The well known progressive-rock band, Grand Theft Bus is coming back to Jasper as part of their latest Western Canada tour. 

The band will be joined by Share, who are set to release their third album - Slumping in Your Murals - this August. Their third album “echoes a slow settling reality” (according to their release), from the previous two albums that started with a lone ukulele and moved onto an electornic-pop.

“The newer stuff is based a little more in the rock world - with some of the electronic touches on it,” said Graeme Walker, bassist for Grand Theft Bus.

After coming to Jasper for the first time last June, Walker said the bands were excited to be heading back to town for another show.

Walker said he was also pretty excited to showcase The Olympic Symphonium - a collaboration of the two bands that will play an intimate, and free, show at the Brushfire Gallery on Wed, June 24.

The collaboration allows the trio (though they will be joined by two extra members in Jasper) to take a step away from rock music and relax into the gentler music, described by Walker as “roots-based folk”.

“It happened all by mistake really,” he said.

“We all were writing these songs that didn’t really fit into the Grand Theft Bus or the Share, it was much more mellow than that,” he said, “it just started as a project to have at home, just to share songs and that was basically it... next thing we know we’re kind of touring Europe full tilt.”

According to Walker, the collaboration lends itself more to a “sit and listen kind of thing” which fits perfectly with the art-filled walls of the ambient Brushfire Gallery.

Anyone looking for something a little more rock, the two bands will play the following night at the Athabasca Hotel.