Situated somewhere between the musical influences of John Hiatt, Tom Waits, and Kris Kristofferson, Vancouver singer/songwriter John Pippus has just released his third full-length album, Wrapped Up In The Blues.
From sharing a stage with Jackson Browne to playing to small, but appreciative coffee house audiences, John has lived a life filled with music and well-earned stories.
SoundProof Magazine has declared him "…a folk/roots gem," the Vancouver Province says he's "…a refined tunesmith with serious pop hooks." Earshot Magazine's Shelley Gummeson says, "He has a gift for making us believe that he's been down the road and around the block, and is still kickin' it."
Born A Genius, John's second album, according to music critic Tom Harrison, "can't be labelled blues or tagged folk but it is earthy without also being retro … As varied as it is, humour and energy might be the album's unifying factors."
Of the new album, Harrison says, "...just plain lovely." The Vancouver Sun's Francois Marchand says, "If John Pippus’ Wrapped Up in the Blues does one thing brilliantly, it’s to fully live up to its name. The Vancouver bluesman lives and breathes his musical muse."
Favorite venues John has played include the Bluebird Café (Nashville), Tractor Tavern (Seattle), Vogue Theatre (Vancouver), Canon's Gait (Edinburgh), Bruxelles Bar (Dublin), Newtown Festival (Wellington, New Zealand), Bluebird North (Vancouver) and the ArtsWells Festival in Wells, B.C.
John is also a successful playwright and actor. In 2009, John debuted his award-winning, one-man musical memoir Oh Winnipeg! at the Victoria Fringe Festival. He went on to perform his play in Vancouver (where the play won Pick of the Fest) and at the 2010 Winnipeg Fringe Fest.
"I'm a fan." — Jane Weidlin from The Gogos
Pippus is touring with Mike Wetering.
Mike grew up on a standard western musical diet of rock, pop, jazz, folk and classical music. He also spent three years hitchhiking around the world visiting 50 countries and five continents. During the last half of his global travels (after thumbing most of the way from Cairo to Capetown), he ended up working odd jobs in South Africa.
Surrounded by African culture, he stayed for more than a year, experiencing a unique insight into a different life and music. In addition to already being able to write great songs, when confronted with vibrant Soukous or Gumboot dancing in African clubs he realized a new uncharted direction for his writing.
His ambition now is to weave the energy and instrumentation of African music into many of his songs, creating a new global sound-introducing the audience to the awesome power and possibilities of African music-while still sounding familiar to Western audiences. Since then, he has spent his time not only immersed in African music but also studying music theory, jazz performance and pop/rock song writing.
John Pippus and Mike Wetering entertain Oct. 14 at Joe's Garage in Courtenay. $10 advance tickets are at Bop City Records. Joe's kitchen opens at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 8:30.
— Joe's Garage