An old-fashioned radio the size of a steamer trunk, with a walnut finish, sat in the family living room of Ken Lavigne’s home when he was growing up.
His father made a few tweaks to make it work so the family could gather around the radio and share in a nostalgic tradition that faded out of the family home with the advent of television and the internet.
“I have so may warm memories of those Christmases,” said Lavigne, about gathering with his family to listen to radio shows.
The Vancouver Island tenor is sharing that nostalgic radio experience with audience members during his second annual Ken Lavigne Christmas Musical Roadshow.
He performs in Nanaimo on Tuesday (Dec. 20) at 7:30 p.m. at the Port Theatre.
“A little taste of nostalgia is a good thing,” said Lavigne about the show’s retro theme.
Audience members can expect to hear songs such as O Holy Night and Silent Night.
“It’s a mix of emotion of what’s going through my head,” said Lavigne about his thoughts when singing the Christmas songs. “It’s being able to celebrate the time and year and being able to share it with others. I find it really heartwarming to share those songs.”
Lavigne and special guests Alison MacDonald and Daniel James White will recreate the golden age of radio with sound effects, share Christmas stories and the stage will be designed to recreate an old-time radio studio.
Lavigne said guests can also expect to be involved in a snowball fight in the theatre, but he isn’t giving any details as to how that will take place.
As a child, Lavigne was continually singing, but it wasn’t until he went to university that he decided to pursue a career as a singer.
He had an untrained voice, so he started studying to improve his vocal instrument.
The more he studied, said Lavigne, the more it opened his eyes to the reality that this was something he wanted to do.
He released two albums this year, the Ken Lavigne Christmas Musical Roadshow, with Christmas covers, and Closer than Ever.
Tickets to the Nanaimo show are $38 for adults and $18 for students and are available in advance by calling 250-754-8550 or online at www.porttheatre.com.
The performance is part of Lavigne’s Vancouver Island tour.
For more information about Lavigne, please go to www.kenlavigne.com.