PREVIEW
Coig
Friday, March 22
Dinner 6:30 p.m., performance 8 p.m.
Morinvillle Community Cultural Centre
9502 – 100 Ave.
Tickets: Adult $60, senior $50. Call 1-888-6555-9090 or visit www.ticketpro.ca
The Cape Breton powerhouse Coig is taking a victory lap across Canada before it heads for a tour of the United Kingdom in May.
One of North America’s top tier Celtic bands is stopping at Morinville Community Cultural Centre to create an East Coast kitchen party on Friday, March 22.
Enjoying an impressive streak of more than 30 group and solo awards and nominations, the foursome are acknowledged as major names in the Celtic World.
Ciig just released its fourth album, Ashlar, on March 15 and it covers a lot of territory. Ashlar is a type of masonry where each stone is shaved and shaped to fit cleanly together despite not being the same size, shape or weight.
The album title and design, a multi-coloured stone wall, is a fitting pick that describes the varied themes and moods of the 10-track’s songs and instrumentals.
It also neatly describes the combination of musical influences the four players bring to the table. Pianist Jason Roach has a jazz degree while fiddler Chrissy Crowley dives into world music. Multi-instrumentalist Darren McMullen plays guitar, banjo and mandolin and is experienced in rock and blues even as violinist Rachel Davis leans towards roots and folk flavours.
“We all have a traditional background, but we like to dive into new music. We put a different spin on our arrangements, and since we come from different backgrounds, we find ways of working together,” said Davis. “Our differences don’t divide us. They make us stronger as a group and we blend the influences.”
Meeting at producer Dave Gunning’s Wee House of Music studio in rural Nova Scotia, Coig let Ashlar's music flow, creating lively sets and tender ballads to fabulous covers in fresh arrangements.
“Dave is a very calming presence and he’s been a great friend. The studio has a very relaxed atmosphere. It was almost like a vacation.”
Six tracks are instrumentals while four lend themselves to lyrics. McMullen, a storyteller at heart, lends his voice to a Gordon Lightfoot cover Home from the Forest. On the other hand Davis’ clear vocals are perfectly suited to Deep Down in the River and the Gaelic track O Luaidh.
Crowley’s violin sparkles on the lively jigs such as Uncle Leo’s Jigs and From the Old Tapes while Roach’s piano adds an extra layer that unifies all the instruments.
Coig’s musicians first met after receiving an invitation to perform at the 2010 Celtic Colours International Festival as solo acts.
“We had such a good time we decided to keep playing music together.”
There were five musicians and they called themselves Coig (means five). Even after one member dropped out they kept the moniker.
The band released Five (2014), Carols (2015) and the award-winning Rove (2017). For more information, visit www.coig.ca.
