Joy Kills Sorrow
2013
PM
MEL LEHAN HALL AT ST. JAMES i
3214 West 10th Ave, Kitsilano
Accessible 
All ages
This event has already taken place.
Their music is fresh and original... creative and expressive, honest and sincere, played on bluegrass instruments but not defined explicitly by the style... What sets them apart is how well they navigate the minefield that any artist in a pioneering genre faces: crafting intelligent music without sounding pretentious; paying tribute to immediate precursors without being derivative; charting a daring and original course without a whiff of preciousness. - The Bluegrass Blog
Joy Kills Sorrow are fronted by BC singer Emma Beaton, who was nominated for "Traditional Vocalist of the Year" at the Canadian Folk Music Awards 2010 and won "Young Performer of the Year" at the age of 18 at the Canadian Folk Music Awards 2008. She quickly caught the ear of bluegrass super-star Laurie Lewis, who says she has a "voice like a laser." A classically trained cellist, she formerly studied at Berklee College of Music and has worked closely with Crooked Still's Tristan Clarridge and Rushad Eggleston.
This Boston-based string band brings together an eclectic mix of musicians who each have classical and/or jazz conservatory training, though collectively, they ambitiously utilize their years of study to hone a new acoustic territory yet discovered by many of today's top artists. It's an amalgamation of lamenting music of the heartland, singular stories of heartache and laughter, beautiful string arrangements, and five musicians who grew up listening to indie-rock, jazz, and pop music that churn out impressive tunes with an incredibly contemporary sensibility.
A new 7 song EP will be released on June 4th. Wide Awake features six riveting new original songs that showcase singer Emma Beaton's soulful, enveloping voice on lush acoustic arrangements fleshed out by Matthew Arcara on guitar, Wes Corbett on banjo, Jacob Jolliff on mandolin and Zoe Guigueno on bass. The EP also includes a cover of the Postal Service's 2003 electro-pop single "Such Great Heights," which Joy Kills Sorrow has been performing in concert for a while after learning the song during a residency at the Lizard Lounge in Boston.
We are very excited to invite them back in BC. Welcome home Emma!