A rousing chorus from Freedom, the lead-off track from The Lion, The Bear, The Fox’s debut EP, We’d Be Good Men, is the inspiration behind the B.C. folk/rock band’s spring tour.
“When I am lost and eyes don’t see. Freedom lives around the corner from me,” the band sings.
The Lion, The Bear, The Fox is Christopher Arruda and Cory Woodward of Vancouver and Ryan McMahon of Ladysmith. The 2013 Peak Performance Project Top 20 finalists are embarking on their second Western Canadian tour since releasing We’d Be Good Men in October and they are hitting the highways and byways of B.C. and Alberta in search of freedom this month on The Freedom Tour. They just might find it in Penticton March 14 at the Dream Café.
It took Arruda, Woodward and McMahon over 30 years to find each other, but only one month to realize they were meant to join their voices as one.
In May 2012, the three men set out on tour to promote their respective solo efforts.
Over wine, campfires and nights in cheap hotel rooms and woodland cabins on a tour much like this one, an unshakeable bond began to form. They shared stories of their lives, successes and failures in the music industry and, ultimately, their dreams of what they hope to accomplish as artists.
Three big voices began to support each other during shows, and at the tour’s conclusion, they had a setlist worth of material.
They decided that something that came together so naturally simply had to be allowed to grow.
“Each man is there with the sole purpose to help lift the other’s song into a place where it wouldn’t be able to go singularly,” said McMahon. “I think folks can expect to go on a trip through many human stories and emotions. Cory, Chris and I all visit themes that I hope the audience can relate to. They’ll see three young-ish gentlemen who are all trying to be better people each day, and the stories and the struggles with that.”
By uniting three distinct, equally powerful voices and songwriting approaches, Arruda, Woodward and McMahon have stumbled onto a magic much greater than the sum of its parts.
“If people are coming to a show, they can expect three big voices joining in harmony over songs that are very honest, raw and full of emotion,” said Arruda. “They can expect an energy unique to this band and unique to watching performers who you can tell are passionate about what they’re doing.”
The Lion, The Bear, The Fox also work on a partnership with Music Heals, a Vancouver-based foundation that advocates, fundraises and creates awareness for music therapy. In October, they launched The Bandwagon Project, which aims to bring an innovative mobile recording studio to Vancouver Island for the first time. Their passion for music is most evident on stage, and the trio is quickly becoming known for their big voices and honest songs.
“When we perform, people experience three powerful, honest and soulful voices that will take them on a roller coaster ride of dynamically pleasing songs,” said Woodward. “Each one’s a journey, and we welcome everyone with open arms to dance wild, scream and sing into the night and experience one of the greatest self-made gifts we can give ourselves — pure uninhibited joy.”
They’re excited to take music fans on that journey March 14 at 8 p.m. at The Dream Café in Penticton. Tickets are $10, and tables are available starting at 6 p.m.
Call 250-490-9012 for tickets and reservations.