The Full Story
Strong Bow & Wry
Explore the world of folky blues and immerse yourself in a unique musical journey. From soulful melodies to upbeat rhythms, experience the essence of this genre like never before. Playing a dynamic blend of musical styles, Strong Bow & Wry pairs Jennie Bice's fiery fiddle and vocals with Tony Ivan O'Hara's driving guitar and soulful voice. This duo has been connecting with audiences for over a decade and seamlessly melds instrumental brilliance with wit and poignancy. No two shows are the same with Strong Bow & Wry.
Jennie Bice
Raised in London, Ontario, Jennie Bice started playing the fiddle at age four, eventually touring Canada and Scotland while fronting and supporting numerous bands in nearly every flavour, including Celtic, folk, rock, alt-country, Western swing, blues, funk, and others that are harder to classify. Whether acting, teaching, writing, or playing, Jennie has loved every type of stage and audience, and they have loved her right back. Besides Roots n’ Blues Duo “Strong Bow & Wry”, Jennie has been a member of “Prydwen”, “The Doolins”, “Back Door Slam”, and “Roads Unknown”, and performed and toured with Ari Neufeld, Tim Readman, Boris Sichon and many others. She is also in high demand for fiddle tracks on countless recordings where her signature style adds that extra layer of flair and finesse.
Jennie has led and founded workshops and festivals, including the “Jennie and the Many” string group which inspired her music book, “The Kitchen Fiddler – Ingredients for a jam”, and Mission BC’s “Bow by the River” fiddle camp. Fiddle camps she's been an instructor at include Nanaimo Fiddle Camp, Beyond Trad music camp, Hornby Fiddle Camp and more.
Jennie’s improvised fiddle solos are evocative and revelatory, whether warmly embracing a song’s melody, finding hidden nooks and crannies, or ripping incendiary riffs across the strings, she loves to kick down the doors of what a fiddle is “supposed” to do.
Tony Ivan O'Hara
Tony Ivan O'Hara is a naturally gifted lyricist that has the remarkable ability to write songs that touch people in profound ways. Bringing together the rich sound of blues and soul with funky guitar playing, Tony is able to bring a unique flavour to each of his songs while paying homage to many great musicians of the blues era. ​Always a crowd favourite, Tony manages to connect with his audiences through his ready wit and ability to spin a well loved song in a new way, often times improvising lyrics into the songs that reflect traits of his audience members.​Located in the greater Vancouver area,
Tony (Ivan) O’Hara has been singing and writing songs since he was a child. Though those early, embryonic songs were mostly scatological, some of his newer songs are too.
Tony moved to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia as a teenager, where his new friends encouraged him to sing in public, join a band, and learn guitar. Armed with the “Big Red Book” ™ and a five-dollar yard-sale guitar, that’s just what he did.
Since that time, Tony has written, performed, and recorded as part of Blues/R&B band “Lazerkatz” and Folk/Canadiana group “Roads Unknown”, as well as doing vocal/guitar session work for other artists.
Greatly influenced by blues, gospel, soul, funk and R&B, Tony works to pay tribute to the masters while adding his own spin to the proceedings. He is happiest when music goes to unexpected places, and when improvisation and inspiration shake hands with a receptive audience. Tony’s voice has been described as “soulful and honest”.
