Haldimand-Norfolk band 'The Shrubberies' to perform at Heroes Walk and Roll

Every October, the band members of The Shrubberies wear themed costumes at their shows leading up to Halloween.

The members of The Shrubberies like to dress up in costumes for their shows leading up to Halloween. Here are Alex Barnard, Adam Liefl and J.P. Antonacci as Poison Ivy, Batman and Alfred the Butler respectively.

While that usually makes them stand out from the crowd, when they take to the stage at Lansdowne Children’s Centre’s Heroes Walk and Roll celebration in Brant Park on Oct. 4, they’ll fit right in, as many guests will also be dressed up, as whatever ‘hero’ means to them.

The Shrubberies formed just over six years ago, and in that time, they’ve played a lot of different events, from private parties and gigs in pubs to theatre opening nights and other community celebrations. Heroes Walk and Roll will be their first kid-centric event.

“I'm excited to play for kind of a different demographic,” said Paris resident and lead vocalist Alex Barnard. “It’ll be fun to figure out the dynamic between us and the audience … to bring a different energy to it.”

While performing at Lansdowne Heroes Walk and Roll is a bit of a first for the band, as Barnard noted, “Our guitarist is now a father, so I imagine more kids’ shows are in our future.”

The members of The Shrubberies like to dress up in costumes for their shows leading up to Halloween. Here are Adam Liefl as Alvin (from Alvin and the Chipmunks), Alex Barnard as Darkwing Duck, and J.P. Antonacci Arthur the Aardvark.  

She added, “It’s a good cause, so it’s always nice to lend our support.”

The other members of the band are Port Dover resident J.P. Antonacci (keyboard, vocal, etc.) and Waterford resident Adam Liefl (guitar and vocals).

The Shrubberies have around 100 songs in their repertoire at any given time, and the range is vast: pop songs from the 1930s, show tunes, classic rock, top 40 hits and just about anything in between.

Barnard noted, “We try to keep it fresh and challenge ourselves, while still entertaining people.”

Some may be wondering about the band’s name – it’s actually a nod to the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail; specifically, the Knights Who Say ‘Ni!’, who demand a shrubbery from King Arthur and his knights in exchange for safe passage.

Antonacci said, “I think it suits us because we’ve billed ourselves as Haldimand Norfolk’s most eclectic cover band, and there's that Monty Python tagline, ‘And now for something completely different.’ It feels like with our shows, every song qualifies, because there's no real rhyme or reason for what song follows the next.”

He added that the band members “love learning new songs. … all three of us are pretty open-minded musically, and so we aren't afraid to try anything new and see how it goes.”

For The Shrubberies, it’s not about playing the songs the same way the original artists did, Barnard said. “We like to bring our own flair; we call it ‘Shrubberizing.’”

While they often add new songs to the mix, there are some enduring favourites.

Barnard said she likes to perform the song September, and “We always get a really good response from the ‘Time Warp,’ even though we don’t do it that often.”

While Antonacci’s main instrument is the keyboard, he is also the band kazooist, “So any song involving the kazoo is a particular my favourite of mine – not necessarily the audience. But I usually win them over,” he added with a smile.

Another highlight for him is when the band does a three-part harmony version of Seven Bridges Road with an acapella section.

“I love how our voices sound together,” Antonacci said.

For Lansdowne Heroes Walk and Roll, the band is planning to include some songs from Disney classics, and may even debut their cover of Golden from the movie KPop Demon Hunters.

Whatever they end up playing, The Shrubberies are confident they’ll have the crowd entertained.

“I think because we're all theatre kids at heart, and we all have a background in musical theatre, that really comes out when we get to be silly,” Antonacci said. “We almost play different characters while singing. … When you get dozens or hundreds of kids together, there’s always a real buzz, and I think it’ll match our goofy energy quite well.”

For more information about The Shrubberies, visit facebook.com/ShrubberiesBand

To register for Lansdowne Heroes Walk and Roll, or for other ways to show your support, visit lansdownecentre.ca/heroeswalkandroll