Community Corner

Beatles Tribute Band Will See Friends in Grafton

Beatles For Sale opens the Grafton Concerts on the Common series next Wednesday.

When a Beatles tribute band plays "With a Little Help From My Friends" on the Grafton Common next week, take it literally.

"Three out of the five band members live in the general area, so we expect to be pulling in friends, co-workers and acquaintances from Grafton, Millbury, Whitinsville, Shrewsbury, and Worcester," Beatles For Sale member Dan Kirouac says. 

"We love a lot of the other venues we play at but a few of them aren't as travel-friendly for our friends as a place like the Grafton Common."

Beatles For Sale opens the Grafton Concerts on the Common series next Wednesday.

Admission is free to the shows, which start at 7 p.m., according to the Grafton Recreation Department's Summer 2013 brochure. Rain would move the concerts into the Grafton Middle School auditorium.

Beatles For Sale last performed on the Grafton Common during the 2009 concert series, Kirouac said.

"I would say it's similar to other town commons and park gazebos," he said.
 
"Some of our favorite shows are the summertime town common shows - you get all ages, people are happy about free live entertainment, so from that perspective it's really great.  Some of the other venues we do are small theaters which are indoor, so the plus there is that we don't have to worry about weather being on our side."

This interview was conducted by e-mail.

Grafton Patch
Does the Grafton crowd have its own Beatles favorites?       

Dan Kirouac
Well, I'm sure they do....but to be honest, my memory from any feedback we last got there in 2009 is a bit hazy.

We tend to find basic similarities from town to town: The kids like songs like "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus' Garden," The baby-boomers might lean more toward the Ed Sullivan Show numbers like "All My Loving" or "This Boy"; and the occasional fellow musicians we run into usually compliment us on our delivery of "I Am The Walrus" or the Abbey Road side 2 medley.

Grafton Patch
Does the band have a Beatles signature tune?      

Dan Kirouac
Hard to pick one - but "Sgt. Pepper/With A Little Help From My Friends" has made almost every show we've ever done.  It never fails to disappoint!

Grafton Patch
The band is in its sixth year. How has the group evolved?     

Dan Kirouac
Well, musicially we've tackled stuff we each never though could be pulled off live.  We pride ourselves in having done some of the songs that even more national Beatles tributes don't cover.  We've also expanded our geographic area since the first two years and have played now in five of the six New England states.  We've also evolved as a tight group of friends as well.  It really is a brotherhood. 

Grafton Patch
What do you hope the Grafton crowd enjoys most from the concert?       

Dan Kirouac
We hope they appreciate the variety of the songs and the eras that we cover.  There's something for everyone, from the casual listener to the diehard fan.  And we hope they enjoy the lighthearted fun we hope to deliver and that it makes them want to see us again.


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