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Vancouver country rock group Blue Northern will fill the spotlight through Saturday at the Harborside Villa’s Shuffles Cabaret.
Blue Northern, a young group with a new sound, features the same tight music which highlighted the 1980 Rugby Tubbers Tea Party Bathtub weekend at Civic Arena.
Lead vocalist Raymond O’Toole, who also handles the lead guitar, formed the group three years ago from the remains of the Cement City Cowboys, and two of the cuts on the group’s Extended Play album have received substantial airplay on North American stations.
Can’t Make No Sense has been Blue Northern’s top release so far, while Too Late to Turn Back is fast approaching that song in popularity.
Both songs typify the Blue Northern interpretation of country music, which features a hard-biting back beat, clear vocals and a healthy portion of good old country twang.
Other numbers on the four-song albums include Chain You Down and Missing Down.
Production of the EP, titled simply Blue Northern, was handled by Bill Cowsill.
Cowsill, who headlined the Cowsills, who became known for hits such as Hair and Indian Lake in the 60s, was a boon to the band. He was able to pull the group into a tight unit through his abilities as a producer.
Other musicians include Garry Cormeau on violin, piano and vocals, Jimmy Wilson pedal Steel, dobro, accordion keyboards and rhythm guitar, Leroy Stephens on bass and vocals and Brady Gustafson on drums.
Cowsill himself plays rhythm guitar and vocals.
Quintessence handles the group’s EP, and England’s Decca has expressed interest in distributing the record in the United Kingdom.
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