Over the past five years, the Once has been quietly making a name for themselves in their native Canada. The Newfoundland-based band has collected a trio of Canadian Folk Music Awards, been named Newfoundland & Labrador Art Council’s Artist of the Year and earned a Juno nomination for best Roots/Traditional album. In the coming year, however, the rest of the world will get to discover the joyous, harmony-rich acoustic music that have made them such favorites in their homeland.
Although the band’s name derives from an old Newfoundland expression that means right away or imminently, the Once actually evolved rather gradually as a band. It wasn’t really until 2009, when they made their first album, that the band became their main, full-time concern. Churchill charts their evolution through their CD releases - “the first one was for friends and family, the second for fans and now the new one is for new people.
Returning to the studio, the Once found all the pieces coming together. They became, in Churchill’s words, “the type of band we wanted to be” – making music that forms a bridge between traditional and contemporary acoustic music. Hollett proclaims Departures “the best thing we’ve done,” and all three band-mates share an excitement over what awaits them with the release of their Nettwerk debut and their upcoming tour with Passenger.
