Edmonton-based 100 Mile House will be driving around 200 miles to play for the first time in Cochrane at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House July 11.
The award winning folk group includes husband and wife duo Peter Stone and Denise MacKay along with multi-instrumentalist Scott Zubot.
Stone met MacKay 10 years ago in Toronto when he was playing a show and MacKay was on tour herself. She came into the bar Stone was playing in, thinking it was an open mic.
They played a few songs together and a few weeks later Stone moved to Edmonton with MacKay, where they eventually met Zubot. The couple has been playing music together since they met and Stone Says it is something they have just always been used to.
“It makes touring a lot more fun cause you’re together, as opposed to having to leave someone at home,” says Stone. “All of the experiences you’re having, you get to experience them with your other half. I consider myself really lucky that we get to do that together.”
Obviously the chemistry in the band is working. The group won the 2014 Edmonton Music Award for Single of the Year for “Last Call” and Group of the Year.
Stone says these awards are particularly exciting for the 100 Mile House, because they were recognized within their own community.
“It is just a really nice feeling to be awarded in a room full of your friends. It makes me feel like moving to Edmonton was a really good choice for us,” says Stone.
A good choice also because of the support offered by the music scene in Edmonton according to Stone. He says the Edmonton musical community is filled with really encouraging and creative people.
“I think maybe it has given us confidence and the bravery to put our music out there and give things a real go,” he says.
“Being away from where I grew up influences our songs a lot,” continues Stone. “In that sense just being away from London, where I’m originally from, definitely influences a lot of our songs.”
This convergence of locations has led the band to be labeled as “transatlantic folk”.
Stone says someone came up with the title a few years ago and it has stuck with the band. He describes it as the idea of combining the sound of Canada and London together.
“It stuck because we didn’t know how else to describe it,” laughs Stone. “It works I think because folk is such a big umbrella.”
The group has released an album almost every two years since 2008. Their last album was 2013’s Wait With Me, which debuted at No.1 on CKUA across Alberta.
Stone says they have not started recording any new material, but they are working on songs for the next album that they will be playing on this tour.
“Normally I sort of come up with an idea, Scott and Denise will add their parts and make the whole thing come alive,” says Stone of the songwriting process in the group. “I imagine it sort of like me drawing a picture and them coming and colouring it in. It makes everything 100 times better when they add their input.”
100 Mile House has summer dates in Alberta and B.C., including the Edmonton Folk Festival – a show Stone says he is thrilled to play. In September and October they plan to make their way out east for some shows.
