Bahamas

Bahamas is the solo project of Toronto-based guitarist and musical gun-for-hire Afie Jurvanen. With a carefully trained ear for melody that he's honed during his time playing with the likes of Feist and Howie Beck, Jurvanen's solo project has a stripped-down and contemplative sound that focuses on doing more with less, allowing his voice and guitar to do most of the heavy lifting on his quiet indie folk meditations. Bahamas made its album debut in 2009 with Pink Strat, which was nominated for a Juno Award the following year. After releasing the album, Jurvanen set out on tour in support of alt-country icons Wilco before eventually striking out on his own with a headlining tour. The guitarist returned in 2012 with his follow-up album, Barchords. In 2014, Jurvanen delivered the third Bahamas studio album, Bahamas Is Afie, which featured a '70s soft country-influenced vibe. It reached as high as number four on Canada's album chart and number six on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart. After more intercontinental touring, he re-emerged in early 2018 with the all-star rhythm section of bassist Pino Palladino and drummer James Gadson on Earthtones. Having written the songs with the Black Messiah collaborators in mind, it emphasized a funkier, smooth soul sound.