Following the success of the latest online concert series, the production is turning to the flip-side.
The Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre continues the Focus online series B-Sides with Episode 3 this week, featuring Celtic party band Maritime Kitchen Party, producer and looper Jodie B. and a performance of Leonard Cohen’s iconic Hallelujah by 13-year-old Scotty Berg with Justin Moore.
“We had so many great recordings that we just had to release more episodes,” artistic director Erin Kennedy said.
B3 airs online Thursday, May 13, 12 a.m., until midnight, May 16. The show is free, but donations are appreciated, at ticketseller.ca.
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B3 performer Justin Moore has already found success on YouTube, first going viral with his video singing with his father, opera singer Paul Moore, and more recently for his vocal harmony layer TikTok videos. His TikTok cover of Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” has almost 4 million views. Justin has produced and released several of his own songs, for which he plays all the instruments! His musical style is a blend of pop and alternative rock. He is an avid solo performer—covering crowd favourites mixed-in with his original material. Justin’s vocal performance has also been compared to Ed Sheeran, John Legend and Josh Groban. He also comes from a richly talented musical lineage as the son of well-known local, Julliard-trained opera singers Paul Moore and Melina Schein—who was featured in “The B-SIDES” Episode 2.
Scotty Berg is just 13-years-old and has already performed in front of thousands, singing at Wentworth Music rock shows and the national anthem at numerous sporting events, including for the Vancouver Canucks at age 12. Scotty recorded an original song, “I Wouldn’t Know What to Do” and is now followed on social media by artists Aaron Pritchett, Laura Cavacece and Ben Klick, influencer Jillian Harris and NHL star, Tyson Barrie. Scotty was a finalist in Okanagan’s Got Talent and won the Armstrong Fair’s Youth Talent Competition. As a versatile vocalist, he is passionate about all genres of music and is studying guitar and piano to expand his musical versatility.
Veteran performers Maritime Kitchen Party is named for this long-standing, often imitated East Coast tradition. Maritimers love to party—and inevitably the party ends-up in the kitchen! There’s always a guitar with “someone belting-out traditional songs at the top of their lungs.” Maritime Kitchen Party brings that feeling to their live performance, with foot-stomping music heavily influenced with Canadiana such as Great Big Sea, Stompin’ Tom, Blue Rodeo and more. Maritime Kitchen Party has opened for, or played with: Kim Mitchell, 54/40, Men of the Deep, Big Sugar (twice), Tal Bachman, Prism, The Sheepdogs (twice), Blue Rodeo and many more.
Producer and live performer Jodie B. opened the Episode 1 of the FOCUS Online Series and quickly became a series favourite. Jodie B is a live loop performer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, performing as both a solo artist and as a duo with her sister, Nique Bruce. Her original craft is a seamless blend of electro-soul, inspired by FKJ, Atmosphere, Rufus Du Sol, NomBe and DubFx. Jodie B performs with guitar, violin, bass, harmonicas, synths, vocals and electronic drums, while Nique specializes in saxophone, mandolin and harmonizing vocals.
Live “looping” is the recording and playback of a piece of music in real-time into a seamless phrase that plays continuously over top of an original phrase. Musicians use dedicated hardware devices like a “looper” pedal or phrase samplers; or software running on a laptop with an audio interface. Sound-on-sound looping means recording additional passes over top of that original phrase.
In 2018, Jodie B performed at Shambhala Music Festival (also in 2017), Fozzy Fest and opened up for The Pharcyde, DubFx and Methodman & Redman in Calgary (2017). She performed at Astral Harvest Music Festival (both in 2016 & 2017 in Northern Alberta); and the Boogaloo Art, Car & Music Festival in California (2017). Jodie B has co-written and produced with artists such as Kytami, Dj Marky, Natural Ensemble , and Chuurch, since her first performance at Shambhala Music Festival in 2015.
With a strong fan base out of Calgary, Jodie B is also establishing her career and communities in both Kelowna and Toronto. Her mission is to keep live performance and live instruments in the electronic music scene.
Production of digital content is a first for VDPAC thanks to some major equipment upgrades.
“We have been able to keep our local artists and audiences engaged and connected with the first Focus online series,” executive director Jim Harding said. “While we prepare for the gradual return of small, live performances – probably with our Spotlight OnStage concert series, we are continuing to develop our online programming and making opportunities available to experienced and emerging artists in the region. This could be a second free Focus series but also with an added Spotlight OnLine concert format, both for our own programming and also for live or recorded performances streamed from other locations.
“We also want to reach out to artists up and down the Okanagan Valley to let them know we now have the HD video, and digital sound recording and streaming technical resources and upgraded MFH Studio available to them.”
READ MORE: Vernon choir steers around COVID with ‘carbershop’ twist
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