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Armed with a ukulele, acoustic guitar and banjo as well as percussion and bass pedals,
Elliott Brood combustible live performances feature a big, heavy sound that belies their instrumentation (they’ve been described as “Johnny Cash meets The Pixies”). In Canada, where Mountain Meadows topped the college charts for 21 weeks, Elliott Brood has won over fans not only with their songwriting but with their showmanship and tent revival-esque live appearances.
Kind Words:
“Loosely based around a 19th century massacre in Utah, their album Mountain Meadows is delivered with exuberance and skill, with Mark Sasso growling like Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood.” -UNCUT * * * *
“A breathtaking amalgam of The Band’s sense of history and My Morning Jacket’s metallic country.” -Q Magazine ****
“Elliott Brood do for pre-war folk music what bands like The White Stripes and Black Keys do for blues.” -Globe and Mail ****
“It’s bleak, it’s black, it’s brilliant.” -The Sun
“The band members are masters at creating compelling narratives with such eerie ambiance you can’t help but pick road grit from your teeth.” -The Coast
The album title would seem to evoke a pastoral, peaceful scene but it actually refers to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, an 1857 event that left 120 men, women and children dead at the hands of militant Mormons and Native American tribesmen. Songwriters Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet were fascinated not with the tragedy but its aftermath – the mystery of what happened to the children who witnessed the massacre but were young enough to be allowed to live and what might have happened to them and their ancestors. The album’s songs all grow out of this theme – a sort of “what if” musical novella that works as postcard to an era and time.
Released in Canada in 2008 on Six Shooter Records, Mountain Meadows topped the Canadian college charts for 21 weeks and was nominated for a Juno award (the band’s second nomination). The album was also shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Prize for best Canadian album of the year based solely on artistic merit.
Elliott Brood Tour Dates
10/21/09 Wed Beachland Ballroom/Tavern Cleveland, OH
10/22/09 Thu The Living Room New York, NY
10/30/09 Fri The Opera House Toronto, ON
10/31/09 Sat The Roxy Windsor, ON
11/05/09 Thu Maverick’s Ottawa, ON
11/06/09 Fri La Sala Rossa Montreal, QC
11/07/09 Sat Le Cercle Montreal, QC
11/10/09 Tue The Capital Fredericton, NB
11/12/09 Thu Baba’s Charlottetown, PE
11/13/09 Fri Paragon Theatre Halifax, NS
11/18/09 Wed T.T. the Bear’s Place Cambridge, MA
11/19/09 Thu The M Room Philadelphia, PA
11/20/09 Fri Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
11/22/09 Sun DC9 Washington, DC
11/24/09 Tue Union Hall Brooklyn, NY
11/27/09 Fri Majestic Theatre Detroit, MI
11/28/09 Sat Thunderbird Cafe Pittsburgh, PA
