Moncton-based TBA Collective is getting set to celebrate the holiday season with their annual acoustic cover show, taking place at Plan B Lounge Saturday evening. A mix of Moncton music scene vets including Phil Flowers, Marco Rocca and Jonah Haché will share the stage with Mario Gautreau, Eric Babineau and a host of others.
Promising a mix of “fun, love, laughs and ugly sweaters,” TBA Xmess organizer and performer Phil Flowers is looking forward to continuing the collective’s holiday tradition.
“The whole basis of the show is to feature local musicians playing acoustic covers; the more obscure the better,” Flowers says. “There are so many nights a week where you can go out and listen to singer-songwriters play the same bunch of songs that have been playing on the radio for the last 20 years. With the TBA Xmess show, we look to steer clear of that.”
What started as a tradition for the performers such as Mario Gautreau, Jonah Haché and others in the TBA Collective has since expanded to include the likes of Rocca, The BackYard Devils’ Erik Arsenault and more.
“In more recent years, we have expanded the line-up to include people outside of the TBA core because these people are so talented at what they do,” Gautreau explains. “This year is no exception. To have folks like Erik Arsenault, Ryan Hillier, Caroline Savoie and Marco Rocca take part in the event is both humbling and appreciated. It really helps to bring Moncton`s musical community together while also raising money for the local food bank.
“The TBA Xmess Show has served as a ‘family reunion’ of sorts for TBA followers and friends, where jokes are plenty, the eggnog flows freely and the gaffes are tolerated. It is a way for the collective to thank those who support our events through the year. It is the kind of show that involves a lot of surprises and fantastic sing-alongs.”
Article published in the December 14, 2012 edition of the Times & Transcript