Brandon Isaak (left) and Keith Picot are the dynamic musical duo that make up the acclaimed Silver Screen Scoundrels. The duo combine wonderful swing and blues tunes with a tribute to silent film and comedy. They are playing at the Elks Lodge in Osoyoos the evening of Wednesday, March 15. (Publicity photo)
An acclaimed Canadian duo that combine blues and swing music along with a tribute to silent film and comedy will bring their unique talents to Osoyoos next week.
The Silver Screen Scoundrels are made up of Brandon Isaak and Keith Picot.
Isaak won the 2014 Maple Blues Award for being the Best Acoustic Blues Performer in Canada. The Maple Blues Awards are the top honour that a Canadian Blues performer can achieve. He was previously nominated for the same award in 2013.
He plays multiple instruments, including guitar, harmonica, kazoo, banjo and foot percussion. Brandon is a great story teller with a quick wit and keen sense of humour which is evident in his shows.
Picot plays standup bass and is considered one of the finest players on that instrument in the country.
With a hard hitting slap style all his own, Picot he can drive a beat like the devil, then equally and effortlessly draw out the sweet tones of a saint.
In 2014 he was nominated for a Maple Blues Award as Canada’s Best Bass Player. He previously won the award in 2011.
The Silver Screen Scoundrels have taken the old classic art form of silent movies and thrust it into the modern world.
“Isaak not only plays his guitar but he plays his audience like a ringmaster in his own circus, always looking for new ways to entertain,” said Teresa Mallam in a recent review in the Prince George Free Press.
What separates Isakk from the rest of the pack besides his world-class musicianship and songwriting, is his ability to connect and involve the audience in his live shows.
Last year, Isaak added to his impressive musical resume as he had nominations for Maple Blues Awards Songwriter of the Year, Acoustic Act of the Year and Album of the Year for his latest solo album called Here On Earth.
Isaak was also one of Canada’s 13 artists picked to write a road song about their province / territory for the CBC’s, great Canadian Song Quest 2011.
Isaak represented British Columbia in the 2012 International Blues Challenge which takes place every year on Beale St in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the biggest gathering of blues acts in the world.
His first solo album entitled Bluesman’s Plea was nominated for a 2012 Western Canadian Music Award for Best Blues Album Of The Year..
He is also known as the front man and main songwriter/guitar player for the popular Canadian Jump band The Twisters, based out of Vancouver.
He also performs with a new hot group called Brandon Isaak & his Saints of Swing.
Over the years Isaak has had a chance to play with some of his favourite musicians and main influences, such as Corey Harris, Guy Davis, Taj Mahal, Colin Linden, Harrison Kennedy, Serena Ryder, The Sojourners and Jim Byrnes as well as electric greats like Jeff Healy, Joe Louis Walker, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, and Chicago Blues diva Zora Young.
He brings a firebrand style of guitar as well as incredibly stirring vocals that truly has to be witnessed to be appreciated.
The duo are based in BC and have performed in Canada, Europe and China.
You can find information about the duo at https://www.brandonisaak.ca/the-silver-screen-scoundrels. Tickets are $15 each and are on sale at Mills Office Pro on Main Street in Osoyoos.
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Osoyoos Times
