Blue Moon Marquee writes and performs original compositions influenced by anything that swings, jumps or grooves. A.W. Cardinal (vocals/guitar) and Jasmine Colette a.k.a. Badlands Jass (vocals/bass/drums) have played for a vast gamut of crowds at jazz clubs, Lindy Hop dance halls, folk venues, blues haunts, hospitals, prisons, markets, motorcycle joints, dive bars and prestigious festival stages.
Colette not only commands the upright bass but also brings the rhythm with her feet on a custom foot drum kit, all while singing in her signature honey-dipped tone. Cardinal’s distinctive and soulful vocals barrel out like a raging bull while his guitar crackles with the swinging energy of jazz-tinged blues.
The result of 9 years of rigorous touring, crisscrossing Europe and North America, is a distinct energy and style from this acclaimed duo. Carving a path through blues, jazz, jump jive, folk, country, swing, and Indigenous soul with an authentic spirit, their sound does not idle easily in one certain category. It stomps and struts through the wilds, conjuring a blend where Howlin’ Wolf tangos with Django, Earnest Tubb shoots firecrackers with Cab Calloway, and Memphis Minnie throws dice with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Their gift is bringing all these elements together without anything sounding out of step. They collect the roots and smoothly braid them with lyrics that often touch on the underbelly of society, woven with elements of Indigenous storytelling and poetic cadence.
"Blue Moon Marquee has its own completely original style. Modern Blues doesn't really get any better than this. This is a tremendous sound by a hugely talented duo” says American Roots UK.
With their highly anticipated 5th album Scream, Holler & Howl (SHH), Blue Moon Marquee have captured their most sophisticated collection of songs yet. Co-produced by Duke Robillard and recorded live to tape, SHH blazes forward with a full band featuring some of Canada’s finest veteran players. While they have primarily performed as a duo since 2013, over the last couple of years they have been performing often as a trio or quartet featuring Darcy Phillips (Jann Arden) on piano and Jerry Cook (Colin James) on tenor and baritone saxophone.
The album was honoured with the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Award nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year(2023). The release also swept the Maple Blues Awards (Canada’s highest honour in Blues) with four wins including, Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Acoustic Act of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. The album has topped the charts in the US and Canada achieving #1 on the !Earshot National Folk/Roots/Blues chart and #3 on their National Top 10 Chart for all genres, #1 on Canada’s Top 50 Chart by Roots Music Report, #6 on the International NACC Radio Chart and #8 on the coveted Living Blues Radio Chart. There was even a 4 week run at #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown. In a rare feat, the album reached #9 on the !Earshot National Jazz Chart while charting in Blues. Most recently they were honoured as at the Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards with Live Musical Performance of the Year and Roots Album of the Year.
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