When Mission singer Karma Sohn plays at Opening Nite Theatre tomorrow evening it will mark the culmination of a goal she’s engineered in reverse.
While some music acts start out playing local gigs before moving to bigger venues, Karma wants to bring hers in the other direction.
“We’re kind of trying to get a scene going in Mission,” she said. “I know there’s a lot of interest in the arts and I think there’s room for more programming of eclectic music.”
Although Karma plays most of her music in Vancouver, where she commutes both for practice and to go to school at Vancouver Community College for music, she wants to bring her band and others from the city out to the Fraser Valley.
Karma describes her music as having a pop sensibility without being mainstream, and says the vocals and score are intricately crafted.
“But it’s also intimate and unaffected,” she adds.
Karma says her debut album, Objects of Affection, is an adventurous experience that moves through a range of colours and moods, delving into dream-time and digs in the dirt to get at the heart of the matter.
Karma is joined by partner and drummer Skye Brooks, who also collaborates with Karma in the band Copilots.
Brooks (who grew up in Mission) and bassist Sean Cronin team up to form the rhythm section, while guitarist Dave Sikula and Brooks have a long musical friendship, including collaborating with the band Inhabitants.
Local songstress Leah Abramson lends her vocals to the mix as well.
But although Karma collaborates with several bands, this album is very much her creation.
“It’s been several years in the making. This is my first album so it’s something I’ve put a lot of time into to discover my voice and figure out how I want to present it,” she said.
Karma Sohn and her band will play with Vancouver’s Octoberman at Opening Nite Theatre, 33135 N. Railway Ave., tomorrow at 8 p.m.
Seating is limited so make sure you get there early to get a good spot. Tickets are $8 to $15 at the door.
To sample Karma’s music go to www.myspace.com/karmasohnmusic.