The Crew takes over the Memorial Park bandshell this Sunday for Concerts in the Park.
The band evolved from a group of friends/musicians getting together with the common goal of “building a cultural sense via the blues.”
Greg Bradbury is a long-time member of The Crew, the former house band at Skinny’s Grill in Hope. He started playing guitar at age of 15 with some of the local blues musicians. Bradbury later went on the road with various rock bands and opened for acts such as the Headpins and Barney Bental.
Adriaan Abeling started as a drummer in 1966 and then switched to rhythm guitar, percussion and songwriting in his early teens. Playing across Canada and the United States with a variety of professionals, he found his niche in life. Abeling started singing and playing the blues and country music early on and was influenced by these styles in many way. He now focuses on the blues as a mainstay and has been a songwriter for about 20 years.
Davis Manning plays sax, suitcase, or harmonica. Sometimes audiences can catch him playing guitar while singing his own songs, and tunes by Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Lyle Lovett and John Prine.
John B. Young’s piano lessons began before starting school and continued through Grade 12. In the high school, he played trombone before moving to the percussion section. This led to a drum kit, playing rock and roll, and dabbling with bass and guitar. Currently, Young is playing congas and back to his roots on the piano.
Jake Cowan started playing bass guitar at the age of 10 with his father and brothers in a band called the Bluetones. He spent most weekends performing a mix of 1960s rock and blues throughout venues in the Interior. Cowan moved to Hope in 2000, the day after he graduated from university.
Ebi Fazzari provides the drum beat for The Crew. He is a founding member of the Hoodlums and travelled all over Canada in his younger days playing the club scene.
The free summer concert series is presented by the Hope & District Arts Council, with funding from the province. It runs from 2-4 p.m. in Memorial Park.