Peterborough Folk Festival

2011 has been a landmark year for Brazilian-born singer/percussionist/composer Aline Morales. The launch of her debut solo album Flores, Tambores e Amores was met with widespread critical acclaim. David Dacks writes in the Grid, “Simply put, Aline Morales’ self-released Flores, Tambores e Amores may be the finest Brazilian album ever produced in Canada.”  An ambitious and eclectic record, Flores defies easy classification.  While rooted in classic Brazilian song styles, such as samba, forró, Northeastern folk music and 1960’s Tropicalia, Flores inhabits its own unique musical world, where traces of Italian film scores, African sounds, avant garde poetry and vintage synths ebb and flow throughout.

Flores represents a departure for Aline, whose previous projects have been centred around traditional Brazilian drumming. Born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Aline began her performing career as a child training in capoeira, and by the time she reached her 20′s, she had performed in a variety of traditional and modern bands including one of Brazil’s most well-known maracatu groups, Nacao Estrela Brilhante do Recife led by Mestre Walter de Franca.  Since her arrival in Toronto, Canada in 2003, she has been a tireless promoter of the traditional maracatu rhythms of Northeastern Brazil, performing with her 30-member percussion troupe, Baque de Bamba, at countless outdoor festivals, leading parades through Kensington Market in Toronto and even starring in Ontario Tourism’s “There’s No Place Like This” commercials.

Drawing now from a wider range of influences, Flores, Tambores e Amores finds Morales in a stage of musical exploration. Gone is the wall of percussion, replaced instead by lush, eclectic arrangements, which seamlessly blend traditional and modern instruments. At home in her new role as solo artist, Morales “shines with mature confidence amid [producer] David Arcus’ outstanding orchestrations.” (David Dacks, the Grid)

You can catch Aline performing music from her new album with an all-star band composed of some of the most sought-after musicians in Toronto’s Brazilian music scene.

You can learn more about Aline Morales by visiting her website.

Friday August 26, 8pm, The Market Hall, Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Buy tickets online on the theatre’s website

Funny and upbeat, with just a pinch of sass, the Good Lovelies’ textbook three-part harmonies, constant instrument swapping and witty on-stage banter have enlivened the folk music landscape since they joined forces in 2006 for their first show at Toronto’s funky Gladstone Hotel.

How the Good Lovelies (Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore) got together is a bit of a mystery: Sue remembers meeting her band mates during a limbo competition, Caroline thinks they met at a chess tournament, but Kerri is convinced they first crossed paths during a bar fight… Whatever the story may be, the ladies immediately realized they had something special, so they hit the road on a mission to charm Canadian audiences coast to coast.

Their tireless rain or shine outlook and undeniable mutual respect have helped the trio weather years of constant touring. With jaunts to Australia, the UK and the US in their 2011 schedule, the Good Lovelies’ road-tested tenacity will bring them further afield than ever before.

Lighthearted songwriting and irresistibly buoyant dispositions have made them the darlings of the summer festival circuit, including spots at the storied Mariposa and Hillside Festivals and the Montreal Jazz Festival. They have toured with Stuart McLean and the Vinyl CafÈ and appeared on stages and in studios with Broken Social Scene, Kathleen Edwards and Jill Barber.

In addition to their acclaimed holiday album, “Under the Mistletoe” (2009), which showcases old and new seasonal tunes (including three original songs), the Good Lovelies’ self-titled full-length album (also released in 2009) proved their blithe brand of folk music has year-round appeal. With this record, the Good Lovelies won New Emerging Artist at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. In 2010, this same album received a Juno for Roots/Traditional Album of the Year.

“Let the Rain Fall”, their third full-length album, is an ode to camaraderie. With equal parts city and country, highway and home, wistfulness and sass, the Good Lovelies’ good humour and self-assurance shines through from the toe-tapping start of “Made for Rain” to the sweet final notes in the French-flecked “Mrs. T.” In between, youíll hear reflections on urban imperfections with “Backyard”, straight-up love songs like “Best I Know” and upbeat numbers like “Kiss Me in the Kitchen.”

The album, like the Good Lovelies, has a universal appeal, sure to please not just their fellow Canadians, but those south of the border and across the pond too.

“Let The Rain Fall,” say the Good Lovelies, confident that bright and breezy days lie ahead.