Barefeet Sojourns to, bring rhythm and fun

The Freemasons Hotel will transform into a multicultural melting pot on Saturday as the eclectic world music band Barefeet Sojourns stop over on their West Coast tour.

Combining elements of ska, reggae, funk and pop, Barefeet Sojourns have a unique sound, with each member’s cultural background influencing their music.

None of the core band members were born in Australia, but relocated to WA from countries all around the world, including Poland, Japan, Ghana, Rodrigues, Bali and Italy.

Frontwoman Sari Bednarska, who is Polish and lived in Germany, said it was amazing getting to work with so many different cultures.

“It’s nice, so many different cultures in our band, but we get along so well,” she said.

“It just shows you don’t have to be from the same country to get along.”

With such diverse band members, the six-piece have had to deal with cultural differences, but Bednarska said it’s been nothing but positive experiences.

“Our drummer is from Rodrigues and he has island time, he always comes late,” she said.

“It took us a while to understand this, but ... he comes in with this beautiful smile and everything is forgotten.”

Barefeet Sojourns formed in May 2015, when a chance encounter had Bednarska and guitarist Nagi Aozora, who hails from Japan, set the wheels in motion.

“I met Nagi completely accidentally at the beach. I’d just quit my full-time job and his group were jamming,” she said.

“They handed me a microphone because I was humming along, and Nagi said we should meet again. We met a few weeks later and had our first jam and we clicked completely musically.

“Slowly we found different people; our current saxophone player is from Italy and we found him on Gumtree.”

Barefeet Sojourns have been touring extensively since releasing their debut EP Detour in May, showcasing their feel-good tunes around Australia.

With faces painted and feet bare, the band have a habit of getting people up and dancing, and Bednarska said their Geraldton show will be no different.

“I think our style is very unique, good vibes, dance urging, definitely something different,” she said.

“It’s also very family-friendly music, children love us. Our music really reaches out from young to old.”