When the smokey opening notes of Garrett T. Willieās song āSame Painā find their way to your ears, you might think youāre hearing a blues player whoās been there, done that - paid his dues.
When he drops his deep vocal (think Tom Waits at his baritone best) into the track you might think āYep, this guyās been around.ā
So you might be surprised to learn that the Kingdom Inlet-born bluesman, is just 23-years-old.
The Toronto Star hails him as āCanadaās next big thing in down-and-dirty, classic-rockinā blues guitardom,ā
Garret T. Willie (āNamgis/Kwakwakaāwakw) is bringing his blues to Revelry Food + Music Hub on June 8, headlining Blues + Brews.
He knows the licks, the riffs, and how they feel - Howlinā Wolf, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis.
But you can hear that Willie is on a different path at the crossroads, one that winds through the classic blues and rock ānā roll he knows intimately, and one he vows to make his own.
āI think weāre providing the world with something it doesnāt have right now,ā Willie said in a media release. āItās been a long time since somebodyās done it right, or been doing it from a genuine place and not just because they admire it. I donāt wanna just be the biggest in British Columbia, I wanna be the biggest in the world.ā
Wonderland Music described Willieās debut album, āSame Painā, as āa rock and blues virtuoso, unleashing a sonic revolution thatās impossible to not fall in love with.ā
Willie is among a handful of artists with multiple 2024 Western Canadian Music Award (WCMA) nominations. Heās up for Blues Artist of the Year, and Indigenous Artist of the Year.
Tickets for Blues + Brews are available on the Revelry Food + Music Hub website.
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