The Errington Hall could get a little wild next week.
The Lion The Bear The Fox will bring their big voices and roots rock to the all-ages stage on March 21 for the first stop of their latest tour.
“We’re very excited,” the fox Ryan McMahon said from his home in Ladysmith. “The show’s going to be rad.”
“This is our first opportunity to welcome them (the band),” said the Hall’s music co-ordinator Val Dare. “They’re getting pretty popular.”
This isn’t the group’s first show in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area, however. McMahon, the lion Christopher Arruda and the bear Cory Woodward first came in 2013, only a year after joining forces. They then returned in March 2014 for an acoustic set to help celebrate the 24th annual Brant Festival.
Since that latest show, McMahon said the group has done “a whole lot” more touring around western Canada — which includes being the opening act for Kim Mitchell at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver — and travelling to Toronto for some shows.
The trio, who were solo musicians before creating The Lion The Bear The Fox, also took a little break to refocus on their individual recordings.
“It’s super important to us to keep our singular identities,” said McMahon. He will release his album Put me Back Together, which was produced by Arruda, in April. Woodward already released his latest album The Bear in February.
But the lion, the bear and the fox couldn’t be apart for long, and the trio regrouped to start recording their first full-length album. They’ve already worked with Vancouver-based producer Nygel Asselin, who they met while a part of the Peak Performance Project, for two songs and they will continue recording the self-titled, 10-song endeavour on their own over the next couple months. McMahon said Arruda and Woodward are both “well-versed” in the production side of things and they have plenty of practice.
The Lion The Bear The Fox self-recorded and released their 2013 EP We’d Be Good Men.
“These days you can do it anywhere,” said McMahon. In fact, he said his kitchen table might end up being one of the band’s recording studios.
Many of the new songs, which show off the group’s matured sound, will be previewed at the Errington show next week. “The Island kind of gets to hear everything first,” said McMahon, who also said that they’ll be doing a “full-meal deal” plugged-in show, not an acoustic set. And while The Lion The Bear The Fox is still based on three voices instead of a single front man, McMahon said the band has a more cohesive style that has the members trading verses within a single song. In the past, each member would only sing the pieces he wrote. “It sounds more like a band,” said McMahon of the new sound.
You can check it out for yourself on Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and must be purchased in advance at Cranky Dog Music in Parksville, Heaven on Earth in Qualicum or the Errington Store.
Youth tickets are available at the door and cost $10 for ages 13-18 and $5 for ages 6-12. Children five and under are free. Creekmore coffee and baked refreshments will be available for sale at the event. For more information, visit erringtonhall.bc.ca or call 250-586-6583.
To learn more about the band, visit their website thelionthebearthefox.com
