Midnight Vesta revisits its roots
There’s a homecoming of a sort coming to Sherbrooke this weekend as Toronto-based folk-rock band Midnight Vesta rolls through town as a part of its first-ever east coast tour.
“The band started with four Bishop’s students playing cover music in Toronto and slowly it grew into writing our own music,” explained band member Peter Jarvis adding that, for the tour, “We wanted to hit a bunch of spots that are familiar to us.”
In this case that familiar spot is the Golden Lion Pub in Lennoxville on Saturday night.
“There are so many great memories at the Lion,” Jarvis said, explaining that booking the location for a performance was no trouble at all.
The band member said that the stops are a part of the tour for Midnight Vesta’s first full-length album, “Seconds,” which launches this coming Friday. The band hits the road tomorrow for an action-packed two weeks of performances in a wide range of different venues.
“There’s going to be a little bit of everything,” Jarvis said. “We’re hoping to connect with locals and expose our music to a side of the country we’ve never been to.”
Although he is now the only founding member of the group left, Jarvis said that the decision to take the band east was inspired in part by the connections forged during the original members’ time at Bishop’s University. That initial core group made regular appearances in performances of the Bishop’s University Singers, as well as different drama department productions between 2006 and 2011.
The band takes the stage at the Lion as of 10 p.m., but has also booked a 3 p.m. matinee set as a part of Sherbrooke’s OFF outdoor music festival. People who want to hear some of what Jarvis describes as “rock-driven Canadiana with folk themes” can catch them for a half-hour within a full afternoon of musical performances at Sherbrooke’s Marché de la Gare.