If you can’t find a date to accompany you to the Exshaw Legion’s Newfoundland Evening show and dinner fundraiser, don’t fret, the Atlantic Storm Band is bringing a cod for you to kiss.
The Atlantic Storm Band, Phonsie Corcoran (vocals, guitar), Danny O’Malley (accordion), Randy Shepperd (bass), Jim Riel (drums) and Mike Peters (fiddle) are true rennaissance men – not only professional musicians, but also skilled in the culinary arts.
The band not only brings a rollicking good time with authentic Celtic maritime music, but also cook and serve up a steak and lobster feast to raise funds for local legions.
The band will host such an event at the Exshaw Legion on March 21.
“We’ve been hitting all the legions over the last couple of years, just helping to keep the doors open,” Corcoran said. “We’ve been doing pretty well on selling out every time we play out there and it’s a great time.”
The band will also hold a fundraising dinner and concert on June 13 at the Canmore Legion.
Corcoran and the majority of Atlantic Storm are original Newfoundlanders who migrated to Alberta over the last 20 years, but never lost their sense of honour and duty for Canada’s veterans.
“I have always been a legion member in Cochrane and we do the same thing there. I gave up playing bars years ago because it was the same old thing, you’re there from 8 p.m. till 2:30 a.m. and I figured if you’re going to go do something, then let’s do something worthwhile for people,” Corcoran said.
With our older Second Word War and Korean veterans numbers dwindling, Atlantic Storm Band take it upon themselves to bring veterans and family members to the dinner and show.
“Other than in Exshaw, there’s not a lot of veterans out there, so we usually take four to six veterans and their wives and we feed them for free and anyone else that’s a veteran,” Corcoran said.
The band has been together for six years, and was out on the road last year with Nazareth and George Canyon.
“We all play in different bands, and this is our band for playing at the legions, four of us are from the east coast, from Newfoundland and one from the mainland – but we don’t let him talk too much during the shows,” joked Corcoran.
“We’ve got a great group of professionals in the band and we decided to go out and do this for the legions to give back and that’s the main reason why we do it.
“We’re a fun band and right after the first set we do the Newfoundland screech in and kiss the cod, and of course we bring in a real cod fish for that and we charge $5-10 to whoever wants to get screeched in and all the money goes back to the legion.”
A Newfoundland Evening at the Exshaw Legion, featuring an authentic Newfie screech in, The Atlantic Storm Band, Elvis and Johnny Cash impersonators and a steak and lobster dinner, takes place March 21. Tickets are $50, with doors opening at 3 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and entertainment commencing at 8:30 p.m. For tickets, contact Kim at 403-673-2792 or the Exshaw Legion at 403-673-3522.
