Harpoonist Live @ The BAG

Meet the harmonica virtuoso known for his high-energy, sweaty, dance-floor-boogying performances.

You ought to meet Harpoonist. Known to family, friends and hardcore fans as Shawn Hall. A harpoon/harmonica/harp virtuoso with a couple of decades in the hardcore, blues-based rock and roll trenches. D’you remember The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, Shawn’s duo with Matt Rogers for 17 blistering years at festivals and concert halls and clubs large and small, grungy and almost clean?

Well, Hall’s turned a new leaf. Harpoonist — Hall’s non-de-plume and the name of the band — is something else again. New songs. New record. New gritty, tough-assed swamp music with edge and off-the-wall lyrics. Harpoonist (the band) is something else: Hall on harpoon, and vocals of course, and some keys. Plus, Hall’s pal Jonas Shandel, who also helped write the songs.

Harpoonist is ready. The made-in-Texas record is titled “Did We Come Here to Dance" is out on all streaming services.

NiKo, a Squamish-based singer-songwriter, trades performance for connection. Rooted in folk and blues, his acoustic, resonator, and slide guitar work creates a raw, organic sound that lets the stories behind each song take centre stage. Inspired by John Butler, Jeff Buckley, and Shakey Graves, he invites audiences to slow down and to find their own stories where vulnerability and genuine human connection are the main instruments.