A Collage of sound: Indigo Joseph

Eclectic Regina band to come to Winnipeg following album release

Photo provided by Audio Blood.

Hailing from Regina, the four-piece band Indigo Joseph aims to keep listeners on their toes on their nationwide tour in support of their latest album, Collage.

“We’re constantly switching instruments, we perform in two languages, we have two completely different styles of singers, so it’s easy to keep doing different stuff because we all like to play different instruments and like lots of different types of genres,” says band member Sean McCannell.

“Sometimes we sacrifice the stability of just playing what we know for not being boring.”

Being boring is never an issue with this bilingual band. Ranging from bluesy jazz numbers; to acoustic love songs; to infectious rock with their CBC Music’s Indie Song of the Summer track, “Others”; Indigo Joseph has something to offer everyone.

In addition to their incredible range of genre, each band member commands ridiculous musicality and is known to switch instruments with their bandmates during a set.

“A lot of people in the business want to see something that’s consistent and reliable but we just don’t operate that way. I think in some ways I think it’s the biggest part of our charm. A lot of the people that come back are always like ‘every show is completely different and you never know who’s going to be on what instrument,’” says McCannell.

Relatively new to the music scene, Indigo Josephis still playing around to find their ideal musical identity.

“We want to find success and we want to find a place in the industry, but we’re not going to sacrifice the vulnerability of trying to change things up when we feel like it.”

The fluidity of the band can be seen during their live shows, as they opt to change up their performances from the recorded precursors. According to McCannell, they try to do something different each show, and Winnipeg’s show will be no exception.

Despite being geographically close to Winnipeg, Indigo Joseph has only been to the Manitoba capital four times.

“Every time we’ve played [in Winnipeg], it feels so warm with a rich cultural scene and beautiful architecture. It’s a really neat city. People sort of don’t realize how much musical talent has come out of there in the past and it’s a huge breeding ground for it now, too.”

Praising the Weakerthans, Neil Young, and Royal Canoe, McCannell is very excited to return to Winnipeg as the last stop on their tour.

“The last time we played Winnipeg was right after our Regina show. It was a really good show and we had people come out, but we had so much equipment trouble. Our bass guitar stopped working and we had to use someone else’s, which was weird. And the amp – just all sorts of equipment malfunctioning.”

“I’m sure we all want to go back and kill it and have a really big show,” says McCannell.

Indigo Joseph is set to play at the Cavern (112 Osborne Street) on Nov. 15, 2014 with The Secrets. Collage is available now.