Tag: Jazz

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Music

Wray Downes: Not just a music man

On Jan. 14, Downes performed at Upstairs Jazz Bar to celebrate his birthday. Photo by Alex Hutchins

Jazz pianist Downes talks about his many careers and his love of teaching

“It’s cold out there!” exclaims Wray Downes, as he settles into a chair in the music department’s large conference room, located in Concordia’s GM building.  “At least it’s not raining,” he adds, with genuine relief, as he takes off his cloth bucket hat and unzips his jacket.  On the table, he sets down the only item he is carrying: a copy of Ted Gioia’s book, History of Jazz.  Downes pulls a small parking ticket out of his big winter jacket. “Oh, we’ve got plenty of time,” he says, before tucking it safely back into his jacket pocket.

Looking across the table at one of the most famous Canadian jazz musicians of all time, it is charming and unnerving to see that, at the end of the day, Downes is just another 86-year-old man who will just as happily discuss the weather and parking as he will his career.

Downes, born Rupert Arnold Downes, is a celebrated jazz pianist, composer and conductor.  The musician was born in Toronto on Jan. 14, 1931. With racial discrimination present in Toronto in the 30s and 40s, Downes says life was hard growing up, but his character made it easier. “I had a big mouth, I could run fast and I also had a big fist. So, I could fight my way,” he says.

Downes recalls life was also hard because his parents didn’t have much money. He says they had to make a lot of sacrifices for him to take piano lessons for the first few years. His father was a porter. Downes says, back then, it was considered a good job at $125 to $150 a week. But with piano lessons costing $10 a week and the paycheck rolling in every two weeks, he says it wasn’t easy. So when Downes’ mother found out he could play in piano competitions for money and scholarships, the game started to change.

At 13, Downes started participating in music competitions. Quickly, he started winning… a lot. Downes recalls giving his father attitude when he would get scolded for not practicing. “When my father said… ‘Well you didn’t practice today!’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, but I just won 700 bucks for a scholarship, man!’” Downes said, leaning back in his chair theatrically and folding his hands behind his head. “I was mouthy and cheeky,” he says with a smile, and a glimmer of pride.

At just 18 years old, in 1949, Downes became the first Canadian to win the prestigious British Empire Scholarship to the Trinity College of Music in London. There, Downes recalls, there was “subtle prejudice,” which he first experienced while searching for a place to live.

He says he would see nice-looking rooms for board in the paper, give the owners a call and set up a time to visit. But then, when he arrived, the owners had magically found someone who better suited their needs. Downes started to understand what was going on. “I thought, ‘this crap is over here too.’” Luckily, he eventually found a room to call home, at Mrs. Stanley’s home.  He recalls the small elderly British lady giving him quite a different welcome than the other landlords had.

“She said, ‘oh you’re the first one! Come in!’ and she gave me a big hug.  And I just about swallowed my face.”

After his time in London, Downes would go on to study at other prestigious music schools, including the Paris Conservatory and, eventually, Oscar Peterson’s Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto. Peterson, one of Downes’ many mentors, was the one who suggested Downes try out jazz. Downes recalls the switch to jazz first happening when a London recruiting agency refused him because he was black. “He said, ‘I don’t think we can do anything for a black person.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t quite understand.’  And he just said, ‘What I am going to do with you?’”

Downes’ and Dave Young’s Juno award-winning album, Au Privave. Press Photo

While Downes had to deal with similar situations throughout his life and career, he said he eventually learned not to give into anger. “Anger doesn’t do anything. Anger only affects you, because the other person doesn’t know that you’re angry, you know? Don’t let [yourself] do this to yourself. I learned that lesson a long time ago,” he says.

Downes’ jazz career kicked off in the mid-50s, when he toured all over France and Spain with Bill Coleman, a world renowned jazz trumpeter.  He would go on to work with other big jazz musicians like Buck Clayton, Annie Ross, Milt Jackson, Coleman Jackson and Lester Young, to name a few. He would eventually lead his own trios and quartets and release albums. In 1982, Downes won the Juno award for Best Jazz Album for his and Dave Young’s album, Au Privave.

Although music was always an important part of Downes’ life and career, it was never the only part.

