With four coveted Juno awards and seven Canadian Folk Music Awards, Pharis and Jason Romero stand firmly on a deservedly elevated rung on the ladder of Canadian folk-roots music greats.
The last decade has been particularly kind to them as they have churned out award winning album after album and that continues, as the most recent album, the post-Covid Tell ‘Em You Were Gold earned a Juno Award for best Trad Roots Album in 2023.
The Vernon Folk Roots Music Society further honours its mandate to bring high quality roots musical acts to Vernon when Pharis and Jason Romero land at Vernon’s Powerhouse Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 5 for their third visit in the Society’s 10-year existence.
Jason promises a number of new songs, unheard by most and only played a few times by the duo, at Saturday’s show, along with old favourites and plenty from the most recent album.
The duo talk passionately about their quest for ‘honesty’ in their writing and playing and take pride in always recording vocals and instruments live. There’s no autotune and overdub ‘perfection’ in their vocabulary.
In concert, it is remarkable how seamlessly the duo shifts from an old trad tune to a self-penned song but always creating a feeling of welcome with a sense of being transported back to a different, more simple time.
On display will be the product of Jason’s banjo-building handywork as he plays a number of his self-built instruments at each show. Jason, with artistic expertise from Pharis, continue to create banjos as if they were works of art. In fact, so in demand are the banjos to buy that there is a six year waiting list!
The banjos come to life in the hands of Jason’s masterful playing, creating tones which are sometimes uncommon to what we consider as a ‘typical’ banjo sound, while Pharis’s rock solid rhythm playing plus the combination of beautifully melodic vocals from the pair succeed in captivating audiences wherever they play.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets still available from Ticketseller 250-549-7469.
