ONTARIANS / Matthew Holtby

Fri. August 8th Hotel Wolfe Island Wolfe Island Ontario Free
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ONTARIANS / Matthew Holtby

ONTARIANS / Matthew Holtby Befitting their name, ONTARIANS have a sound that co...
Event can be attended in person In-Person Event
Music Country / Roots / Bluegrass / Rockabilly Folk / Celtic / Latin / World Pop / Rock / Indie
Fri. August 8th + Add to Calendar Hotel Wolfe Island (No Minors)
8:30pm - 11:00pm Free

Artists

Ontarians
Classic Alt Country from Sault Ste Marie Ontario
Available for Shows/Gigs
Matthew Holtby
Folk-roots singer-songwriter from Warkworth Ontario
Available for Shows/Gigs

Event Description

ONTARIANS / Matthew Holtby
Befitting their name, ONTARIANS have a sound that could only be made by a group of guys raised on a steady diet of Neil Young, The Band, Blue Rodeo and The Tragically Hip. They demonstrated that on their critically acclaimed 2021 debut album The Greatest Short Story Never Told, and now they’re back with the sequel, More How It Is, 10 new songs from the band’s co-founders Frank Deresti and Craig Smith.

The pair crafted the new material over the past couple of years in their usual manner, through writing sessions at their respective home bases in Sault Ste. Marie and Collingwood, as well as other excursions to northern areas of the province. The album was then laid down at Smith’s studio with the band’s drummer Chris Johns and keyboardist Jay Stiles. It was a lot of ground to cover, but the results on More How It Is speak for themselves; on top of Deresti and Smith’s rootsy melodicism there’s also a bit more of a Northern Gothic element to the new songs.

“Increasingly so, ONTARIANS have become very comfortable taking risks both musically and lyrically,” Smith says. “The sometimes lush and adventurous arrangements lift the songs to new heights, but the songwriting itself stands on its own.”

Deresti adds, “Each song on the record tells its own story, but the album as a whole represents a period of time where the world seemed to offer more questions than answers, and preconceived assumptions were being challenged at every corner. Amidst the somewhat dystopian tone of some of the writing, there is a thread of curious optimism and light-heartedness that has become a calling card for us as a songwriting team. This juxtaposition of darkness and light, disillusionment and lightheartedness, and care and nonchalance is a common thread throughout the album.”

Those elements are certainly present in the album’s first single “Start Over,” but on other tracks such as “Trippin'” ONTARIANS put their full musical dexterity on display, with Deresti and Smith’s interwoven guitars and harmonies producing an instant psychedelic pop anthem. The band also shows off its quieter side on the acoustic ballads “Boo” and “Heartbreak Remedy,” both tailor-made for the campfire.

Although Deresti and Smith handled much of the instrumental parts themselves in the studio, there’s no denying that the live sound of ONTARIANS comes through even stronger on More How It Is than on their debut. With Jay Case handling bass duties on stage, the band is once again preparing to get out on the road as a five-piece and treat audiences to an all-around rock and roll experience.

As Ontario’s license plates used to say, it’s yours to discover. More How It Is by ONTARIANS may be the best musical discovery you’ll make this year.

Venue

Hotel Wolfe Island
Marysville
Restaurant / Cafe / Pub
Open / Operational

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ONTARIANS / Matthew Holtby - Aug 7th @ Hotel Wolfe Island

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