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Am I Blue - Sept 23/2004

Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald

While Vince Gill and Amy Grant will be in the 
spotlight Saturday at the Enmax Centre, the best 
band Lethbridge audiences haven't heard before may 
be the talk of the town, after a Friday show at the
 Soundgarden 21 Club. The show starts at 9:00 pm.
 bluessmyth is a Calgary-based trio that has just 
released an outstanding first album, 30 Pieces Of 
Silver. Drummer Calvin Becker tells me that the disc
 is available at the A&B Sound outlet across from
 the Keg.

 bluessmyth was formed by Becker, of Calgary, 
and transplanted Winnipeg brothers Chris and Jason 
Yaholkoski. Chris is the band's lead vocalist, and
he also plays guitar and harmonica. Jason plays bass, 
while Becker handles keyboards and percussion 
duties. Chris has a voice made for the blues. It's got 
a ragged, deep tone which seems to have its origins 
in the Mississippi Delta rather than the western prairies.
   He's an accomplished guitarist who took up the instrument 
at the tender age of eight, and added harmonica to his 
repertoire at 11. Jason, two years Chris's senior, took up 
 bass at 11. The two were drawn to the blues in their 
youth, and later got inspiration from the blues/rock
 bands of the 1960s and 70s. Becker started out on piano, 
and started drumming when he was 12. His interest 
in music was sparked by the sounds of Benny Goodman 
and the Count Basie Orchestra. After discovering
   the joys of Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers 
and Black Sabbath, Becker started playing in bands 
when he was 15.

 The younger Yaholkoski moved to Calgary 
when he was 19 to attend Mount Royal Collage. Jason joined 
him in Cowtown after his Winnipeg band folded. The two met
Becker in the summer of 2000 at a jam session, and they 
connected immediately. For the first couple of years together, 
they played mostly in Calgary bars and pubs. In 2002, 
they started recording 30 Pieces Of Silver, but put the 
project on hold to tour. They finally finished the album
  in Vancouver earlier this year. "Calvin is one of the 
best drummers I've ever played with. I've never played with 
anyone with that kind of electricity," said Chris Y this week. 
"There were a couple of points where we had the finished product 
in our hands, but we went back into the studio to redo it and 
make it the best we could. It was well worth the effort," he 
added. He's not kidding. The nine tracks on the album - all 
penned by Chris Y - exhibit top-notch musicality, musicianship
   and songwriting.

 The music is blues with tints of rock and gospel
      adding colour to the sound. The band is planning a tour for this 
fall, which will take them across Alberta, Saskatchewan and 
Manitoba, where they'll play in front of a hometown audience 
in Winnipeg. "Winnipeg is a great community. It still has 
a great music scene." said Chris Y, who has played with 
the Watchmen and the son of Bachman Turner Overdrive 
co-founder Fred Turner. The band was disappointed when 
 an earlier gig fell through, but still is trying to connect with local 
audiences. Chris Y was here earlier this week meeting with 
nightclub owners, and will be back on Saturday. bluessmyth's 
new disc will be featured Saturday 5 pm. on The Bill 
Roberts Blues Show, on the Uof L radio station, CKXU (88.3FM).