A group billed as the “fresh face of Canadian a cappella” is coming to Burnaby – and a New Westminster quintet will be opening for them.
Countermeasure will be onstage Saturday, March 16 at Brentwood Presbyterian Church, 1600 Delta Ave., joined by New Westminster’s own Quayside Voices.
Countermeasure is made up of 12 of Canada’s top vocal talents, led by award-winning composer-arranger Aaron Jensen. The singers have shared stages with a cappella giants including Naturally 7 and The Swingle Singers, and top 40 stars like Corey Hart and Blue Rodeo.
They’re known for performing innovative arrangements of pop favourites and classic jazz standards, including I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Lovers in a Dangerous Time, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and Hit Me Baby One More Time. They’ve also gained attention for their original sings, including London Bells, Takin’ It Home, Life is Fine and Fox in the Field – the latter two of which have nearly half a million views on Youtube.
Countermeasure has won multiple awards from the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America, including Best Contemporary A Cappella Album for Made to Measure in 2017 and a tie with Pentatonix for Best Original Song for Fox in the Field.
Countermeasure is a founding artist of SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival, Canada’s premiere a cappella festival, and the new SING! BC Festival – for which they’ll be in Nanaimo on March 13.
Quayside Voices, meanwhile, has become a fixture of the New Westminster and regional music scene, known for its fresh remixes of top 40 hits. The quintet recently opened for Swedish a cappella legends The Real Group when they performed at Massey Theatre.
Also at Brentwood, Countermeasure is offering a workshop for singers of all levels, from students to emerging artists to professionals. Jensen will show people how to make instrument sounds using just their mouth and body – from guitar to trombone – while Countermeasure’s vocal percussionist, J-M Erlendson, takes participants through all of the drum sounds with not a drumstick in sight.
Concert tickets are $25, and workshop tickets are $15, with a special price of $30 for both. Tickets are available through www.brownpapertickets.com – find concert tickets here and workshop tickets here.
The groups are also performing at Lynn Valley United Church in North Van on Friday, March 15. See www.countermeasuremusic.com for full tour info.
