Critically acclaimed Ontario-based Brooks & Bowskill, along with pals The Legendary Golden River Show Band, team up for what we think will be an awesome night of music at The Carleton on Friday, September 12th. Show time is 8 PM and tickets are $20 + HST.

Brooks & Bowskill is the collaboration of Canadian wife-and-husband musicians Brittany Brooks and Jimmy Bowskill. Their genre-bending sound journeys between folk, country-rock, pop and rock and roll.

​Jim Bowskill, a multi-talented instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and recording engineer has established himself as one of the most profound musicians and music producers in the industry. He is a member of Canadian country-rock band Blue Rodeo, as their multi-instrumentalist and previously spent 7 years as lead guitarist of Canadian rock band The Sheepdogs.

Since the beginning of her musical career, BrittanyBrooks has been a prolific songwriter, singer and instrumentalist, crafting lyrically evocative songs steeped in wisdom beyond her years. She has become notable for her unique and poignant vocal styling reminiscent of female folk-rock pioneers from the ‘60s like Sandy Denny, Joni Mitchell and country artists like Emmylou Harris and Sylvia Tyson. In addition to releasing multiple solo albums, Brooks has provided background vocals on records and in live performances for numerous bands including Blue Rodeo.

Their debut long-play album Too Many Roads (released Jan. 2023) gained critical acclaim for the couple’s versatile songwriting, expert musicianship and undeniable chemistry as musical collaborators. A lot has changed since the debut record from the duo. First, they got married, making official the deep connection between the pair that was so clear in the songs of that first LP. They also moved their studio, Ganaraska Recording Co, from a former Ontario Hydro building in an industrial part of Cobourg, Ontario to a nearly 200-year-old farmhouse in the Northumberland Hills. Lastly, they introduced themselves and their songs to live audiences across southern Ontario. The shows garnered rave reviews from concert goers in small community halls, downtown rock bars, and stately, storied theatres. Every stage, no matter what size, became a place for Brooks and Bowskill, along with their band the Hometown Beauts, to show their love for live performance, for their new songs and treasured covers, for their audience and for each other.

Now Brooks and Bowskill present their second long playing album, Blissful State of Mind, a record of the last two years for the band. It is the sound of the marriage of two old souled songwriters, merging their histories together and imbuing each other with confidence. It is the sound of the rolling hills north of Cobourg, and an old farmhouse resurrected and filled with life again. It’s also the sound of a band of musicians who have played together long enough to be able to anticipate each other’s next moves. In sum, Blissful State of Mind is the sound of a group at home, for a moment, in the moment.

“Whether you’re a believer in fate, or even God, it’s hard not to feel some sort of gratitude to whatever force brought Brooks and Bowskill together. Maybe it wasn’t divine intervention, but it is surely evidence of some sort of cosmic destiny that these two musicians could come together to create such an ethereal and moving set of songs.” — Americana UK

“Some of country’s most recognizable couples include Johnny Cash and June Carter, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, and George Jones and Tammy Wynette. A couple that should be added to this list is Jim Bowskill and Brittany Brooks.” — Roots Music Canada

Combining the sounds of post-Gram Parsons era Flying Burrito Brothers and pre-Gram Parsons era The Byrds, The Legendary Golden River Show Band cut their teeth playing basements, churches, and legions around the maritimes. After a ten year break to settle internal feuds and legal disputes, the group has once again returned to the stage to share their cosmic county sound.