By KRISTA ASHFORD
Staff Writer

In the current music scene, originality is hard to find. Listeners have to seek it out if they are tired of the Justin Bieber and Rihanna sound-a-likes on the radio. Canadian artists have always done well at meeting this demand for originality. Coming from Toronto, there is one more artist who keeps it Canadian and original.

Ko, born Ko Kapches, is taking Canadian radio by storm. His song “Capable” has been received with great support and is played on 102.1 the Edge. He is a vibrant, animated man who respects his music and his audience.

“I want to let people know that I’m just a real guy – and to shoot love to the town I’m in,” he says about being onstage. On his Facebook page, he is sure to respond to messages of support and appreciation. His musical influences include Everlast and Van Morrison.

His album, Let’s Blaze is especially close to Ko because it documents his struggle with drug addiction.  Raised in Toronto, he fell into the trap of selling drugs when he was just a teen. Eventually, he began a journey through rehabilitation centres all over the United States.

“Music definitely helped, unknowingly it helped me through that time,” Ko says. He began developing his own musical style after he discovered that people in the centres really enjoyed when he performed covers on his acoustic guitar.

After his album’s release, Ko has been lucky enough to find himself playing alongside artists like Snoop Dogg, De La Soul and recently Charlie Winston at the Mod Club in Toronto. He reflects on when he opened for Canadian band Billy Talent.

“It was crazy, the whole bar turned into a mosh pit. I like to see Canadians doing well.”

Ko embraces his Canadian identity and though he would like to travel to other places in the world, “Toronto will always be my home.”

“I just want people to enjoy it,” Ko says about his album Let’s Blaze. “I love the record, I listen to it and still enjoy it. We touch on some serious issues but the main thing is that the audience enjoys it.” While in songs like “Bourbon (Crack Song)” Ko condemns the use of hard drugs like crack-cocaine, in other tracks like “Capable”, he supports smoking marijuana.

“Potheads may be less productive but they don’t hurt society the way an alcoholic or crack head does,” Ko explains.

His eclectic musical style is unique and a refreshing break from much of the generic music on the radio. He performs what he describes as a mixture of urban funk and urban folk.

Let’s Blaze is now available in Canada and if you want to know more about Ko, visit www.ko -nation.com or www.myspace.com/officialkonation.