After John Sangster passed away suddenly in November, his children found it hard to imagine playing their scheduled “Sangster Family Band Concert” on Lopez. On the other hand, it was hard to imagine not doing the show.

“It felt like dad would have wanted us to do it,” said John’s son Jim. “It would be a terrible thing to cancel.”

The band includes John’s wife Patsy, his two sons Jim and Johnny and his five grandchildren: Malcolm, 21, Stella, 16, Owen, 12, Lila, 13, and Sam, 9. The varied genres of music the band plays reflect the varied ages in the group. Their music ranges from swing jazz, rockabilly and other early rock and roll as well as some modern songs.

You can hear the family band with a guest appearance by Stanley and Kip Greenthal on Friday, Dec. 27, 7 p.m. at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. Tickets are by donation. The concert is also a benefit for the Lopez Center Man-lift Fund and The San Juan Preservation Trust.

“We had planned this benefit show before he passed and we’ve decided to go ahead and do it as a celebration, and in honor of him, and because he’d have wanted us to,” Jim said.

This is the band’s second official performance on Lopez, but the Sangsters have been playing music on the island for many years. John and Patsy Sangster became permanent residents on Lopez in 1988. Jim and Johnny grew up in Seattle, but spent countless summers on Lopez and attended a year of high school on the island.

“We’d make music late into the night,” said Jim, recalling summer nights on his parents’ deck overlooking the water, watching his family with guitars and ukuleles in hand. As the family turned into band mates, they found they already had an existing bond, unlike bands that form first and have to search for common ground.

John told the Islands’ Weekly last year that, “Bands come and go, people pull in different directions,” but that playing music as a family kept everyone together.

The loss of John has made rehearsals tough, but it’s helped the family focus on something positive during their grief.

“Dad really loved playing with his grandkids – it was really a joy,” Jim said.

He describes his father as a charming and confident performer and a quiet leader. John showed his children his love of music through his Bob Dylan records and guitar workshops he attended with his boys when they were teenagers. Jim recalls growing up in a house that opened his ears to all kinds of music.

“The wonderful thing about our parents is that they were supportive of us becoming musicians and gave us this wonderful gift – a love of music,” said Jim.

Because there was no formal memorial for John on Lopez, Jim hopes the concert will also serve as a way for people to celebrate John’s life while enjoying the music he loved.

“It’s important because he had such a love of the people and this place,” said Jim.

To learn more about the event, visit www.facebook.com and search Sangster Family Band. To see videos of the family band, visit http://vimeo.com/album/1887907.