Afie Jurvanen aka “Bahamas” will take his talents to the Vogue Theatre on Friday. He may not quite be a household name but Jurvanen is a veteran of the Canadian indie scene. He has toured with or worked alongside a handful of heavy hitters including The Lumineers, City and Color, Feist, and even Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant!

The Toronto native has a quirky style that I guess we can call folk, but he incorporates rock, funk, pop, blues, and even soul elements. His career, under his banner that is, kicked off with 2009s “Pink Strat”. His latest, “Sad Hunk”, was released in 2020. Not unlike Mac Demarco, his lyrics are introspective, self-deprecating, or poignant. He has an outstanding voice that is warm, smooth, but capable of being rougher. Like Demarco, he builds his songs around the guitar very well. Specifically clean and jangly lead lines layered on top of acoustics. However, he can and does utilize a heavier sound as heard on “Wisdom of The World”.  Lastly, he is a fantastic guitar player; and an unusual one in an indie context. While indie guitar playing is largely defined by chord-based soloing, melody, and arpeggios; “Bahamas” plays his lead lines more like a bluesman. He varies his lead playing well, never letting it overcrowd the song, however, he mixes the blues and pentatonic scales in a manner more reminiscent of Dan Auerbach than most indie or alternative musicians. Case in point: “Try, Tried, Tryin’” and  “No Expectations”. This man is extremely talented and he is bringing it this Friday at the Vogue Theatre.

Griffin