Jenn Grant / The Heavy Blinkers

Part of The Upper North Side Canadian Music Series

Born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada, folk-pop artist Jenn Grant embodies the naked melancholy of roots and the shimmering effervescence of vintage AM pop. She understands the cosmic connection between Patsy Cline and Brian Wilson, and her oeuvre has elements of both polarities and everything in between. She intuits the power of nuance and beguiles like no other singer you are likely to hear. Orchestra for the Moon, Grant’s debut full-length, is a lush album of textured pop that puts her honeyed voice front and center. Whether accompanied by her band, stripped down to orchestral harp, or supported by a string quartet, Grant’s vocals remain the focal point. On “In a Brown House”, she duets with legendary songwriter Ron Sexsmith, and the result is tender and moving. At times country, and other times venturing into reggae and baroque, Jenn Grant has a timeless quality and a soulful voice.

Since the age of steam, well over a million immigrants from around the globe have arrived through the port of Halifax Nova Scotia at Pier 21, the Gateway to Canada. Halifax is a harbour town and possesses remarkable air quality. The high ratio of trees to population in the area contributes to this quality of air and magnificence of surroundings. Since 1998, in and among these surroundings, The Heavy Blinkers have been conspiring to take over the world of orchestral pop. The Heavy Blinkers consolidate elements of Van Dyke Parks, Harry Nilsson, Serge Gainsbourg, and The Beatles into something that sounds really quite lovely. This Nova Scotian six-piece, whose compositions and stage show have attracted attention around the world from fans, media, and fellow musicians, have played extensively in Canada, the U.S. and throughout Europe. Currently signed to Cooking Vinyl (Billy Bragg, The Pixies, etc.) in the United States, the piano-based band is poised to release their fifth full-length album: Health (street date mid-October),