Beresfords bring music of Taylor Swift to Town Park next week

July 18, 2024 · 0 Comments

If you haven’t been able to snag a coveted ticket to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, you’re not alone – but, if you want to hear the music of Taylor Swift live, Aurora has you covered.

This Wednesday, July 24, the Aurora-based band The Beresfords will take over the Town Park Band Shell with the songs Swifties have come to love as the Town’s Concerts in the Park series continues.

The Beresfords, comprised of brother-sister duo Brendan and Shannon, have seen their careers go from strength to strength since their debut album dropped in 2017 and have been a mainstay of stages both local and national.

This latest program of Swift material, says Shannon, has “snowballed organically” since they launched it three years ago, but the wildly popular singer’s music has never been too far in the background for them.

“We have always done at least one Taylor song at any of our sets for the last few years and the response we get every time is just overwhelming,” says Shannon. “It’s undeniable the effect her music has had on people. She had an influence on my own song-writing and my own approach just to being a woman in the music industry and to some level, but I think she appeals to other people because she really keeps her heart on her sleeve and she writes what she feels. She doesn’t really sugar-coat things or beat around the bush; she writes what she knows and she knows what makes sense to her and what comes to her.

“As much as we are all different and have unique experiences, we all share very similar emotional capacities and feelings, so at some point a Taylor Swift song is going to connect with you, whether you want it to or not, because she has a way of writing for so many scenarios and so many types of heartache, joy and happiness. It clicks with so many people, I think. It’s fun playing her music and seeing how it just brings people together.”

The Beresfords – which also includes bandmates Carlos, Nick and Graham – have become a multitalented well-oiled machine and the development of a set is very much a collaborative process.

“Everyone is just open to try new things, trying different arrangements or songs we have never played before,” says Shannon. “I think that’s what continually inspires myself as a performer and a songwriter, but it’s also about being in a band because it is never just the same old thing. We love what we do, we have so much fun doing it and we inspire each other constantly, trying to change it up…and seeing what we can do to make it the most fun, that people will see we’re having so much fun they can’t help but want to be a part of it.”

To be a part of this Wednesday’s evening of music from the Taylor Swift songbook, join the Beresfords at Town Park.

Concerts in the Park run from 7 – 9 p.m. each Wednesday through to the end of August.

Concerts are free, but donations to the Aurora Food Pantry are encouraged.

Vendors will be on site beginning at 6 p.m.

For a full lineup, visit aurora.ca/summerconcerts.

By Brock Weir