The Good Lovelies: PRESS

A light-hearted and quirky folk trio from Toronto known as The Good Lovelies will bring their unique sounds to the pedestrian bridge Friday night for this year’s first Summer Kicks concert.

Only one and a half years old and still full of the creative energy inherent in a new musical project, the trio boasts impressive three-part vocal melodies and talents on a variety of instruments such as mandolin, banjo, and glockenspiel.

And despite a number of accomplishments, such as winning the “One-Fret Less” award and being named “Best Folk” at the Toronto Independent Music Awards, the three women remain humble and self-deprecating when asked about their success. For instance, they named their tour “Riches to Rags,” which refers to the fact they all quit their jobs to come on tour with the band.

“Crooning” Caroline Brooks, 27, who sings and plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bass, explained how they made the decision to pursue their music full-time. “We all had great jobs: I was working in admissions at the University of Toronto, Sue worked for a printing company and Kerri worked for the Government of Ontario, but we all quit at the start of the summer to do the tour across Canada. We live in a gorgeous country and it’s amazing to get the chance to see it this way.”

They left Toronto on June 18 and have shows planned nearly every day of the tour, which will take them to the west coast of the country and back again.

Brooks said the group began last year almost by accident. The three women were performing as solo musicians at a Christmas event in Toronto when they joined together on stage to sing a round of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” Their harmonies were so impressive that they were asked by audience members to play together again, and upon their mutual agreement to do so the band was born.

“Cuddly” Kerri Ough, 28, who sings and plays guitar, keys, banjo, glockenspiel, and bass, and “Scintillating” Sue Passmore, 28, who sings and plays guitar, mandolin, and bass, grew up together in Northumberland, a town near Toronto. Brooks later met Ough at university, but it wasn’t until the fateful holiday concert that they managed to join forces. “We knew we had something” said Brooks.

They began by writing songs together and touring between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa on weekends, winning praise and adulation along the way. They graced stages at the Ottawa Folk Festival and Shelter Valley Folk Festival and performed at popular venues like Montreal’s Yellow Door and the Toronto Independent Music Awards ceremony. They also showcased their unique sound for Toronto audiences during Canadian Music Week in March 2008, and opened for the humorous folk-trio The Arrogant Worms.

Their success on these local tours, said Brooks, made them want to continue further afield. So, like many a travelling troubadour before them, they quit their jobs and headed west.

When they return from this tour, their plan is to continue playing shows as often as possible to promote their first full-length album, which is set to be released in January. “The ideal situation would be to continue making a living off our music.” Their first EP “Oh My” which they released this year has been selling well and will be available for sale when they play in Golden. They tried to keep costs low during the EP’s production - Passmore did the graphic design for the album cover, and her father Ken took the front cover picture.

The three songs from the EP available to listen to on their website certainly promise good things: perfect harmonies, catchy melodies and a tasteful sense for the placement of the odd banjo or mandolin solo.

The women all had successful careers as solo musicians before joining the band, and as such each takes an important part in writing their music they play. They are also all accomplished multi-instrumentalists, each playing guitar, mandolin and bass, and Brooks and Ough sharing the banjo duties. “We all started out on guitar, but moved on to other stringed instruments like the banjo and mandolin. Only Kerri can play the glockenspiel.” The glockenspiel is an instrument of German origin similar to the xylophone, but smaller and higher-pitched, and is featured as a solo instrument on a few of the trio’s songs.

Kicking Horse Culture Manager Bill Usher, who is co-ordinating their concert appearance next week, said The Good Lovelies were a natural fit for their Summer Kicks concert series. “We were aware they were on tour, so we made the invitation once we knew we had enough money for two shows this summer.” Popular bluegrass act John Reischman & The Jaybirds will play the next Summer Kicks event Friday, August 22. Both events are being funded by $2,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust and another $2,000 from Heritage Canada.

The Lovelies will take the stage at 7 p.m. at the covered pedestrian bridge this Friday evening.

What's a cool waterfront breeze to Shelter Valley Folk Festival (SVFF) veterans? Perfect weather to announce the musical lineup for the fifth annual Labour Day weekend grassroots community festival. After all, two years ago, the outdoor fest carried on through hurricane conditions.
It will be "a 100-per-cent Canadian - from sea to sea to sea" lineup of performers this August 29 to 31, SVFF artistic director Aengus Finnan said on Cobourg's Victoria Beach Thursday.

"It is certainly a challenge to comb through some 600 submissions to select the final 20 acts, but I think this is our best lineup yet, and one to celebrate," Mr. Finnan said.

