Canadian 8-piece collective, Busty and the Bass, share their new single “Kids,” along with a mini documentary, highlighting the band’s commitment to music education. The band, who met studying jazz at University, are advocates for strong musical and cultural education in schools. While on tour they make a point of stopping at schools in each market to conduct music workshops and assemblies with students ranging from elementary to high school age.
Busty’s vocal/alto sax player says, “For the past few years through dozens of school visits, the band and I have been trying to engage students musically within the simplest context of social play. If the arts teach children that the act of creating is enough in its own right, then intuitively they will feel like they can be enough in their own right.”
Recently signed to indie label Arts & Crafts, the band’s brand-new single, ‘Kids’ celebrates passion for music in children. The accompanying mini-doc follows the band’s journey leap frogging from school to school, emphasising the value of music education and nurturing a passion for music in the new generation.
The music itself speaks to the band’s ever-growing talent, in writing and experimentation. The ‘Kids’ vocals come through with a beautifully nostalgic, relaxed tone, seamlessly matched by drawling saxophone notes and subtly rising drums. Ending on a melancholic note, the four track EP manages to take us through a wide range of emotions and musical styles. ‘Summer’ is not the high-energy track you might expect, but a sublimely slow track led by piano notes and sun-set-tinged lyrics.
Their 2017 10-track album, Uncommon Good, shows a spectrum of tempos and vocals, from the soulful ‘Dead Poet’ to electronic manipulation in tracks such as ‘Free Shoes’ and ‘Dance with Someone!!!’. The exclamation points tell you all you need to know about the latter track; it’s made to lift atmospheres and bring a little 1920’s jive and jazz energy to the clamoring, multifarious album.
TWELVE INCH 