BJ Block

BJ Block is a Vancouver based guitarist, songwriter and composer. He started in music studying classical piano at age 8, at 15 he received his first electric guitar, a love affair that would later provide a scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. During the years in Boston, BJ studied Jazz and Improvisation, and was active playing on a song-writing sessions, soundtracks, and band demos. Being immersed in such diverse musical experiences was extremely influential and would later play a huge role in informing his current writing and composition style.

In 2002, BJ joined the Boston based roots/rock outfit The Ernest Goodlife Band (now The Mark Derose Band), and would go on to record an album and tour extensively throughout the east coast over the next 3 years. The band relocated from Boston to Philadelphia and played regularly in Washington DC, New York, and the tri-state area. Now established in Vancouver B.C., BJ is active composing and recording music in addition to playing and performing throughout the city.

The debut album Glitterball is a blend of retro inspired dance grooves and introspective, ambient songs. Glitterball reflects influences from the 60's and 70's, reminicent of artists like Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind and Fire, (Theme Musik, Mersey Beat), as well as modern artists such as Bjork, Radiohead, Moby and jazz musicians like Bill Frisell and John Scofield (Charlesgate East, What Could have Been, Kaleidescope). The absence of vocals on this album allow the musicians to explore the songs in ways that many conventional formats don't allow. Through strong hooks, heavy grooves, and singable melodies, Glitterball embodies a cinematic and eclectic music that speaks to the future while echoing a tradition from the past.