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the lion the bear the fox playing in Fernie

Music fans in Fernie can share in pure, uninhibited musical joy Tuesday, Oct. 15 when the lion the bear the fox plays The Royal at 9 p.m.
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The lion the bear the fox will be performing at The Royal in Fernie on Tuesday

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The lion the bear the fox is hitting the road in support of much more than its debut EP. They will be performing at The Royal in Fernie Tuesday, October 15.

The Vancouver- and Ladysmith-based folk/rock trio has partnered up with Music Heals to raise money to bring Bandwagon, a mobile recording studio used by music therapists, to Vancouver Island. Each show on their We’d Be Good Men EP Release Tour from Oc. 8-25 will benefit that campaign, including a performance Oct. 15 at The Royal.

Bandwagon is the world's first mobile recording studio designed specifically for use by music therapists. Currently, there is one stationary Bandwagon at BC Children’s Hospital and one that travels around Greater Vancouver for six-week residencies. The lion the bear the fox will donate partial proceeds from each of their shows this October toward bringing Bandwagon to care centres and hospitals on Vancouver Island for the first time.

Christopher Arruda and Cory Woodward of Vancouver and Ryan McMahon of Ladysmith hope to raise $10,000 to dedicate Bandwagon to Vancouver Island music therapy programs for six months. Music Heals will round up any funding to the nearest multiple of $2,500.

Bandwagon is inspired by Megan McNeil from North Delta, who was just 20 years old when she died after battling adrenal cancer since the age of 16. Both McMahon and Woodward got to know her well and were inspired by the young singer, who wrote the song “Will to Survive” as a tribute to other children fighting cancer. Proceeds from downloading the song go toward The James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research and the British Columbia Childhood Cancer Parents Association. McMahon and Woodward know the benefits of music therapy first-hand, and they continue to share McNeil’s story, her strength and her fight against childhood cancer.

Megan’s ‘Will to Survive’ song, video and entire campaign wouldn’t have seen the light if not for music therapy,” McMahon says of why the band felt it was important to support music therapy. “So there’s the first-hand relation for me. I just know how music affects me on a day-to-day basis. I can only imagine what having music at one’s fingertips would mean to someone suffering from an illness of some kind. Music heals the soul…it’s been proven."

The lion the bear the fox is currently hard at work recording its debut EP, We’d Be Good Men, which will be released at the beginning of October. The 2013 Peak Performance Project Top 20 finalists will celebrate the release of that album by hitting the road for a 13-date western Canadian tour.

It was on a tour just like this one that Arruda, Woodward and McMahon realized they were meant to join their voices as one.

In May 2012, the three men set out on tour to promote their respective solo efforts. Over wine, campfires and nights in cheap hotel rooms and woodland cabins, an unshakeable bond began to form. They shared stories of their lives, successes and failures in the music industry and, ultimately, their dreams of what they hope to accomplish as artists. Three big voices began to support each other during shows, and at the tour’s conclusion, they had a setlist worth of material.

Now, a year later, what began as separate, solo tours has evolved into a full-time project for the lion the bear the fox. By uniting three distinct, equally powerful voices and songwriting approaches, Arruda, Woodward and McMahon have stumbled onto a magic much greater than the sum of its parts.

When we perform, people experience three powerful, honest and soulful voices that will take them on a roller coaster ride of dynamically pleasing songs,” says Woodward. “Each one's a journey, and we welcome everyone with open arms to dance wild, scream and sing into the night and experience one of the greatest self-made gifts we can give ourselves — pure uninhibited joy!”

Music fans in Fernie can share in that pure, uninhibited joy Tuesday, Oct. 15 when the lion the bear the fox plays The Royal at 501 First Ave. at 9 p.m. Cover is $5.