With influences ranging from Wayne Shorter to The Carpenters, the WORST POP BAND EVER combines their love of improvisational jazz with modern pop influences. Since 2006, the WPBE has been entertaining audiences at festivals and packed clubs throughout North America: from IAJE to NXNE; from St. John’s to Seattle, New York to Vancouver. They’ve had their music used for film and television from the CBC to the NFB, and even Disney. They returned from a very successful tour of Taiwan in March of this year.
Despite their name, the band features two Juno winners and the former host of “Jazz is What?!” on JAZZ.FM91. CHRIS GALE (saxophone), DREW BIRSTON (bass), ADREAN FARRUGIA (piano), and TIM SHIA (drums) have worked with the ‘who’s who’ of the Canadian Music scene including Richard Underhill, Brandi Disterheft, Amanda Martinez, Rebecca Hennessy, Sultans of String, Colin James, Feist, Matt Dusk, Quique Escamilla, Alison Au, and Mike Downes.
“The Worst Pop Band Ever is the total package – great compositions, unique covers and standup-worthy comedic banter.” (Mike Deicont, tojazz.com)
“The music’s fresh…may appeal to pop lovers but assuredly to jazzers keen on a kind of driven fluency as genre stylings are examined, discarded and reworked.” (Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star)
The WORST POP BAND EVER returns to the Home Smith Bar tonight with brand new music and a few standards “twisted and turned to fit their eclectic sensibilities”.