Bringing the boom

Richard Brinkman used to play the Thunder Bay music scene when he was a student at Lakehead University.

While earning his Bachelor of Arts in geography and environmental studies, he played in a variety of local rock and bluegrass bands, playing the downtown bars like the now shuttered Jacks.

But this Saturday, the Peterborough native will be rolling through Thunder Bay and stopping at Crocks as the drummer for Vancouver’s The Boom Booms.

The group has been gaining notoriety the past couple of years, climbing to No. 6 on MuchMoreMusic’s charts in 2008 with When the Night, a single that also appeared in an episode of The CW’s 90210.

The Boom Booms also played at the 2012 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival and at Sarah McLachlan’s Voices in the Park concert on Sept. 15.

“It was good times,” Brinkman said of his university days playing in local bars.

“I’m really excited to get this project into Thunder Bay. It’s been a while since I’ve been back. It’s cool to bring a new band through there,” he said in a phone interview from Edmonton Tuesday afternoon.

The Boom Booms are a six-piece rock-pop group with a lot of funk and a bit of a samba feel to their music. The group consists of Brinkman on drums, Aaron Ross on lead vocals and guitar, Geordie Hart on bass and vocals, Sean Ross on vocals and cavaquinho, Tom Van Deursen on electric guitar and vocals and Theo Vincent on percussion and vocals.

The guys met tree planting in British Columbia and playing the East Vancouver music scene, said Brinkman, adding he’s excited for this tour – their first, large-scale North American tour with 50 dates in Canada and the U.S.

“This one we finally have a giant tour bus. It’s got six bunk beds – a 39-foot diesel bus. This is our home for the next little while,” he said.

Brinkman isn’t worried about the group getting sick of each other over the course of the tour. They’ve travelled in tighter quarters together before.

The Boom Booms recently toured Brazil and really dug into the culture and music.

“We took percussion lessons and really polished our rhythms and our rhythmic knowledge,” Brinkman said.
As for their upcoming show in Thunder Bay, Brinkman said it’ll be a celebration.

“It’s really rhythmic and lots of sing-a-longs and bringing the crowd in,” he said. “We try to do that right away. If people aren’t dancing, it’s kind of hard to play.”

The Boom Booms play Crocks on Sept. 29; $5 at the door.