Sons of Granville
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Sons of Granville

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"SONS OF GRANVILLE - A VERY COOL BAND WORTH WATCHING"

We here at Maximum would like to introduce you to the passionate, inspiring, soulful and beautiful sounds of Sons of Granville. This Vancouver based trio is comprised of Matthew Lennox (Electric & Acoustic 12 String Guitar), Thomas Beckman (Viola) & Jarrett Plett (Drums & Percussion). - Maximum Music


"Vancouver Looks Forward to Popular Chinese New Year Event, the Vancouver Spring Show"

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 24, 2013) - The 3rd Annual Vancouver Spring Show, taking place February 9, 2013 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, brings together celebrated international artists, directors, designers, and choreographers for a spectacular one-night show to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Artists from varying performance backgrounds such as Cirque du Soleil, "The Voice" China, and Canadian Idol, will come together in Vancouver to collaborate and form The Vancouver Spring Show. With a strong Chinese heritage, it is of no surprise that Vancouverites look forward to the Vancouver Spring Show as a popular Chinese New Year event.

While the show is held in celebration of the Chinese New Year, it is truly a multicultural celebration highlighting top performers from Canada and China, including many internationally influenced performances. The show's Founder and Director, Ms. Cherry Tao, is considered to be one of China's dancing treasures. She performed and taught dance for over 30 years and her acclaimed Peacock School of Dance graduated thousands of classically trained dancers. Tao is also the founder of Motion Artistry Dance in Vancouver; it is her internationally inspired creative vision for performing arts has secured the Spring Show as an annual 'must-see' sensation.

"With 2013 being the year when the Mayan calendar ends, the Lunar New Year is a sign of new life and new beginnings," says Shaun Cui, Producer of The Vancouver Spring Show. "Our vision this year was to bring extremely different but equally talented artists together to create a fusion of Eastern and Western performances."

This multicultural concept was the catalyst that brought together two of the most renowned choreographers in the Asian and North American dance scene, Aimin Teng and Joel Hanna, to work and collaborate with Cherry Tao, the show's Director. Aimin Teng's inspiring contemporary style drew international attention after he choreographed the 2008 Beijing Olympic's Opening and Closing Ceremonies. He then directed "Big Dance" at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Likewise, Joel Hanna is globally renowned for his performance and involvement with Riverdance. Hanna has also taught and choreographed award-winning pieces for schools and professional dance companies all over North and South America.

The Vancouver Spring Show will be MC'd by Vancouver's very own Lien Yeung, Gwen Elliot (MuchMusic, Canadian Idol, Project Runway, Miss World Canada), and Ernest Wu (renowned Mandarin/English MC). Other performers include talents such as Sons of Granville, Wang Yu Yie, Will Blunderfield, Silu Xi, Karen Pitkethly, Lucy Xu, and The Faculty.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.springshow.ca or by calling 604-357-4746 (or toll free 1-800-715-1945)

For interview requests or further information, please contact Sarah Tang at 604 734-4223 or email stang@karranfinlaymarketing.com.

About the Spring Show Production Society

The Spring Show Production Organization Society produces a multicultural spring festival annually, in celebration of the Chinese New Year. The annual Spring Show promotes the relationship between China and Canada, and highlights the unique multicultural characteristics of each country. The aim of the Society is to develop and present high-level cultural performing arts to the public.

For further information on the Spring Show Production Society, please visit www.springshow.ca or contact Sarah Tang at stang@karranfinlaymarketing.com.

To view The Vancouver Spring Show poster, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/SpringShowPoster.pdf. - Market Wired


"Son of Granville Street plays to the tune of his own violin, attracts many"

On any given day or night along Granville Street, you will see and hear the city come alive. From drunken revelers, to panhandlers, to painters, to buskers, Granville Street is home to some of the most interesting folk in town.

