Cumberland Summer Concert Series 2023

Elevate is back in Cumberland with another free Concert Series all summer long!
SAVE THE DATES... 

 

July 6Avro with Jemma Hicken
July 13Ksar with Ofkosmos
July 20Super Duty Tough Work with Music by Jozy
July 27The Longhand Trio with Fanfare
 August 3Kardias Quing  with Senyue
August 10Pony Gold with Tereza Tomek
August 17David Newberry with Sara Rose
August 24Leeroy Stagger

The elevate Summer Concert Series is funded by elevate and the Village of Cumberland

Schedule may be subject to change with little notice. Please stay tuned to elevate on facebook for the latest, or check here pre-show.

Avro

Avro is a New Wave Synthpop duo featuring singer & keyboardist Megan Rose and singer & composer Atom Percy.

Already having established himself as a session player, touring keyboardist, and producer for many years, Atom met Megan performing her own material at shows on sleepy and rural Denman Island, where both currently reside. 

Becoming instant friends, the pair found commonality in their musical tastes and songwriting approaches, and after some positive songwriting sessions, they christened the group Avro; a nod to the avian dream of a technological future, that was swiftly halted by the weight of the past.

Having released their independent debut EP ‘Anatomy Act’ a few years prior, Avro returned with a new album, titled ‘Futuretroactivism’, in 2022.

The product of over a year of writing in studio, ‘Futuretroactivism’ is bristling with powerful synthesized tones, galloping rhythms, and ethereal vocals.  Lyrically Avro merges myth and fantasy with the dystopian dream of the not too distant future, seamlessly combining dancefloor ecstasy with thoughtful introspections.

While the album gives nods towards earlier synth artists like Fad Gadget, Yaz, or early Human League, the use of more modern production notes, original hooks, and vocal interplay between the duo makes Avro a unique outfit in the world of electronic music.

Along with the release of ‘Futuretroactivism’, Avro is regularly playing shows and festivals, and are currently writing an EP set for release in 2023.

Jemma Hicken

Known for her unique voice and heartfelt performances, Jemma Hicken (Jemma & the Good Thing) is a singer-songwriter from Cortes Island, BC. With a pop song forever stuck in her head and a folk song forever stuck in her heart, Jemma crafts catchy and cathartic tunes that have charmed audiences on both sides of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. 

Drawing on the humour and sentimentality of John Prine, the innocence of Paul Simon and Ingrid Michaelson, and the fire of Ani DiFranco, Jemma is a folk-pop force.

Based in Edmonton for three prairie winters, Jemma was featured at the New Moon Folk Club, SkirtsAFire Festival, Kaleido Fest, and won the 2019 Bent River Songwriting Competition. The pandemic brought her back to her Gulf Island home in 2020, and in 2021 she was selected to perform in the Vancouver Island Music Fest Emerging Artist Series.

KSAR

KSAR is a highly eclectic original music quintet based in beautiful Victoria BC.

Come prepared to experience an invigorating and vibrant fusion of Balkan Folk, Indie Rock, Afro-Psychedelia, Golden Era Bollywood, 80’s New Wave, Hip Hop, as well as cinematic chamber folk and contemporary pop.

Feeling both new & familiar at the same time, KSAR explores profound lyrical themes and fearlessly probes the emotional depths of the human experience. 

Accordion, trumpet, guitars, double bass, synth, glockenspiel, electric bass, mandolin, drums and the human voice make up KSARs musical palette. 

You will be moved to dance…and to feel, hopefully, more alive…

OfCosmos

Ofcosmos is based in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island – a hotbed of creative and cultural activity. Emerging in a kind of post-covid renaissance, they began crafting their music with a unique approach to instrumentation and proceeded to make the bouzouki – a greek four stringed instrument, a central part of their sound. 

With a solid, groove based rhythm section, a sometimes ambient, effects driven, sometimes hypnotically rhythmic guitar and powerful lead vocals, Ofcomsos’s sound isn’t easily sorted into a familiar genre. You can however find elements of psychedelic folk, dub, post punk and even some funkiness. 

Ofcosmos is a six piece band with an exciting, energetic live performance. Their first EP, released in May of 2023 is available now on bandcamp. Follow them on Instagram and or Facebook.

Super Duty Tough Work

Since forming in late 2014, Super Duty Tough Work has earned the region’s premier live hip-hop contingent title. Fronted by Brendan Grey and backed by a highly skilled group of local and international musicians, the band prefers to hit the stage as a seven-piece ensemble with horns, drums, bass, guitar, and keys.

