Based on Vancouver Island, BC, Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright perform music about sustainability, ecology and the human dilemma: folk pop to rock your world! They are creating the new edge of environmental music by blending their very diverse musical backgrounds and weaving them into songs that touch people’s souls and make them think about the world around them. The two are a powerful unit that interweave stories, personalities and a true belief that this world of ours can get better.
When Holly and Kevin sing together - think Joni Mitchell and Bon Scott. With Holly on slide dulcimer and piano and Kevin playing percussion, they produce a wide range of sound and feeling. It’s a blend that leaves people feeling like they’ve experienced something fresh and real.
With over 30 years as a folk/jazz performer, Holly has appeared at most major music festivals in Canada and has shared the stage with artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Stan Rogers and Herbie Hancock. Since the mid-80s, Kevin has been a pioneering member of the Victoria rock scene performing in seminal bands such as Armoros, Turk and the Rat (Q100 fm Rocktoria 1 winner) and After Dark.
The Dream Band is made of up of world class musicians with extensive international credits.
The band includes:
David Sinclair (Sarah Maclachlan, kd lang) - guitar (Vancouver)
Brian Newcombe (David Foster, Celine Dion) - bass (Vancouver)
Karel Roessingh (In the Company of Men soundtrack) - piano (Victoria)
Bill Sample (Ratatouille soundtrack, Randy Bachman) - piano (Vancouver)
Shawn Soucy (The Hitmen, Leonard and Sample) - drums (Vancouver)
I Am The Future is the newest release from the Artist Response Team (ART), (the 10th in as many years) featuring singer/songwriter Holly Arntzen. She and band-mate Kevin Wright(vocals/percussion) have co-written a collection of songs that give new dimensions to the leading edge of environmental music: songs such as Up Your Watershed!, March of the Spirit Bear and Creatures of Habitat truly are folk pop to rock your world!
I Am The Future combines the lyrical importance and sophisticated arrangements of folk and jazz with the irresistible power of rock. Arntzen and Wright create pop songs that are earthy and tribal…yet contoured, polished and smartly styled. Folk lyrics are married to rock with the precision of classical music. The depth in the lyrics is balanced with a quirky, unpredictable element and a free-wheeling attitude amongst the Dream Band musicians that leads to spontaneous high-energy music.
Holly and Kevin form the core of the Artist Response Team (ART) - a ground breaking production house that delivers fabulous Voices of Nature community outreach events throughout BC and Alberta. Using their award winning and provincially recommended Cycle of Life learning resources, they travel the land bringing music and science education to entire school communities. The 4-day artist in residence school music program culminates in fabulous theatre concerts, bringing hundreds of young singers together with The Dream Band to sing and speak out for sustainability.