Fredericton’s Turner Brandt knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate his seventh birthday party when he saw his drum teacher’s band, Too Bad Jim, play a rock show in August.
“We walked out of the venue and Turner said: Mummy, this was the best day of my life, do you think they’ll play at my birthday party?” his mom Erin Brandt Filliter said on Saturday.
Brandt Filliter figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
“I don’t think they play a lot of kid’s birthday parties but he asked them and they said yes,” she said.
They rented an auditorium at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre for the occasion, and roughly 120 people RSVP’d.
Turner’s favourite bands include AC/DC and Metallica, just like his drum teacher, Ryan Barrie.
Barrie has been teaching Turner how to drum for a little over a year.
Like Turner, he became interested in drumming at a very young age.
“I remember that feeling, and it’s cool to be the one providing that,” he said of mentoring Turner.
Barrie is a veteran of Fredericton’s local music scene, playing in the band Wicked Vices, as a backing musician for singer Kylie Fox, and as one half of self-described “dirt rock” duo Too Bad Jim with friend Matt Carr.
“I’ve never played a kid’s birthday party but I thought it would be a really cool opportunity,” he said with a laugh.
While Turner can be a little shy, he lights up when he’s behind the drum kit.
He performed the song “Ride the Birthday Thunder” with Barrie and Carr in front of a crowd of his school-aged peers.
Barrie said Turner is just as much his friend as he is his student.
“It started as like, I’m his drum teacher, but when I’m going over to teach him drums, it feels like we’re just hanging out, so it’s kinda neat.”