Greg Drummond
Last Sunday night I enjoyed a wonderful and intimate evening of music and laughs at the Backstage Lounge located on Granville Island. On the bill for the evening were the Mike Luno Band, Greg Drummond and the Jarrod Tyler Band.
The night kicked off at about 9:00 p.m. with the Mike Luno Band taking the stage and playing their hearts out with some interesting originals and amazing musical skills, in particular the guitar-picking, which was nothing short of impressive. They were followed shortly after by the Jarrod Tyler Band – the headliners of the evening who were there to promote their new album Fides Veritas Eruditio. The band, a friendly and likable trio, kept the audience quite entertained not only with their music or their group of hardcore fans who had made the trip out to support them on the evening (and support them they did), but also with a fun Q and A which they prepared for the audience with various questions being asked of the crowd in between songs. What was the prize for the lucky correct answer? A lovely sticker of the band’s crest.
Last but not least, Greg Drummond, set off onstage at about 11 p.m. with his wonderful band. At this point, on a Sunday evening, one or two of us – okay perhaps only myself – were feeling a little weary and wary of the hour and the impending Monday morning that was only a few short hours away. Greg came onstage full of energy ready to rock and explained with a very funny story as to how they had been held up with a few mishaps – the bassist’s car broke down and the drummer had a shoulder injury. This was all very light-hearted and the evening really took off as Greg and his band began to play their upbeat and enjoyable music.
I found people comparing Greg’s sound to Mumford and Sons meets The Arcade Fire, mainly perhaps for the male vocals and slight folky-ness of their sound (Mumford) and interesting array of instruments ( The Arcade Fire). The band talked to the crowd throughout their set, and to one another, putting us all on an even keel and engaging us all in what was happening on stage. We were there to listen and have a good time and they were there to play and enjoy the experience also.
The one thing you will notice from the get-go when you go to see Greg and his band play is the pure enjoyment everyone onstage has while creating the music they play. I especially loved the female drummer’s facial expression and mouthing along which she did to many of the songs performed on the evening. There is nothing more infectious then joy and it was a real thrill as an audience member to feel and experience the joy this band had for their music and the opportunity they had to perform it live for us.
Greg had a few kind words and a lovely song dedication to make to his girlfriend Meghan, which on the whole was quite lovely and very sweet. However due to the venue setting and the intimacy we all had I felt a little uncomfortable as it was as if we, the rest of the audience, were interrupting a special moment the pair were having (something which I would have left out of this review however it was a shared feeling which was voiced by a few people at my table). Apparently, romance isn’t dead, and even I found myself aw-ing at this sweet and kind gesture of affection.
Going into this show, I only wish I knew the lyrics to more of Greg’s songs. I wanted to experience the same joy Greg, his drummer and his diehard fans had as they sang along to the jovial and fun music.
Greg Drummond’s website is well worth a visit – here, you can learn more about the band’s evolving sound; hear about some interesting opportunities available for musicians; and download Greg’s whole album – yup all of it – entitled Walking Man. Greg is definitely an up-and-coming artist on the Vancouver scene – a great voice and a very interesting and fun sound and performance which is worth checking out.
I would definitely go see Greg and his band perform again, and I have to say, I really did enjoy the intimacy and comfort which the Backstage Lounge provided. All in all, it made for a wonderful Sunday evening… and I got a very pretty sticker and album download.
