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Jenkins brings back Small Town Revival

Local artist John Jenkins has gone back to using his former band name and is now one half of a ‘two-man trio’.
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John Jenkins has teamed up with bassist Jackson Baker and revived the name he used for his original band

Local artist John Jenkins has gone back to using his former band name and is now one half of a ‘two-man trio’ that has a busy schedule lined up for the rest of the winter.

John Jenkins Small Town Revival is made up of Jenkins and bassist Jackson Baker, who grew up in Ottawa and moved to Golden from Vancouver in 2013. They’ll take to the stage for a free show as part of the Whitetooth Grill concert series at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort this Saturday and will be among the local performers at the Youth Centre during the Golden Sound Festival on Feb. 21.

Jenkins, who used to front a full rock trio, has enjoyed playing with Jackson since the pair met and started jamming at the Wolf’s Den’s Sunday howl (which Jenkins leads).

“It’s going really well (with Baker). You can really fill out a full sound with just two guys and it is something that is a bit more uncommon than a folk trio,” Jenkins said. “It’s really challenging for me as an artist…Now I’m trying to write songs that fit with what’s possible.”

Baker complements Jenkins with backing vocals as well and while they lack a drummer, they aren’t necessarily looking to expand on their lineup either.

“I do kick, snare, high hat, harmonica, guitar and vocals,” Jenkins explained. “On any given song I could be playing any of those.”

While listeners have dubbed Jenkins as both a folk and bluegrass artist over the years, he has seen his sound evolve recently to the point where he is beginning to explore new genres.

“It definitely feels like there is more rock and funky stuff coming out (lately),” he explained.

“It’s still hard for me to not write ballad songs. I’m trying to write more upbeat and danceable stuff.”

Jenkins has been working to get more gigs for the group and they’ll visit Canmore, Invermere and Revelstoke in addition to several shows in Golden in the coming months. He’s now looking to set up shows further afield while working towards recording another album.

For more information and a full list of upcoming shows, check out the group’s website at smalltownrevival.ca.