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Sunday August 8

KO VIDEOS:

"Capable"  (Let's Blaze)

KO BIO:
LET'S BLAZE: In August of 2009, Toronto-based urban/folk artist Ko released his debut album 'Let’s Blaze' – an honest and introspective account of his struggle to overcome drug addiction.  Following the album’s release, Ko had the good fortune to find himself touring across the country and playing alongside musicians he has admired for years – artists such as legendary rapper Snoop Dogg and De La Soul.  His dynamic shows (often performed solo with just an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder) have won him an ever increasing legion of fans who relate not only to his incredible story but to the gritty organic sound that he produces.  

“Capable,” the first single taken from Let’s Blaze has been met with great radio support across Canada, with a significant run on the Modern Rock and Alternative charts.  The single’s accompanying video clip was produced and directed by Ko, showcasing the talent of a true artist.  He has also made it his business to build a strong understanding of social media networking on the internet so that he can stay in close contact with his fanbase.

The emergence of Ko (born Ko Kapches) into the Canadian music scene has not come without a number of personal struggles. Though he was raised in a middle-class Greek family in Toronto, Ontario, he began to fall into the trap of using and selling a wide variety of drugs that eventually led him on an odyssey of rehabilitation centres across the United States. "I lived on the streets of San Francisco for a little bit until I eventually got in touch with my parents," Ko explains. "My father flew out and took me home, but I started living on the streets of Toronto anyways."
 
Ko spent much of his time with friends in small studios, crafting his talents as a rapper while beginning to write songs and playing guitar.  In retrospect it was during this time he started to develop his own unique style he now refers to as a mixture of urban funk and urban folk.

One listen to Let’s Blaze makes it clear that Ko is an artist with eclectic musical influences.  Indeed, he counts musicians such as Everlast, Kid Rock, Ani DiFranco, Thelonious Monk and Van Morrison among his favourites. He even has a tattoo of a lyric from Canadian musical icon Neil Young's "Down by the River" on his chest, Be on my side, I'll be on your side.

“An intriguing listen from someone who has been there and found the strength and good family to bring him back from the brink.” (Kelowna Capital News, 2009)

“This is a more honest exhibition of addiction and the uphill battle to overcome it than has been released in years – if not ever.” (Ground Control Magazine, 2009)

"I wrote some songs on the album when I was 18,” says Ko.  “But they still mean as much to me now as they did back then, especially when I play them for people who haven't heard them before. They didn't know that it was written four years ago. And even if they do, they can still sing along and enjoy it."

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