Submitted by Rob Gilgan
Seniors in Rimbey will bring in the New Year with some old friends from just down the road.
Songwriter Frank Peters, who farms near Breton, is bringing his band Range Patrol to the Rimbey Seniors Drop In for an evening of music and dance on Dec. 31.
Peters has been writing relatable songs in old time country style for more than 50 years. The Drop In’s New Year’s Eve party will feature his original music, as well as audience favourites by a variety of country artists.
His stories in song chronicle decades of experiences all across the continent. Songs range from ranching, wheeling a big rig down the highway, logging, wrangling, as well as travelling along with the triumphs and traumas that make up a rural life.
Range Patrol also features singer Lloyd Jackson on guitars, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and bass as he swaps musical duties with ease. His multi-instrumentalist son, Dan, will be joining him on bass, guitar, banjo and vocals.
Rounding out the rhythm section is former Rimbeyite Rob Gilgan on drums. Gilgan moved to Rimbey in 1997 and started the Rimbey Review after retiring from a career in music five years earlier. He says he likely never would have picked up his sticks and brushes again, had it not been for hearing one of Peters’ songs in a songwriting contest.
“The more I heard, the more I liked it,” Gilgan said. “Frank’s songs really resonated with me, turning images of rural life into the aural experience listeners and dancers thoroughly enjoy. As a drummer, that’s what appealed to me.”
Local producer Ben Crane crafted a fine album of Peters songs just as COVID stepped in and kept folks home, but the band has been impressed with the response it receives in live performances at venues across central Alberta.
In addition to tunes penned by Peters and Jackson, Range Patrol features set lists pulled from the likes of legends Ian Tyson, The Mavericks, Fred Eaglesmith, as well as a slew of country standards from the last few decades.
His songs cover the emotional spectrum, from the jaunty “Looking’ For A Lady”, wistful “Old Time Buckaroo”, mournful “Learning to Fly” and perennial farmer favourite, “Couple Inches Rain”. Humour also plays a role in the group’s music, as they put on a performance that keeps the crowd smiling and toe-tapping, not to mention filling the dance floor.
Following supper on Dec. 31, the music gets underway at 8 p.m. and weaves its way through the end of the year, before welcoming another trip around the sun, at midnight.