Valley brings their viral sounds and new release to Kingston, keeping their tour momentum moving.
JUNO award-nominated, Canadian band Valley performed at The Ale House on Nov. 7 as part of their Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden tour, spanning the United States and Canada. ed at Thursday’s show by Toronto-based singer renforshort, the tour celebrates their most recent album of the same name, Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden, and brings their stream-worthy hits to the stage.
Valley, a three-piece band, is made up of lead vocalist Rob Laska, bassist Alex Dimauro, and drummer Karah James. Valley shared their enthusiasm to returning to Kingston, a city with a rich musical history and legacy.
Their Kingston performance marks a happy return to the city for the band. “We played at Clark Hall years ago, and it was honestly one of our favourite shows. The PAs didn’t work, and we had some tech issues, but the place was sweaty and parked, and honestly a huge party. We’re looking forward to coming back and seeing what Kingston crowd can bring!” Valley said in a statement to The Journal.
The band’s return to Canada after a string of shows in the US comes as a sigh of relief. Performing in their home country’s always a special feeling for Valley. “Canada is home and will always feel like home so it kind of feels like a warm hug after spending a month in the States paying shows. The energy in there has been tense—for a good reason—the Canadian crowds have been a little more carefree, we’ve noticed,” Valley said.
Their most recent album, Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden signifies a fresh sound for the band. Though recently released, it’s been in the works for a while, born out of a period of isolation for Valley. “We locked ourselves in the cabin in the Smoky Mountains to make this album, so it was a very isolated creation process. We went back to basics with music that sounds like a band, and that’s the direction I think we’ll always take from now on,” Valley said.
Standouts from the album include “Bop Ba” and “Growing Apart,” with intimate sounds indicating an exciting new direction for the group, and an energy they’ve fostered on this current tour.
Valley’s Kingston show marks just over halfway on their North American tour, giving them an opportunity to hone their new releases on the live stage. The band has positive feelings about their journey so far, despite the usual rollercoaster of life on tour. Regardless of bus breakdowns and sickness, hearing crowds sing along to their songs makes it all worthwhile.
This new direction for the group highlights the importance of adaptability and tenacity as musicians. This openness to change is a skill they attribute as key to their success as a band. “It’s important to constantly challenge your strategies and processes, so that you’re not blind to evolving with the times. I see so many people lose interest in the evolution of things and get caught up in their way of doing it. They’re missing out ultimately. We’re lucky to have great people around us that help us with this,” Valley said.
This ability to evolve also extends to the use of social media, an aspect of modern artistry that’s becoming increasingly visible, and crucial, in the music industry. Social media savviness is something Valley has taken in stride, as seen through their hit song “1999,” which went viral on TikTok back in 2021.
Valley’s show in Kingston marks their commitment to their craft and sets the tone for the back half of their successful tour.
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