For the members of the Third Town Band, playing music is a hobby they can share with anyone.
The members of the seven-piece band found one another naturally and the group has been growing organically since James Senires saw a pair of his fellow bandmates playing at a Christmas party. As they have learned of new friends who have a passion that follows their musical ability, the band, which began with four members, has added to its ranks.
Senires said he saw Edu Malangen and Erik Galvez performing at the party. He liked what he heard, so had them come into Eddie's, where he works, to put on a show.
"We invited them in for a Christmas party, so we had them jamming, and that's pretty much where it all started," said Senires.
The original lineup included Senires, Malangen, Galvez and Wesh Binalla.
The Third Town Band will be the latest group to perform at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum, followed by a show at Eddie's Neighbourhood Grill and Bar on Feb. 8 for After Dark/After Hours.
So far the band of Filipino immigrants has played several shows together as a whole - often at Eddie's - performing their take on hits from the 1980s and '90s. Senires said they are influenced a lot by rock from that period as well as psychedelic funk, ska and reggae.
"Me and Wesh, we grew up on the genre of the '90s rock," said Senires. "What we all agree upon is reggae stuff, because it's all just fun. Most of our cover songs are reggae songs."
Malangen adds the funky side of the band with his guitar playing. He said that they also like to incorporate a mix of Filipino music into their songs. A lot of those are actually English songs that were written by Filipinos.
"Being Filipinos, we want to share some of our music from Filipino artists who are really, really good in the Phillipines," added Senires. "There are really good Filipino artists that have really big talent, and we just want to share it with our culture here."
The band includes Senires, as keyboardist and guitar player, Malangen, Binalla playing bass and percussion, Galvez on drums, Jelyne Eugenio and Kim Marbella providing vocals, while newcomer Kristofer Duran plays acoustic guitar and sings as well.
The members have been in Canada and the Estevan area for varying times. Some like Senires have been in the country for as many as four years, while Eugenio and Marbella are more recent immigrants. Marbella is celebrating her first year in the country this week.
Marbella was vetted by Binalla, who noted her vocal ability to the rest of the group. She came in to jam and has stuck. Eugenio came to Canada a couple of months after Marbella and joined as well.
"We learned she was a really good singer, and they jive together, Kim and Jel," said Senires.
That's how the band has formed. As they meet new people with musical talent, they invite the new prospects. If everyone has fun, the band gets a new member.
"It's not a really deep kind of story. It's just guys having fun," said Senires of how they have all come together.
They take their name from the fact that the members reside in three different communities in the southeast. Most live in Estevan, but Galvez lives in Weyburn and Malangen lives in Oxbow.
With the After Dark/After Hours format, the band will be able to perform both acoustic and full band sets, something they look forward to.
"Maybe one of our best songs, Sweet Child Of Mine, we'd probably rock it out as acoustic at the art gallery. You should see how hard this guy's going to rock his guitar," said Senires, pointing at Malangen.
The group regularly takes requests from the audience, and they have had audience members up to sing along with them. Senires said it's always a party when they hit the stage.
The band jams most Sundays, when everyone has a day off. They don't want to force Galvez to have to lug his drum kit anywhere, so they usually all head to Weyburn for a meal together followed by some music.
Senires said music is one of the great communicators, so building roots in Saskatchewan starts with sharing their music with the people around them.
"We have a lot of friends here. We're making this our new home, and we're trying to share our culture with our new friends here. Music is probably the best way to do it," he said. "It's not just us sitting there playing. It's us realizing our roots through music."
