For a band that’s been doing a lot of travelling, it might seem odd that Victoria folk group Jon and Roy called their latest album Here.
But as percussionist Roy Vizer explains, the album’s title doesn’t refer to geography alone, but to “the idea of being present in a time where it’s pretty difficult to be present and there are a lot of things pulling at you.”
This spring the band toured Europe for the fifth time in three years and they’re currently in the midst of a brief B.C. summer tour.
On Friday, July 12, the band – Vizer, guitarist Jon Middleton, bassist Esme John and Nanaimo’s Dave St. Jean on trombone – play the Queen’s.
It’s their first Nanaimo show since headlining the Longwood-stock festival at the Longwood Brewery last fall.
“We just really like to play the Queen’s because it’s got great sound and it’s kind of an historic venue in Nanaimo,” Vizer said.
As a band that has “been to a lot of different ‘heres’ in the last couple years” Jon and Roy wrote a record that suited their live shows, Vizer said.
Vizer said Here explores musical styles they’ve done in the past, but in a “newer, more polished way” and with fuller arrangements. In terms of themes, he said the record touches on “travelling and enjoying life and trying to rise above the [stuff] that’s going on in the world.”
WHAT’S ON … Jon and Roy perform at the Queen’s, 34 Victoria Cres., on Friday, July 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets $20 at the venue, Lucid, Desire Tattoo, Sunrise Records and online. 19-plus show.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com
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