Marvest is an offshoot of the CityFolk festival that runs between September 16th and 20th, at the Aberdeen Pavilion, and along Bank Street. These mostly free shows feature local artists, and we’ll be profiling some of those artists.
Ottawa locals and recent transplants complaining about Ottawa’s lack of a”vibe” should walk on over to the House of Targ on September 17th for some thoughtful, captivating art-rock courtesy of High Waters.
High Waters’ Derek Connely and Martin Villeneuve met at the University of Ottawa in 2007 and shortly after began their first musical collaboration, a project called Life in 2D. In the fall of 2011 Life in 2D went on a brief hiatus and Connely met Troy Huizinga, the two would go on to collaborate under the name High Waters. The name stuck, and the band reformed with Martin Villeneuve and drummer Matt Speedy as the group that has been writing, performing, and recording to this day.
In 2012, Apt613 contributor Pam Kapoor covered the release of High Waters’ debut release Gather Wish, calling the EP “an entertaining ride that mixes strong musicianship with the kind of arc I miss from post-classic rock albums of the 1980s” and praising in particular the band’s strong lyrics and Derek Connely’s “controlled, nuanced & emotive lead vocals”.
The band is putting out their third release and debut full-length album, Goodnight Mara, as part of this year’s Marvest festivities. The record was engineered and produced by the same team as their EP Gather Wish: Reza Kazemi (No Fly List) and Dave Ledoux (Still Winter Hills). The record will be available through the Ottawa-based label So Sorry Records.
High Waters are playing a stripped down set tonight at House of TARG as part of Marvest, plus a full band set at Aberdeen Pavilion at 10pm on Saturday. Goodnight Mara will be realease at their Aberdeen Pavilion show. You can find High Waters on Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp.
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