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

Event Description

Carmanah embraces the energy of Canada’s beautiful west coast and chose its name to honour the ancient rainforest on Vancouver Island, the Carmanah Valley. Known for connecting with audiences of all ages and musical preferences, the band delivers an eclectic sound that incorporates elements of folk, funk, rock and reggae. Four-part harmonies, supported by a grooving rhythm section, fiddle playing, guitars and a lap-slide, all give Carmanah its unique and captivating sound.

According to Jonathan Williams, radio host on The Zone 91.3, Carmanah band members "curate music from the heart and perform it with such zest and passion each and every time. . . Put them in a small intimate venue and they'll have the hairs on the back of your neck stand. Put them on a Victoria Celebrates Canada Day main stage, with a fair few thousand looking on, and they'll still have the hair on the back of your neck stand."

Carmanah has shared the stage with Ziggy Marley, Said the Whale, Wake Owl, Clinton Fearon, Spirit of the West and Current Swell, among others. The band has played at numerous music festivals, including Toronto’s Canadian Music Week and Victoria’s Rifflandia Music Festival. In 2014 the band performed in Ottawa at the closing event for Canadian Olympian Clara Hughes’ cross-country bike ride in support of mental health awareness (Clara’s Big Ride).

This past spring Carmanah completed its own cross-Canada tour and while on the road released their third album, Roots. In keeping with the band’s commitment to sustainability, the journey was powered mostly by vegetable oil gathered from local restaurants along the way. The tour’s grand finale was performing for a home crowd of thousands at Victoria’s Canada Day Celebration.

Carmanah is a dedicated member of The Jellyfish Project, an environmental initiative that brings musicians and bands into schools across Canada. Through the power of music and live performance, students are drawn into the environmental conversation and encouraged to become active participants in the sustainability movement.

Increasingly known for its original songwriting and energetic delivery, Carmanah is a growing presence in the Canadian music scene.