Universally inspired and described as "exciting, yet smooth." Mocking Shadows are a band to keep an eye on. They describe their sound as "intimate, raw edged and mature"–a difficult combination to achieve for a seven piece band. For anyone willing to give Calgary talent a try, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Roderick Tate and Jory Kinjo attribute some of their sound to greats like Stevie Wonder, The Blues Brothers and Tower of Power. However, their belief is that most "inspiration comes from yourself." This refreshing view is an inspiration in itself for any band looking to take their act to the street.
Their hard work and diligence has being paying off as of late with a rapidly growing following throughout a lot of interior British Columbia.
"[I’ve] never seen anyone go home not having a good time," says Tate.
Perhaps one of the greatest components that make the Mocking Shadows stand out is their team work. They pull from each other to create their unique sound–a combination of jazz, blues, funk, rock and anything else that the band likes.
"The more layers you go in, the more surprises you find," says Tate of their music’s dessert like qualities.
Mocking Shadows follow a philosophy of fun. Ideally, they would like their audience to have a good time. Their maturity as individuals gives their music the edge needed for it to be noticed but their individuality is what keeps the audience coming back for more.
As for future plans, the Mocking Shadows plan on writing in the new year. They hope to "venture into the us" and also are looking at European (market) and Asian markets. However, they don’t have definite plans, but do hope touring leads to them becoming "bigger and better musicians."
"If somebody saw the show, then they’d like the CD and if they heard the CD, then they’d like the show," says Kinjo.
You can check them out at the Blue Banana Lounge on Dec.10 and then at the Hard Rock Cafe for the release of their second CD Dec. 16. Doors open at 7:30pm and tickets are $5.
If you’re looking for New Years plans, they will be playing at Limmerick’s.