The Tenors endlessly focus on improving the experience they deliver, and their new album and current tour, both titled Under One Sky, unleashes their full potential.
Under One Sky is coming to Penticton on Oct. 3 for a show at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Tenor Clifton Murray said their current tour has grown their level of audience engagement beyond singing and talking.
“The show has really elevated to another level,” he said. “The songs are really cohesive; great transitions; video content; stories will be told; and there’s a new satellite stage in addition to the main stage. We really focused on increasing the entertainment value.”
Their new album is comprised of 17 tracks, and they spent a year-and-a-half putting it together recruiting several producers and other musicians from around North America. They weren’t afraid to travel where they needed to go – the album has songs recorded in studios from Toronto, New York City, Las Angeles and Nashville.
“Each city all have their own sounds, and you’ll hear them in the album. In that way each song is very unique to itself.”
Among the handful of producers they worked with was Bob Ezrin, who’s most famous for producing Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
“He’s legendary for pushing you outside of his comfort zone,” Murray said. “He’ll be the first one to admit that he likes to start a little bit of a fire to get the creative juices flowing. He’ll look at what you’ve brought to the table thus far and ask, ‘Is this all you got? Is this what you want?’ And he’ll push you to make things better – that’s what great producers do.”
While Ezrin has been considered a legendary producer for decades, Murray is most impressed by his drive to adapt his skill set to what’s current.
“He surrounds himself with the right people to make sure he’s utilizing his musical ear with the current sound of the day.”
Who you surround yourself with has massive influence, Murray says.
“It ups your game. You are the company you keep. When you surround yourself with great songwriters and producers – you want to match the level of the people around you,” he said. “Consider yourself like a sponge – you want to learn from other people and absorb what they have to offer.”
The Tenors will be performing in many large arenas, including the SOEC, during the Under One Sky tour. Murray said the Tenors have consistently been able to schedule larger and larger shows, and the gains have come incrementally.
“Our success, the way we’ve grown, comes from word of mouth,” he said.
In 2006, the Tenors first shared their sound over a small eight-town tour of Saskatchewan, and they didn’t even stop in Saskatoon or Regina.
“We moved to the next venue up – a slow steady build – relying on the music and connection with our fans to really grow our brand.”
Murray said the Tenors’ focus is centred around their live performance, and they deliver about 300 shows per year.
“That’s why our show is so captivating because that’s what we’ve focused our attention on is creating an amazing live experience for people; to escape their lives and enjoy two-and-a-half hours of music and stories,” he said. “Want to make it a magical night.”
Tickets cost between $39.50 and $89.50 and can be purchase through valleyfirsttix.com.
