Earlier this month, our first concert featured The Sumner Brothers, who put on a stellar show. They also introduced us to these two groups from Vancouver who are touring across western Canada, and will now be gracing our stage on Saturday June 4th. Redbird and Portage & Main are both coming highly recommended. Tickets are $10. Doors at 8:00 pm, show at 8:30 pm.
REDBIRD BIOGRAPHY
We’re all friends and lovers until it falls apart is the debut EP from Vancouver band, Redbird.
Singer/Songwriter Savannah Leigh Wellman has fronted many variations of her own group, but things seemed to fall into place with the formation of Redbird. Savannah (vocals and acoustic guitar), John Sponarski (guitar), Jeremy Appleton (bass) and Ben Brown (drums), were good friends playing in numerous other projects, but when the opportunity arose to make music together, it seemed like the natural choice.
“This band and these songs emerged after some huge changes in my life took place, and I found myself needing to redefine my outlook, my music, and the relationships in my life.” Savannah explains. “The title is a tribute to the amazing group of people that helped me through those times. But in any group of people who care for each other, it can be hard to avoid the grey areas; as complicated, wonderful, and painful as that can be. I was drawn to the intricacies of the emotions that were being dealt with – it seemed more interesting than dwelling on a broken heart”.
The 6 song EP, produced by Shawn Cole (Yukon Blonde, Bend Sinister, You Say Party) moves from the driving rhythms of “No Game” and “In the Hands of Ghosts”, to more delicate, folk inspired moments in the heart wrenching honesty of “Some Birds” and “Oh Please My Heart”. The band pulls from a slew of sonic inspirations, from 70’s rock to Motown, with Savannah’s subtly soulful vocals hinting at alt-country influences. It all comes together in lush arrangements of guitars and vocal harmonies, with crashing drums and droning organs. www.redbirdmusic.ca
Portage & Main Biography
Portage & Main’s self-titled debut conjures images of two lonely wanderers travelling the long and weary road trading melancholy tales of old romance. It comes as no surprise then that the project was brought to life by a group of old friends moving transiently from basement to basement across Vancouver as they began to put into motion events that they themselves could not foresee. The modest truths of the songs speak volumes of the people that brought it all together.
John Sponarski and Harold Donnelly are the raconteurs behind this folk-rock endeavor, but the Portage & Main moniker encompasses the talents of Georges Couling on keys, Ben Brown on drums, and Mike Agranovich on bass to create a sound reminiscent of the lighter side of CSNY’s Déjà Vu.
Portage & Main strikes a chord in the same Canadian vein as Neil Young and The Band, with its southern guitar and haunting vocals. While the boys didn’t physically ride the timeless rails like tramps, the songs are as honest and genuine as if they had, displaying the insight of old souls whose hearts are fixed and bound to a boxcar travelling across the country. So sit by the light of Portage & Main’s fire and listen to alluring tales of the human experience as your weary travelers traverse the peaks of the misty mountains and wade through the depths of the rivers below.
