Part dance, part world music and truly indie - with 11 musical instruments blaring frenzied yet harmonious ska reggae - the Idlers return to the Ocean Port Hotel Friday (March 4) for one stop on their Canada-wide tour.
From their seaside hometown of St. John's, Nfld., the Idlers have been loading and unloading their green pickle-van to bring their foot-moving skank and polit-reggae-ska-rock to cities and towns from coast to coast - and they're "stoked" about coming back to Squamish.
"We can't wait to be in 麻豆社国产again," said vocalist and trumpeter Mark Wilson. "Last year was a party!"
It was also a sold-out show.
"We had a great time and we're expecting really good things for this time around as well," he said.
With anything from a seven-piece onslaught of sound to a squat and groovy 11, the Idlers' sound has earned the group fantastic reviews for their 2007 release Corner and their latest release, Keep Out.
Keep Out is Idlers' second studio project. Recorded with Darryl Jenifer (Bad Brains) in New York, it gave the band a chance to draw on its early days as a roots-reggae group.
The result has been described as a hard-hitting collection of 11 songs ideal for parties, backyard margaritas, barbecues, road trips, and clubs the world over.
This show is the third fundraiser concert for the 麻豆社国产Equinox Rock Festival (SERF) and SERF president Paul Hudson is an avid Idlers fan.
"The Idlers are super high energy, crazy fun and they'll make you wanna dance 'til your legs fall off," he said.
"This band has defined their presence on stage and in the studio through overflowing energy and social-consciousness. Idlers' show is a genre-bending musical carnival, moving from town to town, bringing joy to crowds' feet."
Wilson said The Idlers take their vibe seriously.
"Our music comes from roots, reggae and ska and it has evolved over the five years we've been playing," Wilson said. "It's dance music - we make people feel good and we make people dance. That's what we do and we take it very seriously with a lot of fun."
Hudson first heard the band while in the members' hometown of St. John's. The music aficionado said he was pleasantly surprised by the band's style.
"I expected to go out on the town hearing Great Big Sea cover songs and ended up hearing more of a Toots and The Maytals sound," he said. "Discovering this part of Newfoundland culture was a major highlight of my trip to The Rock."
Vancouver-based quartet Jackfruit and up-and-coming Quest University group Fogon are set to open the show.
"We've never heard Fogon play - we're keen to find out what they've got," said Wilson. "Paul Hudson, the SERF co-ordinator, has great taste in music so I'm sure it will be a great mix."
Tickets are $12 in advance at Trinity Romance or $15 at the door and online at www.squamishmusicfestival.com/pages/tickets.php. The show starts at 10 p.m.
