If you乌鸦传媒檙e looking for a dead-on impersonation of Carlos Santana, says his act might not be for you.
The Vancouver-based musician who brings his popular tribute act, to the stage of the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Saturday night says his show is more about honouring the music than note-for-note replication.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e paying homage (to Santana),乌鸦传媒� he stressed.乌鸦传媒淣ot emulating.乌鸦传媒�
Towle,who has been playing the guitar since he was 12 and working as a professional musician for more than 20 years, feels that given the abundance of tribute acts and impersonators, it乌鸦传媒檚 an important distinction to note.
乌鸦传媒淲hat we乌鸦传媒檙e really trying to do, in the truest sense, is pay tribute rather than try to be Carlos Santana. I don乌鸦传媒檛 pretend to be anybody but me,乌鸦传媒� he noted.
Not that he乌鸦传媒檚 knocking tribute acts乌鸦传媒攈e knows being a professional impersonator is a tough gig.
乌鸦传媒淚 guess I wear the hat,乌鸦传媒� he conceded. 乌鸦传媒淥ther than that, I really don乌鸦传媒檛 look the part, I just love to play Santana乌鸦传媒檚 music.乌鸦传媒�
Towle says he can乌鸦传媒檛 pinpoint exactly when or how he developed his passion for the 10-time Grammy-award winner乌鸦传媒檚 work, just that, as a guitar player himself, he can乌鸦传媒檛 help but admire ever-evolving performer乌鸦传媒檚 distinct style.
He admits it may stem from the years he spent playing exclusively acoustic guitar, focusing on nouveau flamenco乌鸦传媒攁 genre of music he says is akin to the style made popular by the Gypsy Kings.
乌鸦传媒淏esides, Santana is a ton of fun to listen to, but they乌鸦传媒檙e also a ton of fun to play.乌鸦传媒�
That love, he added, is what inspired the former music teacher to assemble Supernatural乌鸦传媒� a seven, and sometimes, eight piece band that he says recreates the experience of a Santana concert, with 乌鸦传媒渁ll the energy and musicianship of the real thing.乌鸦传媒�
Acknowledging the ambition required to devote a group of musicians soley to covering Carlos Santana乌鸦传媒檚 vast canon of ever-evolving music, Towle points to the uniqueness of itself.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e never met a person that doesn乌鸦传媒檛 at least like Santana. Who wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 want to cover his music?乌鸦传媒� he asked, adding that standing out among his peers in the West Coast music scene was also attractive when it comes to choosing his act.
乌鸦传媒淭here are a bajillion Beatles acts, but as far as I know we乌鸦传媒檙e the only Santana act outside of California.乌鸦传媒�
Whatever Towle and Supernatural are doing, it appears to have struck a chord, with Vernon audiences, as their last three local performances have sold out.
And he乌鸦传媒檚 hoping for another sell-out this weekend.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e really looking forward to coming back to Vernon,乌鸦传媒� he said.
The show, which Towle describes as high energy, covers 50 years of Santana乌鸦传媒檚 music, from his career-making performance of Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock, to his collaborations and more recent albums.
乌鸦传媒淲e pretty much kick off at a ten, and it keeps going from there. We have two amazing singers; a male and a female, and I sing as well. It乌鸦传媒檚 a really broad spectrum to cover, so we have quite a few songs on reserve.乌鸦传媒�
When you乌鸦传媒檙e covering a 50-year career, he noted, the question isn乌鸦传媒檛 what songs to cover, it乌鸦传媒檚 what songs to leave out.
Supernatural: a Santana Experience takes the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre stage Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $55 adult through the Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, .
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Erin Christie
Morning Star Staff
erin.christie@vernonmorningstar.com
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