The Lonesome Ace Stringband will bring original gritty old-time bluegrass to Nanaimo this coming weekend.
The trio is built on the fiddle and banjo playing of John Showman and Chris Coole, who are joined by a rotating cast of upright bassists.
“The band moves freely between a sound so commanding it doesn’t seem like it should be coming from a stringband, to a sparse fragility that draws the listener closer," noted a press release from Harbour City Concerts. "Whether singing about climate change, modern love, barbecue techniques or life's inevitable existential crises, the band cuts to the core. They can also turn and churn out a tune with so much verve that it will make your heart spin and set the dance floor swirling."
The Nanaimo show at Unitarian Fellowship Hall on Saturday, Nov. 16, is part of the band’s Pacific Northwest tour, which also includes stops in Victoria on Nov. 17 and Campbell River on Nov. 18.
The Lonesome Ace Stringband spent seven years as the house band at Dakota Tavern in Toronto starting in 2007, before taking the show on the road and recording.
“Those years of musical percolation honed them into a group that thinks and plays as one – something that comes from clocking thousands of on-stage hours together," the release added. "Outside of their trio work, each musician is a veteran of the Canadian music scene, sought after for teaching camps, recording sessions and touring with some of the best artists in North America."
The band has released five albums and has spent more than a decade making music as a group. The most recent album, Try To Make It Fly, is a collection of all-original songs released in 2023.
“Much like their seamless live performances where they trade off lead vocals, each member has brought their songwriting voice to the album,” the press release noted.
The Nanaimo show will start at 7:30 on Nov. 16 at Unitarian Hall. Tickets can be purchased at http://eventbrite.com.
