Towne House to host Madison Violet and Catherine McLellan

Greater Sudbury music fans have a chance to listen to some original music by three female singer-songwriters June 12 at the Towne House Tavern.

The show, which starts at 8 p.m. features the duo Madison Violet along with Catherine MacLellan. Admission is $6.

Madison Violet is comprised of two female singer songwriters, Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac. Both are vocalists and play acoustic guitar.

They are known for their alternative country and blue grass focus.

MacLellan is an East Coast singer-songwriter.

Her last CD, Church Bell Blues, hit number one on the iTunes Canada Roots Chart. Her voice has been touted as being pure and haunting. She has toured with Bruce Cockburn in the United States and Steve Forbert in Britain.

Her new CD, Water in the Ground, features a lighter tone than some of her past work. Special guests on the new CD include Treassa Levasseur, Justin Rutledge and David Baxter.

MacEachern and MacIsaac spend most of their time touring outside North America. They usually go for stints of nine weeks then return to Toronto to recharge, she said.

“We spend a lot of time in Europe and Australia. We wanted to travel to different places. There is a lot of history and unusual architecture, especially in the non-English world,” said MacIsaac.

Madison Violet has also played a number of folk festivals.

“We will play Home County Festival in London, Ontario on July 19. We have done Hillside Festival in Guelph, Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia and the Ottawa Folk Festival.”

Though not asked to play the upcoming Northern Lights Folk Festival in July, she said she hopes the interest spawned by Friday's Towne House Tavern gig will get them an invite next year.

MacIsaac has been playing with MacEachern for 10 years. Her influences include Emmy Lou Harris, Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch. Their latest CD, No fool For Trying, will be released in Canada June 23.

“We already released it in Germany in April. We wanted to test the market first over there. It has been selling well.”

Copies of the CD will be available for purchase at the venue.

MacEachern said the tone of the CD is rather melancholy due to recent losses by both musicians.

“I suffered the loss of my brother and Lisa lost a friend. But it is hopeful despite a dark undertone. The hope is in the working through this kind of loss,” she said.

Though MacEachern and MacIsaac are the core of Madison Violet, they have added upright bass player and vocalist, Adrian Lawryshyn, to the group.

MacEachern, who grew up in Kincardine, Ontario, said she visited Sudbury as a child, and always wanted to return.

“I recall when I was a little girl 20 years ago, putting nickels on the train tracks. We were visiting family friends.”

She said Sudbury is well known in musical circles in Toronto. “It is known as a university town.”
 
For more information, visit www.truenorthrecords.com.