Gags, gusto and far more than simple guitar riffs mark New Odyssey’s stage show, scheduled to come to Backus Community Center at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, under the auspices of the Border Concert Association. The show will be the final for the 68th annual BCA season.
According to a release, three guys wield 30 instruments and combine their individual virtuosity to form a raucous production featuring comedy, skits and audience participation. Once the show gets going, members of New Odyssey start putting on costumes and getting people onstage, the release said.
Gary Todd, Michael Jay and Gary Polkow — the men behind New Odyssey — have been performing together for more than 30 years and are a power-packed team with eclectic backgrounds ranging in areas like musical theater, acrobatic tumbling and even synthesizer production, the bands promotional material states. Tubas, banjos and drums are just a few of the instruments the trio will play during the show.
The same release said several songs people know will be performed and it is intended to be a family-friendly atmosphere.
The comedic stunts take their performances beyond the lines of a traditional concert and the music-oriented skits add a dose of zaniness, including an act that includes the men dressed up as Elvis Presley.
Audience members can expect to join in the antics and have the chance to perform along with the music.
According to Douglas Skrief, president of the BCA board of directors, a limited number of free tickets to the show are available from the Falls Public Library. These tickets were funded in part or in whole by a grant from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, he said.
”We encourage use of the complimentary tickets as their use benefits the concert association and encourages the heritage fund to renew the opportunity in future seasons,” Skrief added.
For more information, visit www.borderconcerts.com.
