A new musical group in town will liven things up at local pubs in the coming months.
The Foothills Philharmonic Society has created a pub chorus to get patrons banging on tables and belting out folk songs from around the world in Foothills pubs once a month.
The chorus will head to The Royal Duke Restaurant and Bar on March 30 at 8 p.m. following the success of a similar event in February, says singer Chris Tulloch.
“There were 20 people who showed up specifically for the event that weren’t members of the choir,” he said. “The idea is people enjoy the music, sing along if they want to or bang on the tables if they can’t sing.”
Tulloch said the idea came from a similar event in the United States where a group sings beer songs, but the Foothills Philharmonic Society decided to put their own twist on it.
“We are singing folk songs, old and new, that people are able to sing very well,” he said. “The idea is for two or three people to know each of the songs really well and we lead the singing.”
Tulloch said they’ve recently added 15 songs to a 40-song repertoire. They show the lyrics on television screens in the bar so everyone can sing along.
“There are lots of songs that are downright fun to sing,” he said. “I tend to need a two or three-day rest from singing afterwards because I’m belting out these songs with such enthusiasm with varying degrees of accuracy. No singing talent is required.”
The folk songs hail from Canada, the United States, England, Ireland and Scotland.
“The criteria we use is it’s either really well known or it’s really easy to learn,” he said. “We sing on and off until we get tired or need a drink. One of the reasons we like the Royal Duke is because it’s family friendly up until 9 p.m.”
In February people of all ages attended, including families who brought children to join in the fun, Tulloch said.
“It’s great to introduce young kids to this kind of thing instead of the prepackaged commercial music,” he said. “That’s probably all they hear.”
The pub chorus is about fun, laughter and entertainment, said Tulloch.
“It’s just a group of like-minded people that enjoy singing,” he said. “The choir is high-brow – they are aiming for quality – but this is low-brow. Folk music in some ways should be a little rough. If you have people asking what key are we singing this in, they are probably in the wrong place.”
The Royal Duke day manager Pam Cox said she couldn’t help but join in the fun in February.
“I’ve got a bit of Scottish background so I knew a lot of songs,” she said. “It brings back a little bit of my heritage behind me. All of my family is from Scotland. When you hear certain tunes it brings back memories.”
Cox said the pub chorus is a great addition to The Duke’s atmosphere.
“It was something different that we’ve never done before,” she said. “I’ve had a few people ask if they’re coming back.”
Co-owner Guy Ward said he hopes the pub chorus events will become a tradition in his establishment.
“We were hoping if we did it once a month it would be cool for everyone to come out and enjoy it and get used to the songs and have a little pub sing-along,” he said. “In Europe they get together and have a sing-along in the clubs and it involves everybody, even the kids.”
