If you鈥檙e looking for a dead-on impersonation of Carlos Santana, says his act might not be for you.
The Vancouver-based musician who brings his popular tribute act, to the stage of the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Saturday night says his show is more about honouring the music than note-for-note replication.
鈥淲e鈥檙e paying homage (to Santana),鈥� he stressed.鈥淣ot emulating.鈥�
Towle,who has been playing the guitar since he was 12 and working as a professional musician for more than 20 years, feels that given the abundance of tribute acts and impersonators, it鈥檚 an important distinction to note.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e really trying to do, in the truest sense, is pay tribute rather than try to be Carlos Santana. I don鈥檛 pretend to be anybody but me,鈥� he noted.
Not that he鈥檚 knocking tribute acts鈥攈e knows being a professional impersonator is a tough gig.
鈥淚 guess I wear the hat,鈥� he conceded. 鈥淥ther than that, I really don鈥檛 look the part, I just love to play Santana鈥檚 music.鈥�
Towle says he can鈥檛 pinpoint exactly when or how he developed his passion for the 10-time Grammy-award winner鈥檚 work, just that, as a guitar player himself, he can鈥檛 help but admire ever-evolving performer鈥檚 distinct style.
He admits it may stem from the years he spent playing exclusively acoustic guitar, focusing on nouveau flamenco鈥攁 genre of music he says is akin to the style made popular by the Gypsy Kings.
鈥淏esides, Santana is a ton of fun to listen to, but they鈥檙e also a ton of fun to play.鈥�
That love, he added, is what inspired the former music teacher to assemble Supernatural鈥� a seven, and sometimes, eight piece band that he says recreates the experience of a Santana concert, with 鈥渁ll the energy and musicianship of the real thing.鈥�
Acknowledging the ambition required to devote a group of musicians soley to covering Carlos Santana鈥檚 vast canon of ever-evolving music, Towle points to the uniqueness of itself.
鈥淚鈥檝e never met a person that doesn鈥檛 at least like Santana. Who wouldn鈥檛 want to cover his music?鈥� he asked, adding that standing out among his peers in the West Coast music scene was also attractive when it comes to choosing his act.
鈥淭here are a bajillion Beatles acts, but as far as I know we鈥檙e the only Santana act outside of California.鈥�
Whatever Towle and Supernatural are doing, it appears to have struck a chord, with Vernon audiences, as their last three local performances have sold out.
And he鈥檚 hoping for another sell-out this weekend.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really looking forward to coming back to Vernon,鈥� he said.
The show, which Towle describes as high energy, covers 50 years of Santana鈥檚 music, from his career-making performance of Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock, to his collaborations and more recent albums.
鈥淲e pretty much kick off at a ten, and it keeps going from there. We have two amazing singers; a male and a female, and I sing as well. It鈥檚 a really broad spectrum to cover, so we have quite a few songs on reserve.鈥�
When you鈥檙e covering a 50-year career, he noted, the question isn鈥檛 what songs to cover, it鈥檚 what songs to leave out.
Supernatural: a Santana Experience takes the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre stage Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $55 adult through the Ticket Seller, 250-549-7469, .
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Erin Christie
Morning Star Staff
erin.christie@vernonmorningstar.com
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