After four years of playing local stages and regional festivals, Nelson band Kashoo has signed to Philadelphia-based record label Ropeadope.
Ness Benamran and Jakob Simek joined forces by what Simek jokes was act of cosmic divination. Benamran said there was a bit more to it.
“[Simek] was going to Selkirk College and he was playing for the showcase of my girlfriend at the time,” said Benamran. “I was looking for a bass player. I used to play as the Man in Havana.”
Benamran asked Simek to be his bass player, and after Simek agreed he went away for a year, but when he returned the two joined forces.
For some time the band included two other musicians but when the others left for Toronto, Simek and Benamran decided to make Kashoo a duo and Simek said he “wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Like many bands starting out, Kashoo found themselves juggling work, life and music.
“It’s been a lot of work because it is kind of extracurricular work in a sense,” said Simek. “You still have to make a living and you still have to pay your bills, but you want to turn your passion into something more.”
Recently their passion did turn into something more.
Nelson musician Rich Rabnett passed Kashoo’s album along to Ropeadope records — who he is also signed with.
“It was a little surreal,” said Benamran. “Rabnett hadn’t really told us he had done it until we received the CD and we had just started talking so it was a little bit of a surprise.”
After a few Skype conversations and emails Kashoo had signed to Ropeadope and on November 2, the duo will be debuting their album at The Royal.
“It’s validating,” said Simek. “That’s the main thing, because we’re a band who has been together for four years yet we’re just at the beginning of getting out of Nelson, so to have that pat on the back saying we have a professional product to sell is very huge for us, because otherwise we’re just blowing smoke up where it shouldn’t be blowing.”
Kashoo is planning on booking other tour dates where they can to promote the album.
Doors open at The Royal at 8 p.m.
