Bozzini’s continues their Spring Blues series with the Chilliwack debut of Ottawa’s Wicked Grin performing as a trio on April 4.
Reviewers have described this Maple Blues Award-winning band as stripped-down, hellaciously rockin’ new blues with the distinctive voice and guitar-work of Murray Kinsley, awesome harmonica, and a rhythm section that swings with reckless, casual precision (Leigh-Anne Stanton on bass and Bruce Saunders on drums).
Based in Ottawa, Canada, the band brings their innovative original blues to venues and festivals across Canada, the U.S., England, and Germany.
Stanton has been nominated as 2018 Maple Blues Awards Bassist of the Year, and the act was a semi-finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, January 2019.
Wicked Grin’s latest album Murder Creek, released October 2018, has earned widespread industry acclaim and was a semi-finalist for the 2019 IBC Best Self-Produced CD Award.
Although the individual members of Wicked Grin have been playing the blues for a long time, they didn’t get major recognition until 2013 when they released their debut album Shame On Me. It helped win them the Maple Blues Award for Best New Group that year and they’ve gone on to receive another MBA since then as well. Blues Underground Network named that CD – and their second one Stormy Water released in 2015 – as Blues Rock Albums of the Year.
Kinsley and Stanton have travelled to Europe and across North America regularly since then – sometimes accompanied by the full band, sometimes backing Tas’ Cru’ and sometimes as a duo but wherever they play they attract a whole bunch of new fans.
If you love good ole roll up your sleeves, rockin’ blues then this is a show you don’t want to miss.
Wicked Grin performs Thursday, April 4 at Bozzini’s Upstairs Lounge at 8 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.). Tickets $20 available at Bozzini’s or call 604-792-0744 to reserve.