(OLD WORLD INDIE FOLK)
PRESS KIT
Bio (short)
Caraluna (“beloved moon” in Gaelic/Latin, “moon face” in Spanish) is the multilingual indie-world-folk project of singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Jesse Edward Thom.
Inspired by singers of another age such as Jacques Brel and by minimalist composers like Yann Tiersen, Thom infuses simple, emotionally compelling melodies with poetic, life-affirming musings from his years of travel throughout Latin America, Western Canada, Spain and the UK.
Bio (long)
Caraluna (“beloved moon” in Gaelic/Latin, “moon face” in Spanish) is the multilingual indie-world-folk project of singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Jesse Edward Thom, whose first solo album, “Snowdragons,” was rated in the top ten albums of the year by Folk Radio UK.
Inspired by old-world singers such as Jacques Brel and by minimalist composers like Yann Tiersen, Thom infuses simple, emotionally compelling melodies with poetic, life-affirming musings from his years of travel throughout Latin America, Western Canada, Spain and the UK. The project also draws influence from the art of Sacred Clowning, which Thom has studied under teacher/performer Didier Danthois in Tenerife, Spain, for the past several years.
Based in the Gulf Islands of BC, Canada, Caraluna features Thom’s rich and relaxed voice accompanied by tiny guitar as the foundation of its sound. The
songs are filled out by a plethora of instruments including horns,
accordion, piano, bass and drums.
Strongly rooted in the practice of meditation (and working for the past several years, in addition to being a musician, as a meditation instructor), Thom brings the recurring themes of direct perception, intuitive knowing and reconnection with the body and earth into all of Caraluna’s music.
Performance Experience
In previous projects (Dirty Grace / The Honey Tongues / IRTH):
- Vancouver Island Music Festival
- Victoria Jazz Fest
- WildHeart Festival (Totnes, UK)
- Jasper Folk Fest
- Atmosphere (Cumberland)
- Golden Sound Festival
- Quadrapalooza
- ArtsWells
- 39 Days of July
- Victoria Jazz Fest
- Bella Coola Fest
- Robson Valley Music Festival
- Diversity (Texada Island)
- Koksilah Music Fest
- MOM Fest (Fort St. James)
- Campbell Bay Music Festival (main stage)
- Fusion Festival (Surrey)
- Arts On The Fly
- Kispiox Music Fest
- Whistler Children’s Festival
- All Folk’d Up (Montmartre SK)
- Campbell Bay Music Festival (forest stage headliner)
- Aurora Sensoralis (Salt Spring Island)
- Woodstove Festival (Cumberland)
- Over 200 shows including more than 20 festivals, 4 cross-Canada tours as well as a tour in the UK