Turtleboy

Turtleboy, comprised of Jonathan Lindhorst on sax, Ryan Butler on guitar, and Adam Miller on drums, was first established in Montreal in the summer of 2007. Inspired by the music of Paul Motian's bassless trio, the three musicians set out to explore this relatively rare musical combination. Turtleboy blends concepts from free-jazz and other parts of the jazz tradition with aspects of indie rock, creating an experience that is steeped in atmospheric space, loose grooves and intelligent improvised interactions. More often than not, the emphasis is on a group sound and a collective improvisation, rather than any one persons solo, and the band has worked tirelessly to create a seamless blend of total music. Following their first acquaintance in 2007, Turtleboy managed to achieve tremendous success in a short period of time. After performing in Montreal for several months, the group received a Demo Award from FACTOR to record a demo and assemble their first press kit, and in January of 2008, the group was awarded a Research and Creation grant by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec to compose, rehearse, and develop new original music. Throughout the spring of 2008 Turtleboy performed regularly in Montreal while honing their repertoire. In June they recorded their debut album and played at the Off Festival De Jazz De Montreal, where they were hailed as a fresh new discovery, and by July 2008 Turtleboy was voted the #2 Jazz act in Montreal by The Montreal Mirror Readers Poll. Following their local success, Turtleboy decided to explore artistic endeavors outside of Montreal, and in September 2008, they participated in a 6-week Career Development Residency at the Banff Centre, for which they where the proud recipients of the TD Trust Fellowship Scholarship. During this time they composed and developed new material, as well as performed, recorded and collaborated with a diversity of artists, most notably Juno award winners Roberto Occhipinti and Hilario Duran. In mid November, armed with a newly developed repertoire of music, Turtleboy embarked on a 2-week tour of Canada. Notable performances included The Beat Niq Jazz and Social Club in Calgary, The Yardbird Suite Jazz Festival in Edmonton, and a performance and master-class at St. Francis Xavier University. In January of 2009, Turtleboy officially released their debut album with critical success. Throughout the Winter of 2009, Turtleboy continued to develop more original music and perform throughout Montreal. In the spring they returned to the Banff Centre to participate in the International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, directed by Dave Douglas. During this workshop they had the opportunity to work and play with many gifted artists from around the world, including Joshua Redman, Tony Malaby, Marshall Gilkes, and more. They were also prestigiously hand selected by the faculty to open for Grammy nominees Joshua Redman and Dave Douglas at the Eric Harvey Theatre. Currently based out of Brooklyn, NY, Turtleboy has recently completed their second album Smart Matter which has been released on the Vancouver-based Songlines label and is actively looking to tour the album across both Canada and the US, with plans to expand into Europe by 2012.