If, as Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” a collection of West Coast wildlife may well have it made, musically.
Having turned in years of solo performances, east Vancouver’s Christopher Arruda, Surrey’s Cory Woodward and Ladysmith’s Ryan McMahon had something of an epiphany in 2012 when McMahon asked the other two if they were interested in touring together.
They were, and the result is the lion the bear the fox, which play Canmore’s Good Earth Café, Thursday (June 12).
Less than a year after forming then earning a top 20 spot in the prestigious B.C.-wide Peak Performance Project, the band released its debut EP, We’d Be Good Men. The self-produced seven-song album is steeped in character, with performances captured in bedrooms, basements, board rooms and open spaces across B.C.
The Peak Performance Project (Peak 102.7, Vancouver) was also a jumping off point for bands that have toured the Bow Valley such as Current Swell, Good for Grapes, Willhorse, The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, The River and the Road, and others.
The lion the bear the fox (LBF) are on the third leg of a tour – Freedom Tour 2.0 – in support of their passionate alt folk release We’d Be Good Men, which they’ve completed in stages.
“We’re heading to Saskatchewan and back,” said Arruda. “We’d head for Winnipeg, but that’s a lot of travel.”
As they travel in Blue Lightning, their 1994 Astro van, they’re also working on new material for a new album in spring of 2015. In the beginning, LBF played a mix of songs the trio had written as solo projects, but as time goes on, songs are melding into a harmony-fused LBF sound.
“Luckily, there are no egos at the table,” said Arruda. “We all know how the industry works and we’re three guys who work hard together. Something really beautiful happens when you’re not doing things yourself. For example, we took a song of Ryan’s and made it rock a little harder and Cory and I built some wooden stomp boxes we’ve mic’d. We used saws, even, so it was dangerous. We didn’t want to follow any instructions, but we still have all our fingers so it worked out all right.”
For larger clubs and shows, LBF hires a drummer and bass player, but for smaller venues like Good Earth, the stomp boxes add some extra bass punch to the sound. “The stomps are organic and warm and we’ve used so many stomps in our music.”
Even with studio recording, LBF doesn’t want to stray too far from its live sound, as they don’t want people at shows to be disappointed when they show up at a venue.
“It’s about finding the perfect mix of familiarity and quality music,” said Arruda. “We’re passionate about our live shows and we’ve played 70 or 80 since fall. If we get a new album out next year, we’ll be out even more, but you have to find a balance between family and touring.”
Like most indie bands, going it alone means LBF performs, does bookings and publicity and sells merchandise. They played Canadian Music Week in Toronto last year and fostered some relationships they hope will carry them forward in the future.
The lion the bear the fox also garnered attention in reaching Peak’s top 20. “That was a fantastic opportunity for us,” said Arrudal. “We had just started playing together and did two or three shows, so we got done in six months (for Peak) what would normally take two years to do.
“As three soloists, we weren’t sure how cohesive it would be, but with those judges, they tell what they think. We didn’t make the top five, but we learned a lot.
“We are lovers of songs and our focus is on writing. It’s passionate alt folk and real stompy. We don’t want to be too tied to a genre because we’re kind of all over, but we think that generally bands that do well go their own way. We do what we do and people can choose to like it or not.”
Living in three locations has its challenges, said Arruda, but band members Skype frequently and get together three or four times a month, no matter what. “We tour a lot,” he said, “so you also don’t want to spend too much time together.
“We’re looking forward to playing in Canmore. We love the mountains.”
Freedom Tour 2.0 celebrates the lion the bear the fox’s journey from three solo artists to a trio that has been described as “a musical force of nature,” in less than two years.
“When we perform, people experience three powerful, honest and soulful voices that will take them on a roller coaster ride of dynamically pleasing songs,” says Woodward. “Each one’s a journey, and we welcome everyone with open arms to dance wild, scream and sing into the night and experience one of the greatest self-made gifts we can give ourselves – pure uninhibited joy.”
