Toronto songwriter plays Fredericton and Sackville this week.
Abigail Lapell is a folk noir songwriter based in Toronto. A fluid lyricist and multi-instrumentalist, Lapell draws freely from indie, folk-roots and punk rock traditions, carried by the sound of her wintry voice, harmonica, piano and finger style guitar.
Lapell’s spirit is consummately DIY; a veteran of Montreal’s indie-folk scene, she’s shared stages with tUne-yArdS, First Aid Kit, Rae Spoon, The Lowest of the Low, Greg MacPherson and Andy Shauf. She’s also toured across North America and Europe, appearing at festivals like North By Northeast, Pop Montreal, Sappy Fest and In the Dead of Winter. Even more impressively, she has completed two tours entirely by bicycle and two tours by canoe, as well as a cross-Canada tour by train. Her acclaimed, Earshot! charting 2011 debut Great Survivor was recorded in a bedroom by Heather Kirby (of Ohbijou) and hand-assembled from letterpress covers by Trip Print Press.
For Hide Nor Hair, Lapell chose a different tack, working with mood wizard Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Snowblink) at Union Sound in Toronto. Along with Lapell and Stringer, the album features drummer (and whistle soloist) Benjamin Hermann; Rachael Cardiello on viola; Joe Ernewein on bass; longtime collaborator Jessica Moore on backup vocals, and Mike Eckert on pedal steel. Lapell is the recipient of the 2016 Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award for the song “Jordan,” which appears on the new record.
Abigail Lapell + Caitlin Lenoard | February 2, 2017 | Grimross Brewing Co., Fredericton, NB | 7 p.m. | $10
Abigail Lapell + Steve Haley + Sadie | February 3, 2017 | Thunder & Lightning, Sackville, NB | * p.m. | $5