Relying on the potency of silky bass lines and honey-soaked horns, paired with exacting lyrics about sky-high ambitions, the eight-piece hybrid rap-jazz-R&B group channeled the beating heart of ’90s East Coast hip-hop into legendary performances across the country. When they finally got around to recording, the response was swift and gushing…

Since its inception in 2014, Super Duty Tough Work has reigned as one of Winnipeg’s most exciting and prestigious hip-hop outfits, offering audiences a seven-person backing band that blends jazz with Grey’s rap delivery—a style he describes as “Public Enemy meets Griselda [Records] and Sampa the Great,” and one that’s heavily inspired by the ’90s East Coast scene.

Music by Jozy

Music by Jozy is a 25 year old performing artist living on the traditional territories of the musqueam, squamish, and tsleil-waututh nations, who grew up on the traditional territories of the k’omoks first nation on Vancouver Island.

Their music is a pop-rap dedication to their stories and perspective, it circles themes of relationships, love, gender, social justice, and personal conflict. Their music is powerful, sassy, and thoughtful, they are non-binary, bisexual, and polyamorous and these aspects of their identity play heavily into their music.

Their influences include Emily King, HAIM, Chaka Khan, Ashnikko, Missy Elliot, Peaches, Vulfpeck, and so many more

Jozy has been performing their music with a live band since 2015, and has been releasing music since 2017 with their first self titled studio album “Jozy”. Since 2017 Jozy has released two more full length albums, (“Ladystough” and “The Next Phase”) a handful of singles, and a few EPs. As well as featuring on many collaboration tracks with other artists.

The Longhand Trio

The Longhand Trio was formed in 2010 and consists of Tony Wilson -guitar, Russell Sholberg -bass and Kenton Loewen -drums.

The band has recorded one self titled cd and have recorded as the rhythm section of Wilson’s larger ensembles. They have toured across Canada as well as in Poland and Germany.

The repertoire consists of original tunes by Wilson as well as a wide range of covers from artists like Tom Waits to John Coltrane,

Fanfare

Cam Boyce has worn many hats, quite literally and figuratively, for fashion AND for the pursuit of musical fruit. He has been a part of countless bands ranging from metal, punk, funk, folk, country and jazz and has been in front of them as well as behind. Most recently, he has taken to travelling to Eastern countries in order to learn more about the strange yet alluring folk songs. His solo creation Fanfare is a culmination of all of these 20 years of musical exploration. 

It’s a unique solo act, looping both guitar and violin alongside deep soulful vocals and fresh beatbox beats. The style definitely leans somewhere between Otis Redding, Owen Pallett and klezmer. Each show has a flair of uniqueness owing to much room for improvisation and use of transitions between songs. These days the focus is on getting the dance party going while pulling from seemingly far off inspirations/styles.

Kardias Quing

Kardias Quing brings love and mindfulness through honest lyrics delivered by warm vocals to an eclectic mix of collaborative sounds from a variety of producers. 

Finding her roots through the acoustic guitar, she has expanded her sound and joy through the grooves of Indie R&B and Alternative Pop. 

Kardias Quing (love & sovereignty) is a creative effort of remembrance through music, of the love, divinity and infinity we hold.

Senyuè

Our family is one of the oldest Chinese Canadian Families to immigrate to Canada. Still, 180 years later, people ask “where I’m from,” or I’m told to “go back to where you came from.” 

This project comes from the heart and is a journey of storytelling across the past five generations of our family being here in the lands colonially known as Canada. It is a story of how much Chinese Canadians have contributed to Canada during this time and how the Canadian government has shown their thanks in return. 

Through movement, storytelling, and song, my artwork paints a story through time to our current day. It encourages others to learn, be self-reflective, and invites the question of how we would like to move forward. We can’t move forward without first acknowledging where we have come from.

Senyuè is a queer Chinese Canadian performer, producer, facilitator and expressive arts therapist with a major in Pacific and Asian studies with a focus on China. They have lived in both China and Canada and currently reside on the unceded traditional territories of the K’omoks Nation, colonially known as Cumberland, BC.

Pony Gold

West Coast Americana band Pony Gold deliver timeless and refreshing songs about escapism, purpose, love and loss. The duo’s sound, led by lead songwriter and singer Theresa Bromley and guitarist Matt Bromley, emphasizes vocals and slide guitar with an alt country attitude that lands between Lucinda Williams, and Tedeschi Trucks Band. 

