Earl Pereira, best known for playing bass for Saskatoon blues rock trio Wide Mouth Mason, is looking forward to flexing his musical muscles in Lethbridge, Friday with his band Mobaddass, which comes to the Blarney Stone on Friday, May 29 with rap star Kyprios.
“We‘ve only done three shows but we’re confident we want to do it again in September,” Pereira said during a weekend stop in Nanaimo.
Kyprios is best known for performing with Sweatshop Union as well as a solo artist.
“We‘re old friends from back in the day,” Pereira said, enjoying a day off in Nanaimo, three days into their two week tour of B.C. and Alberta.
Pereira got to know Kyprios years ago when the budding rap star was dating Pereira‘s cousin and Wide Mouth Mason was opening for ZZ Top in Vancouver. Pereira got them backstage passes and a relationship began.
“Kyp and I both like all different types of music, which is really what Mobaddass is all about. Mobaddass is based on reggae music like Wide Mouth is based on the blues. But that‘s not all we do,” Pereira said adding they will be playing a 90 minute set together with with the Saskatoon version of Mobaddass.
Guitarist Ryan Unger and drummer Jason Hattie will be playing the Alberta leg of the tour. Pereira also has a Vancouver version of the band.
Pereira is enjoying working with Kyprios. They have just released their new single to the radio, “ Home to Me” and will be working on a video for it during the summer. But in the meantime he is enjoying the tour.
“ My band is really what he needs to take his music to the next level. For me it‘s about having someone I can play off of. He‘s not just a great MC, he can rap but he‘s a really great singer as well. And he plays percussion and sings harmonies. People are freaking out about it,” he continued.
“It’s a a really fun, energetic, feel good show with a lot of different music,” he enthused
“If you like hip hop, Kyps’s the best in Canada. He can sing and rap. It‘s all about positive energy. He’s really easy to work with. A lot of people in hip hop have big egos, but he‘s a down to earth guy,” he enthused.
“It‘s about having the right people working behind the scenes,” he said adding the first tour has had it‘s share of headaches such as a show cancellation in Tofino last week.
“The folks there pulled some very uncool moves. The Lethbridge show is one we‘ve been really looking forward to because the people there are really organized,” he said adding while Mobadass hasn‘t played Lethbridge before, Kyprios has.
“On this tour we’re getting to play for a lot of new people,” he said.
After the tour winds up in Medicine Hat (there are only two shows after the Lethbridge show) he will spend the summer touring with Wide Mouth Mason, which also includes a Lethbridge stop at the Roadhouse, June 13, then hopefully be back on the road with Kyprios and Mobadass in September.
But he also wants to complete a video for “Nobody Knows” featuring Kyprios.
“It’s going to be very cool. It’s very trippy black comedy,” Pereira enthused adding that won‘t affect touring with Wide Mouth Mason.
“We have people working on it behind the scenes. Summer tours are really just playing weekends. Festivals are usually Friday, Saturdays and Sundays. The rest of the week I can take to focus on Mobadass,” he continued he is looking forward to the Lethbridge show.
“I hope lots of people come out because they will be in for a treat. We‘re definitely going to be at our best. We‘ll have fun with the crowd.”
The solid 90 minute set will include Mobaddass material, some of Kyprios‘s solo and Sweatshop Union hits as well as some brand new material which will be introduced to the crowd.
“It will be an action packed set,” Pereira promised.
