Victoria-based folk trio Jon Middleton, Roy Vizer and Louis Sadava of Jon and Roy bring their newly released album Let it Go to the free Revelstoke Street Festival in Grizzly Plaza this Saturday, July 7.
Jon & Roy are one of the higher-profile acts to play the festival in July. Their new album Let It Go features mellow, relaxed hybrid of indie folk, reggae and Afro-pop.
Guitarist and singer Jon Middleton says compared to their past recordings, the new album is more stripped-down and focused on their live show.
“We don’t always want to do the same thing in the studio, for one thing,” Middleton said. “I think our live sound has always been a little bit different than our recorded stuff. We tended to be a little more precise and painstaking over getting things like we want them to be.”
Let it Go is named so because they stepped back from perfectionism in favour of flow. The album is well-suited to a sunny outdoor venue (hope, plead and pray for that, Revelstoke). Their folk synthesis is a muted hybrid of genres, packaged into a positive blend that connects with a broad audience.
“We definitely wanted to focus on the same energy we bring to a live performance, which is a lot more upbeat and energetic,” Middleton said of Let it Go. “We’re trying to play music that hopefully makes people feel good and connects with people”
Although the recordings aren’t as complex, the style remains consistent with their past efforts since the band formed nearly a decade ago. “We’ve never wanted to be trying to copy another style. We try to do a bit of our own thing as much as possible. I think our style has been similar across the different albums,” Middleton said.
It should be a diverse crowd, and one of the bigger ones this month; Jon and Roy get airtime on a broad radio range, from adult contemporary radio, CBC Radio 3 – a sign of their broad appeal.
Jon and Roy play on Saturday, July 7, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Grizzly Plaza as part of the Revelstoke Arts Council’s free Summer Street Festival.