BEHIND SAPPHIRE

It is fitting that just seconds into Behind Sapphire’s eponymous record, guitarist Matthew Mazankowski utters that most sacred of musical tropes: “I’m free to make my noise,” he sings in the harmonized verse that leads off the album’s rootsy opening track, “The Call of the Wild.” As is the case with just about anyone that has employed the singer's greatest declaration, Behind Sapphire is unabashed in its embrace of musical freedom – be it merrymaking or noise-making, both. After years of shuffling, tangling and realigning, the Vancouver-born band – Grant Cassell (vocals), Matthew Mazankowski (guitar), Steven Ward (drums), Lindsay Sjoberg (guitar) and Brayden Pichor (bass) – have formed a creative cauldron from which has emerged the release of their debut album in 2010, a spot in the Peak Performance Project’s Top 20 the same year, two cross-Canada tours including stops at festivals all over the country, and the Space Cadets – the band’s costumed street team which orbits their shows, occasionally touching down unannounced. Recently, Behind Sapphire released a music video for "Oh My, What A Fine Day" featuring Twilight actress Jodelle Ferland before em... more...