"I Mother Earth" has been added to your list of bookmarked artists
close
I Mother Earth
Biography
Talk of Canadian rock bands may conjure up images of the Guess Who or Bachman-Turner Overdrive, but Toronto quartet I Mother Earth is a modern update combining a wide range of influences, including jazz fusion, funk, and progressive rock. Add a pinch of Canadian counterparts Rush and dashes of artists as disparate as Santana and King Crimson, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus, and Jane's Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins, and you're bordering on I Mother Earth's expansive collage of styles. The group formed in Toronto in 1990 with vocalist Edwin, bassist Bruce Gordon, and brothers Jagori Tanna (guitar/vocals) and Christian Tanna (drums). Signed to Capitol, I Mother Earth's agressive 1993 debut CD Dig nonetheless caused as much head-scratching as adulation. Edwin's heady lyrics hinted at progressive rock acts like Rush and Yes while his vocals were completely different; the rhythm section played crisp funk patterns like an updated James Brown, and the group's penchant for percussion neared Santana territory. Making things more complicated was guitarist Tanna, who ranged from Chili Peppers-style rhythm patterns ("Rain Will Fall") to bluesy Stevie Ray Vaughan licks ("So Gently We Go") to the Woodstock-era Latin fire of Carlos Santana ("No One").
Selected Discography