L.A. Beat

Time: 9 p.m.

Cover: none

 Everyone is welcome to play at this  open jam sponsored by L.A. Beat with Special guests Behind Sapphire

 

It is fitting that just seconds into Behind Sapphire's eponymous record, guitarist Matthew Mazankowski utters that most sacred of musical tropes: "I'm free to make my noise," he sings in the harmonized verse that leads off the album's rootsy opening track, "The Call of the Wild." As is the case with just about anyone that has employed the singer's greatest declaration, Behind Sapphire is unabashed in its embrace of musical freedom – be it merrymaking or noise-making, both. After years of shuffling, tangling and realigning, the Vancouver-born band – Grant Cassell (vocals), Matthew Mazankowski (guitar), Steven Ward (drums), Lindsay Sjoberg (guitar) and Brayden Pichor (bass) – have formed a creative cauldron from which has emerged the release of their debut album in 2010, a spot in the Peak Performance Project's Top 20 the same year, two cross-Canada tours including stops at festivals all over the country, and the Space Cadets – the band's costumed street team which orbits their shows, occasionally touching down unannounced. Recently, Behind Sapphire released a music video for "Oh My, What A Fine Day" featuring Twilight actress Jodelle Ferland before embarking on their "Oh My, What A Fine Tour" - a three month, cross-country adventure that brought the mythical world of their album to stage. Populated by beanstalks, tugboat towns, traffic jams, crazy critters, and yellow chalk fish, the album's lyrical flights of fantasy capture the West Coast of the imagination – one half-lived and half-dreamed. Behind Sapphire takes this make-believe to stage with a fantastically woven live show that spills over with quirky energy and intense celebration. The band seems nothing short of a feather, a megaphone, space-men, a pair of gumboots, or an entire orchestra in their ambition to captivate. It is clear that Behind Sapphire is willing to reach deep into their own pockets of imagination to capture yours. They truly believe they are "free to make their noise" and invite the world to come make it with them. .. .. Matthew Mazankowski, Grant Cassell and Matthew Tomkinson came together as an after-school pop-punk experiment, unsure and full of awkwardness. Jump to now, with more than a half-decade's worth of musical exploration under their belts, and Behind Sapphire is an unlikely artistic outpouring of folk-pop with a fantastically woven live show that spills over with quirky energy and intense celebration. Think: "Patrick Watson backed by Hey Ocean!" fused with the grandeur of Sufjan Stevens and Sigur Ros. .. .. In early 2010, Behind Sapphire recorded and released a self-titled CD, with drummer Steven Ward coming aboard as the group's new rhythm section. Built upon hundreds of home recordings, they reached out to Tom Dobranzski (The Zolas, Said the Whale, Hey Ocean) with the best of them. One by one, friends and family jumped into the fold with their own musical talents and tastes, adding layers of sugary harmonies, brother and sisterly spirit and a sense of improvisation and collaboration that marks the record in a truly positive way. .. .. 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. .. .. In celebration Behind Sapphire took to the stage, backed by a 35-piece orchestra composed of their old high school band, good friends and family. The CD release marked the start of a summer of touring as the band traveled across BC, Canada and as far north as Alaska - making a stop at the Southeast Alaskan State Fair. .. .. Currently in 100.5 The Peak's: Peak Performance Project, Behind Sapphire was chosen along with 19 of BC's most talented artists (out of 470 applicants) for a chance to win $100,500 towards career development. .. .. Focused primarily on their child-at-heart agenda, Behind Sapphire's ambition to capture your imagination will surprise you with every new step into their world. With an upbeat, quirky and fun-loving nature, Behind Sapphire is certain to find a home within your heart.
Members
Matthew Mazankowski, Grant Cassell, Steven Ward, Brayden Pichor, Lindsay Sjoberg