 It’s hard not to fall in love with these lovebirds! Jessee Havey and Nathaniel Good, the duo behind Nation of Two, have always had music deeply-rooted in their lives and paved their own rewarding music careers, respectively. However, with the help of one chance meeting, a row of aligned stars, and perhaps a few meddling friends, the two musicians met and formed one of Winnipeg’s most beloved folk/roots act.
Jessee and Nathaniel spoke with us about their love story, their musical history and what you’ll see when you catch their set at Harvest Sun. How did you both get started in music? Jessee: We were both born into musical families, so music was always there. I was heavily involved in all things performing arts growing up and joined my first band (the Duhks) just after high school. Nathaniel: Both of my parents are music lovers, and my father is a pianist, so there was always music being played in the house. I remember as a kid, I would sit on the floor of our living room while he played and I'd sing along, trying to find the harmonies. I took piano lessons (I think around the age of 12 or 13) but picked up the guitar shortly after and never looked back. I started writing my own songs and eventually playing in bands during high school, and it just grew from there. What’s the story behind how Nation of Two started - it sounds like such an interesting story! Jessee: We met at a mutual friend's party in St. Augustine, Florida where Nathaniel was living, and I was touring with the Duhks. A few years later, once the stars aligned; we fell madly in love and started playing music together. Nathaniel: We were certainly fond of each other from the get-go, but circumstances didn't allow for anything more than distant friendship for a few years. One weekend I was scheduled to play a show in Jacksonville, FL and she happened to be in town, so she came along with some mutual friends of ours (who had evidently been working on this for a while) and before we knew it, we were falling hard and sending each other songs that would later appear on our first EP.
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 “Harvest Sun represents a true prairie culture and the unmistakable grit and determination of the people who make it their home.” - Melisa Stefaniw.
The singer/songwriter spoke with us about her love for music and the deep sense of community you’ll find year-after-year at Harvest Sun. How did you get started in music? I was a pianist by training but moved to guitar when I fell hopelessly in love with Nirvana & Alice in Chains. In grade 4 I started my first kid-formal (that’s slightly less formal than adult-formal, AND way more fun) band and we practiced every day at noon. I was on keys then and the rest of us sang. Mostly Motown. You played with other bands/musicians before, what made you decide to go solo? I have lived a transient life and so haven’t been able to always have a consistent set of musicians around me. What are your biggest musical inspirations? Environment; down to the lighting, the air in the room and whatever my heart is wrestling with that moment. What’s your favourite part about making music? 100% hands down my favourite part is the process of writing. Just me and my guitar or piano and those moments when melodies are fresh and endless and you aren’t locked into parts.  There is something enthralling about the way Okay Mann’s music can break your heart and mend it all in one go. Katlin Mathison, the man behind the indie-folk outfit, has made a name for himself with his poignant tunes that weave stories of travel, love, and loss.
We spoke with Katlin about his musical upbringing, the evolution of his songwriting and what festivals like Harvest Sun mean to him. What inspired you to start making music? Growing up, my family did a lot of camping, and every evening we'd gather around the campfire and sing together. We played a lot of classic folk songs, and I really got into learning the different vocal harmony parts in these songs. I also studied piano, but much preferred exploring the keyboard by ear than reading what was on the sheet. Eventually, I got a guitar from a garage sale down the street and immediately became fascinated with learning to play the music being played around me and began writing around the age of 12. You’ve been working on some new music, what can you tell me about these upcoming new songs? I've got a few songs on the way that were recorded this spring in Vancouver. I'm really grateful I got the chance to work in the studio with two very talented friends, Darren Hebner and Anthony Cenerini. They definitely pushed me to explore new sounds, and these tunes will be a bit louder and more rock-driven than my last record, Little Mersey. Also coming down the pipeline is a new single and video! The single was written while on Instagram live and recorded in Oslo, Norway. While making my way to Oslo to finish the track, I was able to schedule an 8-hour layover in Iceland! Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I connected with some talented filmmakers and shot the music video during this layover. It was very hectic but we're really pleased with the result.  Olivia Lunny is no stranger to sonic reinvention. With her passion for writing sparked at a young age, the alt-pop musician grew up learning, experimenting and developing her sound with an open mind and a constant eagerness to push her musical boundaries.
