Pharis and Jason Romero @ Golden Civic Centre

Pharis and Jason Romero are low-key virtuosos whose deceptively simple style – acoustic guitar and banjo combined with affecting solo voices and intertwined vocal harmonies – results in heartfelt folk and country music.

Praised for their “powerful close-harmony singing, precision picking, and a lonesome, laid-back vibe” by the Huffington Post, Pharis and Jason Romero are low-key virtuosos who effortlessly evoke the deepest and most heartfelt traditions of folk and country music. Hailing from Horsefly, B.C. where they run a small business building custom banjos for an elite clientele, the Romeros have quietly established themselves as one of the preeminent old-timey duos on the planet, comparable to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. They met at a workshop in California in 2007 and quickly realized that they would have a future together, both musically and personally. Their deceptively simple style – acoustic guitar and banjo combined with affecting solo voices and gorgeous vocal harmonies – results in stripped-down, rootsy songs that are old-fashioned in the best possible way.

The Romeros have released eight CDs that have been extremely well received, having won four Junos for Traditional Roots Album of the Year, as well as many Canadian Folk Music Awards; they have also been featured on everything from NPR and the CBC to Folk Alley and A Prairie Home Companion. If you’re not already a fan, possibly the best place to start is with the widely acclaimed Bet On Love, their 2020 release that exemplifies the beauty, soulfulness, gentle swing, and soaring harmony lines they are known for. Their press clippings contain serious raves: “Magnificent and inviting” (Bluegrass Unlimited), “For old-time country all roads lead to Romero” (Songlines), and “Sublime vocal harmonies that blend and intertwine effortlessly” (NPR Music). Tender, crystalline, uplifting, thoughtful, and effortlessly able to cast a spell, the songs of the Romeros are a true gift for the spirit.

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