Back in 1994, Garth Mosbaugh got his chance to join the a cappella band The Nylons – and it was all because he didn’t really want to move to Vancouver for a different opportunity.
“I was living in Toronto and I auditioned for a show called Forever Plaid,” said Mosbaugh. “They offered me a part in the show, but in the Vancouver show. At the time, I really didn’t want to move to Vancouver, so I turned the job down. However the show’s casting director told me she had something else for me, and then she introduces me to The Nylons.”
Formed in 1978, The Nylons are known for their a cappella style and popular covers of songs by the Beatles and Turtles. Mosbaugh, a tenor, said he spent some time sitting around singing songs with the members in a living room, and just like that, he was in the band.
Mosbaugh not only had a gig with a popular and well known act; he also got his wish to stay in Toronto.
So it was kind of ironic that two years after joining the band, Mosbaugh decided he did indeed want to move to Vancouver.
“I had a change of life and I didn’t want to be in Toronto anymore,” he said. “I started looking at different horizons and decided I wanted to move to Vancouver.”
Even though it could mean the end of his career with The Nylons, Mosbaugh said he knew he had to make the move.
“I told the band that I was sorry, but if I had to leave the band, then so be it,” he said. “But they said it was OK, so I’ve stayed with the band ever since and still tour with them.”
After living in East Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay, Mosbaugh eventually made his way up the Sea to Sky Corridor and settled in Brackendale eight years ago. “After moving to Vancouver I met someone, and we started looking at real estate,” he said. “Brackendale turned out to be the best option for us. And we love it here.”
And Mosbaugh has also started performing regularly in town.
“Tours with The Nylons have sort of levelled off, and I wanted to continue to perform regularly,” he said. “So, I now play every Friday night at the pub in the Sea to Sky Hotel.”
Mosbaugh plays a mix of covers and popular tunes from a wide variety of eras, and he describes his sets as “chill, lounge-style.”
“I play lots of Beatles songs,” he said. “But I also play music from Don McLean and Sting, as well as some Calypso music because I actually grew up in Barbados.”
Mosbaugh said playing on stage at the Jumping Seagle gives him something he was missing when performing with The Nylons. “The Nylons gave me 20 years where I was singing, but not playing,” he said. “But at the Sea to Sky Hotel I accompany myself on guitar and keyboards.”
And when not performing solo, Mosbaugh also plays keyboards and saxophone with Squamish’s Will Ross Band. “And of course I still tour with The Nylons,” he said.
But in the meantime, you can catch Mosbaugh every Friday at the Jumping Seagle, Sea to Sky Hotel, starting between 7 and 8 p.m. There’s no cover charge.
