Pretty Archie: Cape Breton Sound, East Coast Spirit

Visit the WKP Kennedy Gallery before the show for our Pre-Show Performance featuring Alex Rochon Terry from 6:45 to 7:15 PM. Take this opportunity to also enjoy the current exhibitions on display!

Long-time friends Brian Cathcart (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Matt McNeil (Mandolin, Guitar), Colin Gillis (Harmonica, Bass, Vocals), Redmond MacDougall (Banjo, Percussion, Vocals) and Scott MacLean (Guitar, Mandolin) starting performing together in 2012. The band’s name is a nod to a Cape Breton local who embodied the love of playing and performing music. No matter where they tour or travel, Pretty Archie will always be representing their hometown.

Pretty Archie’s genuine, heartfelt writing connects listeners with a saltwater perspective on modern living. Their fun-loving and at times heartbreaking music finds common ground in the blurred genres of Country, Folk, Bluegrass and Americana. Their unique sound and energetic shows leave listeners with a lasting memory.

“It is hard to pigeonhole Pretty Archie. It encompasses an uplifting myriad of (but not limited to) hillbilly country, blues, bluegrass and folk. Throw a banjo, harmonica and mandolin in and together the foursome offers a different brand of music, a relentless, raw, uncontrived mash of genres that is distinctly Pretty Archie” -Andrew Rankin (Cape Breton Star)

“Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has a well-known reputation for creating great musical talent. From The Rankin Family to Ashley MacIsaac to the late Rita MacNeil, this artistic hotbed on the country’s East Coast has produced some of Canada’s best musicians. From this proud region now comes Pretty Archie, a folk-bluegrass-country group from Cape Breton that will impress audiences with their strong chops…..With their impressive blend of folk, blues, bluegrass and country this band has produced a great sound that is oodles of fun to listen to” – Alejandro Bustos (Apt613.com, Ottawa)

“While Pretty Archie’s music blurs the lines between multiple genres, all the ingredients of their sound have been nurtured by the setting they grew up in.” – FYI Music News, Jason Schneider

“Pretty Archie always finds some way to encourage listeners to take lean times in stride, suck it up, stick it out and just keep going!” – BuzzMusic