Tower of Song: a creative tribute to Leonard Cohen

Share this event : Send Email

Tower of Song is a creative tribute to the music of Leonard Cohen, presented by two celebrated BC singers and songwriters: Oliver Swain and Glenna Garramone. A night of rare and classic selections from the Leonard Cohen cannon fearlessly interpreted by these artists, with a few original compositions and readings, round out an evening that celebrates Canada's greatest bard and his influence on modern songwriting. Hear Cohen’s timeless songs arranged for two voices, banjo, string bass, piano and guitar. Together Swain and Garramone have crafted vocal arrangements of the great works of Cohen that will satiate and astonish the die-hard Cohen fan in everyone. After several sold-out shows on Vancouver Island, BC, Tower of Song continues to expand their geographical range to put “more power in the tower!”

Produced by Garramone for the first time in June of 2011 at Vancouver’s Media Club, Tower of Song gave Swain and Garramone the chance to collaborate on Cohen’s rich material, and the chemistry was obvious -- to them and to the packed house at the Media Club. In the spring of 2012 they teamed up again for a sold out show at Victoria’s Hermann’s Jazz Club, with production duties and the artistic direction being shared as collaboration between the two artists. They frequently collaborate with special guest artists to showcase the broad range of Cohen’s writing. Previous guests include Leah Abramson (The Abramson Singers), Spoken word poet Shayne Avec I Grec (Two Dope Boys in a Cadillac), Anne Schaefer, Richard Moody, Melisa Devost, and Kent McAlister.
 
Oliver Swain is a worker in song. After a dozen years in some of North America’s most loved roots bands (Outlaw Social, The Duhks, The Bills) Oliver released 'In a BIG MACHINE' in 2011 to rave reviews. A natural musician who was drawn to Louisiana and Appalachia several times to discover the roots of American music for himself, Oliver now resides in Victoria where frequent solo journeys into the rugged BC wilderness fuel his original take on songwriting and traditional playing and singing styles. Visit http://www.oliverswainmusic.com/ for more info.
 
Glenna Garramone’s music is a reflection of her fascination with the edge. Inspired by the geography and spirit of the places she has lived, from Nunavut to Hawaii, she harmonizes the experimental with the classical, and the unexpected with the organic. When she’s not traveling, Glenna resides in Victoria. Having spent 8 years producing music events in Victoria (including Wimmin in Music and The Solstice Series), Glenna is thrilled to be expanding the Tower of Song to stages across Canada, collaborating with other artists, and co-creating a tribute to one of her musical heroes, the great Leonard Cohen. Visit http://glennagarramone.com/ for more info.

This show also features several special guests including Reid Jamieson, Big Machine, Hilary Grist, Corbin Keep, Adrian Glynn and shayne avec i grec.