Artist description …She had heard of these guys before, playing gigs around town, slowly building a following of ardent and loyal fans night after night with lengthy sets of ever changing music and inspired improvisation that bordered on the insane; and as she walked into the warm mahogany coloured bar she heard it almost immediately: the funk heavy groove, the tight percussive liquid backbone and acoustic intricacies all melding seamlessly into one beautifully musical whole. Before she knew it, her head was bobbing up and down, her feet shuffling, and her whole body twisting and turning to the music. Yet the question still remained in the back of her head: Who were these guys and what was their story?…………

Music Style groove rock, including folk, acid jazz, hiphop, pop

Musical Influences Neil Young, The Tragically Hip, Blind Melon

Similar Artists The Dave Matthews Band, Blind Melon, The Doors

Artist History This story begins back in the spring 1995 with two guys, two guitars,and an unquenchable thirst for all things Neil. Alexandre Calestagne and Mathew Franklin met one evening through a mutual friend and before the night had ended they had come to discover that they both shared a deep love for the acoustic healings of Mr. Neil Young. Both were driven, almost by an unseen force, to the acoustic guitar because of Neil’s acoustic sound and before long they were playing together on a nightly basis.Throughout the course of the following eighteen months the two lads would wind up delving into the depths of the Young repertoire and discovering that they shared other musical interests. Ben Harper, Hayden, Blind Melon, The Grateful Dead, J.J. Cale, Bob Marley, Dave Matthews, The Tragically Hip; these were all artists that Matt and Alexandre admired, as much for their intense dedication to their craft as for their longevity in an industry that spit out a new “flavour of the month” every fifteen seconds. As well as adding all of these artists to their cumulative playlists, the following eighteen months would find Alexandre and Matt writing quite an impressive amount of original material. That inspirational process continues to this day. Through collaborative efforts and independent endeavours these two have managed to assemble a large catalogue of original music that also continues to grow.By 1997 Alexandre and Matt were playing at various “open mic” nights throughout Victoria and meeting a bevy of musical talent. Eventually the two musicians would end up going through two fully different band ensembles before coming to rest on what has now become Gigglebush. One thing was for sure: a heavy groove was required. A tribal and beat heavy groove would eventually be found in darin Steinkey (drums). He came well experienced in playing live; darin has played over three hundred live shows throughout Alberta and B.C. In terms of musical influences darin’s tastes steer more towards the modern sounds of the Beastie Boys, Radiohead or Blue Rodeo. When played live on stage these far ranging influences come together in a sound that can only be described as delicate tribal thunder.Enter the bottom end. Mike Ison came to Gigglebush with a love for seventies funk, deep dub and reggae. All these influences are apparently heard in Mike’s playing, as it is his bass sound that gels the whole rhythm section into a cohesive unit.Recently in 2001, we have added a new member to our band.Ian Farrish rounds out the sound with saxophone burstsand moans. He is the perfect complement to Mathew's lead guitar noodling.Also Alexandre has added mandolin playing to his many talents,numerous original raps, and Mathew has added slide playing.

Group Members Alexandre Calestagne on rhythm guitar, mandolin and vocalsMathew Franklin on lead guitar, slide guitar and vocalsMike Ison on Bassdarin Steinkey on Kit(new member) Ian Farrish on saxophone

Instruments acoustic guitar, mandolin, electric guitar, bass, drums, saxophone

Albums GiggleBush- GiggleBush

Location Victoria, BC - Canada

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