A new band full of local talent will be making its debut at Crossroads United Church this weekend.
The Funkyard, featuring North Delta-raised Julia Skye and Colin Sankey (vocals and bass, respectively), with Seb Chamney on guitar and Johneil Viñas on drums, is performing its first-ever live show on Saturday night (Feb. 1) with a set full of “funkified” cover tunes plus a few of Skye’s original songs.
“It’s just been a really fun group to get to play in. They’re all super proficient on their instruments so it’s a treat for me to get to sing with them,” Skye told the Reporter.
The group came together about five months ago, Skye said, with Sankey and Chamney recruiting the other two members.
“We all have some connection to Vancouver Community College. We all went through the music program there at some point or another, but Colin Sankey and I also both grew up at Crossroads United Church so we’ve known each other for years,” Skye said.
“Colin and Seb are really good friends, and so [they] came up with the idea and got Johneil and I in on it. We’ve all had a really fun time starting to play together, so we’re excited for our first show — and excited for many more!”
Skye said the band’s blend of funkified versions of pop, rock and blues tunes is a departure from the more pop/singer-songwriter style of music she usually writes and performs.
“It’s a little bit of a step outside for me in terms of the arrangements are super funky, and all of these guys are just super great musicians so the music is really fun,” she said.
“Our goal with the project is to have all these funkified arrangements of pop tunes but keep the songs still feeling recognizable as the pop song that it is. My part in the project is actually to be that sort of anchor and keep the song recognizable, so I’m just kind of singing pop songs and they sound really funky because of the music under it. So it feels comfortable to me in that way, but it’s definitely something new for me too, and that is cool.”
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 o’clock show. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and can either be reserved by emailing tickets@crossroads-united-church.ca or purchased at the door (7655 Scott Rd.).
As part of Saturday’s set, The Funkyard will be performing two songs from Skye’s forthcoming debut EP: “Downtown,” a song Skye says is “about escapism a little bit, getting away from things and just wanting to get out and have a good time,” and “T-Shirt,” which she describes as “a fun pop tune that should be a good time.”
The seven-track EP, titled Think Myself to Sleep, was recorded last fall at Monarch Studios in Vancouver and will be released in March.
“I’m super excited about it. It’s coming up pretty quick,” Skye said.
“They’re all original songs that I wrote myself over the last couple of years. I tried to really keep it as a smaller project. I wanted to really curate the list and make sure that the songs all made sense together but that they also all had something kind of different to them so that they all have their own special place within the work.
“They’re all kind of pop/singer-songwriter, and there’s even a little bit of a rock influence in the music. There’s a big blend: some of them are pretty chill and introspective and really lyrically focused, and we have a few more pop-y, dance-y tunes.”
A release party for the EP is in the works for spring, where Skye will play the album in front of family and friends, and another show with her backing band is planned for April 3 at Guilt and Co. in Vancouver.
For more info, visit juliaskye.ca or check out The Funkyard's members on social media (@colinsankeybass, @sebchamney, @jv_vinas, and @juliaskyemusic).