Valdy, who appeared on the festival stage in year one, is returning for 2008.
He will act as emcee on Saturday night's main stage and present the closing Sunday afternoon concert. Also returning is Juno award-winner Lynn Miles, who will emcee Friday night as well as perform. Third emcee for the weekend is an audience favourite and consistent festival volunteer, Darlene.

New performers to the festival this year include songwriters Brian MacMillan, Danny Michel and Ottawa's Kyrie Krismanson.

Arriving from the east coat will be Rose Cousins, Laura Smith and Old Man Luedecke.

From the west coast will be John Bottomley and Penny Lang.

For the blues fans, masters Rick Fines and Suzie Vinnick return to the SVFF, joined by Ray Bonneville of Montreal and Rita Chiarelli.

CBC Radio favourite Bob Snider and 2006 festival returnees DALA will both attend this year as well as the backwoods Ontario, rock-a-billy square dance duo of Sheesham & Lois.
Instrumental guitar "guru" Don Ross has signed on.

Closing Friday night's main stage concert will be the music comedy trio, The Arrogant Worms; Saturday night's closing act will be Kobo Town, a Toronto-based Trinidadian calypso band.

"Finally, The Good Lovelies, a home-grown act who were winners of last year's local songwriters showcase and who have since released a CD and begun touring the Canadian folk festival scene, will bring their sweet sounds and stories to the festival's main stage to help wind up the Sunday performances," Mr. Finnan said.
Music is just one component of the festival, Mr. Finnan noted. "We have a juried artists' venue, a wellness village, local harvest food and, of course, volunteers second to none in all of Canada."

The festival has national impact musically and on the folk scene, he said.

"While some festivals have been going for 30 to 40 years, we have shown there is a place for new faces and festivals in Canadian culture."

Welcome, words and announcements over, the cluster of media, festival volunteers, board members and supporters dispersed with purpose: why remain in any weather where there's no music?

"There's nothing out there that sounds like The Good Lovelies - and that sound is just beautiful..."

For the 26th consecutive year, Canadian Music Week will be heating up the streets of Toronto from March 5-8.

Combining award shows, informative business conferences and hundreds of live bands from around the world performing at more than 40 different venues, it is unmistakably Canada's biggest and most important music and media event.

Paul Quigley, festival director for Canadian Music Week, has the year-round job of booking the tremendous amount of artists and locations.

"We're set at about 450 acts right now, and there will be about 500 when it's all said and done," said Quigley. "We've got 41 venues at the moment, there may be another few that come in the last days."

Amongst the list of artists is great Canadian talent such as k-os, Hawksley Workman, Jason Collett, the Meligrove Band, Sloan, and plenty more. Independent bands will also be spotlighted at the Royal York Hotel for The Indies award show with Spirits, Young Galaxy, Attack In Black, The Cliks, Lowest of the Low, The Besnard Lakes, Tokyo Police Club and The New Pornographers.

"The Indies are showcasing Canadian talent that's not on a big record label, and who's not necessarily getting radio play," said Quigley. "It's just a way to show the wealth of Canadian talent that's doing very successful in its own right."

Other award shows taking place as a part of Canadian Music Week include The Crystals for Canada's best radio, the Canadian Radio Music Awards, and the Canadian Music Industry Awards featuring an induction into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame for Alanis Morissette's lifetime achievement.

Furthermore, Canadian Music Week features an international convention at the Royal York Hotel, with seminars from music industry experts worldwide. These conferences are meant to help artists promote themselves, as well as make connections with industry specialists and other musicians.

"The festival is tied in with a conference that happens at the Royal York Hotel, which is specifically geared so that the younger generation who are just starting to get into the industry meet musicians, promoters, and press," said Quigley. "All of the acts that are selected to perform at the festival receive a pass that allows them access to the conference aspects as well. It gives them a chance to learn some of the behind the scenes of the industry that they might not know, and also to network with professionals in different fields."

One band that will be performing and experiencing the benefits of Canadian Music Week firsthand is a female folk-trio called The Good Lovelies, from Toronto. After only two months together as a band, The Good Lovelies eagerly applied to be a part of the festival and were accepted right away.

"We're being showcased with other bands we've heard of but not had the chance to play with. We'll have a chance to listen to some really super music from across the country," said vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Kerri Ough. "There's also going to be seminars about the business at the Royal York Hotel. It's just a great networking opportunity and that alone is enough to want to be a part of it."
For most people involved in Canadian Music Week, the festival is only a reflection of the great state of Canada's music industry. With the possibility of seeing more artists in one night than ever possible over the course of a month, and a gathering of music business representatives from across the globe, this festival proves the booming quantity and reputation of Canadian artists.

