Levis Corner House welcomes 2024 Canadian Folk Music Award nominees MOONFRUITS from Ottawa and TRAGEDY ANN, a forward-looking Folk duo from Guelph, Ontario.

Moonfruits + Tragedy Ann

Live At Levis

Saturday 14th September

Pass The Hat

BIO

MOONFRUITS craft contemporary folk that addresses our collective humanity with heart, wit, and wonder. Led by partners Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy, Moonfruits pen songs in both French and English, a reflection of their bilingual lived experience in their hometown of Ottawa.

Theirs is the music of open-minded dreamers and diligent doers, confronting dehumanizing capitalism and environmental catastrophe with a rousing message of solidarity. This Stingray Rising Star, SOCAN, and Trille Or award-winning group has toured their transportive live show across Canada, the US and Europe. In 2021, the duo co-wrote, arranged, and played in Moby: A Whale of a Tale, premiered on a ship in Toronto’s harbour, recipient of four Dora awards.

Moonfruits’ lushly orchestrated sophomore album, Salt, weaves stories of family, responsibility and loss in this era of climate change and deepening inequality. It is rooted and astral, tender and powerful, foreboding and hopeful, cradling all the convictions and contradictions of its songwriters. Moon Cradle, its dreamy harp-string-and-voice laden closing track, won the Capital Music Awards for Best Production and Arrangements.

Live, expect a dynamic performance with warm, welcoming harmonies ranging from raucous to whisper quiet, innovative arrangements with bowed guitar and banjo, a little knob-tweaking and a hefty dose of family-fueled storytelling. Singing in English and French, Moonfruits love to open their audiences’ ears and hearts to sounds unfamiliar, and adore a good singalong.

“the future of roots music is in good hands”

— Heather Kitching, Roots Music Canada

“a tremendous live act … they absolutely brought the house down”

— Jan Hall, Folk Roots Radio

wave upon wave throughout their set.”

Tragedy Ann’s arrangements are as delicate as they are driving, braiding organic vocal harmonies with organ, accordion, singing saw, and guitars, Their concerts emanate “…the honesty and enthusiasm of people who can’t help but create and perform.” (Jon Farmer, Georgian Bay Roots). With their new album Heirlooms, Liv Cazzola and Braden Phelan issue a call for deeper connection with each other and with the natural world.

The answer to this call is reflected both in the collaborative creation process and the meaningful ways in which Heirlooms is being shared. Setting these intentions rooted them and provided the insight needed to nourish the project and create something lasting.  We want Heirlooms to encourage listeners to question their individual choices and  reconsider the experiences of others in their communities, provoking critical thought  rather than merely expressing our opinions. In order to encourage this in others,  we must do so ourselves. Heirlooms is an opportunity to reconnect, share stories and learn.

The album is a follow up to their 2018 release Matches which garnered them two ‘Songs from the Heart’ songwriting awards (Folk Music Ontario), international critical acclaim, Canadian folk/roots radio charting, and syndication on CBC Radio and Stingray Music.  Tragedy Ann has performed at such venues as the National Arts Centre, Haliburton Folk Society, Brampton Folk Society, Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club, Blue Skies Music Festival, Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, Home County Folk Festival, and Egersund Visefestival (Norway). They have gratefully received sponsorship and financial support from the Ontario Arts Council, FACTOR, SPARC, and Stonebridge Guitars.

At home, their musical and personal lives are inevitably married – both literally and figuratively. Cazzola and Phelan are passionate about community-building, gardening, and culinary adventure. Braden is the president of the Guelph Arts Council’s board of directors, and Liv is a founding member of the Canadian chapter of Music Declares Emergency. Dedicated to living gently and ethically in community, they attend meetings, town halls, and demonstrations organized by local environmental and social justice organizations.

“…chockfull of talent and things to say… lovingly crafted, no note out of place.”

— Hayley Mullen (CFMU 93.3 Hamilton)