Music fans who want to hear a rock-and-reggae sound will have their opportunity soon at the Gold Eagle Casino.
The band Big Sugar will be performing March 4 at the casino coming off the release of a new album Calling All the Youth as well as a European and cross-Canada tour last year. The performance is part of the casino’s 20th anniversary party.
The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Gordie Johnson, bass Garry Lowe, DJ Friendlyness on the keyboards, Stephane Bodean Beaudin on drums, and Kelly “Mr. Chill” Hoppe on harmonica/sax/melodica.
Hoppe spoke to the News-Optimist by phone from Windsor, Ont., Monday, and he says the North Battleford audience will be in store for quite a show.
“It’s going to be a big rock hairy rush,” said Hoppe.
He promised a lot of songs from their new album but also some that were made famous on the radio years ago including Turn the Lights On, Diggin’ A Hole, and others.
The band started in the late 80s/early 90s, first with Johnson and a number of other band members before Lowe and Hoppe joined in the 90s. Hoppe said Johnson’s interest in reggae ran deep, going back to when he was a teenager.
The band took a hiatus from 2004-10 but since then have put out two full albums, said Hoppe.
The acoustic record was Yardstyle and included “people that we call musical friends” such as the Trews and Toronto’s rich reggae community, including Willi Williams who lives part of the year in Toronto.
“We sat around playing totally acoustic instruments, no direct input, you know, everything was miked with ambient mikes and we’re all just facing each other in a circle,” said Hoppe.
“If someone thought they played a clam then we just went right back and started making a song and playing again.”
That record was made over a couple of days in Toronto a couple of summers ago, said Hoppe, and that album was the basis of a tour that played in 45 Canadian towns in 45 days from mid-January to the end of March.
Their latest album, Calling All the Youth, was released later in 2015 and could be described as having “kind of like the classic Big Sugar sound” since the 90s, where “there’s a really great amalgam of really great reggae rhythms and really conscious lyrics,” as well as the rock sound.
The band has been “really busy the last several years” and after coming out with Calling All the Youth. The band did Canadian festivals through the summer and then opened for AC/DC in Moncton.
They then went on a five-province tour of Canada up to Dec. 1. The band Triggerfinger joined them on those stops as well. That Belgium-based band had brought Big Sugar over to Europe to perform before over the past few years, so “we returned the favour,” said Hoppe.
The band has been to Saskatchewan a number of times and Hoppe remembers the band has been to North Battleford, but more than a decade ago, just prior to their hiatus.
“As much as we like making records, we really love playing live and playing for our fans,” said Hoppe. “Over the past 20 years we’ve really developed a fan base in Canada.”
As for this year, the North Battleford performance is a prelude for what should be another busy year. Starting in late April the plan is for Big Sugar to hit the festival circuit again in Canada and a number of dates are lined up for that. Hoppe says he has his own plans to go to Belgium to play with a guitar player from Triggerfinger for some shows there during April as well.
As for doing another album, nothing is firmed up, but “I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re in the studio within a few months,” said Hoppe. “It’s just part of our DNA.”
For tickets to the Big Sugar concert at Gold Eagle Casino the number to call is 306-446-3833 or go to www.goldeaglecasino.ca for more information. Doors open at 8 p.m. on March 4 and the show begins at 9 p.m.
