Mother Country presents The Sign of Jonas

New Date May 19
Mother Country presents The Sign of Jonas in the Green Sanderson Hall at Hugh's Room, 296 Broadview Avenue
Show at 8pm, Doors at 7pm$25+ in advance, $32+at the door, $20+ student, arts worker, underemployed ticket
Mother Country is here to chronicle the eternal journey home.
Their songs carry the grit of Southern folk, the sweep of Americana, and the reflective depth of someone who’s lived a thousand miles of road. The sound pulls from a wide range of roots: the storytelling of The Band, the cinematic scope of Iron & Wine, the exploratory edge of cosmic country.
The band is founded by Benton Roark, whose songs have been described as “backwoods-choir elegance” (The Georgia Straight) and “an experience of deep and darkling beauty” (The Austin Chronicle). Since leaving his hometown of Atlanta, GA (where early efforts dubbed him “a crafty folk-experimentalist,” Creative Loafing), Roark has called Ohio, NYC, Vancouver, St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Toronto home. He’s been a bandleader for a number of groups, the last of which was Rollaway, whose last two records - Modern Epic and The Return of the Lonesome Coyote Patchwork Pulpit (“tone poems in the style of My Morning Jacket,” Maverick Magazine) set the scene for Mother Country’s inception.
Taking up the Americana and Southern gothic mantle, and weaving it with the distinct threads of old time, bluegrass, and trad folk music, as well as the visionary poetry of Maritimes poet Luke Hathaway, Mother Country set out in late 2024 with its debut record, The Sign of Jonas (Milltown Records). An apocalypse folk-tale and concept album, the Jonas song cycle has been presented by English Harbour Arts, 10C Guelph, Camber Arts, Bannerman Brewing, and Halifax Central Library, and spent a number of weeks in the top ten Earshot radio charts in its first few months of existence.
Kat McLevey is a queer and trans nonbinary singer-songwriter, bassist, and music educator based in Toronto. Originally from St. John’s, NL, they have performed and recorded with artists including Donovan Woods, Abigail Lapell, Leith Ross, and Tim Baker. A Berklee College of Music graduate and award-winning songwriter, McLevey’s current work centres queerness, community, and storytelling. May 19.