Sly Violet is loving life on the road as they are currently preparing for their third tour and releasing their third EP King of the Mountain.

From Kawartha Lakes, Ont., Sly Violet’s latest recording features a new depth to their indie folk rock music.

Violet Clarke weaves stories of everyday existence into their songs with her voice landing somewhere in between Alanis Morissette and Joni Mitchell. Joined by husband Sly Boston on drums, they’ve been compared to artists like Bob Dylan, Hayden and Neil Young.

For this recording they also recruited Brenda Muller, a gifted classical musician from Sutton, Ont. and her cello from the late 1800s. “I love how her cello playing really helps emphasize the feelings I’m writing about in these songs,” says Violet.

King of the Mountain was inspired by events over the past two years since their Feel Your Way Out EP in 2009. Spending some time working in an auto parts factory among other menial jobs and the realization that life is too short to do something you don’t enjoy day after day influenced the first track Stuck in Our Ways.

Deep Beneath the Frost was written while living in Revelstoke for the winter of 2009/10 and experiencing the sadness of the town after the mountains claimed several lives during that season. Low Down is about making efforts for change in one’s life, change for the better.  And the last song on the EP, Life is Good is about traveling in their ‘78 Volkswagen bus and as the title states, appreciating all the good in life. The EP was recorded, mixed and mastered at Nik Nak Studios in Sutton, Ont. and produced by Violet Clarke and Graham Shaw.

Playing shows and writing music has been Violet’s source of pride and joy for the past decade. Studying piano by the age of three, Violet picked up the guitar at 13 and started booking and playing shows a few years later. She independently recorded and released her first CD under the name Shy Violet as a solo project in 2004.  Violet and Sly Boston married in 2005 and not long afterwards they started playing shows together. They’ve received a number of accolades in the past few years including a Barrie New Music Award for Best Folk in 2010, a Top 10 song on OurStage.com and Violet won the Kawartha Lakes Idol competition in 2007 and went on to be a Top 100 finalist on Canadian Idol the same year.

Since the Feel Your Way Out EP they’ve played close to 100 shows; mostly in British Columbia and Ontario and their tunes have been played on radio stations in both provinces as well. Their live shows are energetic and entertaining with their unique style of indie folk rock.

“Their laid back and gentle demeanor could be felt all through the room as the soft-spoken pair poured all their energy into their unique blend of modern folk,” said Heather Farmer of Indie Buzz Werks following a show in Ottawa.

Sly Violet’s tour began Sept. 29 in Ucluelet and hits Cranbrook on Oct. 14 with a show at Dewey’s Pub. The next night, Oct. 15, they are in Fernie for a gig at the Central Pub.

King of the Mountain will be available on iTunes in mid-October and at live shows.

For more information visit www.slyviolet.ca or [email protected].

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