Biography

From the Mountains to the Valley...

Music meets alchemy when artists Shamma Sabir, Sean Bray,  Stefan Bienz and Loni Moger come together to create musical gold. Celebrated artists in their own right, Shamma, Sean, Stefan and Loni weave together haunting harmonies, smooth chordal tones, and soulful string sounds against a backdrop of warm bass notes to create a unique soundscape that we like to call rural modern…roots and beyond. Original music from the band’s two singer-songwriters spans the emotional spectrum from deep introspection to undiluted joy. From theatres to festivals to cozy house concerts, Layer Cake Mountain resonates with audiences of all ages.

Shamma Sabir

Vocals and Fiddle

From soulful sounds to tunes filled with fierce joy, Shamma plays it all. Shamma has contributed bluesy vocals and haunting fiddle sounds to collaborations far and wide.

A passionate ambassador of Canadian fiddle music, Shamma has a strong belief in the powerful function of music: to bring people together in love and joy, to transcend words, to provoke intense emotion and to soothe the soul.

shammasabir.ca

Sean Bray

Guitar and Vocals

Along with being a respected composer and educator, Sean Bray is considered to be one of Canada's top guitarists. Sean started a serious pursuit of the guitar while living in Calgary, Alberta. He pursued jazz studies at Calgary's Mount Royal College and went on to become a guitar instructor
at Red Deer College. However, the dream of the big city was always in his sights, and he furthered his studies at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York City. When Sean moved to Toronto in 1990, he became a sought after sideman, studio guitarist and leader of his own projects including his own record label, which was the first independent Canadian jazz label to be signed to a major record company.

Sean has the ability to fit into many musical genres while still retaining an unmistakably original voice on his instrument. This has allowed Sean to be part of a wide variety of projects including: collaborations with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, as a member of the fusion Celtic band "Cod Gone Wild", as half of the folk/Americana duo "Bray & Co." with his daughter, Michaela, and leader of "Sean Bray's Peach Band", which is a great outlet for his movie score inspired instrumentals. Sean is also the founder, producer and electric guitarist for "Songs of the Southern Belles"; a tribute to the great female country artists. Sean is very excited to be part of "Rocky Mountain High-A John DenverTribute"

Sean Bray is endorsed by PRS guitars, Planet Waves and D'Addario strings.

guitaristseanbray

Stefan Bienz

bass and vocals

I began playing bass after seeing the bass legends Milt Hinton and Ray Brown and being asked by close friends to be the bassist on some epic Led Zeppelin jams. Since then, just owning a bass has been like having an access pass to musical adventure.

I try to stay open minded and will play with almost anyone in any style, provided they are friendly. Outside of music, I enjoy cooking, being silly with my children and spending time outdoors with my wife.

Loni Moger

Guitar and Vocals

Musician, Arranger, Composer, Producer, Educator, and Sound Engineer who played his first professional gig at the age of fourteen. Received a Bachelor’s degree from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music where he studied Guitar, Voice, Composing and Arranging.

Loni is equally at home in a wide variety of musical styles from Blues to Jazz to Funk, Rhythm and Blues, Pop and Country. He also harbours a secret passion for classical music, having had several opportunities to work with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, including Pops concerts and the The “Lord of the Rings Symphony” and the Flamenco opera, “Ainadamar, Fountain of Tears.”

The Places We've Been...

We particularly love playing cozy and intimate house concerts...

but we also love playing for hundreds of people at outdoor concerts and everything in between!

We'd have a hard time choosing if you were to ask us where our favourite place to play is! Some of our favourite past concerts include:

The Dream Cafe (Penticton)

The Outback (Kelowna, now Port Alberni)

Music in the Park (West Kelowna and Kamloops)

Caetani Summer Music Festival (Vernon)

Gallghers Canyon (Kelowna)

Redbird Brewing (Kelowna)

Blind Tiger: Live in the Vineyard (Lake Country)

Creekside Theatre (Lake Country)

Summerland Fall Fair

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