2022 saw the release of “They Lie In Wait”,  Ol’ Savannah at #4 in Cult MTL’s Best Bands of Montreal, a fantastic summer tour to Gaspésie, and a killer show at Club Soda in support of Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project.  As this year comes to a close, we’d like to share this video of “Old Betsy’s Got A Tail” live at Club Soda in Montreal. Video shot by Ronan Goualc’h.  Sound by Olivier Ouimet.

A little birdie told me that Ol’ Savannah may just have another album to record soon and that they also have hopes to travel a bit more than was possible these past few years.  Until next time, wishing y’all a great and happy 2023!

 

The next Ol’ Savannah show is November 29 at Verre Bouteille in Montreal. Opening up the night, and celebrating the release of their debut album, Lucy Lambert’s Violet Drift will be hitting the stage at 8:30Pm. For tickets, please visit the following link:

Le Point de Vente

           Anticapital Records and Ol’ Savannah are pleased to announce the release of “They Lie In Wait”, the Montreal folk group’s sixth full-length album. The launch takes place on May 26, 2022 at Petit Campus in Montreal and online. The Slowinks and Santosh Lalonde (Bad Uncle) are set to open up the night.

“They Lie In Wait”, a 17-track album, returns the listener to the movements and organizing efforts that have drawn attention and grown through and, perhaps, in spite of the pandemic. “500 Years” reflects on the birth of racism, colonialism, and capitalism. “Old Betsy’s Got A Tail” is an indictment on Trump’s Department of Education and on former U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, directly. Protest songs, old and new, the blues, and the unassuming cover song (Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Warren Zevon) are a testimony to these continuing struggles, notably the Land Back and Black Lives Matter movements present across the greater part of Turtle Island and the student protests against school gun violence in the so-called United States of America.

Speedy Johnson (Ol’ Savannah, Anticapital Records) and sound engineer/co-producer Kevin Moquin traveled to Ottawa, Gatineau, and within Montreal to record the voices of the next generation, those most affected by today’s injustices – economic, ecological, and racial. “Which Side Are You On?” features backup harmonies from Ottawa vocal students Neeve Crichton, Meghan Findlay, and Addy Hartell. The Huginator (Hugo Maury from Gatineau) and Lucas Chavel (Montreal) join the youth backup vocals in the chorus of “Old Betsy’s Got A Tail”. “They Lie In Wait” is very much by, for, and of the children; and it’s dedicated to the next seven generations, if we’re so fortunate.

Thursday, May 26, 2022
Petit Campus | 57 Rue Prince Arthur E
Doors at 8:00 pm | Show at 9 pm
$15 pre-sales / $20 at the door
With The Slowinks and Santosh Lalonde

 

Our next show is April 6 at Verre Bouteille with special guests Margaret Tracteur (en duo).  Please visit the following link for more info and to purchase pre-sale tickets: www.lepointedevente.com/billets/olsavannahetmargarettracteur

Independent folk/roots band, Ol’ Savannah, are excited to announce the release of their fifth full-length and first live album, entitled “Fill My Cup at De Melkbus: Live in Dordrecht, Netherlands”. The album will be available at shows and online as of April 20, 2018, and the group will be playing an album launch show in their home base of Montreal, Quebec at Petit Campus the same night with supporting acts, The Steady Swagger and Scott Dunbar One Man Band.

The live album was recorded on October 19, 2017 at Mini-theatre De Melkbus in Dordrecht, Netherlands by Marc Burger (Burger Productions). The 17-track album includes two cover songs not previously recorded by Ol’ Savannah: “Shot Tower” by United Steel Workers of Montreal and “Go Back Home” by Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir. The rest of the album is comprised from Ol’ Savannah’s repertoire, songs from each of the group’s four studio-recorded albums. Performing were Speedy Johnson (vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica), Kevin Labchuk (accordion, harmonium, backup vocals), Ram Krishnan (bass, backup vocals), and Daniel Malone (drums).

Following the release of “Fill My Cup at De Melkbus”, Ol’ Savannah embarks on their second European tour, which begins on May 5 at Labadoux Festival in Ingelmunster, Belgium. The band will also do a short Quebec summer tour in August out to Gaspésie.

Montreal Album Launch
Friday, April 20, 2018
Petit Campus | 57 Rue Prince Arthur E
Doors at 9:00 pm | Show at 10:00 pm
$15 at the door
With The Steady Swagger and Scott Dunbar One Man Band

European Tour
May 5, 2018 – Labadoux Festival (Ingelmunster, BE)
May 7, 2018 – Muziekcafe Thalassa (Sint-Niklaas, BE)
May 8, 2018 – Vogelzang Café (Rupelmonde, BE)
May 9, 2018 – Rheinterrassen (Rees, DE)
May 10, 2018 – Café de Loge (Ghent, BE)
May 11, 2018 – Le Communal (Saint-Léger, BE)
May 12, 2018 – Blues-sphere (Liège, BE)
May 16-23, 2018 – Italy (booking: Cattivi Gualgluni)
May 24-30, 2018 – Switzerland (booking: Pas mal bien)
June 1, 2018 – Le Sous-Off Summer Fest (Bourges, FR)
June 2, 2018 – Ty coz (Morlaix, FR)
June 3, 2018 – La Café Chantier (Saint-Éloy, FR)
June 5, 2018 – Le cafédiskaire (Lille, FR)
June 6, 2018 – What’s Cookin’ (London, UK)
June 7 & 8, 2018 – Gate to Southwell Festival (Southwell, UK)
June 9, 2018 – The Arch-Way Project (Halifax, UK)
June 10, 2018 – The Grayston Unity (Halifax, UK)
June 12, 2018 – Leith Depot (Edinburgh, UK)
June 14, 2018 – Sketchy Beats (Edinburgh, UK)
June 15, 2018 – Callum’s Cavern (Paisley, UK)
June 16, 2018 – Upstairs at Monks (Beverley, UK)
June 17, 2018 – The Isis Farmhouse (Oxford, UK)
June 21, 2018 – The Magic Garden (London, UK)
June 22, 2018 – The Lighthouse (Deal, UK)
June 23, 2018 – Café ‘t Leeuwke (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, BE)
June 24, 2018 – Muddy Roots Europe (Waardaame, BE)

Quebec Summer Dates
July 1, 2018 – Festival Virage (Sainte-Rose-du-Nord)
July 30, 2018 – Pine Beach Park (Dorval)
August, 3, 2018 – Pit Caribou (Percé)
August 4, 2018 – La Pointe Sec (Mont-Louis)

Ol’ Savannah’s fourth full-length album, entitled Burden, is out now. Please visit www.olsavannah.bandcamp.com to stream and/or purchase the album.

Shows are being added for 2018. Stay tuned for more announcements soon!

Happy to announce our first trip across that little Atlantic pond this coming Autumn. We’ll start our travels in the beautiful region of Brittany, France for multiple performances at Le Grand Soufflet. Then, our tour will take us around France and other nearby countries. For more info, please visit our “Shows” page.

For more on Le Grand Soufflet: Click here