The Lion. The Bear. The Fox.
What sounds like it could be the title of a children’s theatre production is nothing short of what has come out of the impromptu 2012 union of three independent singer/songwriters who took a chance on a mini-tour and uncovered a groove that simply put: just works.
The Lion (Christopher Arruda) The Bear (Cory Woodward) The Fox (Ryan McMahon) will be delivering a high-energy performance, self-branded as ‘stomp rock,’ at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House March 21 at 8 p.m.
“I’m the smallest and probably the wisest, so I’m the fox,” laughed McMahon, a singer/songwriter who lives with his wife and three children in Ladysmith, B.C. His fellow band mates both reside in Vancouver.
“I’m super proud of what I do as a solo act, but there’s something that happens when we get together.”
The Lion The Bear The Fox released their debut EP in October 2013, We’d Be Good Men. The release followed the band’s 2013 feat of securing a top 20 band spot in 102.7 FM’s ‘The Peak Performance Project’.
The annual project selects 20 finalist bands from B.C. to take part in a week-long bootcamp, complemented by a $5,000 prize to go toward a recording project; the top five finalists continue on to receive larger cash prizes and performance opportunities.
McMahon said the opportunity opened up their eyes to the extent of the talent pool in B.C., pushing the trio to “make as much noise as you can at home”.
Filling rooms throughout Alberta and B.C., the trio has an act not unlike a Crosby, Still and Nash format — taking turns front singing and complementing each other instrumentally with the fox on acoustic guitar, the lion on keys (also guitar) and the bear on lead guitar and now ‘banjitar’ (a six-string banjo with the neck of a guitar, tuned like a guitar and played by guitarists who wish to achieve a banjo sound).
“When Cory decides to pick up something we just let him run with it.”
Shaped by three songwriting chops, McMahon said it’s the band’s ‘respect for one another and commitment to the truth’ that keeps them moving forward — that and the absence of ego.
“The ego gets beaten out of you — that young man in his 20s who knew anything and everything — that’s gone…the biggest thing that can tear a band apart is passive-aggressive behaviour, it’s letting things go and then they build up…”
The band’s “extremely interactive” model pays homage to bands like Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, with a lot of ‘hollerin’ and ‘laughter’ on stage.
“If we’re ‘down’ there for four and a half minutes, the next song is a real ‘stomper-ramshackle.’”
There’s a humanitarian element thrown into the mix, as the band has developed a lifelong connect with Music Heals — a charity advocating therapy through music; currently the band is backing the initiative to fundraise a mobile recording studio to travel to Vancouver Island and visit numerous care facilities.
Visit bandwagonproject.com for more details.
McMahon caught on to the charity following a 2010 meeting with a young songstress, Megan McNeil, who was mid-battle with adrenalcortical carcinoma (a rare type of adrenal cancer).
The songwriter worked on the arrangement of her song, “The Will to Survive” (turned into a music video), and was inspired by the young woman’s tenacity and heart.
Megan succumbed to her nearly five-year battle in early 2011 at the age of 20; her story received national attention and has gone on to inspire other youth battling cancer.
“That was the coolest thing I ever got to do in my career,” said McMahon, adding that the trio has developed a permanent connection with Music Heals; visit musicheals.ca to learn more.
Tickets to The Lion The Bear The Fox are available at legacyguitarhouse.com; to learn more about the band, check out thelionthebearthefox.com.
