After touring through Germany and the UK, Winnipeg band Yes We Mystic are excited to return home. “Touring Western Canada is our favorite because that’s what’s familiar to us. It’s where we started,” Adam Fuhr, lead vocalist and guitarist, said.
The band have made a dynamic statement with their latest effort, Forgiver. Prior to the album’s release, they ran an interesting campaign in 10 different cities. They put up posters asking people to text the answer to “What have you been unable to forgive?” to a number on the poster, along with their album heading scrawled across the poster.
It was brilliant brand marketing on their part, allowing them to connect with people on a broadly relatable subject and introducing the public to their folk-tinged indie style.
They certainly made Canada Day especially rad for Vancouverites who saw them live at the Biltmore Cabaret, bringing forth an exceptional live performance. I have never heard such a seamless transition from recorded to live sound.
The passionate and intense way each of the band members performed completely captivated the crowd, who were unable to keep from swaying to the music. The only way I can describe the energy of the band on the cavernous stage of the Biltmore Cabaret is that it was as though each member was literally throwing themselves into their instruments.
My favourite moment was when keyboardist Jodi Plenert played an intense verse on the cello, then actually threw aside her bow in order to play the notes on the keyboard just in time.
The album, which plays on the theme of betrayal and forgiveness, made for a beautiful, nostalgic, and orchestral set. Combined with a couple of rock covers, the concert met every expectation in the crowd.
Fuhr and Keegan Steele collaborate in creating the songs, typically with Fuhr composing the music and Steele writing the words. “For inspiration we draw from things we like just as most musicians do, but we also try to draw from things we don’t like,” Fuhr explained. “For example, we’ll try to take a sound that is off-putting or has become a cliché over the years and use what was once good about it to make something fresh and new.”
It is clear that Yes We Mystic have come a long way since their start and has a really great team of dedicated musicians. “Keegan and I were in another band in high school and it was a mess but lots of fun,” Fuhr said. “When the band broke up in a very dramatic and high school way, we decided we weren’t ready to quit music just yet.”
