Summer may be a few months off, but it’s never too early for Bahamas.
First thing’s first – Afie Jurvanen isn’t from the Bahamas. Raised in rural Ontario and currently based in Toronto, the self-taught guitarist has worked with such musicians as Feist, Howie Beck, Jason Collett, Jack Johnson, The Weather Station, and Zeus. Since 2008 he’s been making music under the name Bahamas–writing songs about sunsets, love affairs, and making out with crooked smiles. Through simple arrangements, he charts an escape route from the snow belt to the coral reefs.
Jurvanen’s debut album, Pink Strat, was recorded in a rural cabin in 2008 and released under the name Bahamas in 2009. Pink Strat was subsequently nominated for a 2010 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo. Bahamas’ 2012 sophomore album, Barchords, was nominated for the Adult Alternative Album of the Year and Jurvanen was nominated for Songwriter of the Year for the tracks “Be My Witness”, “Caught Me Thinking”, and “Lost in the Light” at the 2013 Juno Awards. Bahamas’ third album, Bahamas Is Afie, was released on August 19, 2014 and awarded first place on the CBC Q’s Top 20 Albums of 2014.
You can catch Bahamas on Wednesday, January 21st at Stubb’s BBQ or you can stream him right here at KUTX!
– Jack Anderson