On top of being a jazz pianist, Downes took breaks from piano to be a short-order chef, a chauffeur and a drapery installer. He finally turned to teaching in 1990. “I always did want to teach. I always did want to give back somehow, somewhere. And then, Concordia came calling.”  Downes says he enjoys teaching and mentoring students, and is joyful in helping them find their own style and success.

Downes says he likes to reinforce to his students that, as a musician, it is always important to keep the audience in mind. “I say this to my students: you got to get out there and understand the people that you’re playing to. Because, no people in the club, and you’re out of work.”  Downes says he learnt this lesson a long time ago, when he was told he couldn’t just play his bebop, because some want to hear the standards.

Downes’s 1995 album, For You, E.
Press Photo

“You’re playing for those folks, because they’re the ones who put the money in your pocket and the bread and butter on your table. And, if you adhere to that, then success, hopefully, will come your way. But don’t look down on those people,” says Downes, his tone serious, and his respect for his audience apparent.

Downes is an extremely respected figure in the Canadian jazz scene. However, he is equally respected within academia. “Wray represents a vital link to the past,” says Joshua Ranger, an assistant professor in Concordia’s department of jazz studies. “It’s said that jazz music advances while standing on the shoulders of giants—and Wray is one of our giants.”  He says that Downes teaches jazz in the way of Oscar Peterson and Phineas Newborn Jr.—two jazz moguls. “Sadly, Wray is one of the last such teachers, and the fact that he is still at it after so many years really is a testament to his energy and tenacity.”

These days, Downes contents himself with teaching, cooking, spending time with his wife and kids and playing piano when he wants to. “Been there, done that,” says Downes with a laugh about his jet-setting and musically-busy past.

As he gets up to leave, Downes zips up his winter coat and secures his cloth bucket hat back on his head.  He tucks his book back under his arm before walking out the door to go house to play with his dog, play some piano or maybe cook.

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Music

Are you ready for a jazzy warmup?

Concordia’s Jazz crew can be found at Upstairs bar every Wednesday

Concordia’s jazz community can be found at the Upstairs Bar & Grill every Wednesday, where Concordia students and teachers will jazz up your heart and soul. At 5 p.m., Upstairs’ stage is reserved for talented jazz musicians to show off their savoir faire. Pianists, bassists, saxophonists, guitarists, drummers and singers are always ready to make you tap your feet. You will hear swing, bebop, blues and, if the night allows it, a little hard bop. You will also be exposed to a new generation of musicians.

Dave Turner, a professional alto saxophonist and Concordia jazz music professor, often shares the stage with his students. “It’s very important for students to perform in front of a public and play with other musicians instead of practicing alone,” he said. “It improves their musicianship and playing with professional musicians is a great teaching tool.’’ Turner has released a total of 10 albums, including Café Alto, which was nominated for a Juno Award back in 1987. He has performed in New York, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and at many jazz festivals in Montreal and Toronto. He said his preferences are Latin jazz and hard bop, and when it comes to his prefered songs, you could catch him listening to Tito Puente’s classic, ‘‘Oye Como Va.’’

Along with Turner, you might also see Josh Rager, a great pianist and Concordia music teacher at Upstairs. Rager also performs extensively in Japan, Europe and across North America. In 2005 he was nominated for the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s Prix du festival. In 2007, he played at Carnegie Hall with Nikki Yanofsky, appearing also on her debut, Juno-nominated DVD/CD, “Ella…Of Thee I Swing.”

Concordia jazz student Mathieu Tassie said he recognizes the value in going to the Upstairs jam sessions. ‘‘Performance-wise, you learn a lot, and playing with different musicians every week gives you experience and the chance to build your musical vocabulary,’’ he said. Tassie started playing the saxophone when he was 11 and began playing jazz at around age 13. He said his teacher at the time told him the key element to playing jazz is to listen to a lot of it. Tassie first started to listen to Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and John Lee Hooker. Right now, he said his favourite jazz musician is Sonny Rollins, an 85-year-old jazz legend. More of a bebop player, Rollins has played it all, from swing, blues and bebop to hard bop, pop, R&B and funk. He even recorded with The Rolling Stones on their album Tattoo You.

Live from Upstairs, Ethan Soil on drums and Stephen Menold on double bass. Photo by Caroline Racicot

When performing, Tassie said he first listens to the piece but also tries to sing the melody and the harmony before starting to play it on his sax. He also tries to figure out how the sounds link together to project an emotional reaction. Most importantly, Tassie’s learning tool is transcription, which is when you listen to a song and write out the melody and chords on a music sheet. Transcribing a song is one of the most effective ways to learn music, according to Tassie.He said it helps him understand what the song is all about, by revealing its rhythmic motifs and its intricacies.

