With a house full of musically inclined family members, Jim Brown was destined to be a musician.

"It was a given. I think music is in our blood," said Brown.

And since his father was a music teacher for the Langley School District, it was no surprise - at by age four - that Brown started performing.

He first started with the violin, which remained his instrument of choice for seven years. He then transitioned into the drums for six months before being wooed by the bass.

"I discovered the stand-up bass in the closet of the music room at school and never looked back from there. It's four strings. It's pretty much the same. And it was a pretty easy transition," from the violin to bass, the 38-year-old Langley City resident explained.

Decades later, Brown is still playing the bass, and now also providing backup vocals for Live Rust, a Neil Young tribute band that will be performing at Langley's Cascades Casino next weekend.

In fact, he's pretty psyched to be playing in his hometown, expecting a large contingent of friends and family to be in the audience on Friday, Jan. 25.

"It's always nice to play back where your roots are," said the Brookswood born and raised musician, who noted this is his first local show with Live Rust - a band he joined about two years back.

Actually, there's never been a time in Brown's life where he wasn't immersed in music.

After taking up the bass as a youngster, he joined the Langley Ukulele Ensemble, and continued as their bass player from age 12 until he was aged out at 19.

Partnering with his father, he has also played a variety of different styles of music (from jazz and Dixieland to classic and big band) in a wide range of venues (even parades) through the years.

And starting as a teen up until just a few years ago, he also performed with several area bands, most notable being A Month of Sundays and Flippin' Jiggers.

After taking a "bit of a breather" for two years following the birth of his daughter Kyah, Brown admitted he missed performing in public and jumped back in to the musical fold, this time joining Roger Potter and his tribute band, Live Rust.

"I've always been sort of a [Neil Young] fan from the sidelines," Brown told the Langley Advance. "I wouldn't say I was a giant fan until I joined the band."

Asked what his favourite Young song was before joining Live Rust, the Prospera business account manager said it was Cinnamon Girl.

Now, after two years of performing songs by the Canadian music icon, Brown said his favourite is Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.

"I can't tell you why. I just enjoy it. It's a great song to sing. It's just the one I like the most," he said, hoping it's in the playlist for next week's Langley show.

The tribute concert is being held Friday, Jan. 25, starting at 8 p.m. in the casino's Summit Theatre. Tickets are $25 and available ahead at www.ticketweb.ca or by phone at 604-530-2211.

After Cascades, the band will immediately be packing up all its gear and heading east.

The next night the four-piece band - Brown, Potter, Tim Blanchet, and Phil Derksen (Abbotsford residents) are set to perform in Revelstoke.

"It should be an adventure," Brown said, noting each member of the band is dialed into the weather channel, hopeful road conditions will not present an obstacle in playing the mountain resort.

While the group has played numerous festivals and shows in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island this past year, and even ventured into the Interior to play at Sun Peaks this summer, Brown said the hope is to expand further east - performing various venues in Alberta in 2013.

HOW TO WIN

A pair of tickets to see Live Rust pay tribute to Neil Young

Two lucky readers will each win a pair of tickets to the concert at Cascades Casino

How do you win?

. Visit the Langley Advance website at: www.langleyadvance.com, find "More Ways to Connect," and click on "send us your letters, photos, video."

. Fill in your name, email, and number.

. Then write a short note explaining why you want to attend this show. Please note your community, and include the keyword "Young" at the top of the note. Preference is given to Langley residents.

Entries must be received prior to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22 and winners will be notified by email and/or telephone. Note: submitted comments could be used in future editions of the newspaper. No staff or family of the Langley Advance or Glacier Media are eligible. This contest is restricted to online participants, 19 years or older only.

rhooper@langleyadvance.com