Acclaimed pianist, composer and multi-instrumentalist with Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn, and JUNO award nominated violinist, Hugh Marsh look back fondly on the decade of decadence with their latest work, Dreaming of the 80s, Saturday, March 4th, 2023 7:30pm at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre. The new collection unites a diverse group of the decade’s classics hits and deep cuts in the duo’s uniquely atmospheric and ethereal sonic environment. This will be the opportunity to be one of the very first to enjoy this album live. Tickets are now on sale.
Dreaming of the 80s was conceived on the spectacular Fogo Island Inn off the eastern coast of Newfoundland, Hearn and Marsh were invited to play for New Year’s Eve 2018, and decided to pepper their set with a few covers. Among them were “Heaven” by The Psychedelic Furs, Lou Reed’s “Rooftop Garden,” and “Cemetery Polka” by Tom Waits – all written and recorded in the 1980’s. “Performing only as a duo, our stripped-down interpretations illustrated what finely crafted little songs these were,” Hearn recalls. Upon returning to their shared home of Toronto, he and Marsh enlisted engineer Kenny Luong to record their crafty reimaginings before carrying on with their various other projects and collaborations. In 2020, the forced downtime of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the trio back together, coalescing in what Hearn calls a “creative little lockdown bubble.”
“We decided to keep going down the road of exploring songs and artists from the ‘80s,” he explains “Once a week or so, we would convene at my place and work on two songs at a time. For the most part, they were performed live as a duo in my living room, and later embellished to varying degrees.” Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love,” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young” all benefit from a subdued and aptly dream-like treatment that keeps their respective hooks and charms intact, whereas others adopt an added dimension thanks to some gifted guests and friends.
On the album, which will be released in Toronto on February 17th, esteemed opera singer Michael Colvin elevates the aforementioned “Cemetery Polka” while new wave icon Carole Pope adds complementing vocals to a fresh take of Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without a Face.” Hearn’s fellow Lou Reed accompanist Fernando Saunders seemingly warps time on Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Michael Ray lends his touch to a medley of tunes from his former bandleader.
The colourful album cover features Kevin’s Dad who is now in his 80’s. “In 1981, with my portable Kodak camera, I snapped a photo of my dad ‘dreaming’ in the ‘80s, wrapped in a quilt that was hand-made by my mother. A quest began to find the quilt so that we could re-stage the photo, and my friend, artist Don Porcella, hand-crafted the cube with pipe cleaners so that it could float above Dad’s head. My dad was quite chuffed by the whole thing. He also recites the Sun Ra poem “New Horizons,” which opens that medley.
We hope this little collection offers a glimpse of how thrilling and diverse the musical landscape was throughout the decade,” Hearn shares in closing. “There were so many amazing artists creating, innovating, and shaping the musical future. This record was a joy to make for all of us, and I trust that’s apparent in the result. Like, totally.”
BPAC’s 22/23 Season Sponsor is Mercdes-Benz Burlington.
SOURCE Burlington Performing Arts Centre
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