Surrey guitar studio to rock church for food bank donations April 11<\/p>\n
Published 10:00 am Saturday, April 4, 2026<\/p>\n
Three bands will play a benefit concert for Surrey Food Bank on Saturday, April 11.<\/p>\n
The 7 p.m. show, organized by Accent Guitar Studio<\/a>\u2019s Terry Armitage and North Surrey Lions Club, promises a night of classic- and pop-rock songs at Northwood United Church, 8855 156 St., Surrey. Admission is by donation ($10 suggested); concert-goers are urged to bring some non-perishable food, too.<\/p>\n The featured bands \u2014 Bad for Grapes, The Llamas and Sultans of Birds \u2014 have connections to the long-riffing guitar studio, in Fleetwood on 88 Avenue.<\/p>\n One teacher is Graham Gomez, formerly of Peak Performance Project-winning Surrey band Good for Grapes, who\u2019ll rock with some preteen students including Kayser, 11, and Eli, 9. \u201cThe band members liked the idea of being called Bad for Grapes because Graham was in Good for Grapes,\u201d Armitage reports.<\/p>\n His old band disbanded, Gomez is now in Groove Saloon<\/a> with Daniel McBurnie. On Youtube they posted a pretty funny video for \u201cLook at Me<\/a>,\u201d a catchy, slightly yacht-rock song.<\/p>\n Armitage has taught guitar lessons in Surrey since 1982 \u2014 first in Whalley, then Guildford and now at a home studio in Fleetwood. Looking back, he\u2019s proud to have worked with some talented young players over the years.<\/p>\n \u201cDevin Townsend, he was one of my earliest students,\u201d he said of the prog-metal guitarist in 2019. \u201cFaber Drive, that\u2019s Dave Faber. They got signed to 604 Records, and I worked with him for awhile,\u201d he added. \u201cThere was a Holy Cross student, Christina Rieder, who later changed her name to Rykka.\u2026 She was one of my students when she was young, at age 11 or 12, and I took her into nursing homes to perform, that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Armitage says Faber Drive took time off, but the pop-punk band is now back after doing some festival shows last summer.<\/p>\n