The musical group's name is Lunch At Allen's. It features Canadian singer-songwriting icons Ian Thomas, Murray McLauchlan, Marc Jordan, and Cindy Church.
The quartet's final tour is a 10-city jaunt through B.C. that starts in Chilliwack June 12, and ends at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Tuesday, June 24.
So, after two decades of touring and playing together, which of the four would pick up the final lunch bill in the North Okanagan?
"Well, you know, I bet Murray would take a dive for the receipt but so would I, and I think, in all honesty, Marc and Cindy would as well," said Thomas, who turns 75 in July.
The other three, said Thomas, owe a debt to McLauchlan, who started the group in 2004 after he, Thomas, and Jordan would meet periodically for lunch at a Toronto restaurant named Allen's. Church was invited to the chats later.
The group has since combined to record four albums and tour across Canada.
"He's a road dog," said Thomas of McLauchlan, known for Canadian classic songs like Down By the Henry Moore, Whispering Rain, and Farmer's Song.
"I was a studio dweeb for quite a few years, and it was Murray who dragged me kicking and screaming and said, 'C'mon, let's start playing out again. It's been a godsend for me. It wet my whistle."
Thomas is best known for his legendary 1973 hit Painted Ladies; Jordan for Marina Del Rey. The four members have written songs for Chicago, Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, America, Santana, Cher and Rod Stewart, to name a few stars.
The farewell tour in B.C. will take concert-goers on a journey filled with humour and stories, and, of course, playing their familiar hits and some new material.
"I'll be doing a song that's relatively new, and Cindy's doing a couple of songs from our last album, so there's a sprinkling of things for sure," said Thomas, younger brother of SCTV alumnus Dave Thomas. "But we do obviously though have to pay homage to the ones that served us well, so the hits have got to be in there."
The group recently did an eastern farewell swing through Ontario. There were a number of reasons for Lunch At Allen's to put down its cutlery.
"I put together a full band and have been doing some concerts myself, and Murray has been out on his own," said Thomas. "We just thought maybe it was time, while we're still sounding good 鈥� the Ontario tour, I think, was the best we've ever done sonically sounding, right? So the idea was, well, let's go out on a high note.
"We've been at this for 25 years almost. I don't know if I've got the energy to do both. It just seemed like it's reached a nice point in time and we just wanted to do it justice one last time."
Lunch At Allen's plays the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Tuesday, June 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through , or by calling 250-549-SHOW (7469).
LUNCH AT ALLEN'S B.C. FAREWELL TOUR
June 12, Chilliwack;
June 13, Surrey;
June 16, Victoria;
June 17, Nanaimo;
June 18, Courtenay;
June 19, Campbell River;
June 21, Kelowna;
June 22, Oliver;
June 23, Kamloops;
June 24, Vernon.
All shows are at 7:30 p.m.
