LUCIDMEDIA

Bedouin Soundclash On the Cutting Edge

Written by Emily Santos Monday, 27 July 2009 16:15

When Bedouin Soundclash’s lead singer and guitarist Jay Malinowski and bassist Eon Sinclair hit the stage in Kitchener for the annual Cutting Edge Music Festival it will be “a beautiful day” – that’s for sure.

This marks Bedouin’s first time performing at the CEMF. Sharing the stage with a sea of rockers, Malinowski and Sinclair plan to bring their Juno-award winning reggae/ska flavour to the stage and leave a lasting imprint on Kitchener. “We aren’t the go crazy mosh pit band, but we plan on bringing a danceable vibe to the stage,” says Malinowski.

In the months leading up to Kitchener’s big bash, the boys of Bedouin have been on the road opening for the California-based, Grammy-award winning group, and fellow ska’ers, No Doubt.

An introvert at heart, Malinowski says living in close quarters while on tour can be one of the hardest things for him. But cracking out his mental notebook, the soft-spoken front man says he is taking it all in, slowly but surely. Initially inspired musically by No Doubt, Malinowski has come to learn a lot about longevity while walking in the spider webs with the rockers. 

“I was talking to Tony [Kanal, No Doubt’s bassist] last night about the life cycle of a band. They were around for nine years before Tragic Kingdom. Things come and go you just got to stick with it…keeping things together is the hardest thing to do,” he says.

Hoping to continue the duo’s success, the band has recently released a new spin to their reggae/ska beats, fusing an unplugged/acoustic sound to their March 2009 release, Hearts in the Night. Incorporating influences from movies, old records and artists they have traveled with, the pair hopes their music reveals a positive message.

Premiering their latest music video, “Hearts in the Night,” – in the style of a 30’s film - on David Suzuki’s Foundation website, they helped promote the David Suzuki Nature Challenge for a greener future. Malinowski hopes that by offering his music to the environmental site youth will be stimulated to learn about sustainability. “Youth are the future. We need to educate them early,” he says.

But as 2010 approaches, Bedouin plans to complete a new album with inspirational messages for the young and young at heart. Malinowski plans to travel to one of the world’s most historical cities, Berlin, Germany. His aim: to get inspired and finish writing tunes to his so far seven-song compilation. 

Right now the twosome is staying occupied as they tour across Canada. Finding themselves engrossed with its diverse scenery and compelled by their benevolent fans across North America, Malinowski says that he is exactly where he wants to be and couldn’t ask for more in life. “We’re at a positive place in life…having an opportunity and saying something personal…people relate profoundly.”

Bedouin Soundclash is set to hit the stage on August 2nd with the Roots at the Cutting Edge Music Festival. For a full list of entertainers and concert information log onto cuttingedgemusicfestival.com