"I've never felt like there has been a better time for an independent Canadian band to get out and promote themselves," said Ough. "As a kid I would've never thought it would be possible to do this without the help of a record company to support you. We're in a healthy spot, and we're really grateful for it."
The success of Canadian artists is largely thanks to the dedicated fans that come to concerts, and the development of local music across the country. Without the thousands of attendees for Canadian Music Week, the opportunity to see hundreds of bands with only one wristband would not be available. The Good Lovelies, along with the rest of the festival's line up, invite you to fill the streets of Toronto with a passion for Canadian music.

"I know it's the middle of winter and freezing cold, but it will be worth it."

Canadian Music Week takes place in Toronto from March 5-8. Visit www.cmw.net for more information.

The Good Lovelies enchanted a full house at the Journey Through The Arts Gallery in Port Hope on Saturday night, December 8th.

Highlights of the evening included a six-part harmony rendition of O Holy Night, with the Merry Men's Chorus, and a guest appearance from a fit Santa Claus.

It was a celebration of the local group's first anniversary.

For more from their mini tour, check out www.goodlovelies.blogspot.com

The London Music Club is filled with lovely treats; Saturday night, enjoy the sweet sounds of the Good Lovelies.

The charming pop-folk outfit--less than two years old--have released one five-track EP (titled Oh My!) and plan to record their first full-length album in January (set for a spring release). They've already picked up two awards for their work, including best folk award at the Toronto Independent Music Awards.

The charismatic women behind this fun-lovin' sound are Caroline Brooks, Sue Passmore and Kerri Ough. They each contribute strong vocals, clever lyrics, and an infectious energy level. They write songs about "love, breakups and quitting (their) jobs," and make each one pop with the help of the banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar.

The Good Lovelies perform with Kaya Fraser Saturday in the LMC's Front Room. The show starts at 9 p.m. Cover is $5 with a nonperishable food item, and $8 without.

"The Good Lovelies come together in a three-part harmony that is charming and upbeat, yet strong. They share lead vocals along with all the other aspects that make this group hum."

and...

"Their new five-song CD Oh My was recorded over two frantic days in April at the Hillcrest Studio in Whitby and released at a bash at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto in July. The opener, called Taboo, is about inappropriate love, Honey Bunion has a jazzy/folk feel to it, and the final song, Whiskey, is just plain fun."

It was impressive to see artists like... the Good Lovelies make the tiny stage their own.

Local Lovelies set to play Cobourg bandshell, Shelter Valley Folk Festival
The fun-loving pop/folk musical style of the Good Lovelies, a trio of local young women, is captured pictorially in their intriguing CD cover.

All three, apparently naked young ladies are discreetly hidden as they languish inside an antique claw-foot bathtub. You can practically hear the laughter bubbling from them. The shoot took place in the midst of historical building artifacts inside Legacy Building Supply on Division Street, Cobourg, the girls explained in an early-morning interview this week, fresh from their first music festival.

Their next festival is the Shelter Valley Folk Festival on Labour Day weekend and they won a local competition to have the privilege of performing at the same venue as Sylvia Tyson and Juno Award-winner David Francey. Before that, they'll be at the Cobourg bandshell this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. sharing their music and helping raise money for the Alex Rutherford Scholarship fund.

So, who are these young women and what motivates them?

Cobourg's Sue Passmore, Kerri Ough, a Port Hope resident (both formerly with La Jeunesse Girls' Choir) together with Caroline Brooks of Whitby were still on a high from performing at the Ottawa Folk Festival during their interview earlier this week. They won the One Fret Less Award and the chance to sing at the well-established Ottawa Folk Festival in a two-part competition. They even took part in the workshops alongside well-established musicians.

"We've only been a band since last year," explains Ms. Ough, who - along with the guitar and vocals all of the girls contribute to their sound- plays keyboard, banjo and bass.

Their coming together was with the song God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen at the Gladstone Art Bar in Toronto last December.

They were asked if they were a band when they sang there (previously all three had their own separate music careers) and quickly said "yes." The group's name was born as "mysteriously/spontaneously" as the band, a name used on the poster for the gig, which stuck, says Ms. Ough, who has previously released a solo CD and brings a bluesy quality to the group's sound.

Ms. Passmore, who started the group Bluesativa, after finishing university, works full-time for the Printing House in Toronto and is responsible for the group's creatively designed "antiquey" looking CD. Her father, Ted, did the photography. Ms. Passmore also plays mandolin and bass, in addition to guitar and doing vocals.

"We all write. We each have unique styles," says Ms. Passmore.

But they all come together in a three-part harmony that is charming and upbeat, yet strong. They share lead vocals along with all the other aspects that make this group hum.

