Inn Echo

The lilt of a fiddle — or if you’re lucky, multiple fiddles and maybe a guitar — is somehow simultaneously joyful and mournful, especially when put in the skilled hands of a trained musician. Inn Echo, the trio of Karson McKeown, Tuli Porcher and Tom Gammons came together while studying music at Holland College in Charlottetown. Despite Inn Echo’s obvious celtic influences, none of the players are actually Irish, or even lifelong Maritimers for that matter (McKeown is an Ontarian, Porcher’s from the west coast and Gammons is from Montana), but their love of instrumental folk music knows no borders.

Honouring heritage is important, but the members of Inn Echo aren’t afraid to wander outside of the parameters of celtic traditions, bringing in a contemporary spin, hints of classical music and influences from their own respective backgrounds. The result is music that is uplifting and optimistic, with hints of haunting melancholy. Even if celtic kitchen parties aren’t your thing, Inn Echo offers a fresh and complex approach to a time-honoured art form that is rooted in ancient traditions, with a clear eye pointed towards the future.