Several months of songwriting in Cape Breton’s highlands seem to have served Erin Costelo well. Anyone wondering what the Halifax-based artist came up with while composing tunes in a cabin will able to catch her upcoming performances at Glace Bay’s Savoy Theatre, at the Cape North Cultural Centre, or at the Gaelic Singer’s Hall in Breton Cove.
Those who actually pay attention to the East Coast music scene will have clued in long ago that there is much more to it than a few clichéd traditional acts. Even so, Costelo’s assertive, husky vocals are a welcome surprise, and her bluesy, richly layered compositions are dangerously seductive.
Costelo’s formal training took place at St. FX, where she studied jazz piano. Her technique reflects a depth of skill and an engagement with diverse styles. Having worked as an accompanist early in her career her East Coast debut came in 2007, in the form of a self-titled EP from her intensive rural Cape Breton composing session. Costelo’s first full-length album Fire & Fuss was recorded at CBC’s Studio H and released in 2009, garnering its fair share of nominations from the East Coast Music Association and Music Nova Scotia.
Tickets for Costelo’s Friday, August 6 solo show at the Savoy Theatre can be purchased at savoytheatre.com. Her Saturday, August 7 performance at the Cape North Cultural Centre starts at 7:30pm, and her show at the Gaelic Singers Hall in Breton Cove starts at 8:00pm on Saturday, August 8.
To learn more visit erincostelo.com
