Ian St. Arnaud

By 24 years old in 2017, Ian St. Arnaud found himself to be an old hand on the festival performer circuit, a University graduate, an accidental overdose survivor and at a loss for what to do with himself next.

Fall of 2017, St. Arnaud, along with drummer with Will Holowaychuk, had seen his bandmate, friend, and at times antagonist, hit by a train, thus dissolving their Americana/folk trio – North of Here. Ian St. Arnaud, songwriter, and Will Holowaychuk, drummer and third member of North of Here, wanting to honour their band & the loss of their friend,  reworked and rewrote many of the songs that make up the bulk of St. Arnaud’s debut album. However, new music inevitably began to pour out of St. Arnaud, and the first string of releases ensued.

Teaming up with Juno Award-nominated producer Graham Lessard (The Barr Brothers, Timber Timbre, Basia Bulat), Ian dove fully into the studio to flesh out his understated and raw songs. Hearkening to ‘70s protest folk, beaming, clever lyrics belay the dark weight of his themes.  Simply orchestrated solo and band-performances, and impeccably-composed, St. Arnaud’s debut LP, The Cost of Living (October 2019), is a stunning sonic achievement. Ian tackles head-on themes of death, loss and confusion with sardonic humour and heart-on-the-sleeve puppy-love honesty. His simple, insightful lyrics bob and weave through layers of trumpet and electrified tenor guitar interplay, all tastefully layered over a sweet and solid rhythm section.