Qristina & Quinn Bachand - Little Hinges (2015)

Qristina and Quinn Bachand have taken the international Celtic Roots music world by storm with their sheer talent and natural exuberance. Since their 2009 debut this brother and sister duo have won two Irish Music Awards, 2010 Top Traditional Group and 2011 Top Duo and have received multiple nominations at both the Canadian Folk Music Awards and the Western Canadian Music Awards. Born and raised on Canada's West Coast with its signature tolerance for experimentation and improvisation, the siblings have always been encouraged to find their own ‘voice’, exploring all kinds of musical traditions and fusing styles such as Old-time, Irish trad, Folk, and Jazz to create their own distinctive sound.

Qristina & Quinn Bachand chose the name of their third and much anticipated new album from the saying "big doors swing on little hinges". Although writer W. Clement Stone was probably not referring to the power of art among a captive audience, the fact is undeniable: music moves.

The multitalented brother and sister maintain that they engage with music for emotional release. 'Music inspires us to create and internalise and can even change the outcome of our decisions. Music has a history of defining culture - bringing us to battle as much as it is the sound of celebration in times of peace. We share music, we communicate through music', they say.

"Our goal with this recording was to open the doors of the beautiful but often times rigidly grounded traditional music we love, to various sounds and inspirations we've accumulated over the past t three years."

To illustrate what they set out to convey, they decided to split the album into two sections, with an interlude entitled Little Hinges connecting each. Following the first more traditional half, Little Hinges quite literally opens the door to the second section, in which they venture further from their traditional roots.

The project took over a year to complete. The duo worked with Grammy Award winning producer Joby Baker on the album's fourteen tracks. After the more conventional first half, with the uplifting fiddle sound of a typical Bachand album, the siblings embark on a road less travelled.

The record features vocals by both Qristina and Quinn, with Qristina taking the lead on vocals and fiddle. Well known as a gifted multi-instrumentalist, Quinn is featured on acoustic and electric guitars, fiddle, tenor banjo, clawhammer banjo, percussion, bass guitar, auto harp, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, Hammond B3, pump organ, tambourine, bouzouki, bodhran and an old keyboard they picked up at a thrift store.