What: The Sheepdogs with Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs
When: Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 13 and 14, 8 p.m. (Wednesday is sold out)
Where: Capital Ballroom (formerly Sugar), 858 Yates St.
Tickets: $32.50 at Lyle鈥檚 Place and
Note: The Sheepdogs also perform on Monday at the Tidemark Theatre in Campbell River
The Sheepdogs are experimenting with putting their boogie-rock on the back burner temporarily, favouring a widescreen sound on the band鈥檚 new album, Changing Colours.
鈥淎t this stage in our career, I鈥檓 not as concerned about getting that radio hit,鈥� singer-guitarist Ewan Currie said in an interview with the Vancouver Sun.
鈥淲ith more than that hit-riff in mind, I can dig into the harmonies more, into the guitar interplay and, overall, find more subtlety.鈥�
The band will perform three shows on Vancouver Island next week to promote the recording, which came out on Feb. 2.
Following a show on Monday in Campbell River, the first of 28 dates on a cross-sa国际传媒 itinerary, the Sheepdogs will settle into the Garden City for gigs on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Capital Ballroom, the latter of which sold out months ago.
Success in Victoria is nothing new for the band. Currie and his bandmates 鈥� bassist Ryan Gullen, drummer Sam Corbett, keyboardist Shamus Currie and guitarist Jimmy Bowskill 鈥� have been tearing up stages in these parts since 2007.
But while keyboards play a bigger role these days, that shouldn鈥檛 suggest the group from Saskatoon has abandoned the unbridled rock of hits I Don鈥檛 Know, The Way It Is and Feeling Good.
鈥淚t鈥檚 no secret that we鈥檙e pretty into the esthetics of the music of the 鈥�60s and 鈥�70s,鈥� Currie said.
With proficient new member Bowskill on board for album No. 6, an influx of instruments has opened new sonic highways for the five-piece group, putting some distance between Changing Colours and its predecessor, 2015鈥檚 Future Nostalgia. A sign of more things to come, perhaps?
鈥淲e identify strongly with rock 鈥檔鈥� roll, but there鈥檚 definitely some branching out,鈥� Currie said. 鈥淭he sounds we use on this 鈥� it鈥檚 still rock 鈥檔鈥� roll, but there are more colours.鈥�
