Time: 9 p.m.

 Cover: $5

Behind Sapphire www.behindsapphire.com or www.myspace.com/behindsapphire are Matthew Mazankowski and Grant Cassell whoare at the centre of Behind Sapphire, but talented dozens orbit the duo on their self-titled debut. The result is a swirling patchwork of affection, charm and uplift – a fever dream without the symptoms. The album is carried by rollicking backbeats, sweeping orchestration and outsized arrangements that borrow the nostalgia of Walt Disney, nod to The Beatles’ flights of fancy and carry the croon of Billie Holiday and Jason Mraz.

Behind Sapphire began as a bedroom project but became a band of scope with local producer Tom Dobrzanski (The Zolas, Said the Whale, Hey Ocean) outfitting their baroque pop and acoustic lilt with depth and his own sonic stamp. Their sound is graced by friends and family, marked by unbridled optimism and attended by virtuosity in every musical cleft and corner of the record.

On stage, they flurry through pared-down folk, string-flourished anthems and vocal cadenzas in the kinetic spirit of their contemporaries: We Are The City, Library Voices, Fields of Green et al. Behind Sapphire can be brazen or easygoing, but their stage troupe - singer Grant Cassell, guitarist Matthew Mazankowski, drummer Steven Ward, bassist Dylan Murley, cellist Isidora Nojkovic and violinist Miho Matsuo – has moved well beyond the bedroom, into the peer-to-peer grapevine of Vancouver talent that has proven to be worth every whisper of excitement it has received.

Their sophomore album is one of summer-chirping, heady sing-along and meandering spirit that is the sound of long days and short nights – the season itself. Behind Sapphire’s future is bright and they are certain to find a home in your heart. 

41st and Home www.myspace.com/41standhomemusic  

Sometimes the most inspiring landscapes can be found in your own backyard. For Vancouver musicians 41st and Home inspiration comes from everyday relationships, long drives and hours spent writing together in a small, carless garage somewhere on 41st avenue.

For the greater part of the past year the band have holed themselves away in a Burnaby studio, crafting the makings of their debut album “Left In Places.” The 8 track CD is a compilation of their past and present, taking cues from contemporary DIY folk and indie rock. The songs are layered with rich instrumentation and narrative lyrics influenced by the landscape and everyone in it; from the bittersweet “Box and the Bee” to “Great Bear,” a driving tribute to the Canadian wilderness. In support of their work the band will be embarking on a western Canadian tour in the summer of 2010, including a release party with BC talent Aidan Knight, We Are The City and In Medias Res, as well as a Calgary showcase in mid-June (sponsored by Steamwhistle Brewing).

Though the current roster has been playing together for a year, the group was started by drummer Garth Covernton and singer-songwriter Thom Kolb in mid 2008. Joined by bassist and audio engineer George Knuff, the band has matured in terms of songwriting and instrumentation; experimenting with their sound in studio and at their practice space. They are joined by a rotating cast of musicians such as violinist Sejal Lal and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Bennett who play with the trio live and on their recordings.