Canto combines the bountiful talents of three accomplished solo artists.
Damon Dowbak is an adventurous mandolinist/mandocellist/guitarist whose influences include world, jazz and electronic musics. From Thunder Bay, he has worked extensively with such artists as Rodney Brown, Rita Chiarelli (Cuore-The Italian Sessions Canadian Folk Alliance Music Award for Best Solo World Music Act), Ian Tamblyn, Ken Hamm and Daisy DeBolt.
Kim Erickson is a multi-talented northern Ontario vocalist, musician and composer. Studies in classical voice, piano and composition took her to Ottawa, Montreal and Holland, and she has augmented her performance background with intensive study of modern and world dance styles, and by her work in the theatre. She has performed across Canada and in Holland as a solo artist and backing musician/vocalist (see discography). Festivals she has performed at include: Lunenburg Folk Harbour Music Festival, Summerfolk Festival (Owen Sound), Northern Lights Festival Boreal (Sudbury), Live From the Rock Folk Festival (Red Rock), Thundering Women Music Festival (Thunder Bay), Ottawa Folk Festival and Women’s Cultural and Music Festival (Winnipeg). Kim acquired a knowledge of East Indian music and dance through studies with Anuradha Naimpally (Texas) and Ukrainain music through the Lakehead AUUC Mandolin Orchestra and Women’s Choir. She has performed on several occasions with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, with arrangements of her own songs and the music of Kurt Weill, Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, De Falla, Vaughn Williams and Mozart! She has worked with theatre companies in Ottawa, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Thunder Bay, and recorded her score for a radio drama by B.C. playwright Patricia Ludwick for CBC Vancouver. Kim has been awarded two Netherlands Government fellowships, several Canada Council for the Arts grants, Ontario Arts Council grants and the 2008 CJ Award for Arts and Heritage in the area of Media and Performance Art (Thunder Bay). She has served as an arts juror for CC and OAC, and as a consultant for the Ministry of Culture and Communications, Ontario.
Bassist and composer Sage Reynolds is highly active on the Montréal music scene performing and writing in a variety of musical styles and contexts. Sage has performed and recorded with many different musicians and groups such as Sage Reynolds Quartet, Life in Winter, Courtney Wing, Matt Lipscombe, Julian Brown, Jade McNelis, Stars, Land of Talk, Sarah Neufeld, Amon Tobin, Ismail Fencioglu, Shtreiml, Kaba Horo, Sean Craig Quintet, Gabriel Lambert Trio, André Leroux, François Bourassa, Guy Bélanger, Rick Haworth, Rita Chiarelli, Harry Manx, Bella Fleck, and Andrea Revel. Sage was awarded the “Prix Étoiles Galaxie de Radio-Canada” at the 2005 Montréal International Jazz Festival for his compositions “Saturday Afternoon” and “On the Wall”. In October 2005 his quartet opened for John Scofield at the famous Spectrum. “On the Wall”, Sage's first full length CD as a composer/band-leader/producer, was released in September of 2006 on Effendi Records.
Canto performs a generous mix of music to move your heart and your feet.
