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AGNOSTIC MOUNTAIN GOSPEL CHOIR(Calgary)Sic! : Fri, Aug.11: PJC


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PJC Presents

THE AGNOSTIC MOUNTAIN GOSPEL CHOIR

concert08.jpg

http://theagnostics.ca

with special guests

ST. EVEN    http://www.untitled.nu/folkrocks/

THE SURLY YOUNG BUCKS   

http://www.myspace.com/thesurlyyoungbucks/

Friday, August 11th.

@ The Pepper Jack Cafe

38 King William St. Hamilton

www.pepperjackcafe.com

$6!,  10pm!

Biography

Bob Keelaghan

    guitars and vocals

Judd Palmer

    vocals, banjo, guitar and harmonica

Vlad Sobolewski

    upright bass

Jay Woolley

    drums and percussion

Rare is the band that can captivate both punk rock kids and folk music fans. Rare still is a band that can do this by playing a ferocious combination of traditional blues, Appalachian folk, and ragged gospel. But The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir does just that.

Formed from the ashes of several wildly divergent Calgary bands, the Agnostics began creating their strange brew just three years ago. Featuring Judd Palmer on vocals, banjo, and harmonica and Vladimir Sobolewski on stand-up bass (both of whom were members of the now defunct Great Uncle Bull), guitarist/vocalist Bob Keelaghan (formerly of the Puritans), and drummer Jay Woolley (a man who has played with so many bands it would take this entire program to list them all), the group claims they were "founded in an effort to forge a kind of gospel for the unbeliever." To judge by their performances, they have succeeded and then some.

The intimacy and power of their live show leaves usually noisy clubs rapt with attention. Between Palmer's unholy harmonica playing and the from-the-pit-of-his-stomach vocal delivery, and Keelaghan's dizzying guitar work, the band commands their audience's attention with ease. The songs sound as though they have been squeezed through the ages, from the deep South by way of Chicago blues, and there are no gimmicks or artifice to get in the way. The Agnostics have remained untouched by the trend in roots music traditionalism, as it seems everybody else is simply finding places the Agnostics have already been. Instead, the band remains focused squarely on celebrating the various styles they have forged into one uncompromising sound.

The Agnostics' power is accompanied with an obvious respect for the styles the quartet explores in their music. While their sets are good natured and punctuated with humour, there is no kitsch about what they do. The honesty comes out in their original music, which could only sound more authentic if it were accompanied by the pops and crackles of old vinyl. While modern recording technology hardly affords the luxury of such character, this band has gone for the next best thing, opting for a recording [st. Hubert] that features entirely live performances, straight off the floor with no studio gimmickry or technology to help them out. It is yet another extension of the band's ethic, and the music suffers nothing from this simple approach.

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The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir are also playing the Blues Brews and Bb-q's (August 11-13) in K-town opening the mainstage on Sunday at high noon. As well they are doing a workshop at the boathouse (Victoria Park) @ 2:30 - Bluegrass Blues!!

Thought i'd drop this for the folks in K-town.

Definitely lookin forward to the workshop and hearing these guys do there thing.

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