By Frank Sinatra, AAP Editor
By day, Victoriana East, located along Centre St. in both Pennsauken and a portion of Merchantville, manufactures a full line of vintage wood storm doors and screen doors. But at night, the store becomes, “The Sundown Club,” the sometimes practice spot for the Variable Elements, a diverse horn cover band that has played throughout the Delaware Valley.
“Variable Elements was a group that I put together back in the early 2000s,” explained Stephen Brown, fonder and band leader. “It’s a compilation of people from various backgrounds doing various styles. We play music of yesterday, recent years, and stuff in between.”
Kim Tamburo, one of the band’s trumpet players, is the wife of Rich Tamburo, owner of Victoriana East and an accomplished musician in his own right. They set up a space in the store after hours for impromptu jam sessions and rehearsals for Variable Elements.
“We love playing music, and the store has a great place to do it,” said Rich, who grew up in the Delair section of town and graduated from Pennsauken High School in 1979. “Whether it’s practice or just a couple people coming to jam, it’s fun to play at ‘The Sundown Club.’”
“We have people coming from different parts of Jersey. A lot of them come over to Philly, so I like to try to be fair and have some practices here,” added Brown.
José Claudio, the newest member of Variable Elements, has been a Pennsauken resident for 23 years and appreciates practicing close to home.
“This is this is an easy place for you to get to, although today, I missed it. I got here eventually,” said Claudio, who is playing drums for the band. “I really like the size of the band and the repertoire. We’re performing different music that really you don’t hear anybody playing live anymore.”
While you might be able to sneak a listen to Variable Elements when you drive along Centre St. in the near future, the band’s next big performance will be at the Rose Tree Park Summer Concert Series in Media, Pa. on Wednesday, July 2, at 7:00 p.m. For more, find “Variable Elements” on Facebook, or visit VariableElements.com.
