By Mike Tofin
The sound of music will get that much more intimate with Jon and Roy at That Empty Space on Friday afternoon.
Jon Middleton of the group hopes to translate the Vancouver Island vibe, things not human, love, harmony and a friend in common: this thing called marijuana.
“In Victoria the weather is often very nice, it’s sunny and there is lots of opportunity to go to a beach and hang out,” says Middleton. “I think the ocean definitely influences our music in that regard.”
Jon and Roy’s music can be best described as a hybrid of folk, reggae and hip-hop music, a clear direction in their latest album, Another Noon, which has had one of its songs, “A Little Bit of Love” featured in a Volkswagen commercial. However, Jon’s attitude towards the music they play and its sounds are anything but corporate.
“I think on the west coast you are able to experience nature so easily and readily,” says Middleton. “Growing up, I did lots of camping by the ocean and by the mountains and I think that all definitely grounds and gets people to a place that is easier to get in touch with their spirituality or more specifically non-human things.”
Vancouver Island, and specifically the city of Victoria, is well-known for a vast array of mysterious aspects and cultural traits. The area is chock full of ghost stories, Free Masonry, Wicca, rumours of underground tunnel networks, and of course drugs, something Middleton finds interesting.
“I think the whole area in combination with things like marijuana and mushrooms definitely all tie in together,” says Middleton. “It’s definitely an influence for me. It’s one of those things that I don’t do a lot but it’s definitely guided my path.”
Jon and Roy do a cover of Blackalicious’s “Alphabet Aerobics,” an onomatopoeic hip-hop mind bender, which is something to anticipate in their set list.
“During the Christmas holiday I went home and decided to learn it,” says Middleton. “I knew it would be a good cover to do because it would hype people up and we have played it steadily since. It’s one of those go-to songs that always goes over really well.”