Brasstronaut Blow Their Own Horn at Canadian Music Fest

Just prior to rising Vancouver act Brasstronaut's Canadian Music Week / Canadian Music Fest showcase at the Drake Hotel, a bearded hippie dude ambled up to ask if the band had played yet, relief written all over his face when told they were yet to play. The fellow stood out amongst the overdressed masses at the venue -- but it's perhaps not surprising Brasstronaut attracts both jam-band fans and indie-rockers alike since their sound blends both genres in a way that satisfies both camps.

Their sound was all the more interesting sandwiched between an odd assortment of acts at the showcase for booking agency Paquin Entertainment -- Brasstronaut's set followed one by country-folk combo Ladies of the Canyon (think Canada's answer to the Dixie Chicks) which made for a rather disjointed evening.

Luckily, Brasstronaut's tight performance proved one of the highlights as the six-piece showed off serious jazz chops on their various instruments and were ably led by frontman Edo Van Breeman on vocals and keys.

Playing selections from their recently released debut album, 'Mt. Chimera,' the group demonstrated an effortlessness that belied their complex musicianship. Band members grinned at each other when they hit a particularly deep groove or the whole unit built up towards a major crescendo.

The mop-topped Van Breeman is an appealing frontman, with an unshowy but warm voice that suits the jazzier side of Brasstronaut's sound. Kudos also to the monster rhythm section of John Walsh and Brennan Saul, who built up an almost club-like beat on album highlight 'Hand Behind.'

But it's the brass in Brasstronaut that sets this combo apart from other indie-rock bands that dabble in jamming out -- after all, when's the last time you saw clarinet in the clubs? Or, for that matter, an "EWI" (electronic wind instrument), a kind of wind synthesizer, both nicely played by Sam Davidson, whose lighter sounds were complemented by Bryan Davies on trumpet and flugel horn. The pair took their cues from the rhythm, adding blasts of brass or filling in the quieter spaces with nuanced melodies, drawing on everything from Latin influences to even a bit of klezmer-like exuberance during one tune.

Another unique element of the band's sound is Van Breeman's introspective lyrics, which tend towards the melancholy singer-songwriter side of the spectrum -- it's perhaps no wonder the group lists artists like Bon Iver and Peter Gabriel as inspirations alongside Miles Davis and Daft Punk -- but come off as poetic instead of mopey when set to the group's rhythmic template, adding an interesting tension to the proceedings.

While 'Mt. Chimera' distills Brasstronaut's taut indie-rock leanings with its spacier, jazzier side, their CMF set proved that the band is truly best experienced live, where it's clear how the members' prodigious talents play off each other to create an energetic, enjoyable mix.