To learn more about Concordia’s jazz community and to enjoy the students’ live performances, come by the Upstairs Bar & Grill, 1254 Mackay Street, on Wednesdays at 5 p.m.

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Music

Fired up for The Firing Squad

The variety show, Art Machine, combines theatre and live music

Do you want to listen to live music and comedy at the same time? Well, look no further than Théatre Sainte-Catherine Café-Bar. The theatre’s brand new addition is Art Machine, a variety show that is accompanied by The Firing Squad, a newly-formed Montreal band. Art Machine began in late August of this year and takes place every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Firing Squad’s members are Gideon Yellin on guitar; Lloyd White on bass guitar; and Alex Lepanto on drums. All three members are excited to play jazz-funk music every week. “I just think it’s fun to play, so the more chances we get to play, it feels like I’m sailing,” said Lepanto. The band’s goal is to blend the Montreal jazz scene with the Montreal francophone comedy scene. “There’s some really, really talented comedians that show up here all the time,” said Lepanto. “It’s cool to kind of work and hang out with [these] people.”

The band members first got together at Théatre Sainte-Catherine Café-Bar during a production of MacBeth in late-January, where they each played the music to accompany the play. They enjoyed playing music together so much that they couldn’t wait to keep the fun going after the show. “On the last day of the show, Lloyd was like, ‘Yo, do you want to come over and jam some jazz?’” said Lepanto. It didn’t take long for them to hit it off, soon becoming The Firing Squad.

Since then, the band has been involved in the creation of a musical, in collaboration with the theatre’s artistic director, Alain Mercieca. The musical, called ATM: The Musical, was presented at the Just for Laughs festival this past June and won the Fringe Award for Best English Comedy. “So you can say we’re like the funniest band in jazz,” said Yellin. Mercieca said a big reason he invited the band to play at Art Machine is that he really enjoyed working with them this past summer. “The Firing Squad, those guys are great musicians, we’re pumped, we want to do more collaborate stuff with them, make Art Machine a full musical every once in awhile. The potential is huge” said Mercieca.

Band members of The Firing Squad: Gideon Yellin, Alex Lepanto, Lloyd White. Photo by: Isaac Latham

Art Machine is a collective that he knows has the potential to grow. “We’re happy with the acts and we’re happy with the band, so it’s just time to push it to everyone [and get] bigger crowds,” he said. The band is definitely excited to get the ball rolling, and really enjoys what they’re doing. “I feel like all three of us just kind of click on a love of jamming,” said White. “We all just love jamming with people, and that’s one of the reasons we love this sort of thing we’re doing, where we get to jam with different people every time.”

On top of playing at Art Machine, the band is also working on producing an EP, which they say should be out by the end of the year. “There’ll be something that people can actually check out when they want to know what we’re all about,” said Lepanto. “Until then, they just have to come [to the theatre].”

As the show gains popularity, the organizers of Art Machine are hoping to increase the number of fresh new faces to take to the stage. “We’re always looking for new talents to discover,” said Adama Diop, the show’s producer.

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Music Quickspins

MNDSGN- Body Wash

MNDSGN- Body Wash (Stones Throw Records, 2016)

Body Wash is Mndsgn’s second full length album for Stones Throw, and to be quite frank, it is mind-blowing. Their music is a blend of 80s boogie/funk/soul/jazz/fusion wave and—get this—90s R&B. Yet they make the seemingly impossible fusion of music between two eras not only work, but make sense together. The way they mix their psychedelic beats make you feel as though you are being magically transported into the future instead of going back to the past. Their song, Cosmic Masterpiece, is the perfect example of this. It has a funky, yet futuristic beat, and transports you to a whole other place and time. This masterpiece of psychedelic, yet nostalgic music is worth—not only listening—but experiencing at least once in your life. So what are you waiting for?

Trial track: “Use ya Mind (Twentyfourseven)”

9/10

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Music

BADBADNOTGOOD: not your parents’ jazz

BADBADNOTGOOD’s upcoming EP, Liberal Guilt, features their psychedelically charged alternative rock. Photo by Sean Berrigan from Flickr.

