Thursday April 18, 7:30 pm, admission by donation (suggested $10). Alt-country band Azalea (Benjamin Hackett and Mia Cioffi) have put together an evening of music inspired by hope and love. Three distinctly different artists, thematically tied, coming together for a memorable live show at Artword Artbar. 
The founder of CompassionandPeace.org, Hamilton’s Blake Bliss will share his unique and award-winning blend of folk and electronic music. Hamilton’s Azalea duo bring “Alt-Country” power-house vocals in perfect harmony accompanied by live looping. The night will close with the sensuous and soulful sounds of Oshawa’s Gibbran & Tamsynn-Lee.
www.blakebliss.com www.AzaleaMusic.net www.GibbranAndTamsynn-Lee.com
Biographies:
Blake Bliss, the Canadian acoustic / folk / electronic musician has been recording, performing and winning awards since 2006. He founded the non-profit Compassion And Peace Association of Canada (CAPAOC) which is committed to raising awareness about the importance of mental health and suicide prevention.
Benjamin Hackett and Mia Cioffi are Azalea, a Hamilton-based husband and wife Alt-Country duo. Azalea’s “Coffee & Kisses EP” was nominated and placed in the top three finalists for Recording of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, and Producer of the Year at the 2010 Durham Region Music Awards. Both Benjamin Hackett and Mia Cioffi embarked on their own life’s journey with the hopes and dreams of inspiring others with their music. They worked hard at their craft but felt they couldn’t realize their full potential. Then one fateful day the two dreamers met. They began a romance of music, life, and love. They came to realize that apart, their efforts fell short of what they had hoped to express musically, but together their sound blossomed into something beautiful, the sound now known as Azalea. As performers, they are very versatile and every live show is entertaining, whatever the occasion. They always strive to be cutting edge in their live performances and never settle for second best. Taking the “One Man Band” approach they have earned a reputation for bringing “more than you’d think” to the table, through the use of live looping and frequent instrument changes.
Gibbran & Tamsynn-Lee: Inspired by love, life and beauty, Gibbran Khan Rashid and Tamsynn-Lee Isaacs were brought together to create this self-produced project with a sound that is unique to this duo. Their ability to harmonize and blend their soulful voices is refreshing and true. With the rhythm of love-making and cosmic frequency, this sexy duo produces sweet music that they call Steam. A genre that possesses a warm and sensual ‘love-song’ essence with a feel good vibe. No doubt their chemistry is contagious.
