WHO: Mazinaw
WHERE: Garfinkel’s
WHEN: Feb. 20
They’re "coming to get the rock out!"
Stevo and the boys from Mazinaw are back in town. The three-man band is making the trip from Vancouver to bring their experimental alternative-pop sound back to where it all began.
Frontman, Steve Wright was a solo player on the very young Whistler music scene between 1992 and 1994. It was here that he became known for his loud and passionate acoustic sound, developed a taste for the music lifestyle and gave a leg-up to what has become one of the resort’s most popular bands.
"I used to play Garf’s every Monday and Tuesday, it was a really gruelling shift, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. It was really aggressive, really loud. It was fun… I started Brandy’s at The Keg, which they don’t do anymore, but we just rolled in our stuff one night and said ‘we’ll bring our friends, they drink a lot, trust us.’ Those turned out to great nights… I helped Pete and Chad get their first gig there."
Wright says he yearned for more than the Whistler club scene could offer, so he packed his guitar and headed to Vancouver. He waited patiently in the city until he found the right mix of musicians to put together Mazinaw and their first CD, Living with Murphy .
Members have shifted slightly since the band’s inception. Matt Brain, also of The Grapes of Wrath, has remained steady on the drums since ’97, but bass player Ryen Froggatt is a new addition.
"We’re just a three-piece now, which is a little different than what the CD suggests. There’s a little cello and accordion on there… our music is (now) a little edgier, I play more lead guitar, we’re just rockin’ out more."
Wright says new material has been written and they’re just about ready to head back into the studio.
He adds the trio isn’t as concerned about their popularity in the bar scene these days as they are about turning out music they can be proud of in 10 years.
But for now Stevo’s anxious to return to Garf’s and belt out his stuff for Mazinaw faithfuls and first-timers.
