They have been called Vancouver’s vaudevillian answer to the dance movement, and Golden is fortunate enough to have Blackberry Wood coming back to perform for a third time.
A band with a flair for the theatrics, Blackberry Wood manages to combine alternative, gypsy, country, circus, and early 20th century music, with a stage performance you won’t soon forget.
“We like to put on a good visual show,” said Kris Wood, guitarist, lead singer, song writer, and originating band member.
Although still a rock show, a Blackberry Wood concert can feel more like a cabaret as they often take to the stage with up to nine band members, all decked out in vaudevillian costumes.
“Our music has a 1910s, 1920s feel, but there are so many elements in there like ska, hip hop, blues and punk. We really mix it up, so I think our music is still very accessible to all sorts of music fans,” said Wood.
“It’s such a strange mix with our shows,” said Blackberry Wood saxophone player Jennifer Charters. “We really like to get people to dance, and we’ll have five-year-olds and 80-year-olds up there dancing at our shows. It’s great.”
The band has been to Golden twice in the past, once playing a pub show, and also taking part in Kicking Horse Culture’s Summer Kicks series in the Spirit Square.
“Golden is such a cool place to play, we’re really excited to be coming back,” said Wood.
Blackberry Wood has more than 400 shows under their belt both in Canada and the United Kingdom and appearances at dozens of festivals including Glastonbury Festival in Glastonbury, England, Frostbite Festival in Whitehorse, Robson Valley Music Festival and the Arts Wells Festival.
But whether playing a massive festival, or a more intimate bar show, Blackberry Wood enjoys the performance. And on their new album, Strong Man vs Russian Bears, the band tried to capture the raw energy of those live performances.
“We wanted to make something that people can take home from our shows and have it really remind them of what they saw. We’re really proud of our live show, we really wanted to try and capture it,” said Charters.
The record, released in the fall of 2012, has been very well received, and has even been climbing local charts around British Columbia.
Blackberry Wood is playing at the Rockwater Grill and Bar on Jan. 29. To learn more about the band, go to www.blackberrywood.ca.
