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You can catch them busking on Bernard, playing at Parks Alive and at local venues almost every night. Their music has become the soundtrack to Kelowna, but who are they?
KelownaNow wants to get to know the hard working, up and coming artists who fill our city with fantastic music and we’re almost positive most of you do too!
We are re-launching our Saturday Spotlight series that will feature a new, local act every other weekend, to better strengthen our scene and get to know the people behind the music.
Our first feature back introduces you to That Awful Rythm (TAR.)
The duo is comprised of well known local musicians, Jesse Blashill and Michael S.E Elliott who have been working together in the Okanagan for the last three years.
Not only is this group talented but the platforms and business model in which they showcase their work is pretty unique, so let's get to know them!
Get to know: That Awful Rhythm
What is the story behind your band name?
Just like Batman, and indeed we share many similarities with the caped crusader, the name represents exactly what we’re afraid of. That Awful Rhythm is both; the grimy chug of the failing music industry and our best attempt to navigate & challenge it.
How did the band come to be?
Musician Jesse Blashill and producer Michael S.E Elliott helm the open-source project. Our love for music and the thrill of performing is why we perform. The excitement of experimenting with new ideas and philosophies is why we’re working together on TAR.
How would you describe your music?
Currently, Blashill brings an outlaw country vibe to Elliott’s dark pop sensibilities while both sharing common ground with grimy alternative rock attitude.
Having said that, it is TAR’s unique approach to music and the business behind their music that makes them truly unique.
"That Awful Rhythm is an open-source music project. It is an attempt to explore an alternative business model by blurring the line between audience and artist and allowing the experiment of crowd-sourced music creation to come to fruition. So that being said, we're very excited to see what genres come up when we start working with our community on Twitch."
What groups or musicians have influenced you the most?
Tyler Childers, Everlast, Brand New, Wu-Tang Clan.
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing music?
It’s most exciting to dream up something we haven’t done and try our best to figure out how to do it.
Tell us about your favourite performance to date?
Jesse recently performed at last year’s Denim on the Diamond which was a legit thrill. Michael enjoyed a less glamorous, yet equally important, roll as a volunteer with Legion HQ during the event. Making sure thirsty patrons kept their whistles wet.
However, we are both most excited about live-streaming our performances. We're so fortunate to live in a time when technology allows us to perform live from the comfort of our studio.
We can interact with listeners through our chat and take song requests & suggestions from the people who are tuning in. We are committed to our weekly live stream performances and look forward to developing along with that technology to provide our listeners with a high-quality interactive experience.
*The following video includes coarse language, listener discretion is advised*
What achievement are you most proud of in your musical career?
Being fortunate enough to make a living by playing music is definitely not the most stable career path but probably the most rewarding thing we’ve ever been able to do.
Blashill will be releasing a live performance video this Saturday. We're both pretty stoked about that. The video was produced by Elliott's production company TAPC (TAPC.tv). It was recorded at Puresound Recording in the West Side which is where we record our 6 p.m. Monday night live-streams from.
What is your favourite part about being involved in the Okanagan music scene?
The immense amount of talent and wealth in the area. The talent keeps us humble and hungry and the wealth keeps us proud and fed.
Also, the tech community and the young up & comers that are moving here by the boat load could be the first adopters to new ideas such as an open-source music project like That Awful Rhythm.
Quickfire questions
Who put on the best show you've been to?
FingerEleven acted like robots while they performed flawlessly, that was a real treat. Method Man pulled out all the stops in Castlegar and “crowd-walked” across the crowd till he landed on someone's shoulders and finished the song. Both are tied for first.
Artists you're currently listening to non-stop?
Very specifically these artists haven’t left our playlists in a hot minute. Mac Miller, Bishop Briggs, K Flay, Sturgill Simpson, Dermot Kennedy, Russ. #love #shoutout
If you could open for any band or artist who would it be?
Tyler Childers, Everlast, Chance the Rapper, Foo Fighters, The Bloated Pumpkins
Favourite local venue?
Hands down - Thursday nights 7 to 9 open mic at Kettle River Brewing Company.
Who do you want to nominate for a Saturday Spotlight?
Probably the most interesting up and comer in town is Ol’Man Jarvis who plays music under the name Hammerclaw and can be found at Hammerclaw Music on Facebook.
You can catch an online set by TAR every Monday night at 6 p.m. via twitch and keep up to date with their upcoming shows through their website.
If you know of a local band or musician the community needs to hear, nominate them for a Saturday Spotlight by sending an email to savannah@kelownanow.com
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