Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

One kick-butt Double-bill with 2 amazing musicians!

Wil
CR Avery

Thursday, November 3, 2011
Upstairs Cabaret
1127 Wharf St., Victoria BC
Doors 8:00pm - Show 9:00 "Earlier Show"
Tickets: $15.00 + service charge
Available at: Online at http:///www.hightideconcerts.net,
Lyle's Place 770 Yates St., (250) 382-8422& Ditch Records 784 Fort St. (250) 386-5874

Wil website: http://www.ibreakstrings.com/
C.R. Avery website: http://www.cravery.com/

WIL
Wil was born to parents who were both musically proficient. On Friday nights he would sit and listen while his parents played and sung along to the old crooners and guitar legends such as Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins and Hank Williams.

By the age of 13 he was seriously refining and defining his playing style unknowingly blending his love of "old school country" with new diverse punk and alternative rock influences. He subsequently landed his first paying gig in 1992 and spent a number of years honing his musicianship while finding his true voice.

In 2001, Wil wrote his first album "Both Hands" selling over 6000 copies off stage subsequently allowing him to tour with artists such as Colin James, Matthew Good, Joel Plaskett Emergency and Xavier Rudd among others as well earning him 4 nominations at the 2005 WCMA’s including producer and “entertainer of the Year”. The CD has since gone on to sell over 16,000 copies.

For Wil’s sophomore release titled By December he collaborated melodically with some of Canada's most respected musicians; producer and multi-instrumentalist Dave MacKinnon (FemBots), " 54-40's Neil Osborne and Broken Social Scene's Jason Collett among others. In October 2008, Big Life a beautiful track from Wil’s last studio album, By December was featured in a pivotal hospital scene in the ABC TV series, Eli Stone (Johnny Lee Miller).

Wil was recently featured in a White Iron Films, Rosie Award-winning documentary entitled, Music Is The Message: Wil, which detailed Wil’s ongoing journey within music. The doc was aired on MuchMoreMusic in September and scooped three awards at the recent ‘Rosies’, including best Best Music or Variety Show.

Wil spent the winter of 2009 at home on Vancouver Island writing the songs for the 2010 release, “In This Together”. These songs made the journey from Wil’s home in the woods to his management’s studio space in Calgary before hopping the border to be fully realized in the recording studio. Wil says, “The recording process…has given me the opportunity to work with a wonderful collective of people; open, honest and loving people who are involved for the sheer love of music and art. The song "Baby Baby", which made its way to a host of college stations across Canada, is a metaphor of infant dependency to a girlfriend whose drug and alcohol abuse is destroying the love relationshipof her life. Wil admits "I loves writing about the darker things in life-songs about "baskets of kittens" don't interest me" he says. Life is about hardship and beauty all at once and I like to explore these topics in my songs.

After touring the album Wil went home and spent the fall and winter writing songs for a new album as well as honing his talent for creating music for film. The result comes by way of a new album titled “Heart of Mine” as well as landing a host of commercial work in both Canada and USA.
"Heart of Mine" contains 9 tracks written entirely by Wil then recorded/produced in a small Victoria studio with the help of his drummer, producer/engineer, Jason Cook. Those who have heard it feel it is his best work to date, honest and raw; if one were to label it, roots/rock or indie roots; this is a studio album yet it manages to defiantly capture the energy of Wils famous live performances.

Wil is and will remain, the consummate touring musician, developing his expansive roots-rock sound and world-weary lyricism while building a dedicated following for his famously intense live shows. Wil has always preferred to play live either solo or with “just a drummer”. He says that freedom allows him to immerse himself onstage utterly and completely. One such performance was written up by the Calgary Sun as having so much "power and soul it could stop your heart."

Watch this video : Wil - "Heart of Mine" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqclUFOjaNw&feature=share

Website- www.ibreakstrings.com
Myspace- www.myspace.com/wilibreakstrings
Facebook- www.facebook.com/pages/Wil/13504171698


CR AVERY
C.R. Avery is a one man hip hop beatbox blues harmonica americana iconoclast: musical guest (Be Good Tanyas, Po Girl); group member (Tons Of Fun University), songwriter (Jolie Holland); playwright, and poet (the
international slam poetry circuit).

Tom Waits is a fan and brought C.R. up to perform on stage with him in Germany. If Lawrence Ferlinghetti could
play harmonica like Little Walter, you'd have an idea of what a groundbreaking piece of work this is and the genre busting audio statement that defines Magic Hour Sailor Songs.

C.R. Avery is a musicians' musician. He is admired by and has performed with Tom Waits, Ani DiFranco, Utah
Phillips, Sage Francis and others.

This is his new solo album and we're proud to bring him to a wider audience. Whether playing in front of
thousands on the folk festivel circut or in a small cafe in Berlin or Edinburgh, C.R. Avery is a unique and
electrifying performer. He simultaneously beatboxes, sings, plays harmonica and a Herbie Hancock 80s style red
rocket keytar. Having drawn from a well of influences, C.R. is to hip-hop what Jimmy Reed was to Chicago blues;
a one man traveling troubadour - but he is one for these modern times.

C.R.'s lyrical skills and vocal delivery have brought him to the forefront of the international spoken word scene.
He is a past winner of the CBC national Poetry Face-Off. Scratchy, smoky, beaten by years of cigarettes and off-
mike shouting in cabarets all over the world, C.R. Avery's voice is instantly identifiable.

C.R's lyrics come from his slam poetry pieces, honed by the merciless, sudden death, one-victor-and-all- others-
cast-aside competitive nature of the slam world. As such, having been performed in front of an audience that
demands both intellectual clarity and visceral honesty, competing against the very best work of the very best
poets, his pieces are crafted to a necessary perfection.

Magic Hour Sailor Songs is an elegiac poetic tour de force, bending and criss-crossing genres; there's astring quartet, an all female jazz choir and the best out there jazz & classical musicans - creating something rarely seenthese days; a genuinely powerful artistic work.