Downtown Guelph Business Association brings music to quiet afternoons
Local folk duo Tragedy Ann awed audiences this Sun, Feb. 5 at Planet Bean as part of Guelph Music Weekends. The weekend music series is run by the Downtown Guelph Business Association in partnership with various organizations and features live music at unconventional venues and times, usually Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Co-presented by Silence, this Sunday’s performance featured two acts, starting with Brett Rowan and Jesse Turton, and finishing with Tragedy Ann, who were the highlight of the afternoon event.
Tragedy Ann composes a mixture of blues and folk music and promotes itself as “When grit and groove meets softly swaying silk.”
One fan of the band, University of Guelph student Annie King, said the band’s music is “Like Whitehorse, but without all the big noise… less rock’n’roll, and more back to the folk roots.”
It’s an apt description. Tragedy Ann definitely bears a resemblance to Canadian folk-rock duo Whitehorse. Both bands are made up of couples and they both perform with humour, electricity, and strong passion for their music. Both are also innovative, playing with gorgeous vocals and instruments that are typically less common, such as the accordion.
Where Whitehorse turns more alternative, Tragedy Ann stays true to its folksy sound.
[media-credit name=”Austin Gibson” align=”aligncenter” width=”1020″]
At folk festivals, many fans have expressed concerns that the bigger festivals are losing touch with their roots, transforming into pop-folk mashups to bring in more patrons. Some folk music fans are concerned that it’s a dying genre, but Tragedy Ann’s music assures that folk is still going strong.
In a way, the band represents the next generation of folk music, finding ways to retain their folk sound while adding in other bluesy elements and drawing in younger crowds.
Tragedy Ann is comprised of Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan, a couple both on and off the stage.Both Cazzola and Phelan grew up in Guelph and their local roots are evident in their songs. Phelan joked that they should make a map of all the places their songs have started in Guelph, as he explained that the inspiration for one song happened just blocks away from that day’s venue.
In addition to their work with Tragedy Ann, both Cazzola and Phelan are involved in other musical projects. Phelan recently released his own solo album and Cazzola is in another Guelph band, The Lifers, with her sister Anita.
Guelph Music Weekends will continue with Saturday and Sunday afternoon performances until March 10.
[media-credit name=”Austin Gibson ” align=”aligncenter” width=”1020″]
Photos by Austin Gibson.