Datura

Whether it was strategy or just plain fluke, the solo-acoustic-artist opening acts made the sound of the band Datura that much more explosive when they hit the stage. Once Datura began to play, bringing their unlikely amalgamation of hard rock, folk and jazz to the venue at Newmarket's own Good-Times Cafe, things really got rolling.

Bass player Jeffrey Garriock played slowly through the tunes, with scale-runs that would feel right at home in a blues bar. Lead axeman and vocalist Kirk Holmes counterbalanced them with menacing grunge riffs that firmly established that Datura was there to rock first and groove second. It was the band's jazz backbone that had shined through as they paid homage to the jazz standard "St. James Infirmary Blues". The band reinvented the song with the intricate stickwork of drummer Ryan Webb and the spooky Hammond organ sounds of Alana Young.

The highlight of the set was the third song. It alternated hushed melodic verses with choruses on overdrive. The melodies in this song stood out in a unique way when in comparison to the rest of the band's set. Brett Collins on noise guitar really shone as his eclectic approach to the guitar rippled, reverberated and feedbacked throughout. It had interwoven harmonic phrases that brought back some of my own memories of early sixties american folk music. It surely calmed down the room before a few more hard rocking songs kick-started everything grunge back into gear.

By the end of the set Datura had shown that they could be both quiet and introspective, raucous and brash. They managed to stay new whilst maintaining their core ménage of southern folk, african jazz and late nineties rock; a unique and tasteful combination surely to break barriers for the years of music to come.
- Dusty Lalas

To Whom It May Concern,
With a new uncharted sound, Datura seems to have great potential for being what could be an important band in the years to come.

I’ve listened to their latest track “Kill Jessica” and am confident to say that it demonstrates talent and potential. The energy of the band comes through quite well. Their lyrics are well thought out, meaningful and accessible. This band definitely has their act together.

Sincerely,

Reuben Ghose
Music Mixer - N/A