Accessibility Links
Lydia Hol Brings Boats To The East Coast
Sat, Mar 2, 2013.
Mandolin music here, but hardly strictly bluegrass. It's the main axe of Vancouver's Lydia Hol, currently touring her EP Boats through the Maritimes. Accompanied by her group The Barefoot Boys, this is acoustic music, with the mando, banjo and upright bass of b-grass, but there's piano, violin, accordion and interesting percussion as well. And instead of the high and lonesome harmonies, the gang gets into some choral sounds. And there's quite a few minor chords in the moodier ballads.
So it's not a flashy-picking bunch. Instead, the music is centered around Hol's moody voice and lyrics, sometimes keen, sometimes blue. And it's not far off from the Mumford or Avett sounds, more spare and less frantic for sure. The energy doesn't come from trying to be big; rather it's subtle and heartfelt.
Catch Hol and company around the area in the coming days:
Saturday, Mar 02 - The Dunk, Breadalbane PEI
Monday, Mar 03 - Plan B, Moncton
Thursday, Mar 7 - Fables, Tatamagouche, NS
Friday Mar 8 - Economy Shoeshop, Halifax
Thursday, Mar 14 - Baba's Lounge, Charlottetown
more
»
Latest East Coast Music Reviews
- Lydia Hol Brings Boats To The East Coast
-
Mandolin music here, but hardly strictly bluegrass. It's the main axe of Vancouver's Lydia Hol, currently touring her EP Boats through the Maritimes. Accompanied by her group The Barefoot Boys, this is acoustic music, with the mando, banjo and... more »
- Elegant Songwriter JP Hoe Plays Saturday Night
-
It's a big stinkin' country, you know? And I don't to hear everybody from way across the land, or pick up all the buzz. Still, I'm a little bummed I haven't checked out Winnipeg's JP Hoe until now. After all,... more »
- N.B. Artists Ready To Rock ECMA 2013 In Halifax
-
Less than a week away to Halifax, and the annual East Coast Music Awards. The panels, showcases and events begin Wednesday March 7, and the awards themselves are handing out that Sunday night. There's been quite a bit of grumbling... more »
- Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell's New One Has Maritime Connection
-
A highly-anticipated, and long-planned album has finally been released this week. It's a project that's been in the works since the mid-70's, one that matches two of the top country artists of the modern era in a series of duets.... more »
- Summer Festivals Start Announcing Line-Ups
-
Hey, it's not even March yet, and we're already getting announcements for this year's spate of summer music festivals. Hardly a weekend goes by from June to September without a festival somewhere in the province. And the lineup for on... more »
- Music Review: Two Hours Traffic - Foolish Blood
-
PEI's Two Hours Traffic has become one of the premiere bands in the region, and across the country, in the decade they've been together. Ya, ten years now since they formed at university, all around 19 years old, and then... more »
About Bob Mersereau
Bob Mersereau has been covering music, and the East Coast Music Scene since 1985 for CBC. He's a veteran scene-maker at the ECMA's, knows where the best shows and right parties are happening, and more importantly, has survived to tell the tales. His weekly East Coast music column is heard on Shift on Radio 1 in New Brunswick each Wednesday at 4'45. He's also the author of two national best-selling books, The Top 100 Canadian Albums (2007) and The Top 100 Canadian Singles (2010).