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Crystal hosts World Beat weekend

Lymbertos booked gig, then band evolved from there

Who: Kosta Man & The Back Ho’s

Where: Crystal Lounge

When: Saturday, June 12

The world is coming to the Crystal Lounge on Saturday evening – Whistler’s newest world music collective, that is.

Whistler, meet Kosta Man and the Back Ho’s, an eclectic eight-piece band that will be throwing down covers of Bob Marley, Manu Chao and French group Noir Desir at their debut gig at the Crystal this weekend.

The Kosta part of the crew is lanky local Kostas Lymbertos, known for his percussion jams at various venues around town, including a recent session alongside Whistler super-DJ Mat the Alien at Garfinkel’s.

The musician and his quiver of innovative percussion instruments, handcrafted from everything from tip-jars to empty Bubba beer mini-kegs, are also regular features at local musician Rob Funk’s Friday night gig at Black’s Pub.

With the new band, frontman Lymbertos is working backwards when it comes to a typical progression. A regular at the Crystal’s Sunday night open mic sessions, Lymbertos attained the gig first and then set out to form the group.

He’s managed to corral an impressive lot.

Included among the Back Ho’s are Kostas’ partner in rhythm and rhyme Phil-T-Beats on percussion, jack-of-all-musical-trades Funk on drums this time, Dave Morris on guitar and Raj Das on bass. Included among the trio of Back Ho’ back up vocalists is local piano teacher Jana Dupuis.

As the group continues to play together Lymbertos says he would like to develop more of an Afro-Cuban element, a style of music he found an affinity for during an extended stay in Miami.

Check out the new eight-piece collective’s big world groove at the intimate venue on Saturday evening.

Friday evening (tonight), Kostas and Phil-T-Beats are in the house to accompany Crystal Lounge regular Mike Redmond for a set of laid-back original material and covers of artists like Jack Johnson and Sublime.

For more information call 604-938-1081.