It is always a hypnotic and psychedelic experience to have Tri-Continental back in Lethbridge.
They played to a good sized, quiescent crowd at the Lethbridge College Cave for the Lethbridge Folk Club, Oct 19.
The three, Madagascar Slim, Bill Bourne and Lester Quitzau, combine their unique styles to make a veritable melting pot of blues tinged world music. So it turns into a really intense experience, as their Oct 19 show showed. Though I only caught the last half of it and missed Steve Keenan’s opening set.
They each took turns singing lead vocals, harmonizing and playing unique solos, leading to some ecstatic jams.
Madagascar Slim played the most blues of the trio, through his tender touch on electric guitar, lent it a more exotic flair as expected. Meanwhile Bill Bourne add the acoustic rhythms, the folk and some fleet fingered finger picking. He also had the most hypnotic and haunting voice of the trio voice. Quitzau’s sultry, yet subtle slide guitar brought it all together, sounding like a blend of The Northern Pikes’ Jay Semko and Sonny Landreth.
They focussed on music from their new CD “Dust Dancer ” but a couple older songs were highlights. Quitzau lead the band through a rousing jam of “Pray for the Fool,” which had the audience singing along.
Bourne tricked his drummer, who was all set to play one of Bourne’s older hits, but instead leaned into a big sing along of “We All Live Together.”
Madagascar Slim lead them through one of the new songs. Of course they were called back for an encore.
