From Shed to Stage: Pith Celebrates "Guinevere" Vinyl Release at Happy Goat Laurel
Emily McQuarrie, Cole Emberley, Sarah Bartlett, and Chrissy Love of Pith. Photo by Sandra Bartlett
As the Ottawa summer fades to a whisper, local legends Pith invite you to form some golden-core memories at the Guinevere vinyl release show on Saturday, September 20th at Happy Goat Laurel. Their fourth LP is out now on Bandcamp and all streaming platforms — but this time, it finally exists in physical form, with just 50 copies pressed for the occasion.
The “cosmic country freak-folk” troupe have been slow-roasting the record since lead singer-songwriter Chrissy Love moved back to Ottawa. What started in “the shed” as a cottage-country confessional eventually blossomed, thanks to the interplay of Sarah Bartlett’s smooth guitar and featherlight harmonies, Cole Emberley’s nimble drumming, and Emily McQuarrie’s shrewd bass undercurrent.
Pith by Rob Coslett
While select tracks were soft-launched via Live from the Shed parts 1 and 2, Guinevere pushes things further into studio territory: arrangements layered with additional bass, tighter drum programming, and added textures from Rhodes piano and a swirl of tenor sax. The result—fortified by the efforts of Jake Cataford, Eric Massoud, and Tim Zurakowski—feels expansive without overshadowing the band’s signature whimsy. Across its eight tracks, the record wanders through loneliness, connection, and the transitions in between. Then, just to throw you off balance, Bartlett closes things with “Wednesday Night” – a tongue-in-cheek, bossa nova-tinged anthem about garbage collection. What’d I tell you about whimsy?
Guinevere vinyl release show poster by Chrissy Love
Saturday’s release show at Happy Goat will be rounded out by post-punk shredders Scrip Issue and pop polymath DJ Hibo Lagerfeld, ensuring something for every stripe of Music Enjoyer. Doors open at 8:00 PM, tickets are $10, and if you want vinyl, bring cash and move quickly.
Don’t miss your chance to traverse the sonic plains of Pith and round your summer out, Ottawa-style.
In the meantime, enjoy Pith’s fourth LP Guinevere—and get tickets to the vinyl release show—below!
Guinevere
out now
1. Biology Drone
2. Party in the Underworld
3. When I Look in Your Eyes
4. I Love You So Much I Could Cry
5. When I'm Not with You
6. Escalator
7. Guinevere
8. Wednesday Night (Sarah Bartlett)
Pith is: Chris Love, Sarah Bartlett, Cole Emberley, Emily McQuarrie
Additional musicians on this album: Jake Cataford (Tenor sax), Eric Massoud & Tim Zurakowski (Additional bass)
All songs written by Chris Love & composed by Pith, except track 8 written & composed by Sarah Bartlett
Special thanks to Andrea Finlay
Cover art: Gerald Trottier, "Canadian Art '59 Cover" 1959 © CARCC Ottawa 2024
Pith
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Rebecca Judd is the Editorial & Operations Lead of Also Cool Mag. She is currently based in Ottawa.
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