With eight limbs that make up Oktopus, this Montreal-based band is one you should be sure not to miss.
The eight limbs of course are Gabriel Paquin-Buke on clarinet and composition, Vanessa Marcous on violin and composition, Marilene Provencher-Leduc on flute, Matthieu Bourget on bass trombone, Madeleine Doyon-Robitaille on tenor trombone, Laurianne Bellevance on trumpet, Mathieu Bourret on piano, accordion, and guitar, and Maxime Philippe on drums.
These talented artists each bring their own addition of whimsy and talent to the stage, creating a high-energy sound that is unmistakable.
Kicking Horse Culture executive director Bill Usher has dubbed Oktopus as “circusy,” and with the traditional Quebecois foot-stomping and hip-shaking music, it lives up to that reputation.
Summer Kicks attendees can expect to get up, get clapping along, and moving around.
Mixed in with that Quebecois sound, Oktopus brings additional layers of Ashkenazi-flavoured klezmer, exotic rhythms and harmonies of the Balkans, and technical brilliance.
Kicking Horse Culture suggests Spirit Square will need some dress up clowns dancing at this event.
Oktopus is on a tour of B.C. and Alberta, and has been nominated for a Juno. The band got its start in 2012, and has been playing shows around Quebec and Canada since then.t
To find out more about Oktopus, and what else is coming for the final two Summer Kicks concerts, visit www.kickinghorseculture.ca.
Local Dave Whyte joins Oktopus on stage during the half-time show. Be sure not to miss this fun and exuberant performance in Spirit Square on Wednesday, July 31, beginning at 7 p.m.
