. from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Back 2 Back will be providing the crowd with live entertainment throughout the night, performing a repertoire of country classics as well as their own original songs.
“There is not too much country happening in the city and it’s time to bring it back,” said the Birchmount’s owner Peter Papas.
Papas said that the Birchmount used to host country music bands every week, but had stopped hosting the events about 40 years ago.
Two weeks ago, Papas decided to bring back the Country and Western Nights.
“It has been very successful and it’s bringing in the people,” said Papas. “When you play country music, you understand about what they say because it’s about life.”
Back 2 Back’s bassist, Wolfe Milestone, shares Papas’s passion for traditional country music.
Milestone said that today’s new country music is more rock and roll and it lacks the true roots of the genre.
“I’m a traditionalist,” he said. “Everything today is more upbeat. The words of the song, the story of the song, the feel of the song, the two-step, the four-step and barn dance music... they don’t really have that anymore.”
Milestone cites Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Sr. as some the band’s major influences, which also happens to be their most requested cover songs to perform.
Back 2 Back is a four-piece band that includes Milestone, lead guitarist Bal LeBlanc, rhythm guitarist Dan Vautour and drummer Tony Curtis.
The band is currently working on their first album together. Visit back2backent.com to stay tuned with updates.
The Birchmount Bar and Grill will also have a cowboy/cowgirl outfits contest, along with door prizes and giveaways. Country and Western Night is held every Saturday night at 462 Birchmount Rd. with new country bands playing each week.
For more details about Country and Western Night, call 416-698-4115.