If success equals talent plus determination, then The Painted Birds are probably destined for great things.
The normally four-piece band will perform in Red Deer this week as an acoustic duo after the group’s drummer unexpectedly quit and the guitarist left to tour Australia with his other band.
That leaves just bass player Shawn Berke and lead singer Dominique Fricot to appear at Red Deer’s Cheers North on Thursday. But the pair remain undaunted.
Since a tour was already booked, “we couldn’t let this stop us,” said Berke.
“We chose to see this as an opportunity to move in a new direction musically and connect with our audiences in a more organic and modest setting.”
Berke and Fricot are hardly unprepared for touring acoustically. They have been writing music together, since day one, with a couple of acoustic guitars.
“That’s how the songs were created and that’s when I feel we are the strongest,” said Fricot.
“I think we’ll finally get to communicate the essence of our songs and the essence of what is The Painted Birds.”
The Vancouver-based group released debut album, So Much For the Rain, in 2007 to strong critical reviews. The Georgia Straight called the group’s music guitar-saturated pop that fuses the best bits from Pearl Jam, Cold Play and Snow Patrol.
The band has been touring relentlessly, appearing at Canadian Music Week in Toronto, the 2008 Western Canadian Music Awards, Calgary’s Sled Island Festival, and most recently at the Austin, Tex., South By Southwest festival.
The Painted Birds are also expected to perform at the 2009 Juno Fest.
Cover charge is $8 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. for the concert with special guest Sidney York.