Just Us Folk

The new album from the Nova Scotia duo Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, Gold And Coal, is a reflection of the two sides of their music. “Coal” represents the traditional music foundation they grew up with, while “Gold” shows off the original music they’ve built upon that foundation.

“Being surrounded by music” is a common expression for those who grew up in a musical family. For Cassie, who’s the fiddler of the two sisters, it was a literal experience.

“I remember sitting on the lap of one of my cousins while she was playing, so she had her arms around me and I was sitting nestled in between her and the fiddle!”

In a career that has seen them win awards in Canada and abroad, it was a trip to Memphis, Tennessee for the Folk Alliance International conference that opened their eyes to what was possible in establishing their place in the music scene. Seeing how so many diverse artists connected with their audiences through their stage presentation and between-song banter, was an eye opener for the sisters from Antigonish.

“I heard these artists talk about the songs, their inspiration and backgrounds condensed into a little sound bite that still illuminates the music. It is something I’ve carried throughout our careers,” says Cassie.

Gold And Coal is the fifth album by Cassie and Maggie who released their first album, Fresh Heirs, in 2011. While at first they presented a variety of traditional material, with 2016’s The Willow Collection they made the move to a more narrow focused album. By doing so the sisters were able to show how songs changed and developed on the journey from the Old World to the New.

“It allowed us to look at folk music in the same way as we’ve been brought up with the fiddle tunes,” says Maggie.

The last six years have been a time of many changes for Cassie and Maggie. They initially moved to Toronto where they wrote new material and collaborated with a number of artists and producers, including Brandon Pero who is one of the co-producers of Gold And Coal. Then the sisters moved back to Halifax where they built a house with a home studio. In doing so the new album unintentionally mirrors the changes in their lives. “Gold” represents the move west to forge a new path and take chances artistically while “Coal” represents staying home and honouring the music you grew up with.

“Both of those paths are equally challenging and equally rewarding,” says Cassie.

While it wasn’t done on purpose, most of the tracks that were recorded in Toronto fit into the “Gold” side of the album while those recorded in Nova Scotia fall into the “Coal” side of things.

One of the benefits of having a home studio is that Cassie and Maggie can work on a multitude of ideas and then refine them down before booking time in a recording studio.

“It’s exciting because we’ve now become a lot quicker with the process,” says Maggie. “So going forward I can’t wait to make millions more records!”

My interview with Cassie and Maggie took place at last year’s Folk Alliance conference in Kansas City, Missouri where they were looking to expand their touring opportunities in the U.S. This past March the sisters made news headlines on both sides of the border when they were stopped by Ohio State troopers. After being told their rental car had “tested positive” for narcotics, they were interrogated in separate police cruisers where Cassie was given a lecture on the amount of fentanyl coming into the States from Canada. Then both sisters were asked if they preferred Canada or America. Feeling like she was being tested, Cassie replied they had always felt welcomed in the U.S. which seemed to satisfy the officers. No narcotics were ever found in the car and the sisters were given a warning about distracted driving.

Cassie and Maggie have since returned to the States to tour and have a number of dates there throughout the summer and fall.

The amount of time they spend on the road has influenced the type of instruments they play while travelling. Their fiddle and guitar are made from carbon fibre, an increasingly popular material for touring musicians who perform outdoors. But Cassie, who got her carbon fibre fiddle first, didn’t set out to look for that type of instrument. She was interested in a 5-string fiddle. The addition of a low C string gives it a depth of sound that Cassie felt would be a perfect accompaniment to the songs they’d be performing. She found a maker in California with an affordable model to try out before she bought a more traditional wooden instrument. The fiddle she purchased turned out to be a “road warrior”, meaning less stress and worry while touring.

Maggie’s road to acquiring a carbon fibre guitar has a humorous element to it. After performing at a youth showcase event a number of years ago, one of the adjudicators was Warren Robinson of the Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario. At the time Maggie was playing a large guitar made by “Seagull”. Warren suggested she use a smaller instrument since the big guitar made her look like “the tiniest little girl”. Maggie now uses a “Composite Acoustics” guitar that’s more her size while on the road.

As Cassie and Maggie say in the liner notes of the new album, “Gold And Coal is more than an album; it’s a testament to collaboration, creativity and community”.

For more on Cassie and Maggie MacDonald and Gold And Coal, go to https://www.cassieandmaggie.com/