A Gertrude came into their life

Amanda Balsys (left) and Lucas Huang of the Gertrudes rock out at Gus' Pub (Bruce Bottomley photo)

A fleeting trip to Halifax to promote a new EP, Hard Water, and to re-visit old stomping grounds will hopefully not be the last for vibrant indie-folk band The Gertrudes.

Three of the nine musicians that ventured with the Kingston-based band to the Maritimes have Dal connections: Annie Clifford (King’s ’04), Greg Tilson (Dal ’97), Amanda Balsys (Dal ’06). And all were glad to be revisiting the eastern-most parts of the country.

Their energy and excitement was not unwarranted – the young band has been doing quite well for themselves. They’re currently fourth in Kingston and 29th on the Canada-wide campus charts after only a year and a half playing together in their current format, though many of the members have been friends for years. They’re signed to Ontario record label Apple Crisp, which also runs an online magazine and a music festival.

Though the nine musicians (which is not even the full band – usually there’s 12) prove a little overpowering in a small space, such as Gus’ Pub where they played in Halifax, they put on an enjoyable show.  Described on their MySpace page as a “paranormally inclined sunshine and mandolin dodecatet”, their sound is hard to place, but is definitely somewhere on the indie spectrum. Their list of musical influences and experiences spans such a range that it’s no surprise that even they have a hard time putting themselves into a genre. Think the vocal style of Nick Drake, the big band feel of Beirut and a healthy dose of Decemberists’ creepiness.

They’ve even got their own theme song, appropriately titled “The Gertrudes.”  “It has to do with reincarnation,” said lead singer Greg Tilson. He went on to describe how his little sister and his late grandmother share the name Gertrude and, though they never met, have much in common. “Riley [his sister, middle name Gertrude] ended up being pretty much exactly like her – she has all of the same characteristics… She even has her sayings that we’ve never said before!” Many members of the band, he added, have had similar experiences.

Even the formation of the band had an element of the supernatural. Around a year and a half ago, Annie Tilson apparently had a dream about a band that included many of her friends. When she awoke, she was so inspired that she called up Greg and they decided to make this dream band happen.

The band hopes to come back to Halifax next summer. In the meantime, you can check them out on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theothergertrudes