Evan Catalano and Shock Collar Records are bringing alternative circus band Blackberry Wood to the Central Cariboo Arts Centre Saturday, June 1.
Tickets for this night of performances by this dynamic band and surprise local acts are on sale now at The Open Book and The Bean Counter for $15, or $20 at the door at 7:30 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. This show is just the latest in a string of shows that Catalano has been putting on in an effort to support the music and entertainment scene in Williams Lake.
“We need more music in this town, more events and it just seems like there’s not enough of that around here sometimes,” Catalano said. “(I’m just) trying to bring all sorts of music to town. We need to keep growing this music scene and see where it goes.”
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Blackberry Wood is a band based out of East Vancouver with a musical style that is difficult to nail down to one term. Catalano describes them as a band that can go from playing the world’s biggest festivals to hanging out in someone’s backyard with ease. Whatever the venue, they always “whisk you away to a wild and colourful foot-stomping, old-style country and gypsy barn dance.”
“It’s hard to describe. It’s almost like a cross between high energy reggae, folk and circus-sounding music,” Catalano said.
Fashioning themselves after an old-fashioned travelling minstrel band, Blackberry Wood mixes energetic dance numbers with heartfelt ballads designed to ease the audience into their magical music world. Catalano has seen the band perform at the Music On The Mountain festival last year and said his mind was “blown away” by their performance. For some of their gigs, the musicians are joined on stage by live circus performers like sword swallowers, which he said was incredible and crazy to see incorporated.
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Each performance is different and Catalano is not sure what the band will be bringing with them to the stage in early June, however, he said this will be one of the last chances for a while to see them perform, as they depart for Europe to play some festivals this summer.
The concert will be a licensed event with a small bar set up, Catalano said, adding that people who come and partake in any liquor shouldn’t drink and drive. Capacity for the event is 90 and Catalano asks that people respect the space if they take to the dance floor.
Catalano’s next show after this will be the legendary punk band D.O.A. on Thursday, July 11 at the Limelight Theatre.
patrick.davies@wltribune.com
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