theBLueVooDoo

Blue Voodoo casts a musical spell

By Alex Browne
Arts Reporter
The Blue Voodoo
Dates July 25 and 26
Venue Washington Ave. Grill
15782 Marine Drive
Info 604-541-4244
The Blue Voodoo is out to put a hex on the Lower Mainland.
What else can you conclude, when the band's publicity lists 'voodoo magic' as a double (extra talent) for each of the members?
There's nothing sinister about it, according to band member Ted Tosoff (vocals/guitars).
"We try to really have fun and be accessible," he said.
"We talk to people in clubs. I've been in other bands where people don't talk to you because they think you're too pretentious or something."
The group, which started out just two years ago, has been playing a variety of venues including Vancouver's The Side Door, The Yale and Firehouse Arts Centre, as well as last year's Pender Harbour Jazz Festival and the Indie 500 fan appreciation day.
Early this month, the group held a CD release party for its first effort, Ride, at Vancouver's The Green Room and in August will play for family crowds at Tlell Fall Festival in the Queen Charlotte Islands.
But it's always a popular attraction in White Rock, playing such venues as Washington Avenue Grill, where it will appear July 25 and 26 and Aug. 15 and 16, and Iguana's Aug. 1 and 2.
That may be because Tosoff grew up here, attending Earl Marriott Secondary-where he met the band's regularly featured bassist, Dan Ross.
Completing the line-up are lead guitarist Rick Dalgarno and percussionist Chris Weekes.
"I call it eclectic roots-blues rock," Tosoff said.
"When you listen to our disc, you can't say this is a lowdown blues record, or a rock record. There are lots of influences and even some fringes of world music in there."
A strong element pushing conventional limits is Weekes' percussion-he has built an unconventional kit with tambourines and other exotic instruments playing an equal role with the usual snare and bass drum.
"He also plays with his hands as well, or he'll use shakers in place of the high-hat groove role," Tosoff said.
"It's a little strange incorporating that into the blues or classic western music we do."
Another key element is Dalgarno's lead playing.
"He plays Spanish and Dobro and a lot of open chord shapes. On one song he'll play Spanish and start taking it in a world-music direction; the next minute he'll be playing down-home Dobro, or the classic six-string folk-rock sound."
The 13-song album was a long time in the works, starting in December of 2001.
"It was slow progress because all of us are working during the daytime," Tosoff said.
"Chris wrote a couple of songs, I wrote about five songs and Rick and I collaborated on a few. It's not a three-way split, but by the time it's all done there's a percentage split on all the songs.
"I believe in that because, otherwise, you can get into a situation where somebody isn't getting credit. Someone can come up with an idea or something or write a middle eight, and lots of times guys never get credited with that."
Not that The Blue Voodoo members have huge ambitions.
"We keep it at a grass-roots level. We have a sense of family more than being out to be pop stars.
"We've released a CD. We're fairly lucky in that we're getting a good rotation of rooms. And in the last few years, we've gone from playing a quarter originals and three-quarters covers to the other way around."
The band sent out 100 CDs to radio stations around the world and is getting airplay, Tosoff said.
"We're playing over in Nanaimo, we're getting played over in Ireland and down in the States.
"We're starting to get feedback from radio, a lot of good feedback from deejays. It's always interesting to get feedback from music industry guys-they're the ones with 300 different CDs sitting on their desk.
"I was talking with Terry O'Brien from SOCAN the other night and he was saying the demographic we're in is narrow, but has a wide age group-people from 18 to 80. That's true when we're playing out somewhere like the WAG or Iguana's-we get a pretty good cross section of people."
Those interested in buying or listening to The Blue Voodoo's Ride can find it at White Rock's The Tunbridge Well.
Web site information on upcoming dates can be found at thebluevoodoo.freehosting.net and a new Web site, thebluevoodoo.com, is on the way.
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© Copyright 2003 Peace Arch News





- ALEX BROWNE

http://www.cosmik.com/aaa-debris/reviews/040326_review_blue_voodoo.html
The Blue Voodoo hail from the Delta area near Vancouver, British Columbia, but they've got the acoustic blues of the Mississippi Delta in their blood. The Canadian blues community has been under this quartet's spell, and has honored Blue Voodoo with a nomination as the Best New Artist or Group of the Year at the 2004 Maple Blues Awards hosted by the Toronto Blues Society. While the Rockit 88 band won, Blue Voodoo have garnered quite a following throughout Canada and the Northwestern US. They were also selected as the principal entertainer for Joni Mitchell's 60th birthday celebration at the Ruby Lake Resort, on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast. Sample "Roberts Blues" online at www.thebluevoodoo.com and you'll get a feel for this quartet and its passion for acoustic music. Take a Ride with Blue Voodoo - it's an outstanding debut roots record that should be on a big record label. - Cosmik Debris