The Weyburn Concert Series will host the “Fortunate Ones” in concert at the Cugnet Centre on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.
“Fortunate Ones” is a Juno-nominated, Canadian Folk Music Award winning folk-pop duo made up of singer, pianist, accordion player Catherine Allan and singer, guitarist Andrew James O’Brien. Together, they endear audiences with wide-eyed energy, pragmatic optimism, and an earnest mission for connection. Andrew and Catherine grew up on opposite sides of the island of Newfoundland — Mount Pearl and Corner Brook respectively. It was in St. John’s where the pair met and began to sing together. One night in 2010, Andrew heard Catherine sing harmony with her brother at a private gathering in downtown St John’s.
He had to sing with her. The next day he got up the nerve, left her a note, she acquiesced, and within 48 hours they were singing together on stage. That first performance together was the start of a road to the formation of “Fortunate Ones” in 2013. Their beginnings are in keeping with one of the core messages they carry, that sometimes the most important decision you can make is to just say “yes”.
From a musical family, the Allan home was a constant eclectic flow of instruments, singing and the stereo. Catherine studied classical piano, taught herself guitar in secret, and discovered the accordion by chance when her brother brought one home over Christmas in 2011. Musical exploration was the norm. After moving to St. John’s, Catherine’s induction to the East Coast music scene was rapid – performing with Andrew, recording and touring extensively with Juno award-winning songwriter Amelia Curran, and appearing at festivals with Curran and East Coast songwriter Don Brownrigg. Andrew James O’Brien launched his music career with a well-received solo album Songs for Searchers (2011) — nominated for Best Pop Recording at the 2012 East Coast Music Awards. He toured heavily in Canada and the UK, opening for artists such as Sharon Shannon and Paul Brady. Catherine accompanied him.
It was on a UK tour that they realized the direction their collaboration was taking. The appreciation shown by UK audiences bolstered the pair’s sense of purpose. Their music began to evolve to represent both of their sensibilities, skills and sounds.
Plain and simple, they consider themselves fortunate to pursue their dreams. Their name reflects shared experience with audiences. It is about connecting people of all kinds, to make strangers friends, to elicit feelings of joy, hope, sadness, and contemplation — and the spirit that people are all in this together. Tickets for the “Fortunate Ones” are available at Music Craft, Old Fashion Foods, and the Weyburn Review/ Weyburn This Week office. In advance, they cost $28 for adults and $12 for child or student. At the door, they cost $30 for adults and $15 for child, student. Residents can also find the Weyburn Concert Series online at www.weyburnconcertseries.ca.
