Elliott Brood, an alt-country trio whose 2014 album Work and Love was nominated for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Group, performed a not-so surprise “pop-up” concert on Friday, Feb. 27, at downtown Guelph’s Atmosphere Cafe. With the band’s appearance announced via social media, Guelphites were treated to start their day (or lunch break) with an intimate early concert. The group, made up of multi-instrumentalists Mark Sasso (vocals, banjo, mandolin), Casey Laforet (guitar, bass, keys), and Stephen Pitkin (drums), perform a foot-stomping blend of roots music and alt-country with a straight-ahead rock edge. As part of a promotional tour for the upcoming Juno Awards, the pop-up concert series featured surprise acts by nominees in cities across the province – among them July Talk, who performed in Hamilton. Whether or intentional or not, there is a distinctively Guelph connection with Elliott Brood – their album Work and Love takes its name from a tune by Guelph natives Constantines, titled “Soon Enough.”
