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Joy Kills Sorrow singer comes home

Stop here is one of only three in Canada on this North American tour
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Former resident Emma Beaton will be returning to the area to play a show with her band Joy Kills Sorrow Monday

Stop here is one of only three in Canada on this North American tour

 

 

LISSA ALEXANDER

reporter@pqbnews.com

The Boston-based string band Joy Kills Sorrow is currently touring through the United States and will be coming to Canada, making their usual stop in Qualicum Beach on June 10.

“We always have a great time playing Qualicum, and it’s good excuse for me to come home,” said lead singer with the group and former resident, Emma Beaton.

Joy Kills Sorrow consists of Beaton at the helm with powerful and captivating vocals, Matthew Arcara on guitar, Wes Corbett on banjo, Jacob Jolliff on mandolin and Zoe Guigueno on bass.

They’ve been described as “Accomplished virtuosos, and it shows in every note,” by Acoustic Guitar magazine and their last album This Unknown Science (2011) was “on the cutting edge of acoustic,” according to the Boston Globe.

The group is releasing a new EP on June 4 called Wide Awake, featuring six new songs and one cover: The Postal Service’s 2003 electro-pop hit Such Great Heights.

With this song the group works their magic recreating an electronic hit with their traditional string band instruments.

Beaton said the new album differs from their previous two albums in that it was self-produced which allowed them to really focus on their sound, making the music rich and powerful while still holding true to their acoustic style.

“It’s as indie rock as we could make it sound while still definitely being an acoustic band as we’ve always been,” she said.

The group picked up a new bass player in January of this year, Guigueno, who’s from Mayne Island. Beaton said Guigueno was living in Toronto when they met her at the FolkWest Festival in Victoria a couple years ago.

They heard she left her band recently and they needed a bass player, so it was a perfect match. Guitarist Arcara described her as a strong, dynamic bass player and a really strong singer.

The group will be performing around the United States for the next few months, and are only making three stops in Canada on their current tour: in Vancouver, Victoria and Qualicum Beach. Beaton said she enjoys her concerts at home.

“Since my parents and our friends are at the shows it’s always easy and fun to do,” she said.

Joy Kills Sorrow is performing at the Oceanside Community Baptist Church at 600 Beach Rd in Qualicum Beach, which has limited seating. Tickets are $20 available from the Vintage Candy Shop. The show starts at 7:30. The group’s new EP will be available at the show.

For more on Joy Kills Sorrow visit www.joykillssorrow.com.