biographical info
They say birds of a feather flock together but Carmanah proves this theory wrong. If the band members were actually birds, they never would've met. Pat and Mikey as Red-Breasted Nuthatches from Comox would have steered clear of Dan, the Common Redpoll from Nanaimo. And Jesse, a Summerland Black-billed Magpie would’ve never flown near Laura, a common Blue Jay from Halifax. Fortunately, Carmanah is made up of humans who regularly flock together in harmony. Each musician brings talent and dynamism to the high-energy folk-rock-reggae-country band that's started flying high over Vancouver Island and western BC.
It all began at a music festival, where Pat heard Laura singing nearby but couldn’t connect the voice to a face. Later she joined his campfire jam and together their music drew an impromptu crowd, resulting in an invitation to the main stage the next day, in front of an encouraging audience.
Pat is a self-made singer-songwriter with a mean guitar and unrelenting djembe. Laura, a singer-songwriter who plays several instruments, is a classically trained violinist who's taught her instrument how to rock and roll. After the festival the due continued jamming together, played venues and talked about becoming a band. Pat chased down Michael, a gifted Uvic music student known to rip on the electric guitar and saxophone. Jesse brought great energy and a smouldering bass guitar. Daniel demonstrated formidable finesse on the drums. It all came together in 2011.
Carmanah has played multiple venues and shared headlines with other musicians including Jon and Roy, Jets Overhead, and JP Maurice. Last January, they co-headlined a sold-out show in Victoria with the Boom Booms.
Carmanah abounds with musical energy. Its migratory journey has just begun.