Edmonton bluesman Jimmy Guiboche is excited to bring a new line up of his band Jimmy and the Sleepers to Lethbridge to play a special Lethbridge Folk Club show at Pavan Park with Reid and Writes, Saturday, July 23.
You may recognize Guiboche from a couple of Lethbridge shows including playing with fellow Edmontonian Kat Danser.
“ Jimmy and the Sleepers has always been a part time band because we all have different projects,” Guiboche said, adding he is just happy to be playing again after two long years of not being able to play at all because of Covid.
“ I’m just pleased to be playing again. It seems that ever since Covid and not getting to play at all, playing gives me a deeper sense of joy these days. So maybe there is a silver lining, but I don’t want to do it again,” said Guiboche, who has recorded three CDs over the past 20 years playing with several different incarnations of Sleepers which has included Rott’n Dan Shinnan and Emmet Van Etten from the Boogie Patrol, powerhouse vocalist Alex Varughese and drummer extraordinaire Grant Stovel and other luminaries of the Edmonton scene.
The current Sleepers include long time bassist Chris Brzezicki.
“He’s been with me since the very beginning. He’s one of the best bassists in Canada in my opinion. He has a really deep and soulful feel. He’s the consummate professional,” Guiboche enthused.
He has also added Calgary harp player Ethan “Shorty” Askey, vocalist Jared Sowan and drummer Bill Hobson.
“Bill played with me in the beginning,” he said.
“Jared grew up singing gospel music. It seems people who have been singing gospel since an early age have a real sense of authenticity,” he observed, noting former vocalist Alex Varughese did some soul searching during Covid.
“He decided he wanted a different career, so he went back to school,” he said.
“I met Jared a couple of years ago and reconnected with him during the Calgary Blues festival,” he said.
“He brings his confidence and presence to the music,” he said.
They released their most recent CD “ All That Money” in 2019.
“That was right before Covid. We couldn’t play it, so it’s still really fresh for us,” he said, adding they released their debut self titled CD in 2005, and the follow-up eight song CD “C’est la Vie” in 2012
“We’ve become more of an original band since then. The first CD was our covers CD. We had two originals including an instrumental ‘Cricket Boogie’ and Big Dave McLean was on it. But it was mostly songs we were playing in our live set,” he said, adding the different line ups add new dimensions to the band’s sound.
“It’s still Jimmy and the Sleepers music. But when I hire guys I want to hear what they have to say and what they bring to the table,” he said.
“The new line up is a really good interpretation of the music. They interpret the music in their own way, but it is still the feel and the essence of the band,” he continued, adding this will be his first visit to Lethbridge with Jimmy and the Sleepers, so it will be new to everyone.
They are playing the Blues Can in Calgary the day before they play Lethbridge.
They haven’t been working on any new music.
“Just a few covers. We’re just getting used to playing again,” he said, adding. playing with Kat Danser keeps him pretty busy.
“We just got back from Toronto. We were there for the Toronto Blues Festival. It was a lot of fun,” he said.
They are anything but sleep inducing.
“A friend of mine, who has since passed, asked me to play a festival in Peace River called the Peace River Underground and asked me to get a band together because he was a big fan, so I did,” he said, adding he had already had a long record of backing blues legends playing Edmonton like Lazy Lester, James Harman, Carol Fran, Mojo Buford and Grammy award winner Donald Ray Johnson.
“We were the backing band in the shadows then stepped into the light. We‘re like an old car that isn’t much to look at but with a big engine under the hood, but when the light turns green, we go,” he emphasized.
His favourite legend to play with was James Harman.
“I was always a big fan of Chicago blues harp players. James, he’s since passed too, was a great guy and a fantastic harp player and he really liked us,” he said.
He is looking forward to being back in Lethbridge.
“ We played an outdoor festival there right before Covid. I was playing with Kat Danser and Sue Foley was on the bill. I’ve also played the Folk Club with Steve Dawson. I’m just excited to be playing again,” he said.
Jimmy and the Sleepers and Reid and Writes play Pavan Park, Saturday, July 23 at 1 p.m.
Tickets are $35 Lethbridge Folk Club members, $40 for non-members. There will be a concession and beer gardens. The gates open at noon.
— by Richard Amery, L.A Beat Editor