Drummer Alexander Sowinski talks collaborations and old sounds with a new twist

BADBADNOTGOOD take their virtuosic knowledge of classic jazz and churn it through a hip-hop grinder. Their music starts with the tricky and quick jazz fundamentals, probably played on loup at your parents’ dinner parties, then blow that up with the burning power of hip-hop. They push jazz boundaries to places the original New Orleans cats could never have envisioned a century ago.

Under the roof of the Humber College jazz program in Toronto, keys player Matthew Tavares, bassist Chester Hansen, and drummer Alexander Sowinski, came together because of a rare shared love of new hip hop artists like Tyler the Creator, back in 2010. The trio uploaded their first tunes online, which caught the attention of the very rapper who had brought them together.

They arranged to meet in Toronto: “[Tyler the Creator] just like literally walked into my basement, and I was like ‘oh fuck this is crazy,’” Sowinski laughed. “Being a big fan… you don’t want to freak out or lose your cool, because you’re just so excited. But he’s a young guy, and he respects people who like music, like to vibe, like to create.”

BADBADNOTGOOD’s upcoming EP, Liberal Guilt, features their psychedelically charged alternative rock. Photo by Sean Berrigan from Flickr.

Sowinski explains how their songs and performances are all about finding a good ‘vibe.’ The humble friends who make-up BBNG aren’t about striving to be technical wizards of their instruments, but are all about leaping into new veins of thought and channeling positive thinking through their playing—even when it comes to the energy behind playing just two notes.

“Two notes can be so powerful—you can displace them, you can hold them long, you can swing them, you can play them sloppy … We play [Gucci Mane’s] ‘Lemonade,’ which is really only like four notes, but we play that song for ten minutes and we’ll play it at double speed and then half time, and just try and go crazy. It’s all about finding good processes and things to think about as you’re creating and doing your thing,” Sowinski said.

While the drummer attempts to put into words the special ingredient that helped BBNG rocket into music scene stardom, his bandmates are audibly working-out melodies in the background. A high-pitched clarinet-sounding instrument screeches a bunch of notes continuously. It sounds similar to Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” intro riff. In other words, the music writing process for BBNG is just as unique as their final product.

“Don’t overthink it if you’re playing something … We go through so many phases of listening to music from different parts of the world. When it’s time to create, there are so many ideas that we’re just like ‘hold on a sec. Let’s simplify it, let’s just go back,’” Sowinski said. “The thing that we found we love to do is creating a vibe and trying to push the vibe forward and [push] the vibe boundaries when we play a piece or a show.”

Their new album, BBNG III, falls into slow dark brooding, then kicks that into a faster gear. The album balances somberness with sanguine all while playing all the wrong and wonderful notes of signature jazz scales. They’re pushing the vibe, like many of their predecessors, but with a fresh twist.

“A lot of these famous recordings and classic albums, like Charles Mingus’ Ah Um, is such a vibe-y, moody, intense record in terms of all these crazy harmonies and stuff,” Sowinski said.

The three friends had the chance to get funky in the studio of the legendary Funkadelic/Parliament member, Bootsy Collins. Between the walls adorned with cardboard cut-outs of famous rappers, platinum records flashing in every corner, BBNG got to play inside this “palace/giant playroom for musicians,” Sowinski said.

“We’re there, we set-up our instruments, we started jamming and he comes in. It was insane—his presence and his energy was so amazing and the sound there was incredible. We had conversations with him, got to talking about music—playing in a group and playing with the same people—and like being on a vibe. Record and travel, work together as a unit. So many great conversations; it was such an insane experience,” Sowinski explained. “His wife got us pizza, we got to see inside his house and his home studio, all the gear, collections—he was telling us all these amazing stories. It was a day full of inspiring moments. He changed his outfit three times while we were hanging out with him, so that was so amazing.”

Despite all the high-profile collaborations BBNG has under their belt, even teaming-up with Ghostface Killah for their next album, Sour Soul, released in Feb. 2015, the band remains charmingly humble.

“We didn’t have the mentality that we were, like, born to go travel and play music in a trio. We’re all in this from the beginning just enjoying … we’ve had so many great things come our way. We try and remind ourselves that it could happen to anybody, so we should enjoy them and try and give back as much as we can.”

