mario vaira

Mario Vaira has been up and down, over and under, and right through this county doing what he does best - playing his heart out. but that’s not to say that his career has ever gone in a straight line...

Circa 2001, Mario was heading up the well known university band Flannel Jimmy with some friends from the University of British Columbia. So adept was their band at captivating the college crowd, Macleans Magazine’s esteemed “University Issue” even mentioned them as one of the reasons that young scholars should consider UBC. Flannel Jimmy was quickly signed to Nettwerk Records and released their self-titled debut album on that label. Passionate about local issues, as well as the Canadian music scene, Mario saw to it that Flannel Jimmy was never a lazy band. They played New Music West regularly, Canadian Music Week, the BORN TO BE WILD Concert For Bjossa the killer whale, The Harmony Arts Festival, and so on. As well, Flannel Jimmy started touring with artists like Wide Mouth Mason and The Proclaimers, and shared stages with Jim Byrnes, Bocephus King, and The Be Good Tanyas. The band spent the better part of the following year on the road, and after their fourth trek across the country and stranded in Red Deer, Alberta they decided, as so many bands do, that they just weren’t going in the same direction (figuratively). Flannel Jimmy broke up.

Right away, Mario began working again with many different musicians - playing sideman one day, solo artist another, studio gun the next. With all these new musical influences in his life, Mario started to branch out into spoken word/ emcee role, and his own sound began to shift towards more of a roots/ hip hop vibe. His lyrics, harmonies and production style caught on quicky, and a number of collaborations followed, (most notably was dub-roots band MOBADASS with the members of Wide Mouth Mason). In a series of one man shows along the west coast and through to Saskatoon, he honed what has become his new, stripped down acoustic sound, playing with the likes of De La Soul, DNA, and The Greatest Thief.

Confident with his new direction, Mario feels ready to start taking his music to the masses. With the start of this new year, it's time everything up another notch with a solo release and more collaborations in the works. “It seems like the past few years have been a necessary part of the process in getting to where I am now - a place where I’m totally happy” says Mario. Starting over again, he sees his career about to come full circle, and wouldn’t have it any other way.