80s Kids play in Baker City May 31

BAKER CITY — They may not have a time machine but Shannon Curtis and Jamie Hill can, for a few hours, take their audiences back in time.

And not just any time — they’re going back to the 1980s.

“So fun,” Curtis said of their current tour, titled “80s Kids.”

Their show is set for Saturday, May 31, at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. in Baker City. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance at churchillbaker.com or $25 at the door. Admission is free for ages 15 and younger who attend with a paid adult.

And start going through your closets — ‘80s attire is highly encouraged and the merch table will have freebies for attendees in era-appropriate clothing.

Curtis and Hill toured through Baker City in 2022 on their “Good To Me” tour. That album gained such traction, she said, that they decided on a two-year gap between albums, instead of the typical one.

“To keep nurturing it and helping it get in front of people,” Curtis said.

But they like projects.

“We love recording together,” she said.

Since they met in 2006, Curtis and Hill have been writing down favorite songs from their childhoods in the 1980s, they wanted to record some day. While touring “Good To Me,” they looked at the song list and chose some to rehearse as close to the originals as possible — except Curtis performs the songs originally recorded by men.

They started adding an 80 Kids encore to the end of shows.

“It took on a life of its own,” she said. “It suddenly became a group sing-along experience.”

And it made people smile.

“As artists, we want to put as much joy into the world as possible. Maximum joy,” she said.

The album tagline is: “80s music saved us once. It can save us again.”

They have an album of 10 songs, but the show features 17.

“But the list we have is so much longer,” she said.

Album hits include “Take On Me,” “The Boys of Summer” and “Forever Young.”

The album is available on streaming services, CD, vinyl and cassette — they even offer a bright pink cassette player.

“Designing the merch for this tour has been so fun,” Curtis said.

They emphasized that their show is a “safe and affirming place,” and to reach out if the ticket price is an obstacle because they have “ticket angels.”

Also, anyone who wants to be a ticket angel can contact Hill as well through instagram.com/hilljam.