Bananafish Dance Orchestra and the Ponderosas

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Saturday, January 25th, 2014

Bananafish is a 8-piece powerhouse groove sensation!!Members of the Bananafish Dance Orchestra met while studying jazz at Vancouver Island University. They combined their music education with a love of dance Music�jazz to hip-hop, reggae to soul, latin rock to ska�and grew into an on-stage powerhouse, well armed with talented soloists, percussion jams, freestyle specialists, and even trumpet on trumpet battles!

With a 3-piece horn section and a 5-piece rhythm section, the music starts playing and the dancing never stops. With sets at Festivals in B.C. including Vancouver Island Music Fest and Skafest in Victoria the band has a tasty, refreshing,and very energetic stage presence.

The PONDEROSAS take soul, funk, reggae and R&B and blend it into a unique sound that is truly their own. Described as �world-pop-party-fusion�, these dynamic performers have been setting dance floors at clubs and festivals on fire with their contagious grooves and sweet soulful melodies.

Singer-songwriters Janette King and Kristie McCracken founded The Ponderosas in 2009, after meeting at a tree-planting summer job (hence the arboreal reference in the band name). Over the next 4 years the band grew from its acoustic-soul roots to the current 8-piece lineup, and has become a fixture in the Vancouver scene, playing alongside artists including The Boom Booms, Daniel Wesley, Dawn Pemberton, and Natural Flavas.

Ponderosas� members have played salsa, jazz and Caribbean festivals throughout BC and they are currently completing their first full-length album, which they will be touring to support this summer. Influences include R&B artists Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse, reggae and ska acts like the Cat Empire and Katchafire, and several other contemporary soul and world-fusion artists. With themes of love, longing, the environment and the changing tapestry of our culture, the Ponderosas� music will move you lyrically as well as rhythmically.

�Shiny happy people will be all over the bright horns, straight-from-Cuba percussion, and jazzed-up sex-cool vocals. The playing is almost crazily professional, the songs impeccably arranged, and the vibe hot enough to make you feel like you�ve stumbled into Club Med during the filming of a Havana Club commercial.� Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

�A sinfully guilty night of bilssful music starring the Ponderosas: Vancouver get ready to funk with this music, because this band practically set the stage on fire� Nicola Storey, Discorder Magazine.

Looking forward to this double bill of funky dance. Horn driven live original music. Oh yeah!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bananafish-Dance-Orchestra/137465812991777
https://www.facebook.com/ponderosas

Tickets available at Bop City, The Waverley and by phone 250 336 8322