Lovers of soul music – and those with dancing feet – have got a treat in store when the The Booze Brothers Band set City Hall alive with their brand of music 'guaranteed to knock your socks off'.

The band, whose name is a play on 'Blues Brothers', has some of Bermuda's top musicians, and is led by drummer and vocalist Howard Rego, who is also producing the event.

Playing with him are: Tony Bari (vocals/keyboards), Stan Gilbert (vocals/bass), Tamahl Gorham (trumpet), Steve Himmelstein (lead guitar), Ronnie Lopes (vocals/percussion), Graham Maule (trombone), Max Maybury (vocals/tenor sax) and 'Doc' Simons (vocals).

Dubbed 'Art and Soul', the show will be a tribute to the Blues Brothers, but more importantly a tribute to the people who actually created and performed soul music, many of whom are no longer alive.

"Anyone into soul music will know who the producers are, and how well they got their stuff across to their artists," Mr. Rego said. "The music business was at its most exciting during this period – a time of maximum creativity."

The producer's inspiration to put this show together as a fundraiser for the Bermuda Society of Arts (BSoA) sprang from soul music itself.

"Unlike much of today's music, soul is timeless, and the formulas used to create it can hardly be improved upon," he added. "It has something for everyone, and The Booze Brothers Band are going to deliver it to anyone who was, or who still may be touched by this music.

"Along with the help of some of Bermuda's finest players, I have agreed to invest time and energy to bring the music to life, and judging by what is happening at rehearsals, we are all going to be in for a night of potent, powerful, back-beat music which is sure to get people up on the dance floor. Our funky rhythm section, along with the layering of an incredible horn section, will be producing sounds guaranteed to knock your socks off."

Outlining the relationship between blues and other musical genre, Mr. Rego said R&B, soul or funk are not only closely related, but also further related to the blues.

"Whatever you choose to call it, in my opinion soul is some of the most infectious music ever made, with elements of jazz harmony and tight, syncopated rhythms, and great lyrics telling stories of all kinds," he added. "Otis Redding, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Wilson Pickett, Brook Benton and Ben E. King were among the many artists who played soul music."

In fact, Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi were so enamoured of soul music that they wrote and produced the movie, 'The Blues Brothers', which was centred in and around the life and times of some of those great artists.

"It was the way they put the music together which captured the imagination of The Blues Brothers, and of course the entire world," Mr. Rego said. "The music never leaned on digital this or digital that, but was whole and organic in nature, with very few tricks to bring it to life. The music was life itself – real people playing real instruments with real heart and soul, hence its name 'soul music'."

The fact that this music "hasn't seen the light of day in years" in what Mr. Rego terms "the musical desert of Hamilton" is what led him to pay tribute to soul in a meaningful way.

"To quote from the movie, 'The Blues Brothers' 'much of the music we hear today is pre-programmed, electronic disco. We don't get a chance to hear master bluesmen practising their craft any more', so this is my attempt, along with my fellow musicians to pay tribute to soul, and breathe some present-day life back into it in the hope of keeping it alive."

With this in mind, Mr. Rego is inviting everyone to "come and join the eight-piece band on a musical excursion which is sure to take you back and forward at the same time. Of course, the name 'Booze Brothers' is just a play on words and should be taken humorously, with no affront intended".

To further ensure that guests really get into the spirit of the evening, on November 21, the BSoA main gallery will be set up like a blues nightclub, complete with stage and plenty of room for dancing.

Doors will open at 7 p.m. with a cash bar, and showtime will be from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Advance tickets ($25) are now available from the BSoA between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Alternatively, telephone 292 3824.

"Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your tickets now, before we are 'Souled' out," Mr. Rego advises.