As appreciators of fine Canadian music, I’m sure we all have April 2nd circled on our calendars in anticipation of the 2017 Juno Awards. The award ceremony will take place in our very own city this year at the Canadian Tire Centre, hosted by well-known Canadian celebrities Russell Peters and Bryan Adams. If you haven’t seen the nominees yet, you can see them all here.
For an amazing added bonus, we have JUNOfest happening on March 31st and April 1st – the two days leading up to the Junos themselves. If you have yet to hear about this, it is two wonderfully jam-packed nights in venues all across our great city, overflowing with incredible talent: more than 100 artists (35+ of which are Juno nominees) are part of JUNOfest in Ottawa this year, but you know, who’s counting?
This all brings us to our featured band this week: Ottawa’s bluegrass/folk trio, Old Man Grant. Captivating and deeply rhythmic, this hardworking multi-instrumental band has rightfully earned their spot on both the Bluesfest and the JUNOfest bill this year.
Brimming with honesty, excitement, clever rhymes and pure musical talent, their debut release is a true work of art with tracks that seem to further burrow themselves into your head with each subsequent listen. (Seriously – I had only heard “Black, Gold, Red” twice before I found myself humming the tune incessantly the following night.) Their beautiful and complimentary three-part harmonies, perfect timing, and their talent for writing instantly memorable tunes are on full display in their song titled “Bad”:
Halfway through the 6 tracks, they hit us with the all-too-true and positive message of their fun, quicker paced tune “Why Not”. Old Man Grant shares their words of wisdom for a happier existence that we should all keep in mind. Feeling down? The upbeat mix of guitar and double bass paired with the affirmative lyrics of this track will fix that:
They can also be found performing live for Audio Valley Sessions on their YouTube channel. Their cover of Timber Timbre’s “Demon Host” is positively breathtaking and something you should absolutely experience:
Luckily for all of us, we don’t have to wait long to catch them in action – Old Man Grant will be playing tonight at Live! On Elgin with PA Line from Brooklyn for $10 in advance, or $12 at the door. So finish your assignments, call the babysitter, and cancel your early Saturday morning plans, cause it’s guaranteed to be a great party with this line up.
Old Man Grant will also be playing at Lowertown Brewery on April 1st for JUNOfest with Jessica Pearson and the East Wind, The Artichoke Hearts & Ten Strings And A Goat Skin! You can get wristbands for both nights of JUNOfest for $30 here. And be sure to catch them at Bluesfest on July 14th! All festival info and passes can be found here.
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