They’re known for such R&B-pop hits as Castles in the Sand and Hurts to Love You — and their lush cover of the Godley & Creme song, Cry.
Now, The Philosopher Kings are back on the road for a bunch of summer dates, including as headliners of this Saturday’s Kaleidoscope Arts Festival in Coquitlam, to play their popular tunes and promote their latest album, Return of the Kings, and the new single, Best In You.
“We’re kind of getting it all back together,” lead singer Jarvis Church (aka Gerald Eaton) told The Tri-City News from Toronto. “Everything feels very comfortable, where it should be.”
The band took a 10-year hiatus before dropping Return of the Kings last summer. Its 11 tracks “have a familiar Philosopher Kings sound but are more contemporary,” Church said.
The decade off for the Juno award-winning group brought in new influences from other music projects.
Church released solo albums and worked as a producer, mostly notably with Nelly Furtado which earned him and with PK bandmate Brian West a Grammy award nomination for Whoa, Nelly! The pair is also credited for their work with Esthero, Stacie Orrico and K’naan.
Bass guitarist Marc Rogers, who is also a member of the Michael Kaeshammer band and has penned songs for film and T.V., worked with Church on his album, Jarvis Church & The Soul Station, Vol. 1.
And drummer Denton Whited has played with Trey Mills, the Canadian Brass and Emma Roberts while guitarist James Bryan is one-half of the group Prozzak and is the founder of UMI Entertainment.
Though he now calls Los Angeles home, Church said he’s encouraged by the trend toward electronic beats and is gaining much of his music direction from Canadian artists such as Drake and The Weeknd.
Also, “I get inspired by the conversation that this world is having with contemporary music,” Church said. “I love hearing new sounds.”
After their summer gigs, Church said The Philosopher Kings will launch a tour at the end of the year, heading coast to coast. “We’ve got a lot of things going on. We’re just enjoying the ride again.”
• The Philosopher Kings take the TD Community Plaza stage at Coquitlam Town Centre Park (1299 Pinetree Way) at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11 as part of the annual Kaleidoscope Arts Festival. The free event runs from 2 to 10 p.m.
