A band as strong as a jungle primate wants to wrap its world-beat arms around the Prince George audience tonight.
Compassion Gorilla is a veteran Victoria band up in the Cariboo and Central Interior for a set of appearances, including our city's Legion stage. They were in Wells and Quesnel earlier in the week especially for the Northern Exposure conference and festival. Tonight, they are here with us.
Their brand new album Coalesce has just been released.
It's their third studio package.
A statement from Compassion Gorilla described the new disc as "a unique interpretation of diverse and worldly musical styles, weaving together earthy and folkloric sounds with sophisticated and punchy modern sensibility."
It's an atmosphere they have been working with for their entire career as a band. They have had lineup changes, reveled in interesting collaborations and been informed by wide travel, but for almost a decade Compassion Gorilla has continually moved forward.
"Latin rhythms anchor the album in a steady, infectious groove, forming a bed for punchy brass harmonies, socially conscious lyrics, and rolling dub-delay effects," said the band. "The warm, rootsy production style is reminiscent of an older age of recording, giving it a simple and concise sound."
There is some feature cello, some horn riffs, some Balkan jazz in 5/4 time, some psychedelic conjurings, and much more out of their collective musical interests and backgrounds.
Opening the proceedings tonight will be singer-songwriter Samantha Scott who is well known to audiences in the region. She is usually stationed at Dawson Creek but frequently travels the local roads and highways with guitar at the ready.
Doors open tonight at the Legion at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
