The latest offering from West Kootenay, British Columbia-based duo Moontricks is called “Backwoods Bass” and as writer Louis Bockner learns, it’s anything but bush league.

Moontricks’ newest EP, Backwoods Bass, is a display of sonic diversity. In just five songs, it takes listeners from gritty ghost towns (“Hellhound”) to graceful mountaintops (“The Fall”), and from relentless raves (“Space Oasis” and “Showdown”) to relaxing riverside cabins (“Wood for the Trees”). The wide-ranging influences and talents of Sean Rodman and Nathan Gurley, the West Kootenay-born and -based duo who make up the band, contribute to an album that sidesteps definition. “Sometimes we wonder if we should be so all over the map,” says Gurley, “but we love funk, blues, bluegrass, techno, and folk, so we’re going to make it work.”

It is working. With a luggage list that includes guitars, banjos, harmonicas, keyboard, laptops, and other digital gadgets, they have spent the past three years touring relentlessly across Canada, the United States, and Australia. Amid this demanding schedule, Gurley and Rodman put out Backwoods Bass, their second multi-track release on Vancouver-based record label Westwood Recordings. It’s a testament to their tireless creativity and the inspiration of the road. “Seeing incredible places, being welcomed by incredible people, and sharing our passion: that’s the dream for me,” says Rodman. “It’s been hectic and exhausting, but it’s totally worth it. I guess we can sleep when we’re dead.”

This review originally appeared in Kootenay Mountain Culture magazine #36. For more info visit moontricksmusic.com.