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The Filberg Summer Concert Series is excited to welcome Fish & Bird for the second concert of the summer season on Thursday, July 17. Head out to the stunningly beautiful grounds of Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park and enjoy world-class live music on the park’s brand new stage.
Fish & Bird were once known as Victoria’s most promising folk duo, but over the past few years they have evolved into Canada’s most unique folk-rock ensemble.
This critically acclaimed group began in 2006 as an acoustic duo of Taylor Ashton (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Adam Iredale-Gray (fiddle). In 2007, they put together recordings of a few of Ashton’s quirky folk tunes, made cases out of recycled file folders, and labelled them “Fish & Bird” (with homemade rubber stamps). Their sound was a hometown hit.
Their take on ‘folk’ included original songs in odd time signatures and traditional murder ballads with rock beats. Their 2009 CD, Left Brain Blues, was a more mature exploration of the space between folk traditions and reckless creativity, with Ashton and Gray playing multiple instruments.
Some of the friends they enlisted to fill out the sound on record and at live shows became permanent band members, and Fish & Bird became the five-piece indie-folk powerhouse fans know today.
Their music hovers somewhere in the void between newgrass and indie-folk. Folk is kind of the main idea, but nowadays kids get their records from all over the place. Bluegrass, country, art-rock, jazz, the Beach Boys – these individual influences come out if you listen, but the strength is in the blend. The songs get you in the heart and the music messes with your head (in a good way).
Their CD, Every Whisper Is A Shout Across the Void, came out in 2012, featuring the band pretty much exactly as they sound playing together all at once. And while fans wait for their next juicy disc to drop, come see them at the Filberg Summer Concert Series and check out their truly unique and heart-swelling sound.
Tickets for the Fish & Bird show are on sale now at Laughing Oyster Books or Long and McQuade in Courtenay, Blue Heron Books in Comox on online at www.filberg.com. Adult tickets are only $15 and kids 12 and under are free. Gates open at 6 and music starts at 7 sharp. Bring a blanket and enjoy the show ‘festival style’ or enjoy the seating provided. Be prepared for breathtaking music in a truly beautiful sea side venue.