Karen and Bill's
House Concerts
2016-10-23
Oliver Swain & Friends
Like his name, Oliver Swain is something of a throwback, or at least something out of the ordinary: an old-timey troubadour, a wandering musician who tells stories and pulls you in with a lopsided smile, a pure, fine voice, an astonishing range and compelling skill on the banjo and stand-up bass. In high school, at the height of the grunge era, he was unapologetically collecting wax record cylinders and claiming Robert Johnson as his favourite musician. He has earned his stripes as a veteran folk musician playing with notable folk and bluegrass beloveds from the Bill Hilly Band (now The Bills) and Outlaw Social, to Scruj MacDuhk and Ruth Moody.
Adept on multiple instruments—his banjo-fied rendition of I’m on Fire will break your heart— Swain is an absolute genius when he and his bass are in step, pas de deux. Whether solo or as part of a band, he uses his incredible vocal range to undeniable effect, teasing out nuance and unsuspected ache in the lyrics of his songs. But even alone with just his bass, Swain is an enthralling musical presence. With his most recent release, Tower of Song—In City and In Forest, a creative tribute to Leonard Cohen, he continues his undeniable contributions to the canon of Canadian folk music.
Jeremy Penner
Jeremy started out playing Suzuki Classical Violin at age 4, but quit at the age of 12 when the regular games of "kick-the-can" played outside in the street became too irresistible. However, Jeremy got back into making music again at age 15, when jamming Jimi Hendrix tunes with newly-made friends in High School seemed like a lot of fun. At age 16, Jeremy met Leonard Podolak at a warehouse party, and together with a few others started the Celtic and old-time influenced band "Scruj MacDuhk".
Following the break-up of "Scruj", in 2002 Jeremy helped form a fun but short-lived side-project called "Moody Penner and Swain" with two former members of Scruj MacDuhk, Oliver Swain and Ruth Moody. Following the end of "MPS", in 2003 Jeremy joined the Victoria, BC, Canada based Folk Group "The Bills". With The Bills, Jeremy played on the Juno-nominated album "Let'Em Run" as well as toured all over North America, England, Scotland, and Denmark. In the spring of 2005, however, Jeremy decided to leave the band to pursue other interest.
Adam Dobres
Canadian born Adam Dobres is a natural born guitarist with a sensitive ability to embody any style of music. His love of the guitar began at 12 years of age, when his father brought home a guitar from the local thrift shop. Adam took to the guitar like a duck to water. Although he is classically trained, Adam thrives in exploring any style of music his heart desires. Adam is like a guitar chameleon- he fully embodies the energy and spirit of whatever music he playing.
With a new taste for experimenting with his personal style and thriving on touring, Adam embarked on living his dream. From playing Celtic music with some of Canada’s finest fiddle players including Daniel Lapp and Pierre Schryer, Adam has branched out to Pop Rock with Toni Childs, Bluegrass, Old Time string music, Jazz, Klezmer, Rock and Roll and to jamming with other musicians playing exotic instruments such as the Sitar, Turkish Lira and African Kora. Adam has toured the world with many different projects including touring North America with Old Time string band Outlaw Social and supported Kendel Carson on her European tour. Adam has also toured with Beat-Poet Cowboy Ridley Bent and recorded on his two albums (one which won 7 BCCMA awards). More recently, from 2007-2011 Adam has been recording and touring extensively with Emmy winner and two time Grammy nominee, singer Toni Childs. On one tour with Toni Childs, they opened for the legendary Jackson Browne. Adam was also part of The Dustin Bentall outfit where they performed as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics and supported Blue Rodeo on their 2010 Canadian tour.