Canadian born Afie Jurvanen (pronounced Ay-Fee) brings another tremendously, laid back, talented artist to the Brushfire Records label- which boasts artists Jack Johnson (go figure), G. Love, Matt Costa, Rogue Wave, and Neil Halstead just to name a few. With his melodic voice and soulful lyrics, Bahamas bring the beauty of the beach into the air waves from the point of view of souls trapped in the snow belt of North America.
When he’s not performing solo Afie tours with Jason Tait (drums) and two singers, Carleigh Aikins and Felicity Williams who add more dimension and beauty to his hauntingly close to heart lyrics. Recently, Bahamas preformed at Farm Aid in Saratoga Springs, NY. Giving an amazing performance, Bahamas helped to set the relaxed mood for early in the day. Farm Aid helps bring the issue of local farming into the spotlight, through live music and education sessions focused on agricultural and quite frankly saving our planet. Farm Aid was founded on September 22, 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp-later adding Dave Matthews its board.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Afie, during Farm Aid, for a brief interview. Afie was strumming away at his guitar when I entered the room. Relaxing in a comfortable chair, Afie introduced himself and shook my hand. We started talking about his ties to Farm Aid and any personal ties to the subject of the day (local farming and bringing food back to its natural roots). Although, Afie does not farm nor did he grow up on a farm, he explained to me that he thinks it is very important that people realize what is in the food that they are putting into their bodies. Not surprisingly, Afie cited Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, and Neil Young as his musical inspirations-which is evident in both his albums: Pink Strat (2009) and Barchords (2012).
Speaking to Afie I got the sense that he is a very intelligent, laid back, musician. Since he is such a mellow musician, who excels at “writing songs about sunsets, love affairs, and making out with crooked smiles” it only makes sense that he would be performing at another festival the day after Farm Aid. Bahamas preformed at the Life is Good festival in Canton, MA. Life is Good is a “one-of-a-kind fundraiser” that donates 100% of proceeds to children in need. When I asked Afie what his thoughts were on the festival he stated, “It’s exactly what it sounds like: Life is good.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION & TOUR DATES: BAHAMAS – BRUSHFIRE RECORDS
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