While the members of Charlottetown-based Inn Echo come together from all over the world – concertina player Gormlaith Maynes from Ireland, fiddler Karson McKeown from Ottawa, guitarist Tom Gammons from Montana, cellist/ fiddler Tuli Porcher from Victoria – their traditional folk sound on Winter’s End feels right at home on the east coast.
After playing festivals throughout Canada as well as Ireland’s largest festival, the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil, and adding Gammons as their new guitarist, Inn Echo have honed their sound from 2019’s self-titled debut on their three-song EP.
“27/5” begins the EP on a somber tone, surely inspired by the winter season during which the song was written, with Maynes’ concertina handling the solemn melody, backed by quiet arpeggiated guitar and lush harmonies from the strings. Just after the halfway mark, however, the quartet ramps up the energy with a constantly pumping bass drum and Gammons’ guitar turning from gentle picking to hard strumming.
This opening jig was written by Porcher and Gammons; showing that despite the guitarist being a new addition to the group, his sound fits seamlessly with the band’s vision.
The group covers The East Pointers’ “The Wreck of the H.M.S Phoenix” and add their own signature sound while remaining faithful to the original. The cover further showcases the band’s strength for writing and arranging rich, emotional harmonies and the melancholic mood makes it easy to imagine the feeling in the air when the Phoenix was wrecked on the coast of Prince Edward Island in 1882.
Winter’s End closes on an optimistic and triumphant note with “In the Nick of Time”. Featuring percussive guitar and the return of the pounding bass drum, this closing number, written by McKeown and Porcher, hints at the group’s interest in electronic music that may be easy to miss.
“With the hopes of sharing comfort, optimism, and the sheer joy of music, Inn Echo presents Winter’s End to help you through these times,” says McKeown.
After listening to Winter’s End, one can picture the days getting longer, the air warming, and colourful leaves returning to the trees. When those days seem far away, Inn Echo reminds us they’re closer than we think.