Much is often made about the longevity of bands like The Rolling Stones and The Who.
Both classic rock bands boast 60 years of making music but that pales in comparison to the Thorold Reed Band.
The group, now preparing for its 171st season of performing have been around nearly three times the number of years as Jagger and Richards or Townsend and Daltrey. The band is an institution in Niagara, having been formed in 1851 and performing continuously since then except for two seasons scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Director Andrew Carruthers is excited by plans for this year with trumpeter Eduardo Farias joining the band for a couple of shows on July 31 and Aug. 7.
“He’s a heck of a player, but you’d never know because he wouldn't tell you about it,” Carruthers said.
Farias can be seen on a video posted to the band’s Facebook page running through an arrangement for reed instruments of Dick Dale’s guitar classic “Misirlou.”
The video, Carruthers said, serves as a testament to Farias’ talent.
“We’d run through it once before that recording,” he said. “That was the second time playing with the band.”
Membership in the band has dipped slightly thanks to the pandemic. Pre-COVID, the band boasted upwards of 55 musicians while currently, there are 45 members. Carruthers has been serving as director for the past 12 years, taking over from Brian Williams, who served in the role for two decades and for whom the bandshell in the Battle of Beaverdams Park is named.
Long-time member Ryan Spoars has been playing tuba with the band for seven years. He first picked up the instrument while attending the old Fort Erie Secondary School back in the 90s but stopped playing once he left high school.
“I actually stopped playing the tuba for about 20 years, and my mother, who was the president of the Fort Erie Legion band at the time, kept bugging me to get back into playing again,” Spoars said. “So, I bought a horn and 20 years after the fact started playing."
Spoars said he really enjoys playing with the band.
“When I’m performing in front of crowds and stuff like that, I think that's when I play my best,” he said. “When the pressure is on, it does seem to me that cream rises to the top. The majority of musicians that we play with, especially here are some of the other bands, are some of the best community musicians in the region.”
For A.J. Goyette, who has been playing the flute for 22 years and has spent the past few years with the Thorold band, playing with the group is more interesting than playing solo.
“I think it sounds so much fuller,” she said. "It’s more fun.”
The year’s series consists of 10 concerts starting June 12. All concerts are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. at the bandshell except for the concert on June 19, which will be back at St. Andrew’s. The series concludes Aug. 14.
“The City of Thorold booked something in the bandshell in the park that night,” Carruthers said.
More information and updates about the Thorold Reed Band can be found on group’s Facebook page.
