West Coast folk quintet the Bills are coming through Nelson this Friday, and promise an uplifting demonstration of their instrumental prowess as they work through road-tested tunes from their latest album Yes, please.
“The Bills really strive for beauty and joy, for pure, unbridled good times,” said lead vocalist Chris Frye, who shares the stage with Marc Atkinson, Adrian Dolan, Richard Moody and Scott White. “These are great Canadian songs written on the west coast, based on the west coast.”
The Bills are part of a resurgent blue grass and folk music scene out of Vancouver Island, and they said the music community there has been vital to their success.
“There’s something about what we’re doing in Victoria that’s really special. There’s such an openness, nobody’s hung up about stylistic boundaries. There’s cross-pollination, we’re all playing together in different configurations. If you look at the Juno nominations, Victoria’s pretty well-represented,” he said.
Frye said though they’ll play familiar tunes from their albums, audiences shouldn’t expect a note-by-note version of their favourite songs.
“We’ve got some more exciting live elements, live arrangements of the music that bust it open a little bit, and let us show off,” he said.
Yes Please includes 12 original compositions described by the band as “a medley of gypsy-jazz ballads”. Their sound is influenced by Chopin, Stan Rogers and Django Reinhardt.
Since forming in 1996, the band has toured worldwide. In 2006 they were voted Western Canadian Entertainer of the Year, edging out the likes of nominees Michael Buble and Jann Arden.
For more information visit capitoltheatre.bc.ca.