It’ll be a night of wailin’ blues amongst the fruit trees when Oyama’s The Orchard hosts Harpdog Brown and his Travelin’ Blues Show for the first in a series of outdoor concerts this summer.
Co-hosted by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, the award winning harmonica player and blues belter is bringing his all-new show to The Orchard June 27.
The Travelin’ Blues Show is Harpdog Brown’s latest ensemble, consisting of Jordan Edmonds on guitar and Pat Darcus on upright bass, who lay down the sounds of early-1950s’ Chicago – Chess Records, to be exact.
“This is a show not to be missed, my friends,” said Harpdog Brown, who tied this year for Blues Harp Player of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards.
Born in Edmonton and based in Vancouver, Harpdog Brown has been a part of Canada’s blues scene since 1982. He’s crossed tens of thousands of miles playing club dates and festivals in Canada, the northwestern U.S. and Germany.
Harpdog leads his own trio and quartet of Vancouver players, churning out blues on the mellower jazzy side. He also leads The Harpdog Brown Band, which is a traditional Chicago blues band with John R. Hunter (drums), Jordan Edmonds (guitar) and George Fenn (bass).
In 2014, the band released What It Is, consisting mainly of new originals and a few classic covers. The album has been nominated for Best Blues Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. It has also received some far reaching accolades.
Legendary producer Mike Vernon, who has worked with Otis Spann, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Eddie Boyd, Freddie King, and John Mayall, told Brown, after seeing his video of Facebook Woman (single off What It Is): “I’m happy I listened to it… (It) made me go back in time to Frank Frost and Papa Lightfoot… Doesn’t get much better than that, but you have come pretty damn close.”
As CBC Radio’s Saturday Night Blues host Holger Peterson also said on the album jacket, it’s “Harpdog’s best work yet.”
Harpdog Brown and His Travelin’ Blues Show play The Orchard, 14924 Middle Bench Rd., June 27. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and music starts at 7:30 p.m. To purchase tickets or for information on future events, visit theorchardwebsite.com.
