There are tribute bands out there who take a great deal of often well-deserved pride in being able to recreate the exact sound of the classic groups they are honouring.
Some even go to the extent of mimicking, not only the sound but the appearance of those classic bands.
That’s not the case with The Smokestacks.
They’re relatively new on the Vancouver Island music scene, but this Victoria-based group has already ignited a new flame with their collection of classic blues standards.
But you’d be mistaken to think that playing covers of those classics makes them just another cover band. Sure, they draw on their inspiration from musical geniuses like Howlin’ Wolf, Bonnie Raitt, Albert King, and many other legendary blues giants, but when they play, the sound is their own.
“Anyone can play the blues,” said Owen Pollock, the frontman and guitar player for The Smokestacks. “Anyone can bang out a 1-4-5 progression, but that’s not the blues. It’s the feelings and emotion that you put into it that makes the music.”
Bryden Amos (keyboard and harmonica) echoed that philosophy.
“With the covers we do we always change it up and do different renditions of them. We always make them our own,” he said.
Bass guitarist, Hyoga Onda, goes a step further.
“People love to hear the scratches,” said Onda. “We really make the music our own and I honestly believe that within a couple of years, we’ll be playing international shows. I’ve been playing with this group for a while and it’s some of the best musical experiences that I’ve ever had.”
And as satisfying as it is to put new interpretations onto classic blues riffs, the band plans to expand that musical experience into original work over the next few months.
“I’m looking forward to writing. It’ll be a chance to express our own styles and hopefully get it all onto an album within the next year,” said Cade Wilcox, the group’s drummer. “It’s hard when we’re playing a lot of live shows, and we really do want to focus more on the writing”
“But it’s also so great to play live. That’s what it’s all about, after all. The energy is amazing, and we really get to focus on the feelings behind the music,” he added.
The Smokestacks has had no shortage of opportunities lately to enjoy that audience energy.
They played at 39 Days of July in Duncan, Victoria JazzFest, and are headed up to Nanaimo Blues Festival. From there they’ll be heading to Victoria’s Inner Harbour Blues and Roots Festival in August and the Esquimalt Ribfest in September.
These young blues artists are definitely on the list of bands to watch in the coming years.
