Known for his cool cruisy folk-rock sound, Canada’s Tennyson King is looking forward to hitting the road to play Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival this November. After his first tour here in 2017, Tennyson can’t get enough of our Aussie lifestyle.
“I’m just excited to get back to Australia,” he says. “I love the weather, the nature, and all the people there. I’m looking forward to getting some nice ocean swims and surfs in while I’m there as well”. It’s not just the climate, Tennyson enjoys playing to the friendly country crowds. “I find Australian audiences can get quite loud and very outwardly expressive of how they feel, which I love. They scream and yell and get involved.”
Originally from Hong Kong and raised in Canada, Tennyson got his musical beginnings learning classical piano. The rigid structure of the lessons wasn’t to the young man’s liking so he eventually turned to his love of heavier music and picked up a guitar. This led to playing his favourite Metallica songs, propelling him on a journey to his debut self-titled EP in 2015. It was during his tour of Australia two years later that he began to work on a follow up, titled Coast.
This sophomore effort would add more colour and sunshine to the sombre tones of Tennyson’s debut, offering a smooth and ethereal hook reflective of Australia’s beautiful coastal summer. The EP’s sound also implies an influence from the other side of the Pacific Ocean. California’s Red Hot Chili Peppers were a favourite of young Tennyson King and at times he channels the summer sound of Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante. “People have loved listening to it while road tripping and travelling which was the intention,” he observes. “I wrote a lot of the songs while I was touring Australia for the first time and living out of my van. So the songs have a very colourful and beachy vibe to them. I produced it with Dan Hosh in Canada, but we definitely carried over that Australian east coast vibe to the studio.”
Tennyson King features at the Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival November 7th to 10th 2019.
For all the latest updates check out www.bendigobluesandroots.com.au