BBNG are heading to Montreal to play two shows, but especially to load-up on some Labatt beers: “We just joke about it because the first time we went [to Montreal], we were like ‘oh finally we can drink this amazing 10.5 percent beer’— it was so hard to drink because they’re pretty gnarly,” Sowinski laughed.

It would seem they’re the only instrumental, primarily jazz band who can amp-up an audience to mosh like a 1980s punk show. They’re not only phenomenal musicians, but able to project their vibe onto the people who’ve come out to see their shows.

“We love to get crazy and if we can get some people to join us, then it’s just the best feeling.”

BBNG plays Casa del Popolo Nov. 19.

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Music

Witness the rebirth of real southern rock ‘n’ roll

Photo by Andrew McNeill

Honest-to-God rock ‘n’ roll is long gone, kaput, defunct; it crumbled alongside Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, dried up, and floated away in the 1970s.
Wrong. And no, it’s not hiding.
The Bright Light Social Hour doesn’t want to be Austin’s little rock saviour secret, but when they roll into Montreal’s Club Lambi to a crowd of about twenty, we’re pushing them into that corner.
It’s a terrible shame, because these four southern boys bring more talent to the stage than this and last year’s crop of emerging indie bands combined.
This is hard, gyrating, blues/funk rock that oozes simple and unabashed sexual desire, gratification, and invincible optimism.
Curtis Roush, Jack O’Brien, Joseph Mirasole and A.J. Vincent began playing together as an art-rock collective  just under five years ago at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. They spent the past year and a half touring around the states, building a reputation as a real high energy, mustachioed, dance floor-arousing live rock band.
These guys know what they’re doing. They’re as proud of their long luscious manes as of their musical ability, and each is unafraid to gloat their solo skills on drums, bass, guitar and even keyboard. Have you ever seen a rock organ-keyboard solo? Didn’t think so.
Mirasole’s drumming alone whips feet into a confused frenzy, while O’Brien, Roush and Vincent’s three-part vocal harmonies echo the yearning of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and AC/DC’s Bon Scott.

Photo by Andrew McNeill

After the release of their self-titled debut album, The Bright Light Social Hour swept SXSW’s 2011 Austin Music Awards and immediately hit the road for their first North American tour.
Now, their shows sell out to thousands in the south, and after clenching hot ticket status at last year’s SXSW, you’d think this group of gentlemen would have SOB egos to boot.
Over a year later, and still touring strong, their live show is polished, polite, yet confidently dirty—even when playing to a handful of people.
Montreal, you really missed out.

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Music

The Cat Empire “effect”

When a band tours incessantly, individual shows can get lost in a shuffle of airports, continental breakfasts, and sweat, but The Cat Empire’s Felix Riebl can’t say the same about their time in Montreal.
“The first time we went to Canada, we played in Montreal to a room full of people who knew all the words,” recalled Riebl. “A few years later, we played the main stage at the Jazz Festival, and it was one of the biggest audiences we had ever played for. So Montreal is a very special point in our tour. We’ve made lasting friendships there, and everyone in the band is looking forward to those shows.”
The Cat sextet truly feeds off of their tours. Trumpeter and vocalist Harry James Angus, drummer Will Hull-Brown, DJ Jamshid Khadiwhala, keyboardist and back-up vocalist Ollie McGill, bassist Ryan Monro, and vocalist Riebl are each established musicians in their own right, but together they jive, jam, and soak up the sounds of their surroundings.
“We got into this cycle where we would tour, then make albums about the excitement and pressure of the tour,” explained Riebl. “Our music is about the spirit of travelling, while being open-minded.”
There are many terms one could use to describe The Cat Empire, and jazzy-Australian-ska-reggae’d Afro pop is what first comes to mind. Yet the band claims no one “sound” is intentional, and they don’t wish to be defined by genre or continent. The result is a feel-good, toe-tapping, sing-a-long, groovin’ escape.
“I don’t think it matters that we’re from Australia, or from anywhere else,” explained Riebl. “We’re not active cultural ambassadors, we’re musicians. We play together, and that’s our sound.”
Their live shows first hypnotized dancehall audiences into a frenzy over a decade ago in their homeland Australia. In time, they gathered an immense international following through word-of-mouth, playing over a hundred shows a year and sliding unscathed under mainstream media’s radar, retaining underground status.
Five albums and over 800 shows later, The Cat Empire is finishing its 10th anniversary tour in dedication to the fans that greased their wheels.
The band first began as an academic instrumental experiment in 1999 with McGill, Riebl and Monro meeting on stage as part of the Jazz Cat, a nine-piece outfit from different Melbourne schools. That same year, they got together and formed The Cat Empire, which began as a trio, but became much larger with the addition of Angus, Hull-Brown and Khadiwhala in 2001.
They gigged around Melbourne, from playing shows just to pay rent, to headlining local festivals.
“I remember after one of our biggest shows, saying ‘I wish I could do this every night’,” recalled Riebl. “And then, that’s kind of what happened. It was a wondrous moment.”
They established a strong Australian fanbase, toured the American west coast, and played a sixteen-show stint at Edinburgh Festival before their 2003 debut studio album The Cat Empire went platinum in under five months.
“The whole experience took us by surprise,” said Riebl. “Even after a successful album, we were never quite sure where it all came from. When you’re playing live for an audience, it becomes real, and you know where you stand. [The success] can be quite alienating, but it was a hell of a ride.”
The Cat Empire “effect” isn’t entirely captured in recordings alone. After experiencing them live, and watching the band and crowd feed off each other’s euphoria, one understands how concertgoers become rabid hype machines.
“It’s really a question of atmosphere,” Riebl guessed. “It’s the combination of the audience and the music, and what that does to a room.”

