Having Mumford and Sons open for them – that’s the goal of Elk Tribe.
Seventeen-year-old band member Levi Harder, might have been offering the objective in a tongue-in-cheek manner, but he’s probably not far off the mark.
Less than a year old, the band has attracted a great deal of attention and a rapidly growing fan base.
“We are The Elk Tribe, a small band from Salmon Arm, British Columbia. Our goal is to write simple, raw, good music that’s pleasing to all folks,” notes their Facebook page. “We have a foot-stompin’ groove, sweet harmonies and an infectious energy. Our sound is unique.”
The band is comprised of three brothers, a friend and a girlfriend. The eldest, 21-year-old Zachary Harder plays acoustic guitar, harmonica and rhythm. Brayden Harder, 20, plays bass while 17-year-old brother Levi contributes lead vocals, rhythm and guitar. Two more 17-year-olds round out the sound – vocalist Amanda Robbins and David McMaster, who plays mandolin and violin.
The Harder brothers are self-taught musicians, who grew up jamming and writing music together and playing at the Shuswap Community Church.
As well as doing covers of some of their favourite artists – Mumford and Sons included, the Harders write their own lyrics and music. One such number, The Willow Tree, was posted on YouTube was posted June 19 and has had some 1,500 hits.
Having their own band is a long-held dream and one that was first realized last year at a coffee house held at the Little Mountain Field House. McMaster joined the group last December and promptly began writing fiddle and guitar pieces.
Not quite satisfied with the sound, the brothers invited Robbins to “guest sing” one of their songs.
“We didn’t want her to think it was an audition,” laughs Brayden.
Robbins aced it and her haunting melodies are well-woven into the mix.
Zach has written a lot of the music for the band, but says he creates the basics and everyone puts in their own tags.
“We work as a group and rehearse one night a week,” he says, noting song ideas grow from being together and life in general.
The Elk Tribe performed to wild applause at a benefit concert for the women’s shelter, held April 13 at Shuswap Theatre and Relay For Life in June. At this year’s Roots and Blues Festival, not only were they added to the new busker slate, they filled in ably for ailing singer/beatboxer Butterscotch.
“It was a pleasant surprise to be able to put the Elk Tribe in place of Butterscotch, having heard them and knowing what they are capable of,” said Roots and Blues artistic director Hugo Rampen.
“We felt very honoured to fill in for Butterscotch,” says Zach. “There were tons of people and all the comments were positive.”
Their festival appearance has segued into an invitation to open for acclaimed Canadian slide guitarist/singer and social activist Rachelle van Zanten at Shuswap Theatre on Sept. 20.
Prior to that, the Elk Tribe will perform at the Salmon Arm Fair – at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 and at 3 p.m. on Sept. 7. They will be at the opening of the new uptown branch of the Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union on Sept. 21 and the Sicamous Fungi Festival on Sept. 22.
In between performances, the band is working on Over Mountains and Meadows, an album that is due to drop early in 2014. And they’re hoping to organize a concert to showcase their unique brand of family-friendly music.
“We want to pack out Shuswap Theatre, maybe in late fall” says Zach. “We’re looking to go as far as we can.”
