Blue Moon Marquee

BLUE MOON MARQUEE
Blue Moon Marquee is a swing blues, stomp jazz band born of the wild rose country. They currently make their home in an island shack on the coast of the Salish Sea. A.W. Cardinal (vocals/guitar) and Jasmine Colette a.k.a. Badlands Jass (vocals/bass/drums) write and perform original compositions influenced by anything that swings, jumps or grooves. Artists such as Lonnie Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Blind Willie Jonson, Charley Patton, Howlin' Wolf, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Tom Waits, Memphis Minnie, and Django Reinhardt are deeply infused in the soul of their music.

Blue Moon Marquee is primarily a live duo with the energy and sound of a full band. Colette, the rhythm section, not only commands the upright bass but also brings the swing with her feet on the kick drum, snare, and high hat, all while singing harmonies. Cardinal is of the screaming and hollering blues tradition with distinctive thick and smoky vocals that barrel out like a raging bull. His guitar crackles with the swinging energy of jazz-tinged blues.

Appreciated for their authenticity, Blue Moon Marquee has been nominated for a Maple Blues Award as best new artist of the year, 2016. The duo was also the most requested band for the 2016 and 2017 TD International Jazz Festival circuit across Canada. Nominated for Indigenous Artist of the Year (2017), presented by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). Their songs have a heavy dose of atmosphere and texture with a penchant for poet characters and gritty settings. It is this connection to the working class that draws so many people to their music, crossing many of the usual genre, age, and cultural bounds. Most importantly, they make every song their own. After four years of playing together, the group has developed a distinct, personal voice that can be heard in each song. The result is an infectious mix of early blues, jazz, country, and popular songs with a contemporary and relevant feel, which is highly listenable and great for dancing. Blue Moon Marquee's passionate performances and smouldering onstage chemistry is their trademark, and the way Colette's tones lift A.W.'s mystique is something that enthralls audiences from backroom bars to festival stages to the velvet seated theaters.

To date, Blue Moon Marquee has released four full-length albums of their original compositions: "Bare Knuckles & Brawn" (2019), "Gyspy Blues" (2016), "Lonesome Ghosts" (2014), "Stainless Steel Heart" (2013), and one online E.P. "Last Dollar" (2014). Their latest album, "Bare Knuckles & Brawn" charted at number 3 in two categories - Jazz and Blues - in the Earshot National Roots and Blues charts. The group has appeared on many radio stations around the world, including a half-hour special on Holger Petersen's Blues Hour for CBC.

Most recently, Blue Moon Marquee received the 2021 West Coast Music Awards nomination for Blues Artist of the year and the Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination for Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. Other notable accolades include a Maple Blues Award nomination for New Artist of the Year (2016) and two Westcoast Music Award nominations for Indigenous Artist of the Year (2017/2020).