Junkman’s Quire playing a song at the Owl on Oct. 31, 2019. From left to right:Tom Scott (violin), George Foster (accoustic guitar), Isaac Neufeld (drums) and Megan Brown (electric guitar).

The sound of applause echoed around the room as the last crash cymbal rang across the crowded Owl Acoustic Lounge.

Junkman’s Quire is a band from Lethbridge that contains five musicians who can play multiple instruments.  Some of these instruments include the violin, guitar, cello, mandolin, upright bass and drums.  The band members initially met playing in a symphony and have since been together for 10 years. The members were inspired by another artist when they came up with the name for the band.

“We got the idea for the band name from a Tom Waits song. One of the lyrics was ‘singing soprano in a junkman’s choir.’ The spelling changed because there was already a Junkman’s choir across the pond.  So, we went with the old traditional English spelling,” said Megan Brown, a violinist, guitarist and vocalist in the band.

The musician added the band has played at the Owl for several different occasions as the group loves to dress up for the festive season. The band has played both St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween concerts at the lounge numerous times. The band members dress up in costumes for the exclusive shows.

“Performing on a stage, you have already put on a persona, so dressing up is a part of the experience. The band dresses up and the crowd dress up and it is all just a lot of fun,” said George Fowler, a singer, guitarist and cello player in Junkman’s Quire.

The band has also played in multiple other venues in Lethbridge, including The Slice Bar and Grill and Coulee Brew. Fowler and Brown have also played concerts as a duo as they believe they have very different sounds.

“We have two very different voices, but I think that they come together really nicely in this ensemble,” Fowler said.

In 2017, the band released its first official album with five original songs, with their most popular one being called Drone.  Brown said that Drone is her favourite song to perform because she enjoys playing music with a heavier sound.  Fowler, on the other hand, does not have a favourite song from the band’s playlist.

“I don’t have a favourite, we’re a very eclectic band and I think that’s because we have a lot of genres that we like. We play so many different songs that I just enjoy being up there on stage and I try to get a good groove going,” he said

Brown said the ensemble is now in the process of recording new music that they have played at shows in the past as demo tracks. For more information about the band and their music, go to junkmansquire.com