Award-Winning Canadian All Female Soul-Roots Group, AV & The Inner City, Announces First Single of 2024, “Low & Lowly”
Established in Edmonton’s inner city neighbourhood of McCauley, AV & The Inner City is a recently formed, all-female Soul/Roots vocal group, originating from the weekly collaborative porch concerts put on during the pandemic by multi-award winning local artist AV (Ann Vriend). In a testament to their incredible talent the diverse group of Edmontonian singers brought home their very first award while touring Western Canada in the Summer of 2023: the Edmonton Folk Music Festival’s “Emerging Artist Award”, before having released any of their own music. The Soul infused vocal group is comprised of JUNO-nominated Indigenous vocalist Debbie Houle; Jazz singer Johwanna Alleyne; Pop/R&B band “Mercy Funk” lead singer Crystal Eyo; Czech Republic songwriter Alenka Lundell; and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jenn Dahlen; and is led by celebrated Edmonton artist AV. Legendary concert promoter Vic Bell calls the group “an act that could have closed the Main Stage any night of the festival. They earned a full house, standing ovation.” AV & The Inner City’s sound is as harmonious as the creation of the group itself, and embraces the cultural diversity and wide-ranging musical backgrounds of each of its members.
The group released their first single in the Fall of 2023 as a feature on band leader AV’s song, “Nobody Is You”, and have since been in the studio recording their debut album. AV & The Inner City is gearing up to release their non-feature single, “Low & Lowly”, a hymn-like, non-religious Soul/Roots single about accepting, celebrating, and grieving the ups and downs of life.
Written by AV and Dave MacEathron (David Francey, Justin Rutledge), the unadorned recording of “Low & Lowly” features merely the vocalists in the band and the piano, performed by AV. The song was recorded at Riverdale Recorders in Edmonton, AB, right around the corner from AV’s front porch where it all began.
Inspired by the rich vocal harmonies of the Gospel tradition, “Low & Lowly” is a soulful and secular hymn-style song, featuring incredible harmonies, soaring vocals, and a universal message. This touching and somber song explores the idea of embracing both the good and the bad in life. “Low & Lowly” acknowledges that life’s journey involves both hardship and pain, as well as moments of happiness and beauty. The track, performed with just a piano and vocals, begins with AV’s voice accompanied by blues-infused, straightforward piano chords. It gradually builds into a soul-stirring, full-bodied song, showcasing the powerful performance of The Inner City. Despite its simplicity, “Low & Lowly” captivates listeners with the intensity of a full band and chorus, featuring only six vocalists.
Recorded with just one microphone, the organic recording process lends a nearly tangible vocal authenticity to the track, reminiscent of the awe-inspiring experience of sitting in front of a 50-person choir. While the song’s universal nature makes it accessible to a broad audience, its personal and relatable lyrics make “Low & Lowly” a gripping musical experience. It serves as a reminder for listeners to embrace both the positive and negative aspects of life.
“Low & Lowly” is a hymn-like gospel sounding song, though the lyrics are not religious. It is about the humble and sober realization that there is pain in life – as well as celebration, and everything in between— and that all can be sung about”
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
You bet— my name is AV (Ann Vriend)— I’m a soul/pop/blues singer-songwriter based in Edmonton, who has been doing that full-time since 2009. And I am also the arranger, band leader, lead singer, and keyboard player for the new group AV & the Inner City— an all-female soul/roots group who, oddly enough, formed during the pandemic, via outdoor COVID-safe concerts on my front porch every Sunday.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
“Low & Lowly” is almost like a hymn without being religious— meaning that rather than having a verse, then a chorus, then a verse, etc it is just a series of stanzas with the same refrain at the end of each one: “Low & Lowly, now I know.” The instrumentation is VERY simple— just our voices, piano, and that’s it. The build of the song comes from the arrangement of our vocals, which get more intense and involved as the song goes along, and then come back down in intensity at the end. The lyrics are about pain and suffering in life, but also the triumphs and celebrations, and how all of it is part of life, unavoidably so. And that all of it— the good, the bad, the tough, the easy, can be sung about, as kind of a cathartic and communal release, as singing has always been through the ages.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
To be honest I try to change it up— partly as a challenge to myself, and partly to avoid the accidental trap of writing the same song over and over again. So, sometimes I start with a melody, sometimes I start with lyrics, sometimes I start with a rhythm, and sometimes I start with a chord progression. And also co-writing can be another way to get a totally different song, with the influences and process of a whole other being. “Low & Lowly” is a co-write with Dave McEathron, and it’s mostly his song— he had most of it done and I just suggested a few different chords here and there and then wrote an extra verse when it came time to arrange the song for the Inner City.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
“Low & Lowly” is song #1 of a whole album we plan to record and release over the next 2 years, single by single. We recorded song #2 last week, and it will be out when “Low & Lowly” has run its course. It’s called “Music Always” and we’re super excited about it. We also have some summer festivals and fall and winter concerts lined up— the summer festivals we can’t announce yet, but our confirmed concerts are listed on our website at https://annvriend.com/blogs/inner-city-gigs-and-performances/inner-city-concert-dates
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
Well, I have a bunch, but in the group “AV & the Inner City” mine for sure is winning an Emerging Artist Award this past summer at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, after a busy summer of 4 festivals and a bunch of concerts, too, all of which went great— the other one that probably ties with that is getting a standing ovation at the Calgary Folk Music Festival. We worked really hard to get to that point and that was really a moment where it all seemed worth it and like it paid off. I was very proud of us!
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Oh! That is so hard to nail down to one— like most musicians, I know so, so, so, so many talented and hard-working musicians that I wish more people knew about. But ok, specifically “upcoming”— I’d say I’m excited to hear the songs of some of the Inner City members— specifically Crystal Eyo, Debbie Houle, and Jenn Dahlen— all of whom have been working on songs in the last year or 2. I also want to give a big shout-out to the many projects of friends of mine in Calgary, Jory, and Kaley Kinjo, who both are involved in a lot of projects, with other artists, as well as each of them with their own solo careers.