Imagine if Memphis Minnie, Tom Waits, Lonnie Johnson, Skip James, and Django Reinhardt lived in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains or in the indigenous rich Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
Well, now you can when Blue Moon Marquee stops in the North Okanagan for shows in Vernon and Ashton Creek this week.
Originally from the Alberta badlands, the self-styled gypsy-blues duo writes and performs original compositions influenced by early blues, swing, and ragtime.
A.W. Cardinal, a Metis of Cree heritage, howls with a distinctive thick and smoky vocal while playing a jazz-tinged blues guitar, while Jasmine Colette, aka “Badlands Jass”, not only commands the upright bass, but also keeps the swing with both feet while singing harmonies.
Blue Moon Marquee’s passionate performances and smouldering on-stage chemistry is their trademark. Colette’s angelic tones are said to lift Cardinal’s beaten down “Bukowski-esque” mystique – something that enthrals audiences from the back room bar to the public square.
The duo’s 2014 release, Lonesome Ghosts, earned critical acclaim, national and international airplay and performance opportunities across Canada.
Known for their fresh approach to the blues and jazz genres, one critic noted, “Music that sounds vintage and fresh at the same is a pretty neat trick, but that is Blue Moon Marquee’s stock-in-trade” (Gonzo Online).
While the popular blog Grayowl Point penned, “There are two ways a band can be considered good. They can either be great at what they do or they can be a band that wholly reinvents the way music should sound like. While the former is often not as interesting to hear, one of the exceptions to this maxim is Blue Moon Marquee.”
Now based in Duncan, the duo has been steadily touring for the last four years and this year were the most requested Canadian band for international jazz festivals across Canada.
The duo has also just released its third full-length recording, Gypsy Blues, which includes tracks such as Trickster Coyote and Hoodoo Lady.
Blue Moon Marquee’s summer tour dates include Record City in Vernon, Thursday, Aug. 11. Also performing is Kendall Wright Kinnear and The Wind Almost Wild. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10-15. The duo also plays Lorenzo’s Café in Ashton Creek, eight kilometres east of Enderby, Friday, Aug. 12. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. $10 cover charge at the door. Call 250-838-6700 to reserve a seat.
