Madison Violet, the amazing duo out of Eastern Canada, is bringing their signature style to the West Coast.
It鈥檚 music that was born in Maritime traditions and honed in the kitchen parties of Cape Breton.
The Juno-nominated duo that make up Madison Violet are Lisa MacIsaac and Brenley MacEachern and together these musical marvels never fail to captivate audiences, leaving them smiling and wanting more.
Still, despite their Maritime roots, categorizing Madison Violet is no easy task 鈥� in fact, it might be impossible to do so. Their music incorporates the famous Cape Breton folk sound, but also elements of pop, indie, bluegrass and country 鈥� genres that the two manage to flawlessly interweave into their own unique sound.
鈥淚 spent my summers in Cape Breton with my dad who was a singer and there was always a party going on in the kitchen,鈥� MacEachern says. 鈥淏ut it was hearing a song by Neil Young, Old Man, that really inspired me. I heard that song and I knew I needed to play guitar and sing.鈥�
MacIsaac, on the other hand, grew up in Cape Breton in a famously musical family (her brother Ashley has received three JUNO awards) and seemed destined for the stage 鈥� well sort of. She also liked sports.
鈥淚 spent most of my youth on a ball field or playing hockey, but I was singing and playing fiddle when I was eight or nine years old,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 started playing in folk bands by the time I was 16.鈥�
Despite their Cape Breton roots, the duo met in Toronto and soon created an act known as Mad Violet.
鈥淲hen we started singing together, there was a magic. It was seamless,鈥� MacEachern says. 鈥淲e formed Mad Violet soon after.鈥�
The name Mad Violet, by the way, rose from what MacIsaac described as an absolutely bizarre experience the two had in New Mexico.
鈥淲e were in New Mexico on a road trip to New Orleans in a camper van and decided that we wanted to try this hot springs campground,鈥� MacIsaac recalls. 鈥淭he woman who checked us in was, well, odd. Her name was Violet, and she had this collection of tailless cats 鈥� several with only one eye.鈥�
The evening progressed into a series of occurrences reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode and Violet鈥檚 name was appropriated to define the group. Eventually 鈥淢ad鈥� morphed into 鈥淢adison鈥� and the duo never looked back.
What really makes this duo special, beyond their incredible talent, is their love of performing and their connection with audiences.
鈥淚 always come back to the reciprocation of energy,鈥� MacEachern says. 鈥淚 mean, no artist will deny that they enjoy the adulation of a crowd, but for us it鈥檚 seeing the expression on their faces and hearing them sing your lyrics back at you.鈥�
鈥淎fter the shows as well,鈥� MacIsaac adds. 鈥淚 love talking to people after the shows and having conversations with people whose souls you鈥檝e managed to touch with your music. That鈥檚 the real magic.鈥�
MacIsaac and MacEachern have released more than 10 albums together and their latest record Eleven is considered their most candid album to date, filled with deeply personal stories of love and loss.
Madison Violet has been widely recognized for their work including a JUNO nomination for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. They were awarded a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Vocal Group Album of the Year and have reached the top 5 on the Canadian iTunes download charts, amassed over one million streams on Spotify, and have placed on CBC鈥檚 Top 20 multiple times throughout their career.
The duo will appear in on Jan. 17 and on Jan. 18 and have several concerts on the B.C. Mainland and in the Okanagan later in the month.
Full information and tickets can be found at
