Musicians Michelle Opthof and Jamie Kirwan, who form the Ottawa-based musical duo Paragon Cause, have been discovering what they are capable of doing with producing their own tracks.
They wrote, recorded, and mixed their music to make an EP for the first time, being released this year. The duo has plans to perform and promote the album at Pressed Café and the Record Centre.
“I knew I was capable of this, and Jamie said I was his musical soulmate . . . it took me a while to be convinced, but now I’m definitely on board,” Opthof said.
Opthof, a graduate of the Carleton University music program, explained that it was a journey of its own finding the right partner to collaborate with.
“We were both in a musical hiatus for like a decade and jammed with a lot of musicians but nothing ever really clicked,” she said. “I experienced a lot of egos and guitars . . . Jamie was one of the first ones that didn’t have [an ego] and was really interested in music and being creative at the heart of everything.”
The two came together from different music backgrounds. Originally from Southern Ontario, Opthof drove to Ottawa to audition for Carleton and got in. She added that she enjoyed her time in the school’s music program, taking classes from African drumming to jazz composition.
“I never had any doubts. I knew I was going to finish my four years,” she said. “I remember starting in the performance program at Carleton and there were 100 students. Ironically, I was one of three that actually graduated with a bachelor of music. So, everyone just weeded themselves out, but I stuck with it.”
On the other hand, Kirwan originally came from Halifax, where he completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at Dalhousie University. He played music on the side and picked up some courses at the Berkeley School of Music.
“I played basically semi-professionally in Halifax with musicians that are basically famous now,” Kirwan said. “I took a break and then we played with musicians in Ottawa. We actually found each other online, jammed one day and I think within a half hour, we said ‘let’s do an album.’ ”
For the duo, writing and producing the tracks came easily. However, the biggest struggle had been finishing and letting go of each track, Kirwan said.
“There are two songs on the album we basically wrote and recorded in one day. I have a hard time letting go, and then six months later, I’ll finish the song,” he explained.
The creation of new EP Escape was a learning experience for the duo. Most tracks were recorded in one take in Kirwan’s basement and later mixed by combining other sounds.
The idea of “escape” came naturally for Paragon Cause.
“I love that the word just popped up in our heads because it related to both of us. We were both trying to escape from something,” Kirwan said.
The album explores a new beginning, expanding on deep and thought-provoking themes.
“I grew up in an area where I definitely did not have the licence to have freedom of expression. So, there’s a lot of that being forced to be pushed down, sort of living in a box so this is me not having to anymore and being pretty happy about it,” Opthof said. “Hence, the name of the album Escape.”
“Escaping is not exactly 100 per cent positive, but it is to find something new and get out of a rut,” Kirwan added.
All six tracks on the album relate to themes of overcoming or opening up to a situation. Opthof said that because the lyrics were personal, she intended to leave them slightly ambiguous and open-ended, allowing the audience to relate to the similar themes of feeling lost or afraid.
“I want the first time people listen to [it] maybe sit in the dark, throw on some headphones with a glass of wine in the dark and just really listen . . . because that’s what it’s meant for,” Kirwan said.
