Light summer entertainment at band shell. Alchemy Unplugged takes audience through a 90 minute program that ends to soon.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON August 21, 2012  It was one of those summer evenings when the living is easy.

The mosquitoes weren’t biting and the air was cool enough for some people to wear sweaters as they set their chairs out on the lawn in front of the Band shell at Central Park next to the library.

Seniors with their chairs set out in neat rows listening to Alchemy Unplugged at the Band shell last week.

While no one told people where to put their chairs – there they were set out in neat rows, but all some distance from the stage – which is unusual for concerts.

Singing a tune and scanning the crowd Lisa Farmer entertains seniors at the band shell on a summer night.

Lisa Farmer and Daren Swanson – known in the world of music as Alchemy Unplugged, were on the stage as part of the city’s summer entertainment program.  Lisa and Daren are a favourite with the seniors set.  They write music of their own and are in the process of recording an album at their own studio.

Daren is the kind of guy who can string things together and actually make them work.

Lisa serves as back up on the technical side but when it comes to the voice – hers is definitely the dominant one.  She has a nice, light clear tone and can move from boogey woogey to soul searching blues and then blast out a piece done by the Eagles.

While the audience didn’t rush the stage there was a gentleman who could move rather well to the different tunes and he just needed to be out there grooving away in his own world.  Then there was a delightful young lady who found the music much to her liking and she too climbed up on the stage and for a few minutes danced with Lisa and then decided she would just park herself at the feet of the entertainers and wave her arms to the sway of the sound.

Lisa Farmer and Daren Swanson are a favourite with the seniors crowd. The two of them harmonize very nicely and have an album in the works.

She wasn’t doing any harm but there came a point when it was time for her to leave and Lisa, in a beautiful dignified manner helped the young woman off the stage and back to her parents.  No fuss, no bother.  The youth was enjoying the music and was doing what came naturally to her.  The polite, dignified way she was handled was a pleasure to see.

When she left with her parents – Lisa called out – good night.  She should have been given a round of applause for that gesture.

All part of the way Burlington is – polite.


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