Live Music: Elliott BROOD

“Doing it the hard way for 20 years,” is a badge Elliott BROOD wear with honour. Two decades on, work, life, and love have taken the trio in many directions, away from their hometowns and headfirst into an ongoing musical journey through distance and time. Now, after being members of this band for nearly half of their lives, Elliott BROOD is never more at home than in the wash of distorted, evocative strings and stomps that make their signature alt-country sound.

Elliott BROOD appeared on the cover of Exclaim Magazine in 2008 as the new ambassadors of a roots, folk rock, and alt-country wave that flourished in Toronto’s early aughts. Elliott BROOD’s arrival came with a level of buzz that launched them directly into the heart of a vibrant Toronto scene that centered at label Six Shooter Records, where they have returned to release their newest music. Their live show, a maelstrom of frenetic energy and fuzz, has brought them back and forth across continents countless times on bills The Sadies, Wilco, The Black Crowes, and many more. Their albums, meticulously crafted, detail-packed collections have brought some of Canada’s highest musical honours and awards, including an early Polaris Music Prize Short List and a JUNO Award.

In their twenty years, the band has remained fiercely loyal to their mysterious namesake. The stylized, imaginary character has guided the band’s travels over mountains and meadows, and through the more harrowing sides of history. Over time, Elliott BROOD has also grown into a vessel for the trio’s shared history too, with new songs finding connection and communion in themes that hit much closer to home. Family, fatherhood, and finding oneself over again are all part of Elliott BROOD’s story as it is now told.