The Pretzel Logic Orchestra will make its Parksville debut on Feb. 22 when they bring the music of Steely Dan to Knox United Church.
The nine-piece band is a collection of busy working musicians, so it's a special thing when the whole group gets together for one of the orchestra's seven or eight concerts in a year, said Tom Bowler, one of the band's two singer-guitarists.
“I think people will have a good time. The music is uplifting. The themes are dark and cynical. Isolation and everything else, but in such a fun vein," Bowler said. “The hits that everybody knows are always fun because of the way the audience reacts."
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Steely Dan have sold more than 40 million albums and became famous in the 1970s for playing a fusion of rock, jazz, pop, Latin music and blues. Their hits include "Reelin' in the Years", "Kid Charlemagne" and "Peg".
Bowler's orchestra takes its name from Steely Dan's third album Pretzel Logic, and includes a three piece horn section with a trumpet, trombone and saxophone.
The group has been jamming together for about 20 years he added, and has mastered much of Steely Dan's technically challenging music, which includes many complex chord changes.
“Quite often what really surprises people is when we try a song that they don’t think that we’re going to try," Bowler said. "Like ‘oh my God, you guys played the Fez! Nobody ever plays the Fez!'”
He's been a fan of Steely Dan since he was a teenager and listened to the band's debut album Can't Buy a Thrill.
Each of the seven times Bowler has seen them, Steely Dan's performance was "fantastic".
With the death of Walter Becker in 2017 and a recent announcement by remaining founder Donald Fagen, the band's touring future is in doubt, but Steely Dan fans can still enjoy the music through the Pretzel Logic Orchestra.
The concert at Knox United Church (345 Pym St.) starts at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $30 and are available online via Eventbrite and with cash at local retailers Close to You Boutique, Edge Outdoors and Fireside Books.
