Madison Violet - No Fool for Trying

Madison Violet’s Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac have deep roots on Canada’s East Coast. Lisa, younger sister of fiddling sensation Ashley MacIsaac, was born in Cape Breton where she began playing fiddle at kitchen parties when she was just a child. Meanwhile, Brenley’s dad and Lisa’s father were close childhood friends who grew up on the island, immersed in its traditional culture. When the two women formed a duo in 1999, many expected to hear a distinctive East Coast sound. Says Lisa: “It’s hard not to get pigeon-holed as a Celtic band if you come from there, especially with the last name MacIsaac.”

But the music that Brenley and Lisa make owes more to the Appalachian mountains than Cape Breton’s coast. The duo, originally known as Mad Violet, first began perfecting its vocal pop harmonies while touring the world and working with producer John Reynolds (Sinéad O’Connor) on the group’s Worry the Jury and Caravan albums. Madison Violet’s latest CD, No Fool for Trying, adds banjo, mandolin and fiddle to the duo’s rich harmonic blend to create a beguiling folk and country-flavored sound.

Working with producer Les Cooper, Brenley and Lisa craft a gorgeous slice of melancholia on No Fool for Trying, with weary road songs (the title track), sad romantic numbers (“Darlin’”), tales of hardship (“The Ransom”) and confessions about a friend’s death (“Crying”). Yes, it’s a lot of hurtin’ music. But Madison Violet finds beauty amid the darkness, summoning strains of hope from all the pain and loss.

July 2009