Former Hollerado frontman Menno Versteeg is supposed to be on tour with Tokyo Police Club in Europe right now, supporting his new album Strangers Like Us under the name Mav Karlo. Instead, the multi-JUNO award-nominated artist has hunkered down in the most COVID-friendly region of Canada and has hit the road with a socially distanced tour of the Atlantic Canada bubble.
Dubbed the “I Drove Here and Slept in My Car and Only Peed on the Side of the Road and Quarantined for Two Week, Oh and the Shows are All Socially Distanced Tour”, Mav Karlo brings his new album to stage for nine shows in all four Atlantic Canadian provinces. The Sydney concert (Saturday, November 21 at the Old Sydney Society) will bring a close to the 10-day journey.
“I’m actually looking forward to the quarantine as much as the shows!” said Versteeg in a statement. “I got a little cabin by some water that Matt Mays recommended after staying there before his Atlantic Bubble tour. My goal is to read five books and write a bunch of new songs. I’ve always had the luxury of being surrounded by friends on stage, so it will be interesting to see what it’s like playing some shows with just my guitar and my creaky old 4-track to keep me company.”
The concert, presented by Archive Cape Breton and the Old Sydney Society, will also feature Ottawa’s Jon Creeden and New Waterford’s Rebecca Ratchford. Creeden, who currently resides in Sydney, has been touring across Canada for the last decade supporting over a half dozen releases during that time. His newest album, Parti, was released in October and features his band The Flying Hellfish. Rebecca Ratchford is a newer name but not an unfamiliar face on Sydney stages. Spending the better part of the last decade with psychedelic rockers Rebecca’s Room, Ratchford has been performing as a solo artist and was recently featured in the Open Doors: Cape Breton Women in Harmony series.
The concert will take place at the Old Sydney Society, 173 Charlotte St (former BMO building), on Saturday, November 21. Doors open at 7pm with music to begin shortly after. Limited seats are available in socially-distanced pods up to four. Admission is by donation ($10 minimum suggested). To reserve seats in advance, text 902-565-6351.
