Somba K’e Social (Distance) Club offers private FaceTime concerts

Phones are powerful things in a pandemic. Call a friend. Call a family member. Call for delivery. And now call for a private concert, performed for you by a Yellowknife band.

Members of the Somba K’e Social Club – or Somba K’e Social Distance Club during the Covid-19 pandemic – are offering their musical talents through live, personal concerts by video call.

“Me and the guys were talking about what we could do to give back to the community,” guitar player Dean Eskich explained. “I know there’s been lots of live concerts streamed online, but we wanted something a little bit more personal.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, musicians from living-room enthusiasts to Charli XCX and the Cold War Kids have been performing live on social media and other virtual platforms.

But Eskich said the Somba K’e Social Clubs’s concerts will be a little different because the audience will only be whoever is on the other end of a private call. 

So what can people expect from a Somba K’e Social Club FaceTime concert?

The band comprises Dean Eskich on guitar, Ryan Dempster on cajon, and Wesley Hardisty on fiddle. Eskich said the band will play a few original songs but its members also want to have a conversation and check in with people during the pandemic.

As for the band’s sound, Eskich said it’s a unique blend of each member’s unique musical background. 

“My background with guitar is heavily Flamenco, Wesley is a fiddler, he plays east-coast fiddle and he has his own northern style,” he said. “Ryan Dempster, he has a totally different background as a sound tech person foremost, but developing as a musician through the years with a big focus on blues music.” 

Eskich said he and Wesley live together, so playing music together for the FaceTime concerts won’t be an issue. The band is looking into ways Dempster can join from his home.

Those interested in a FaceTime concert with the Yellowknife band can fill out a Google form to request one.

Somba K’e Social Club in a photo submitted by Dean Eskich.