Toronto Experimental Artists

TEA Volume 14 artist Sean Peori has made a musical journey that spans the country.  Born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to a family of Italian immigrant coal miners, Sean and his family moved to Deep River, Ontario when he was eight.  It was while growing up in Deep River that he discovered a passion for songwriting that he could not ignore. Sean moved to Salt Spring Island BC and started performing in Vancouver and throughout the islands. It wasn’t long before his unique and powerful voice and songs caught the attention of Canadian pop icons Tom Hooper of the Grapes of Wrath and Matt Johnson of 54-40.  Sean recorded in Tom’s studio, meeting engineer Andy Bowmer, (Randy Bachman, Harry Manx, The Guess Who) along the way.  The songs that resulted from these sessions caught the attention of Deep River native Malcolm Burn, a Grammy Award winning producer (Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Blue Rodeo, Daniel Lanois).

In 2006 Malcolm opened his New York home studio to Sean for a weeklong recording session. Sean’s beautiful songs took on new depth and colour as Australian pop sensation Sandrine and Malcolm himself added background vocals and instrumentation.

Later that year, Sean came full circle as he made his way back to Nova Scotia where he chanced upon a vibrant musical community in the Annapolis Valley. Coincidently, Sean discovered that Andy Bowmer had moved there too, and was eager to get started on a project he could put his heart into. Sean has recently been featured on TEA Volume 14, Indie Love Radio, FM 102X song of the day, and CBC radio 3 breaking new sound. Sean’s new CD, Find Our Place, is now available.

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Phillip Hong
March 23, 2010

An emotional, intense journey

It's definitely a very special experience when one becomes a musician, and for Sean Peori, it is also an exciting journey that has taken him to quite a few places within this country, working with dedicated people who have been associated with big names such as Randy Bachman, Bob Dylan, and Blue Rodeo.

This is the sort of music that is built to be enjoyed by a wide audience, and it's due to a creativity that is the result of bearing one's soul - and this artist easily shows his identity through musical means.

With plenty of emotions and elements that easily reflect him, Sean makes his tracks an extension of who he is as a person, and this journey is quite pleasurable to hear as a result.

PHIL: You have had an interesting journey in regards to getting into music. What really sparked your interest in this field?

SEAN: Melody and groove, originally anyway. I can remember my parents playing bands like the Doors and The Beatles on vinyl. The way sounds and rhythm made me feel was incredible. Like a giant surge of energy and emotion. I would dance around the room singing along with the songs, it was like a release. Next, in adolescence, it was the attitude and style. It gave me someone to be, an identity. Standing behind the mic on stage with a guitar in hand felt like the right place to be. The audience was my muse and had the opportunity to affect how they felt and thought, I liked that.

Then it was songwriting. I absolutely fell in love with the creative process, the craft of song. It became a mission, a continuing mission, to create great original melodies, arrangements and grooves. My songs caught the attention of Tom Hooper (The Grapes Of Wrath) and Matt Johnson (54-40) when I began to perform on the West Coast.

Their guidance gave me the fuel I needed to keep working as a musician, even though it wasn't paying the bills. I recorded a CD with Tom which sparked the interest of Grammy award winning producer Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmy Lou Harris). I ended up recording a new CD at Malcolm's home studio in Kingston, NY. This was great incentive to stay on the path of music.

PHIL: Your music has been described as "beautiful" and full of depth and colour. Would you say that your tracks paint a picture for curious minds?

SEAN: I have always loved music that affects me emotionally. Naturally this has led me to try and create music that takes the listener on a journey or stirs something inside of them. I do believe my music paints a picture for the listener.

PHIL: Tell me about your latest release, "Find Our Place". What should we expect in this vivid creation?

SEAN: You can expect a collection of intense heartfelt songs. I put a lot of my soul into my songwriting and I believe we have captured this on Find Our Place. The album was produced and engineered by Andy Bowmer (Randy Bachman, Harry Manx). Andy was emotionally invested in the project. He loved the songs and really wanted to capture the essence of each one. Also, the musicianship on this album is fantastic.

Read the rest of this interview at Fab Indie

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TEA Volume 14 artist Jon Bone Jon has his musical roots on the West Coast of Canada where he’s been writing and performing for over 10 years. In 2003 he enrolled in the Jazz Performance Program at Vancouver Island University and during those few years of disciplined training he recruited musicians for the band project he’d envisioned while performing steadily around the Island. In 2007 he had the good fortune of befriending Juno nominated reggae artist IBO, who invited Jon to play on his“Sweet Like A Sugar” tour with Jamaican dancehall artist Culture Brown. This deepened Bone’s appreciation for Island rhythms.

Shortly after the tour, IBO was in a serious car accident that hospitalized him for a year. This tragic event profoundly effected Jon and lead him to take his life and music even more seriously. With IBO still in recovery, Jon launched his band project, The Karuna Movement, with a sold out show in Nanaimo. Karuna means Compassion. The next day he headed into the studio with Juno nominated producer/engineer Rick Salt and began production on his debut album entitled, “The Power of Music”.  A few years later and Jon has produced a top notch EP, toured throughout Western Canada, performed at several major festivals (including Calgary Reggae Festival and a headlining slot at Islands Folk Festival), and enjoyed radio play on stations all across Canada including WOLF, CHLY, VIBE, CJSW, FOX and CBC. He is currently polishing up his band album and completing preproduction on a solo acoustic/reggae/pop album. Keep your eye on this guy!!!

“Jon Bone delivers a captivating stage presence with a rich and soulful voice that, reminiscent of inspirational artists like Bob Marley and John Lennon, sings of love, equality, social justice, and a peaceful state of being.“
-Aaron Bethune of PlayItLoudMusic

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