From deep in the heart of the urban jungle of Toronto to the heart of the Shuswap’s Roots & Blues Festival comes kLoX, one of the hippest and rooted electronic acts in the country.
Two classically trained musicians, the tabla-playing Gurpreet Chana, aka The Tabla Guy, and violinist Mason Bach joined forces a few years ago with a vision to create dance music that incorporates tradition while embracing the now and summoning the future.
“Integrating their instruments with computer-aided performance technology and turntables, these two young players are guaranteed to have the Boogie Bar-N pulsating with their uniquely engineered rhythms,” says artistic director Peter North. “It’s a musical equation that delivers a sonically explosive soundscape and one that takes all audiences prisoner.”
Chana harnesses custom software to create nuanced soundscapes, drawing from the tabla’s percussive core to sculpt the melodies that drive his electronic compositions. Live, it is a captivating immersive experience, underscored with spectacular responsive visuals – dynamic fusion of tabla with a bold array of musical styles, which must be seen to be truly appreciated.
As for Bach, catching him in a live setting is to witness an artist with a seemingly unending enthusiasm for his craft. Trying to stop this man in any way from feverishly bouncing up and down with his violin or over his laptop and arsenal of electronic music gadgets during a show would be a truly unwise choice.
“The uninitiated can’t help but notice his gleaming ear to ear grin, which lasts from the second he hits the stage until a performance has peaked and come to its conclusion,” says North. “Roots and Blues audiences can also expect kLoX to be at the centre of some inspired musical mash-ups.”
From England via Wales comes Martin Harley, one of the hottest young proponents of the blues-folk tradition on the other side of the pond.
A triple threat as a fine singer, instrumentalist and songwriter, Harley has been creating such a buzz in his backyard that he has landed coveted and multiple spots at the Glastonbury Festival (Avalon Main Stage), tours and opening slots with artists like Bruce Hornsby and Iron and Wine. He has received considerable airplay on BBC and landed on the Euro- Americana charts while going on full-length tours in theatres and classy cabarets through Germany, France and England.
Roots Magazine called him “a slide guitar master” while respected BBC music host Johnnie Walker simply called Harley “awesome.”
It’s not that Harley hasn’t ventured to North America before. His last two albums were recorded stateside, the latest being the duo disc Live at Southern Ground, with upright bassist Daniel Kimbro a mainstay with the Jerry Douglas Band. He also showcased with great impact at the most recent Americana Music Conference in Nashville, and Kimbro will be supporting Harley at Roots and Blues.
“Along with his standalone concert at the festival, Martin Harley will no doubt be part of some smokin’ hot chemistry on our blues and singer-songwriter workshops,” adds North. “Oh yeah, and he’s also performed at Royal Albert Hall and completed an entire tour on a bicycle and broken the world record for the highest gig ever and no we aren’t sure if that has something to do with substances or altitude.”
And now, to the Front Porch Roots Review.
This crew of veteran western Canadian roots music players and out-and-out characters has a collective resumé that boasts success in the blues, country, folk, roots-rock and singer-songwriter scenes over a period of four decades. Drawing on the talents of musicians from Edmonton, Calgary, Bragg Creek and Vancouver, Front Porch has been juggling a number of shows and themes over the past decade.
For Roots & Blues, Front Porch will be comprised of bassist Ron Rault, whose career has included recording dates with blues legends Johnny Shines and Louisiana Red and songwriting for the likes of Powder Blues (Jump Up); harmonica ace Crawdad Cantera who has backed American bluesmen Lazy Lester and Larry Garner; Gord Matthews, the original and longtime guitarist of k.d. Lang’s Reclines who also spent a decade on the road with Ian Tyson; respected young Alberta tunesmith and pianist J.R. Shore who has twice won the Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Contest; longtime Ian Tyson drummer Thom Moon; smokin’ B3 organ player Garth Kennedy; and Vancouver-based Doug Andrew who can usually be found leading the always-interesting Circus In Flames.
Two dates to remember: today is the last day to get the first and least expensive earlybird tickets. Call 250-833-4096. Secondly, mark April 16 on the calendar for a Raising the Roots Dance in Gleneden Hall, with Vancouver’s Cannery Row, Seal Skull Hammer, DJ Pat Ryley, silent auction and cash bar. Tickets are available at the Roots & Blues office.