The Cat Empire are playing back-to-back shows at Metropolis (59 Ste-Catherine St. E.) on March 30 and 31. Tickets are $39.20 in advance.

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Music

Mark Bragg ignites Your Kiss on stage

Mark Bragg either has a multiple personality disorder, is one heck of a storyteller, or has some serious explaining to do.
The Newfoundlander’s latest ECMA-nominated album, Your Kiss, reveals details concerning a kidnapping, a run from social services and a burning desire for the boss’ daughter.
“It’s straight up fiction,” clarified Bragg, “dark, character-driven, narrative fiction.”
The wacky rocker will bring bizarre, eye-bulging stage antics and every Your Kiss character to L’Escalier on Feb. 24 and 25.
“Before I started playing music, as a person, I was intolerable,” confessed Bragg. “Now that I’ve found a way to channel all that, I’m completely laid back. I get it all out on stage.”
Your Kiss is a collection of short stories, but music is the medium, and each track a different tale. It is energetic, theatrical, and much more than a studio session. It successfully simulates the live stage performance.
The lyrics alone are undeniably dark, but Bragg’s rollicking voice, yowling horns, wailing organ and crashing drums bring a more celebratory than morbid quality. His sound is impossible to generalize. It’s punk, country, rock, jazz, and everything in between.
“I get to know these characters pretty intimately in the process of writing and rewriting, but I get to know them even better when I’m performing with my band or touring,” explained Bragg. “I embody the characters and play it out on stage.”
For Bragg, it’s all about the performance. Your Kiss was over five years in the making, but even after producing and releasing the album, he claims that he only finds true satisfaction in performing.
He’s no newcomer to the Canadian music scene, considering his two previous albums have already sent him on tours across Canada and Europe. Music is his trade, but if he isn’t working on his own material, he’s producing or doing session work for other artists.
Born and bred in Newfoundland, Bragg has the St. John’s music community to thank as the driving force behind his talent.
“The music community here is very supportive, but the bar gets set pretty high now, there are so many great writers and musicians,” said Bragg. “It really challenges you, but it’s friendly competition, we push each other.”
“It’s a culture of storytelling around here. Everywhere you go, whether through music or other mediums,” said Bragg, “I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Bragg has a knack for musical fiction, and despite admitting that he’s not planning on writing many personal songs, one very truthful tune managed to slip onto his album’s track listing. He is a newlywed, and the ballad he wrote for his wife, “The Fool,” is nestled in between songs about a dirty colourblind pirate and an overweight teenager’s lust.
“It’s challenging, but what we need from the people that we love can be a bit of a guessing game. At the end of it all, when you find out what it is, it seems so simple, and I guess that’s love,” admitted Bragg. “[‘The Fool’] was my way of trying to get to the bottom of it.”

Mark Bragg opens for Guy Pharand on Feb. 24 and headlines on Feb. 25, both at L’Escalier. Doors open at 9 p.m.

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