For many young bands, having four months a year for practice and concerts may be a bit discouraging.
However, Ottawa-based folk band The Musettes didn’t let studying at different universities during the school year halt their efforts.
“We all totally have different schedules so during the year for the past four years we’re all at different universities so the only time we have to play together is the summer time,” said Meaghan LaGrandeur, the band’s vocalist and violinist and an international development student at the University of Ottawa.
Vocalist and guitarist Laura Inostroza said even while in the same city, the girls’ schedules can be very opposite, so they often rehearse in public in order to accommodate all three of their hectic schedules.
“Half of our practices end up being busking sessions because people just walk by and listen,” said Inostroza, a neuroscience student at Carleton.
LaGrandeur, Inostroza, and vocalist and guitarist Rachel Harrison, met each other through the music program at Canterbury High School, an arts-oriented high school in Ottawa. LaGrandeur was studying in the strings program, and Inostroza and Harrison in the vocal program.
LaGrandeur said the three of them started jamming together while they were in Grade 12.
LaGrandeur and Inostroza said they’ve drawn influence for their energetic, folk-pop sound from a number of different types of music, from Gordon Lightfood to Mumford and Sons.
In 2009, the Musettes entered a contest for a performance slot during the Ottawa Folk Festival. After the year-long selection process was complete, the girls landed a spot in the festival.
“We never thought we’d actually advance but we won that round and got to play against only two other bands in the finals and they chose us,” LaGrandeur said.
She said it was that point that saw the group take their music more seriously.
Over the past year and a half, Inostroza said, they’ve played several venues across the city including Zaphod Beeblebrox and The Lunenberg pub.
Harrison recently received a diploma in zoology from the University of Guelph. Inostroza said now that Harrison is finished school and back in Ottawa, they’ll be playing as many shows as possible.
The Musettes now have over 2,000 fans on Facebook, and have said they’re working on further plans, including shooting music videos, for the upcoming year.
“Hopefully after Blue Skies, we’ll keep busy,” LaGrandeur said. “We are planning a bit of a tour. We don’t know where yet, but hopefully we’ll be able to fit that in the new year.”
