Assiniboine & The Red [LP]

The Small Glories make their US debut with ASSINIBOINE & THE RED, an album that celebrates the Canadian Prairies. The album title references the junction of two rivers, the ASSINIBOINE AND THE RED, in the duo's hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and celebrates the happenstance meeting of members Cara Luft, an original member of the Wailin' Jennys, and multi-instrumentalist JD Edwards. The duo's onstage chemistry and humor complements their energetic live performances and buoyant, Americana-inflected folk songs. Luft and Edwards' exuberant harmonies bring to mind such duos as the Civil Wars and Shovels & Rope, but with a Northern spin. The album's songs are all inspired by places, from"Alberta," the opener, to Winnipeg," a spirited celebration of their hometown. "We're folk singers, we try to write stuff that people can relate to," says Edwards, whose looming stage presence and penetrating eyes find him the yin to Luft's petite, snort-laughing yang. Already known in their native Canada as well as for their performances at festivals including SXSW and AmericanaFest, the duo, both of whom write, have captured the charm and chemistry of their live shows with ASSINIBOINE & THE RED's collection of engaging, memorable songs. NPR wrote, "Luft is a Wailin' Jennys alum whose work on the clawhammer banjo is to die for, while Edwards' guitar and vocal harmonies deepen and enrich the duo's sound."