Now one of Winnipeg’s newest notable acts, Olivia continues to push her creativity and build herself a bustling musical career. She spoke with us about her songwriting roots and the whirlwind year she’s had since the release of her debut self-titled EP. How did you get started in music? Music has always been the centre of my life. Growing up my parents did an awesome job of exposing me to every genre of music. When I was younger I also took piano lessons for a few years. The lessons taught me basic theory, however, I grew annoyed when the formal lessons didn’t provide me with the freedom to make my own songs and write my own progressions. After a few years of these lessons, my parents figured they’d let me try my “DIY” way of playing and composing - I’m very happy they did! You released your debut EP in February and have since been playing shows after shows, and are now nominated for Pop Artist of the Year at BreakOut West – how has the last year been for you? Receiving so much support and positive feedback surrounding the EP has made me incredibly happy. Lots of work and love was put into it, therefore, it’s a great feeling knowing people really do listen to and appreciate my music! This past year has also been incredibly humbling. With the momentum I have built, I feel as though I’ve entered a whole new world of music. I feel so excited and fortunate that opportunities are starting to lead into a direction that runs parallel with making music my career. In regards to the Nomination, the caliber of talent in this category is tremendous, I’m truly taken aback to be recognized amongst such established artists. Can you talk about the transition you’ve made from the acoustic singer/songwriter genre to creating a more indie-pop/rock sound? I will always maintain my love for acoustic singer-songwriter roots, However, I think it’s important to push yourself and your sound as an artist. With the new addition to my project, I’ve brought on board a group of amazing guys (Julian Brown, Dylan Summers, Ian Ingram) to help me transition this acoustic sound to a more alt-pop focused one. These guys are so talented - I’m very grateful for them and their creative collaboration and ideas. I’ve also been mindful of this “new sound” when writing and co-writing (Roman Clarke) lately and the songs that have been written really do sound different from the stuff I was writing a year ago. I can’t wait to keep evolving this sound, and I’m anxious to share it with others!  Photo by Rae Jennae Photography What started out as a fun little hobby has quickly turned into an ever-growing and rewarding career for mesmerizing folk duo Two Crows for Comfort. Debuting as a duo just last year, long-time musicians Erin Corbin and Cory Sulyma, have spent much of their time captivating a slew of new fans at a wide array of shows, and recording their debut album.
They spoke with us about their exciting show-filled year, their favourite aspects of folk music and how they came up with their attention-grabbing name. How did ‘Two Crows for Comfort’ start? Cory: I don't want to say it was a completely random start, but it sort of was. I was playing in a different group a while back, and Erin would fill in from time to time. That [band] sort of fizzled out, and of course we can't stop playing music so we just decided to start doing our own thing. We started playing just for fun; playing some coffee shops, and local events, things like that and it just stemmed from there. We started getting asked to play other events, and it just kept snowballing. Have you both always been playing roots and folk or in your other bands were you playing different genres? Cory: Way back when, I started in a rock band. My favourite and my go-to instrument is the drums, so I used to play in a rock band. I played drums for that and stemmed off into playing other things. I was in a folk band a few years back and it was a country, folk-pop kind of thing, so I've sort of been in that same world for the last few years, same with Erin. She jumped into the project we were doing. What are your favourite elements about the folk/roots genre? Erin: I would say the style. Cory: Yeah, I would say, the freedom of what you can do in the folk world. Folk is a very broad spectrum. It’s very unlimited in what you can do and what you can write. When you think of rock or country, it's very structured. It's very strict on what you need to do and what you have to do to fit in or to sell records, whereas, I think you have a lot more freedom and can get away with a lot more [in folk]. I think that's what we like because our style and our songs are so atypical. They have different structures... Erin: And they are so different from each other. Cory: I just think to have that freedom is probably one of my favourite things as well as the community. It's just this friendly and fun-loving community. I am definitely appreciative of that. |
AuthorSnapshots of Manitoba music and the artists making it! Archives
August 2019
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