If you’ve been out to local fairs and festivals this summer, you may have heard of The Band RBB, a local group that plays rock and blues. Their most recent show was Summer in the City, Steinbach’s annual fair, this past June.
The band has seven musicians, including Lise Peters and Myra Gerbrandt on vocals, Tony Donkersloot on drums, Russ Funk on bass guitar, Ty Neufeld on harmonica, and Brad Buhler and Steve Neufeld on guitar.
This blues band is set apart by their passion for helping out, and their hearts are well invested in the community.
“Here is why we exist,” says Steve Neufeld. “We love to give back to our community through planning and participation of appreciation, community celebration, and fundraising events.”
The Band RBB, which once stood for “Rocka-by-Blue”, plays eight to ten shows a year, such as Rockin’ for a Reason in support of Today House, the Everyone Matters Family Street Party in support of Salvation Army and Lighthouse Mission, and summer festivals in Rosenort, Mitchell, and Steinbach.
“All of our music has a message with it geared for a wide variety of musical styles and audiences,” says Neufeld.
They play mostly covers, from Trooper all the way to Collective Soul. But they are currently working on some original material.
Steve and one of the vocalists, Lise Peters, have been playing together since 1987. The two, along with Buhler and Funk, played in the worship band Redwood from 2003 to 2012. This was the basis for The Band RBB. Although members have changed throughout the last few years, the style of music and their collective heart to give back have remained.
The love of music seems to run in the family. Lise’s daughter Mel Bergen has been a special guest at some events. As well, Steve’s son, Ty Neufeld, has played the harmonica for the band since 2015.
“We want to continue to play community festivals and fairs to gain notoriety for the band,” Neufeld says, “ultimately leading to shows where we can continue to create awareness for causes we believe in.”
If you’d like to hear them, their next show is at Mitchell Fun Days on July 9, from 9:00 p.m. until dusk, where it’ll end with a fireworks display.
