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Victoria duo grows to three

Acoustic folk rockers Jon & Roy flourish after setting down roots, adding bass to the mix
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Who: Jon & Roy (opening for The Cat Empire)

When: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 9:30 p.m.

Where: GLC

Cost: $25

With the straight-up band name like Jon & Roy, audiences should expect a similarly straightforward approach to music. No mussin' and fussin' here, these guys are all about folk and roots acoustic music with a subtle island feel.

Can't imagine it? Okay, couple rich vocals with melodic guitar, a mellow beat and a deep, thumping bass, and you have the Jon and Roy sound: rich and layered, slightly reminiscent of classic folk with a hint of reggae thrown in to keep things warm and upbeat. Now can you hear it?

Things have changed since Jon Middleton and Roy Vizer played in Whistler in the spring of 2008. The most noticeable change is in their lineup - they've expanded their tight-knit duo to include a third full-time group member, Ryan Tonelli, who picks up the bass in their live shows and on their third, full-length album, which is currently in the works.

With Middleton making the lyrics and melodies click, and Vizer supplying the beats, they've added some serious depth to the mix with Tonelli's bass.

"We're really good friends, and he actually didn't even play bass until a year and a half ago," Middleton said.

"...We definitely really enjoy playing with the bass now - we still do a couple songs where it's just me and Roy, but for the most part we have bass. I don't know, it just makes a more full sound, and it allows me as a guitarist and even the drums to just kind of lock into different things."

The musicians met up while studying at the University of Victoria and started jamming together. Before they knew it, a band was born. They started playing gigs in Victoria back in 2002, and a few year later, they released their first album, Sittin' Back , followed by a brief break to let Middleton record his solo album, After a Trip , and allow Roy to get comfortable playing a full drum set. Then, they reconnected with their producer Stephen Franke, and decided to put other career pursuits on hold indefinitely to pursue their musical careers.

"It was more Roy, really - he's planning on being a teacher. Myself, I'm full-gear towards music," Middleton said.

In spring 2008, they released their latest album, Another Noon , which landed them gigs across Canada and the UK, touring with Buck 65.

"It was great! England was definitely a cool place to check out, and it was whirlwind tour - we were only there for eight days and played seven shows," he added.

And though their music is quite different from Buck 65's, Middleton said somehow, their sounds still worked well together.

Since starting the group, they've traveled across Canada and as far abroad as Australia, Brazil and England with their organic, universally appealing sound.

"(Our music) seems to be received pretty well (abroad). I mean, there's so much competition out there - so many bands," Middleton said.

Their sound has been resonating with the right people, apparently. Over a year and a half ago, Volkswagen picked up their single Another Noon, for an advertising campaign. Unfortunately, that deal didn't turn them into an overnight sensation.

"It didn't really even get played so much in Canada," Middleton said with a chuckle.

But since then, their music has continued to garner attention from other audiences. It's being featured on MTV's new Peak Season series (shot here in Whistler) and another show on CMT, Meet the Wilsons. Plus, they're due to make their debut to the viewers of National Geographic and Outdoor Life Network, soon.

Though they don't play many live gigs in Victoria anymore (as any small town band will tell you, it's all too easy to play yourself out with a home audience), they have a bigger upcoming gig on their home turf in December.

They also plan on branching out to international audiences and the United States, but not before wrapping up this sweet 10-day tour with The Cat Empire.

They're playing alongside the Australian legends that seamlessly fuse reggae, jazz, Afro-Cuban, funk and pop beats with straight-up hip hop and pure rock vocals on Canadian tour starting Nov. 15. The 10-day tour starts in Jon & Roy's hometown of Victoria, then heads to Vancouver, Whistler, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.

"We've heard of (The Cat Empire) for ages. When we were in Australia four years ago, they were big then, and I've seen them here in Victoria a couple years back. I thought they put on a really good show. We just got the tour through harassing various people," Middleton said with a laugh.

Though touring and reaching new audiences seems to be a priority for these musicians, they've also been keeping busy in the studio working on their third full-length album.

The yet-unnamed album is almost done, and should be released in the New Year, no later than March 2010.

"We're excited about it! We spent a lot of time on it - usually we only spend about a month recording and this time we spent about six months."

This time around, fans can expect to hear slightly more complicated arrangements, longer songs, and some additional instrumentals, as they've added Tonelli on bass and even enlisted the talents of Dougal McLean on violin.

"I think in some ways its similar (to "Another Noon") because there are a lot of upbeat songs or whatever, but I think in general... there's a little more in terms of different arrangements on this album," Middleton said. "The last one was pretty straightforward."

Catch them live and in action next week, right here in Whistler, opening for The Cat Empire.