Redgy Blackout tours the insanely hooky “The Leap”
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Redgy Blackout … The Like Penguins Tour 2010:
Jan 30 – Kelowna, BC – Streaming café
Feb 1 – Prince George, BC – Nancy O’s
Feb 2 – Kamloops, BC – The Commodore Cafe
Feb 3 – Golden, BC – Rockwater Grill
Feb 4 – Canmore, AB – Canmore Hotel
Feb 5 – Grand Prairie, AB – Better Than Fred’s
Feb 6 – Grand Prairie, AB – Better Than Fred’s
Feb 7 – Calgary, AB – Dickens Pub
Feb 11 – Nelson, BC – The Royal
Feb 12 – Nakusp, BC – Three Lions Pub
Feb 13 – Fernie, BC – Bulldogs
Feb 14 – Rossland, BC – Miners Hall
Feb 19 – West Vancouver, BC – Olympic Celebration Site
It’s hard to describe the music made by Vancouver’s Redgy Blackout, but damn is it ever hooky!
Combining elements of pop, swing, reggae, jazz and who knows what else, the four-piece, whose name is derived from the lead character in the TV series “Dead Like Me,” writes ridiculously catchy songs, enhanced by the versatile and expressive vocals of Vancouver theatre performer, Scott Perrie – who most recently appeared in the North Shore production of High School Musical 2.
The band released its debut album, The Leap, last spring, secured an agency deal with Turner Music, and is now hitting the road again in support of its very auspicious debut.
The Leap is an album about stepping out of one’s comfort zone, making a move, embracing change and enjoying the journey of life, both on a personal level and on a cultural one. In this case, the timeless theme is updated for the 21st century by a quartet of twenty-somethings who have both an impressive level of self-awareness and a keen eye for their surroundings. “Who Am I” talks of coming of age and finding one’s identity as a young adult. “Go Getter Girl” is a critique of consumerism inspired by watching women shop for clothes on Vancouver’s trendy West 4th Ave. “My Favourite” is a love song of sorts inspired by a Facebook romance. Throughout the album, the arrangements offer plenty of entertainment for those fond of picking out musical references: a touch of surf guitar here, an 80s rock lick there, a kind of Reggae beat over there. You name it really.
Blame Scott Perrie and his musical theatre background for the eclectic, larger-than-life sound and outrageously memorable melodies. …well that and maybe drummer Patrick Poirier’s shameless love-affair with top 40 radio and video channels.
Perrie was just nine years old when he performed as part of the chorus of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat during Donny Osmond’s tenure as Joseph. As a child, he sang with Coastal Sound Music Academy and toured with them through the US, Europe, and Mexico. He also played piano and, later, guitar. Perrie went on to graduate form Capilano College’s theatre program and to work as a voice-over actor and theatre performer. This past summer, he appeared in the Arts Club’s performance of Les Miserables at the Stanley Theatre. This spring, he will star as Bat Boy in the cult musical Bat Boy.
Perrie met his future band-mates at a jam night at the utterly obscure Purple Crab on Vancouver’s Main Street. Poirier and Jeremy Breaks had recently moved to town from Prince George, where their previous band, Floored, had achieved a modicum of local success and had opened for acts like Gob and Holly McNarland. Breaks and Poirier played hard rock and heavy metal in PG and later got into jazz, swing, disco punk and other forms of heavier dance music – and that still doesn’t begin to summarize all their musical influences. Breaks’ dad is a musician and the owner of Electron Sound in Prince George. He grew up working at the music store, jamming with his dad, and consuming everything under the son musically. Poirier, a Halifax native who moved around a lot growing up, is a huge reggae fan who also listens to a lot of old country – along with that top 40 stuff I mentioned. His dad also encouraged his musical pursuits by buying him his first drum kit at 14.
The sound of Redgy Blackout is rounded out by bassist Colin Medhurst, a former roommate of Perrie’s. Medhurst complete 10 grades of Royal Conservatory piano as a teen before switching to bass to play in a band while still in high school. In addition to playing funk, jazz and blues music on bass, Medhurst also plays tabla, a nod to his mother’s Indian heritage. (This, however, is one instrument not yet heard in a Redgy Blackout song.) Oh, and he’s a big reggae aficionado too.
Together, the foursome brings an energetic joie de vivre to both its recording and its live shows. Chances are they’ll be playing much bigger venues before long, so see them in the small rooms while you still can!