Sean Dowhaniuk Group, Eschaton and Fauxhemians at Homegrown Hamilton

One of the things I love most about Homegrown Hamilton is the sheer variety of music that I’ve seen there. From funk to folk  to hip-hop to jazz to a whole lot more, they certainly don’t seem intent on pegging themselves down. Their open attitude towards bookings has given me and my band, and the people we’ve played alongside, the opportunity to experiment musically and try out new ideas. Playing at Homegrown Hamilton is always good vibes.

When putting together the lineup for the Steel City Jazz Festival, I knew I wanted to include a night of out-there jazz, and I knew Homegrown was the place I wanted to do it. Whether you want to call it Free Jazz, Avant-Garde, Experimental, Free Improv or some other term, jazz musicians have been pushing boundaries for a long time. But for many people, this music may still sound unfamiliar. So I’m happy to invite everyone to Homegrown Hamilton on Friday, August 23rd for a night challenging your musical expectations, featuring the Sean Dowhaniuk Group, Eschaton and Fauxhemians.

I’ve had a chance to see the Sean Dowhaniuk Group, led by guitarist Sean Dowhaniuk, in a few incarnations, most recently as the Sean Dowhaniuk Trio on August 9th for Art Crawl at the Hamilton Audio Visual Node. The trio effortlessly slipped back and forth between jazz standards and open-ended improvisations; the full group, which will be playing at the Festival, keeps that same push and pull between familiar and adventurous on their own original compositions. You can check out live recordings the Sean Downhaniuk Group made at Artword Artbar this summer below:

Eschaton is comprised of saxophonist Connor Bennett and trumpeter/DJ/drummer Aaron Hutchinson.  The two play extended, loosely-planned improvisations, often beginning quietly in a trumpet-saxophone duet and then heading off wherever the music takes them. Eschaton had the opportunity to play at Christ’s Church Cathedral this past winter as part of the New Harbours concert series, and have played regularly at Homegrown Hamilton and the Hamilton Audio Visual Node. If you haven’t heard them before, come check it out, because there’s nothing out there quite like it. Check them out below:

Sean Downhaniuk Group, Eschaton, Fauxhemians
Friday, August 23rd at Homegrown Hamilton
9pm, $5