Award-Winning Folk Group MAGGIE’S WAKE Set To Release Self-Titled Debut Album March 17, 2024
Award-winning London, Ontario folk group Maggie’s Wake is set to release their long-awaited debut album on March 17, 2024.
It took just over a year for Maggie’s Wake to write, record and release their first full studio album, which will finally be available on St. Patrick’s Day, following the success of their holiday single “Christmas is Coming (for You)” and the haunting fan favourite “Bridget O’Brien“. The album showcases their vast talents both as storytellers and musicians and has been a labour of love for the women who front Maggie’s Wake, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler, fiddler and harmony vocalist.
Don’t let the Celtic instrumentation of fiddles, whistles, and flutes fool you. It may lead you to believe that Maggie’s Wake is just another folk band playing jigs with a slightly modern spin but what you’re going to find is a refreshing and exciting departure. From the first notes of the spaghetti western Sadies inspired “Grosse Isle (Far Away)”, you are transported to “New Frontier”, which delivers the harrowing true story of an Irish immigrant moving to Canada on a coffin ship. In typical Maggie’s Wake form, they depart from the expected and instead of a traditional pedal steel guitar, it’s the tin whistle delivering those mournful high notes, and the new frontier in question is not the Wild West, but the Island in Quebec that became the final resting place for thousands of hopeful immigrants.
The voyage continues through the turbulent “Harrison’s Way” and lilting “Adaptation”, instrumentals that manage to convey the feelings of turmoil and resilience more effectively than words could. Whether you’re being transported to “Louisiana”, and the decadence of New Orleans with the cajun sounds of twin fiddles or reverting to your free-spirited youth in “Arcane”, this album is all about the journey, not the destination. Most of these pieces were written throughout the pandemic, with “Bridget O’Brien” in particular being a product of Dunphy’s long walks through St Peter’s Cemetery, finding inspiration in the solitude and imagining the lives of these people who were now just names etched in stone. “Maid of Fortune” is a promise to be there, even in the darkest times, and “Dochas” is quite literally hope, in the Gaelic language. With guest artists, including legendary Canadian country picker Nichol Robertson and Canadian Folk Music Award-winning guitarist Kyle Weymouth, along with their incredibly versatile backing band, Maggie’s Wake has indeed made a genre-crossing debut that is authentic, original, and inspired.
The anchor to the album is the epic, four-movement piece “Maggie’s Wake”, which follows the path of grief through loss, remembrance, acceptance, and finally, a celebration of what once was and in the case of this band, what is still to come.
Maggie’s Wake is a refreshing addition to Canada’s folk music scene, and already they have been recognized with the 2023 Forest City London Music Award for Best Folk/Roots group, they were official showcase artists at the Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City, MO in February and will be embarking on their first U.S tour in the Fall 2024.
Hi Tara, of Maggie’s Wake, you’re going to be releasing your debut album on March 17, how does it feel?
We’re excited it’s finally here. We wrote all the music on the album over the course of the pandemic and there is a definite theme that weaves its way through all the tracks, I think most people will be able to relate and connect to the music. It’s very surreal to finally hold the album in our hands and send it off into the world after about 9 months of recording and post-production. It’s been a great experience and we are so thrilled to share it with everyone!
Tell us about the process of recording the album. Did anything amazing happen you didn’t expect?
Being in the studio was interesting because we found that the songs began to evolve, they were elevated during the recording process by adding layers of instruments and bringing in some amazing special guests like Canadian Folk Music Award winner Kyle Weymouth (on acoustic guitar) and Toronto’s star country picker, Nichol Robertson on electric. Some of the simple pieces became lush with strings and organ and we were able to really up the twang factor on other tunes by trying out different effects and introducing a Sadies-style guitar sound. This has all crossed over into our live show and we’re having a ton of fun playing these songs, they seem new again!
You also have a number of shows coming up. What can fans expect from the live show?
Our upcoming shows will be packed with our original tunes, the album will be performed in its entirety plus we’ve added a bunch of traditional Irish folk songs to the mix, in honour of St Patrick’s Day plus we’re huge fans of the Pogues so it felt only right to remember Shane MacGowan with a song. Our Paddy’s Day show at the Grand Theatre in London will be extra special because we will be joined on stage by the Sarnia School of Irish Dance. These shows are not to be missed.
What’s an album by a Canadian band that you have in your collection that would surprise us?
We just returned from Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, where we performed as official showcase artists and had the opportunity to meet and hear tons of Canadian acts. Probably the one getting the heaviest rotation on my stereo right now would be “Chinook Waltz” by Alberta’s Over the Moon, a fantastic acoustic duo that plays some of the finest cowboy tunes you’d want to hear. We’ve also been digging “Live from the Art Farm” by The Fretless. Inspiring stuff!
You’ve been making music for a bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
Do it because you love it, but realize it’s a business too. Learn how it all works and be prepared to work harder than you ever have in your life. It’s the best job in the world and it’s worth all the hours you need to put into it to be successful.