Locals Jo Cairns and Sandor G gig keep up new band
It took a couple of months, a "very long road trip to the Yukon," and a visit to Glasgow before Blue Steel was finally forged.
"I saw Jo (Cairns) at the talent search, and basically followed her around for a two months," says Sandor Gyurkovics, one half of local band Blue Steel.
Cairns, from Scotland, and Gyurkovics, whose mother is Scottish, both play guitar and find they have loads in common to banter about onstage and off.
"Sometimes things just click – some more clicky than others. There’s just a vibe you create when things are going right," says Cairns, who doesn’t take the band too seriously.
"I personally hope (the audience) have a great night, because we get up there and talk too much shit – a good show is when people are laughing and dancing."
Interactive, energized shows are part of Blue Steel’s magic that has attracted the attention of management at Earl’s Bistro, where they now play every Thursday from 7 p.m. Blue Steel has also appeared at the Crystal Lounge, through this past season.
"People are starting to ask about a CD, we’re just having such a laugh it doesn’t really feel like a band as such," adds Cairns.
They click on different levels.
"We are both extremely sarcastic," says Gyurkovics, or Sundu G-Rockovics, his modeling/stage name.
When they sign e-mail messages with "don't forget to rock the casbah, I got's to get wit my peeps," well, what can you do but laugh?
"We’re very interactive and talk to the crowd at shows," he says. "We’ve already decided we will be years in the making."
The self-dubbed "funk, indie, traditional blues, and ridiculously good originals" band seems set.
Cairns, who also handles vocals, performs solo as well, playing for the Whistler Talent Search and open mic nights this year. She performed as Happy Jofus at the Brewhouse, July 20 and 27.
At any given show, looping madness and improvs might arise.
Gyurkovics completes live looping with an electronic device he has which sits near his feet onstage, a kind of digital sampler.
"It’s new every time when we improvise, and sometimes we come up with ideas for songs during a live show."
They play covers of songs by people like the British balladeer David Gray (White Ladder) balladress Macy Gray, James Brown and Jamiroquai.
The band has only been together for two months but it was a natural fit from the beginning, says Gyurkovics.
"We just jammed at her house one night in June which carried on all night.
"It’s an easy process. Everything is fairly easy for us."
Both musicians brought their own repertoire of songs to Blue Steel. They now write together.
"We both have our talents and Jo’s a great writer, she usually has a vocal line going in her head and I contribute some music to it."
With a new ProTools program on a home-based Mac, Cairns, who studied music technology in Glasgow, and Gyurkovics plan to get lay down some tracks.
As for what the future holds, Cairns leaves Whistler in October for Oz, and may convince her Blue Steel cohort to tag along.
In the meantime catch Blue Steel and their original brand of entertainment at the Crystal Lounge Aug. 16 and 17, Aug. 30 and 31, and Sept. 13 and 14.
