Over the Moon to perform in Strathmore area
By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor
Photo Courtesy of Over the Moon
The party included numerous members from the Alberta community who sat around a circle and took turns performing songs. Suzanne Levesque, who met Bignell previously when he had recorded drums, percussion and banjo for the band she was involved in, grabbed her bass and joined him in singing a love song. That’s the moment Bignell fell head over heels in love with Levesque, his Over the Moon band member and now wife of two years.
Since that meeting, their feelings for each other haven’t changed and indeed became a direct influence on the duo’s band name, and their career has catapulted to great success.
Although it took three years to release their first CD, Moondancer, their music has hit it big in the UK and Europe. As well, music magazines in Russia picked up their story, and the acoustic roots duo was recently approached to book an 18-day tour in China.
However, long before receiving international recognition, the award-winning vocal and multi-instrumental artists left their mark in Canadian cities and towns. Specifically Strathmore, where the Strathmore Musical Arts Society has followed their success closely and will be hosting Over the Moon next week before the band heads on tour in Ontario.
“The Strathmore Musical Arts Society has always believed in us,” said Bignell. “They were the ones that reached out to us when we just started, and they come and follow us to some of our shows. They’re always there… and we think the world of them.”
Although the couple lives just south of Longview, Alta., Bignell grew up in Ontario and Levesque in the Okanagan in B.C. Since the age of 14, Bignell has played the drums and percussion professionally in wedding bands, before adding the banjo. He then went on to become the music director for Nunavut’s first ever Juno Award-winning Inuk singer and songwriter Susan Aglukark. It was through his music studio that he was hired by an Alberta band and met Levesque who played in a family band.
In 2014, the Bignell and Levesque performed at Kim’s Café, and are now looking forward to returning to the town.
“We like to play smaller venues and smaller towns and things like that because we get to meet so many wonderful people,” Bignell said. “When you play the huge stages, you go on and you have the little buds in your ears so you can’t hear the audience. There’s so many (people) out there they look like carpet and you can’t see their faces. You play your show exactly the same way every night and when you’re done you go on the bus and leave and never even meet them. But this way we get to meet all kinds of people and make new friends all over.”
With the release of their first CD, the band is preparing for their Ontario tour but not before returning to Strathmore.
Over the Moon will be performing on April 28 at Humblehorse Ranch – 2100 Range Road 254 – from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person, and are available at Assist Business Centre, Chinook Financial, Authentic Roots Salon, HOB’s Hobbies, Marlin Travel and Pro Water Systems.