HALF PAST FOUR
Meet singer Kyree Vibrant from the CanadianRussians who want to make permanent waves in prog.
“We all bring different elements to the table.”
Canada and Russia might have a complex relationship, but Half Past Four bestride both, and their music is all the more distinctive for it.
Guitarist Constantin Necrasov, keyboard player Igor Kurtzman and Dmitry Lesov (bass and Chapman stick) were all born in the former USSR but emigrated many years ago in search of a better life. They formed the band in their adopted home city of Toronto nearly two decades ago.
Listen closely to their 2008 debut Rabbit In The Vestibule, which features the charismatic Kyree Vibrant, and you’ll hear hints of Eastern European folk genres including the polka and the Jewish klezmer.
Explains Vibrant,“When I joined, I started to write lyrics and melodies to complement this style and the Half Past Four sound was born. We all bring different elements to the table. It’s a collaborative project with our many influences – progressive rock, jazz and folk – flowing through it.”
Finding opportunities to play live to local audiences hasn’t been easy though.
“Touring opportunities here are practically nil,” says Vibrant. “However, lately, there’s been a small surge of Toronto progressive bands that have formed a sort of community, and more promoters are coming up to organise shows. We try to play when we can but playing in our hometown isn’t usually that productive.”
The band brought in Summer’s End co-promoter Stephen Lambe to help promote last year’s Land Of The Blind, which led to their welcome appearance at the festival and a gig at Robin 2 in Bilston with fellow Summer’s Enders, Karibow. Both appearances featured their new drummer, Adrian Garcia.
With a dearth of musical opportunities in Canada, the band relished the chance to play here.
“There are much bigger prog audiences abroad and in the USA, where we’ve found it very challenging to play without having to obtain expensive permits and visas,” Vibrant explains. “This is why we really appreciated being included in the Summer’s End Festival. It really does make it all worthwhile.” AR