Thomas Beckman is one of those lesser known artists who see Granville Street as their stage. So much so that he, Jarrett Plett and Matthew Lennox are part of a trio called Sons of Granville. Across the street from our offices on Granville Street, you might find Jarrett drumming away on his cajon, Matthew furiously strumming away at his guitar and Thomas on the violin fiddling his way through the beauty of music composed and performed for the people of the streets.
Beckman was born in Vancouver in 1984 but was raised in South Africa until 2008, when he moved back to Vancouver to study for a Master’s degree at the University of British Columbia. With him he brought the energy of growing up in South Africa – a country he calls the “rainbow nation, as Mandela had just been released and the country was going through a difficult but miraculous transformation.”

Although classically trained, Beckman is a busker to the core and he wants nothing more than to delight the ears of those passing by and get the word out that homegrown talent exists in Vancouver – you just have to go out there and look for it, literally.

The Source: Why did you decide to form Sons of Granville?

Thomas Beckman: It started in June of 2010 [with Matthew Lennox], to emancipate myself musically from the classical dogma and find freedom through the new genre we’ve created. As our music tends to be both spontaneous and improvised it grants a lot of the above mentioned.

S: Although you’re front and centre on Granville Street and other major lanes in Vancouver, your band hasn’t received much coverage. Why do you think this is?

T.B: Something I’ve realized is that in this business it’s not enough to be good, or even great. You have to actively seek out the coverage and the opportunities – no one is going to come up to you and hand you a free lunch, no matter how impressive your act or how big the groups you attract [are]. As we have been so immersed in the musical aspects of the band, we have neglected this other part, something we are now rectifying with KFM, our new marketing company, that will be generating press releases, coverage, grants and promotion for our future efforts.

S: What influences your music?

T.B: The vibrancy of the streets has become a wealth of ideas and feelings. Being downtown exposes you to a very colourful and energetic part of life. There is constant movement, emotion, poverty, wealth, fashion, sex, everything. The streets in the city’s core teem with life of all kinds and we get to absorb and observe all of it while making music….Big voluptuous and resonating viola tone with a Russian passion is a big driving factor of my performance, and it largely characterizes our band’s sonic personality.

S: How do you engage your audience?

T.B: Head on. We love the audience. And even when there isn’t an audience I still feel as if I’m playing to thousands… our mission isn’t just to bring great music to their ears, it’s also to impart a message – we’ve all dealt with hardship, and we are all dealing with an overload of false information that confuses and distorts our reality. So, [we] urge our listeners in between songs to actively seek their own passions and, in a sense, their own truths.

S: Why continue to play the streets of Vancouver and not set your sights on bigger places?

T.B: You don’t stop what you have going until something comes along. You work both: you pound the streets, making good cash and keeping up with the practice, while simultaneously planning for the future. I think a lot of people underestimate busking. Thanks to busking, we’ve sold close to 5000 records in two years. We’ve had numerous invitations from people who have seen us perform, and we would certainly not be where we are, musically, had it not been for the hundreds of hours performing.

S: What advice do you have for other lesser known local artists?

T.B: Stop thinking it’s hard – it’s not. Life is your own amusement park. Go find your ride. Yes, you’ll probably have to make sacrifices, but isn’t it worth it? - The Source - Samuel Ramos


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

Matthew and Thomas began their journey as humble buskers who sought to collaborate, with no real idea of where they were going or what they were aiming for. After their first busking session on June 9th, 2010, they both realized they had something special and they began to hone their sound. Coming from two separate backgrounds musically and personally has heightened, rather than weakened, their connections as musicians and as people and they count each other amongst their closest friends, as well as brothers in a musical sense. They hope to share that camaraderie with you! Feel the love.

Jarrett Plett, originally from Los Angeles, later joined the duo as a percussionist/drummer and Sons of Granville thus became a trio.
Since joining the Sons of Granville, Jarrett has been bringing his blazing fast rhythms to the tunes of the dueling viola/guitar on the familiar streets of Vancouver, a sold out show at the Backstage Lounge, and a handful of other venues where adoring fans have cheered the trio on through and through.

Band Members