Current Swell back on the road and in Ottawa Friday May 6

After two years, West Coast indie rockers are heading East on a month-long tour.

I’ve spent some time in beautiful Victoria on Vancouver Island, and one thing that has struck me is that it’s like a mini version of Ottawa. And yes, I realize Ottawa isn’t that big a city. But take all the best aspects of the nation’s capital city and condense them into a smaller version– flush with culture, arts, and a healthy local music scene – then add gorgeous mountain scapes and ocean views, and you have Victoria! Hailing from that part of the country, Current Swell, a 6-piece indie folk-rock band with seven albums to their name, is hitting the road at long last.

The tour kicks off at The Mansion in Kingston on May 5, stops in Ottawa on Friday, May 6, and then follows with stops in southern Ontario, parts of Quebec, and northeast U.S.A. Current Swell will be bringing some new tunes to the road that they’ve been working on the past few years, as well as playing hits from their latest full-length, Buffalo, among other favourites.

On this tour, you will see Scott Stanton (vocals, guitar), Louis Sadava (bass, vocals), Marcus Manhas (drums), Phil Hamelin (trumpet and keys), Dave St Jean (trombone), and their good friend Jesse Roper touring with them for the first time on guitar and vocals.

If you aren’t familiar with Current Swell, they’re a self-described rocking bluesy indie folk band “with an afternoon of west coast sunshine.”  At their live show, you can expect a fun, high-energy party where everyone will dance and sing, then go home feeling good. They tell me that they’re chock full of energy and love and so happy and grateful to get back to some of their favorite places to see their favorite people and play a mix of old and new songs.

When asked how they spent the last two years, they said they cannot wait to get out to play music in front of people again! The last couple of years have given them time to create a lot of new material, which they will be putting together into a new album sometime soon. Touring – basically jamming together every day – will help them play around with some new ideas and finetune the new songs. In a recent conversation, they told me that rehearsals have been so much fun, and seeing their tunes translate to the stage will be interesting after so long. Their excitement is “swelling,” so to speak, higher than ever.

While on tour, they’ll miss their families, but they love playing the shows and eating foods from different locations across the continent. They are most definitely looking forward to eating Shawarmas when they’re in Ottawa!

Another tidbit I’ve learned is that one of them is a budding comedian! Scott has been running some of his stand-up comedy bits at band practice keeping everyone entertained in between songs.

Current Swell appear at The Observatory at Algonquin College (1385 Woodroffe Avenue, Building A, Room A-170) on Friday, May 6 at 8:30 pm (Doors 8 pm).  Tickets are $20 plus fees and are available here: https://www.ticketweb.ca/event/current-swell-the-observatory-tickets/11602405?pl=spectrasonic&refid=CS

The show will be licenced. Ages 19+ with photo ID.  This SpectraSonic event is co-presented by the Algonquin Students Association with the support of Ontario Creates.

Photo: Current Swell