Celtic purists may be surprised by Qristina and Quinn Bachand’s latest release Little Hinges.
The Victoria-raised siblings spent more than a year working to perfect the mix of tunes on the album which features two sections, with the interlude Little Hinges connecting the two.
“It was a big project and we were a bit too ambitious at first,” says Qristina, the big sister of the duet. “We chose to take our time and now it’s a year later. … There’s a lot to it. It changed a lot while we were recording. It’s very different from our previous albums.”
After the more conventional first half of the album, which features the uplifting fiddle sound of a typical Bachand album, the tune Little Hinges opens the door to the second section in which the Bachands take a road less travelled.
“It starts off similar to our previous instrumental, traditional music then there’s an interlude in the middle that Quinn calls a palate cleanser,” she says. “Then it goes into a little weirder indie folk thing.”
The record features vocals by both Bachands, and though Quinn is known for his instrumental versatility, it’s Qristina’s voice that captures the listener.
“I think this exposes us to a wider audience,” says Qristina. “It’s more mainstream, not that that was planned, it’s just the direction the project ended up taking. … it was very organic.”
While Qristina lives mostly in the Netherlands and Quinn in Boston in his first year of studies at Berklee College of Music, the two will be home for the holidays and are happy to host a pre-release party for their hometown fans on Jan. 3 with Adam Dobres (Ruth Moody Band) and Jesse Boland (Towers and Trees) joining them on stage. The official release will be at the Celtic Connections concert in Glasgow, Scotland, Jan. 16.
“I like the second half of the album a lot. It’s a lot different than what’s out there,” Qristina adds.
Little Hinges features Quinn on acoustic guitar, fiddle, tenor banjo, clawhammer banjo, percussion, electric guitar, bass guitar, auto harp, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, Hammond B3, pump organ, tambourine, bodhran and “a keyboard we bought at the thrift store,” says Qristina, with a laugh.
The Bachands also have a new website launching Dec. 15 and Qristina decided a CD sale was the perfect fit to celebrate. From Dec. 15 to Jan. 15 you can download Little Hinges at qbachand.com for just $6. “I’m really excited about the album so I want as many people as possible to hear it,” she says.
The Qristina and Quinn Bachand pre-release show is on Jan. 3 at 7:30pm (doors at 7) at the Oak Bay United Church, 1355 Mitchell St. Tickets $15 advance, $20 at the door, and are available at Lyle’s Place, Ivy’s Bookshop, Long & McQuade and online at beaconridgeproductions.com.