The History of Gunpowder: Film + Music Event
Doors 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Film 7:00 pm | Music 8:15 pm
*Sorry, Rio Theatre Groupons and passes n/a for this event. All Rio Theatre Tickets are final sale. Online sales end an hour before any given showtime. Unless otherwise noted, tickets for all shows are always available for purchase at the box office on the day of the show.
*All seating is General Admission.
If that was not enough, the evening continues with live music. It is with absolute pleasure to announce that Gordon Grdina’s Haram will be gracing the Rio Theatre’s stage in a rare live performance. Haram is a critically-acclaimed large ensemble lead by Juno Award winner Gordon Grdina that blends Iraqi folk music with avant-garde improvisation. They are truly one of the most inspiring and innovative groups playing music today.To end the night, The History of Gunpowder will perform new repertoire with a 10-piece band. The History will be on a high, showcasing their new set that is tearing up the B.C festival scene. This new, expanded line up is not to be missed and is the buzz-about-town for promoters and fans alike.
Recorded during an intimate seven-day residency at the Weird Church in Cumberland BC, The History of Gunpowder pulls out all the stops to bring forth a rare showcase – shifting their style towards an acoustic sensibility; trading distortion for velvet texture and chaotic growls for deep-felt howls. The new works capitalize on the acoustic properties of the church using its famed pipe organ from the 19th century coupled with choral vocal additions to the core musicians. The result? An intimate yet behemoth work of art with deep forays into community, music and art.
The film not only presents the group’s newest, unreleased material, but weaving between these powerful live performances are video vignettes; short films acting as interludes with original soundtrack from the band. This innovative and uncommon format acts as an ode to the creative process and the community in which these songs were written and performed, with the video materials being captured throughout the week in documentarian style. The History of Gunpowder has created a truly mesmerizing, singular work of art that entices the onlooker, encapsulating the experience of being there, being part of the community, and indulging in the glorious feeling of creating sound in a graceful, cavernous space.
Critical Praise for Swallows:
Drawing rightful focus to the beauty and blissful escapism of music in its purest form, The History Of Gunpowder release a sublime and captivating long-form live series and documentary, relaying their unrivaled abilities as songwriters and musicians united amidst a common goal. Uniquely captured during an intimate seven-day residency at the Weird Church of Cumberland, BC, the live show depicts a band committed to the organic sound for a performance that feels like an extension of the human soul. (Stereo Stickman)
Juno Award winner Gordon Grdina formed Haram in 2008 as a large ensemble vehicle to interpret classic Arabic repertoire. The group started with Iraqifolk music and the great era of Egyptian radio music in which Oum Khalsoum and Farid Al Atrash reigned. It has since expanded to incorporate. The classic Sudanese and Persian repertoire. These pieces are lovingly reinterpreted with an ensemble half studied in the tradition and half in avant-garde improvisation. This blend of traditions is what gives Haram its unique sound.
A staple of the Canadian live scene, The History of Gunpowder is devoted to constantly pushing the envelope on stage and in the studio and has built a community around them that consists of some of the best musicians in Canada. The group has garnered an exciting international presence through their unique compositions and gritty vocals with fan bases worldwide who are entranced by their ambitious take of the musical arts, which is always expanding and reaching new (and often chaotic) heights.
Critical praise for The History of Gunpowder:
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