Event Info
Michelle Tompkins and Mike O’Brien of Sin & Swoon
Montreal-based duo
5:00pm - 8:00pm
By Donation
Event Description
Montreal’s Michelle Tompkins and Mike O’Brien (formerly Sin & Swoon) bring their harmony-driven folk mastery to The Cove Stage from 5-8pm on Friday, October 4, 2024.
2015 Exclaim magazine article on their form Sin & Swoon duo. Describes their thing quite well!
Rarely does a band name suite a sound so well as Sin and Swoon. The duo (made up of Montreal-based Michelle Tompkins and Mike O’Brien) write sinfully sweet old-timey tunes that make you swoon, which are perfectly encapsulated on their first full-length, Did I Turn the Oven Off?.
Straight out the gate, Sin and Swoon establish their signature sounds: Michelle’s low alto twang, Mike’s harmonies and lyrics that sound straight out of the 1930s dustbowl era. The tune “Chicken Lil'” kicks off the album, with lyrics that weave in the old farm story of Chicken Little and the falling sky. The adorably charming “Too Crazy Without You” is a back and forth between a couple, full of jabs at the start but reconciliatory near the end of each chorus (“If you must know the truth, there’s no one I’d rather than you”). The similarly upbeat “Ain’t That the Way” makes you want to throw on vintage clothes and swing dance.
But Sin and Swoon are more than upbeat kitschy country. They’ve got some delicious slow jams, too: “Troubles,” which features Simon and Garfunkel-esque harmonies throughout, and “Better Days,” a classic country heartbreak tune reminiscent of Loretta Lynn’s best. Ending Did I Turn the Oven Off? is the mournful and muted “Boys and Bridges,” edging itself towards some ethereal reverb, but not quite leaving the country genre. Overall, it’s hard to believe Sin and Swoon call the urban landscape of Montreal home; they channel prairie farm life and simpler times like no other.
https://exclaim.ca/music/article/sin_swoon-did_i_turn_oven_off
From www.elcoyoteband.com:
It all started as a Friday night kitchen song-swapping session between friends to get through Montreal’s never-ending winter, and eventually led to the creation of their self-produced, self-titled album. For a first release, this alt-country-folk, Nashville influenced Canadiana band sound as if they have been playing together for years. And much of that is true. Guitarist Mike O’Brien seems to be the common thread, having worked alongside Angela Desveaux (Yonder Hill) since 2007, Katie Moore (Socalled, Yonder Hill) since 2008 and Michelle Tompkins (Sin & Swoon) since 2009. Andrew Horton (Katie Moore, Firemen, Notre Dame de Grass) is on upright bass and vocals, while Joe Grass (Patrick Watson, KLAUS) is on pedal steel and dobro. With a line up this superb, it’s only natural that they’ve created a sound that is rich and lasting, classic and most importantly, honest. With songs of small-town affairs, wayfaring love, choices and toiling away at the local grind, one would never guess that they call Montreal home. But Montreal was the perfect meeting place for these members who hail from the Okanagan Valley, Alberta, Ottawa Valley, Moncton, Antigonish and Cheticamp.
What stands out most with El Coyote is just how undemanding their sound is. Recorded and mixed by Gilles Castilloux at The Treatment Room, the songs were written by Tompkins, Desveaux and Moore, adding a natural variety uncommonly found in most releases. “By The Gate,” told through Moore’s awe- inspiring vibrato, sounds as if it could have been written somewhere on the Isle of Skye in the late 18c. Desveaux’s duet with Horton, “Another Day,” a coming to terms with the realities of commitment, evokes an intimacy with her golden voice that instantly heals upon first listen. “Lighten up Diane” opens with O’Brien’s effortless cascading guitar and features Tompkins’ trademark low alto in a sobering story of disillusionment about the loss of time you can never get back. The music’s real strength, however, lies in the harmonies, which braid effortlessly and are arranged to reflect the various moods of the album. From the catchy opening track “Come Around” to the sudden snare snap delivery by David Payant on the honky tonk “Tip Jar” to the dreamy yet driven “Leaving Thunder,” this collection of songs, along with the musicians who pay such close attention to detail, are what make this record what it is: an impressive display of a band who never over plays and serves only the song.
Venue
2 Bedford St
Restaurant / Cafe / Pub
Capacity150
Open / Operational
In-Person Event
Fri. October 4th 2024 + Add to Calendar
The Cove Inn