Ms. Brooks, a recruiter for the University of Toronto, has been the other half of the Brooks Sisters for about a decade but now her sister Katherine is having a baby, she explained.

Becoming part of a trio was a natural step, especially since each writes and plays music. Like the others in the Good Lovelies who do vocals and play guitar, Ms. Brooks also plays banjo, mandolin and bass.

"We talk about love, break-ups and quitting our jobs" in our songs, quips Ms. Ough. Sue describes their sound as quirky, alternative folk.

Their new five-song CD Oh My was recorded over two frantic days in April at the Hillcrest Studio in Whitby and released at a bash at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto in July. The opener, called Taboo, is about inappropriate love, Honey Bunion has a jazzy/folk feel to it, and the final song, Whiskey, is just plain fun.

"Sippin' on whiskey, well it made me kinda frisky," is the refrain throughout.

Performing before an audience is an intoxication of a different kind.

"When you are up there, it's definitely a rush," says Ms. Passmore.

"And you're sharing something, something you've created... with the audience, " adds Ms. Brooks.

"And it something that's come from me... either in a solo... or in harmonies, " says Ms. Ough, who works a day job as a media researcher with the health ministry.

In their late twenties, these young women say they plan to be able to sing into their 80s - or until their voices give out - whichever comes first.

In the next five years, though, they hope to be able to be "living off their craft" and touring, perhaps even internationally. At the same time they want to keep family and friends close.

"We would love to collaborate with our mentors and our peers," adds Ms. Ough about the group's aspirations.

"The bottom line is that we want music making to take a front-seat in our lives and we plan to do everything within our power to make that happen."

vmacdonald@northumberlandtoday.com

© 2007 Osprey Media Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• The Good Lovelies share a tub on the cover of their new CD.

"They sparkled, and like enjoying fine champagne the audience drank them in."

Locals ready for Shelter Valley main stage; Top acts chosen from the Local Songwriters' Showcase
NORTHUMBERLAND - Three local musical acts have won the chance to perform at the Shelter Valley Folk Festival (SVFF) after a local competition.

The third annual Songwriters' Showcase was hosted by the Festival as a way of giving local artists the chance to share the main stage with well-known, award-winning songwriters.

"We want to offer an opportunity for local songwriters to audition and perform on stage," says Aengus Finnan, the festival's volunteer director. Each act played two songs at the Showcase, and each artist was judged only on the quality of the songs.

This year's top Showcase performers are Jess Dunkin, Port Hope; Taylor Abrahamse, Bridgeport; and the trio, 'The Good Lovelies', which features Sue Passmore, Cobourg; Caroline Brooks, Whitby; and Port Hope's Kerri Ough.

Ms. Ough says The Good Lovelies are very excited to bring their unique alternative folk sound to the Festival.

"We were really pleased to find out we'll be able to hit the hometown scene and finally be playing for friends and family, old teachers, our choir director... we can't stop talking about hitting the hometown turf," says Ms. Ough,

This year almost 50 musicians applied to be part of the Showcase, some from as far as Kingston. Ten performers were chosen to perform on an outdoor stage earlier in August, during the Downtown Cobourg Sidewalk Sale.

"We want to foster and encourage people to create new music. We're more interested in local art and original material," says Mr. Finnan. "We're looking for something with a little more depth and substance."

The Showcase had the largest turnout yet with over 200 people in the audience. The audience helped select the top three by filling out surveys based on the lyrics, melody and presentation of the songs.

The musicians were also rated by judges, including Mr. Finnan, Leslie Benson, vice chair of the Festival's board, and David Newland, a musician and festival board member.

"We don't announce at the end who the winners are. We want the audience to enjoy a showcase of the songwriters and not have that Canadian Idol buildup," says Mr. Finnan. "We treat it as a concert proper and it happens to be we're selecting three of them to join us.

"What stood out was an obvious attention to the craft of writing a song - smart, witty, playful and adventurous lyrics, well constructed and dynamic melodies and clear, confident, sincere presentation," says Mr. Finnan.

All three acts will perform at the fourth annual folk festival, which features Sylvia Tyson and Juno award winner David Francey.

The folk festival is a family weekend of music, juried art, and sustainable living and harvest food held on the Henkel Farm, just east of Grafton, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2. Festival tickets are available at 48 King St. W. in Cobourg. For more information call 905-377-9556 or visit www.sheltervalley.com.

The Good Lovelies will be playing in Cobourg on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 2:30 p.m., at the Alex Rutherford Scholarship Fund fundraising concert at the Cobourg Bandshell. For more information on The Good Lovelies performances or to order their new EP, visit www.goodlovelies.com.

"It's been so exciting," says Ms. Ough. "We have these giant smiles from ear to ear."