Don't Miss Aaron Allen's Next CD, and Tour

Ottawa's venerable Elmdale House Tavern is becoming a focal point for live music in up and coming Hintonburg. With a focus on rootsy, country bands, in a simple, homey setting, the Elmdale is now a great destination for live shows.

Last June, I had the great pleasure of seeing Aaron Allen and the Small City Saints at the Elmdale. Despite a small crowd, the band played a fantastic, energetic set. Based in southwestern Ontario (where my hometown is!), Aaron Allen is an excellent songwriter, with a penchant for crafting intimate stories about regular people, including himself, with intricate melodies.

The self-titled Aaron Allen and the Small City Saints (Yellow Bike Records, 2007) is a great record, with heartfelt tales sung to well crafted roots rock/alt-country a la Steve Earle. "Drinkin'", which Aaron tells me is one of his favourites, is a standout track. The refrain "I hate myself, sometimes" kills me every time. But Allen is also wonderful with more mellow, singer/songwriter solo songs, and his first solo CD, Aaron Allen (theFutureKing, 2006), is an excellent example of Canadian "americana". His voice and tempo remind me very much of Matt Pryor (New Amsterdams, Get Up Kids), and the songwriting is just as good.

It turns out the Small City Saints band members quickly departed after last year's tour, and Aaron was left to solo mode again. The next CD, entitled A Place Called Hell, is, in part, a family affair, with his brother and wife contributing on drums and piano/vocals respectively. With engineer Andy Maggoffin on drums/bass/guitar, Dan Bratz on harmonica, Ken Archer on guitar, and Allen on guitar and banjo, this promises to be an awesome new CD. I've been lucky to hear the title track, and it sounds great, with a moody banjo line and hard guitar solo at the end, reflecting, well, the place called hell.

The new disc will be mastered in April and should be out in May. Allen is hoping to do an Ontario tour. Don't miss the chance to see a great Canadian troubadour.