Pony Gold’s live show is refined and Dynamic. They command attention with their full-band setup on the festival stage, and swoon as a duo in cozy environments. Their recent inception has already seen them play Sunfest and Song and Surf Festivals while they’ve built a strong following online and in person. Both Theresa and Matt are performing veterans; they’ve played with, and shared the stage with Lee Fields, Chilliwack, David Miles, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Five Alarm Funk, Barney Bentall, Kendall Carson and Paul Pigat.

The band will release their debut EP in 2023, mixed by Steve Dawson in Nashville, TN, and see them support the release with a national tour in Canada.

Tereza Tomek

The Blackwood Two

On the banjo, fiddle, and acoustic guitar, The Blackwood Two play an engaging blend of original folk songs and traditional numbers delivered with old-time charm. 

Thoughtful songwriting – heavily guided by a mutual fascination of traditional music – drives the duo’s unique, yet familiar feeling sound. Warm tones and sunny melodies whisper cosmic hints from a bygone era. They’ve taken their signature style of folk music from coast to coast multiple times, including stops at festivals such as ArtsWells (Wells, BC), Winterfolk (Toronto, ON), Vancouver Island Music Festival (Courtenay, BC), the Mill Race Festival of Traditional Folk Music (Cambridge, ON), and more. 

Sara Rose

Sara Rose (they/them) delivers a mesmerizing performance, tugging at your heartstrings with their soulful voice, colourful melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics. Combined with the clarity of their voice and groovy guitar arrangement, Sara’s presence will take you on an unforgettable, emotional journey.

Originally hailing from Timmins, ON, this Franco-Ontarian singer-songwriter is gradually weaving their way back into performing post-pandemic and working on new recordings, in their current home on Lkwungen territory (colonially known as Victoria, BC.)

The Spiritual Warriors

Internationally acclaimed music group, The Spiritual Warriors, create music inspired by the land and life in the coast mountains of the Lilwat Nation. With their unique blend of indigenous chants and contemporary roots, rock, reggae, The Spiritual Warriors are distinctly west coast.

The band perform most of their songs in U’cwalmicwts and are passionate about preserving and promoting their language and culture. The uplifting reggae rhythm only underlines the beautiful harmonizing of the vocals sung bilingually in English and U’cwalmicwts, the Lil’wat Language.

The Spiritual Warriors, formerly known as Kalan Wi, are led by father and daughter, Leroy Joe ( vocals, guitar) and Daisy Joe ( vocals) and are accompanied by Richard Doucet (drums) Mike Rowe (bass) Cuyler Biller (lead guitar) and Quentin De Lorenzis (keyboards). 

The band regularly collaborates with other First Nation artists and musicians to write and perform live. Ancestors, their debut Album was released in 2019 and has received 4 nominations at the Native American Music Awards in New York and won for BEST WORLD RECORDING. This truly unique band will take you on a cultural journey to the natural heartbeat of the Indigenous drum and the St’at’imc people.

Leeroy Stagger

“Maybe he’s not the same person he was 10 years ago, but if anything, Leeroy Stagger is more himself than ever.”

It’s said the cells in your body replace themselves every decade or so. After 11 albums, two EPs and 17 years as a singer-songwriter, Leeroy Stagger has been wondering if maybe the soul works the same way. Ten years sober, with two kids, a home in Lethbridge and a world class recording studio to go with it, he’s far removed from the hard-living twenty-something who started on this musical path. As far as Stagger can see, they aren’t even the same person.

Recorded at the famous Afterlife Studios in Vancouver accidentally during the kickoff of a global pandemic, Dystopian Weekends is the serum of truth with a slice of light and darkness that we all need right now.

“After 4 years of relentless touring, my band, The Rebeltone Sound needed a break. I decided to go to Vancouver and put together a group of friends that I’ve always wanted to record with. I’d always wanted to work with John Raham (Frazey Ford, Destroyer) and it happened that everybody was available that week.

Little did we know that a global pandemic was sitting at our doorstep, it all started going down while we were recording. We were getting all these updates from our phones whilst we’re sitting in this big black bunker of a studio while our phones are exploding with all this terrible news and we’re sitting there trying to make a record.

I think you can feel the nervous energy in the playing and the vocal delivery which actually makes for a beautiful record.

Songs of environmental degradation, greedy land developers inspired by a character Buffy Sainte-Marie had told me about, Christmas songs about junkies and alcoholics, songs about race wars in America, modern day dustbowl songs of fleeing political ideology, break up songs and songs honouring my dead friends. It all seems a bit much on paper, but I think I’ve honoured it all in a very beautiful, relevant and artistic way.

Youth Songwriting Camp