By Kristen Levine, Reporter
On a warm day broken up with thunderstorms in early July, the Holdin’ Back band from Holden came out to play for a gathered audience of all ages. The band, sponsored by the Sterling Cultural Council, performed two hours of music spanning genres and decades. Though rain drove some of the audience into their cars and many others broke out the umbrellas, the two hour-set was a success; another thunderstorm rolling in at the end of their set prompted hasty thanks for attendance before the crowd dispersed.
Holdin’ Back lists the act as music that “appeals to all audiences, with a repertoire of Feel Good rock’n’roll, oldies, patriotic tunes, sing-alongs and classics”, per the band’s website. The audience of families out for a night of picnic suppers and music could be seen nodding along to tunes and singing along to songs from The Beach Boys to Dua Lipa.
The venue for the July 14 show was the gazebo in Sterling Memorial Park, found behind the Sterling Fire Station. The station garage was open to the warm summer evening and several fire fighters could be seen listening to the music as the performance continued.
Jo-Ann Cummings, chair of the Sterling Recreation Committee, feels that the Concert Series is a bright social spot for the town.
“It brings a little culture to Sterling,” she said. “We’re bringing music to the town…we’ve done [the series] annually, and it’s a good place to bring families.”
Holdin’ Back was the third act in a summer-long series that will end on Aug. 23. Fourteen local businesses contribute to the series, sponsoring local bands and enabling free entertainment every Monday and Wednesday. Bands are selected via the Recreation Committee, Cummings said.
“Bands contact us and we listen to their audition tapes,” she said. “We look for sponsors and that’s it – it’s open to the public for free. There’s no central planner.”
With thirteen lucky bands making it past Committee auditions to the stage, a music- and fun filled week is guaranteed for local audiences.
“We drove an hour just to support [the band],” said audience member Pauline Johnson, attending the show with her husband Peter.
Holdin’ Back wasn’t just singing; guitarist and vocalist Paul Blaquiere offered jokes, trivia and guessing games about song origins during the set, calling out questions to the audience. While the younger members of the crowd weren’t as knowledgeable over classic rock trivia, the senior audience were happy to shout answers in reply. The band played on, with families enjoying music and the younger children in attendance running through the grass, until only a loud crack of thunder brought the evening to a close.
“We think it’s great,” said Cindy Smith, wife of keyboardist and bassist Craig Smith. “The band plays different venues and there’s always people that get up and dance.”
The Summer Concert Series performances run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., dependent on weather. A schedule of upcoming performances can be found on the Sterling town website.
CREDIT: Kristen Levine