Mama's Broke with special guests Lost Patterns

Mama’s Broke have spent over a decade in a near-constant state of transience, pounding the transatlantic tour trail. They've brought their dark, fiery folk-without-borders sound to major festivals and DIY punk houses alike, absorbing traditions from their maritime home in Eastern Canada all the way to Ireland and Indonesia. Nowhere is the duo's art-in-motion approach more apparent than on their long-awaited JUNO nominated sophomore record Narrow Line  (released May 2022 on Free Dirt Records) It's the sound of nowhere in particular, yet woven with a rich synthesis of influences that knows no borders.

 The eleven songs on Narrow Line burrow deeply, with close harmony duets, commanding vocals, and poignant contemplations on cycles of life, including birth and death. Tinges of Americana stand side-by-side with the ghosts of Eastern European fiddle tunes and ancient a cappella ballad singing, melding into an unusually accessible dark-folk sound. A careful listen of Narrow Line invokes an ephemeral sense of place—whether real or imagined—inviting us to take comfort in the infinite possibilities of life, whether or not we ever choose to settle down. 

For a group defined by constant touring, it’s not surprising that the two artists that make up Mama’s Broke, Lisa Maria and Amy Lou Keeler, met on the road. As Lisa remembers it, “Amy was driving her old Mercedes from Montreal to Nova Scotia and I was looking for a ride. We spent the 17 hours in the car talking almost exclusively about music. By the time we reached Halifax we started playing together, and within a week or two became a band.” 

Both coming out of travelling communities that are focused on music and protest, the two owe the way in which they move through the world to the integrated and self-sustaining nature of DIY culture and activism. It was a busy life that took them on a roundabout annual touring schedule running between Canada, the United States, Ireland, the UK, and Europe. In each country, they built grassroots DIY communities to support their music or moved along the pathways of communal organizing that sustained other touring artists. 

The driving force behind this band is – and has always been – the commitment to challenge borders between people, places, and traditions; while encouraging freedom of expression and community through music.

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Lost Patterns is an American roots duo based in Austin, TX, featuring songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Beth Chrisman and Silas Lowe. They bring an earthy grit to the lonesome, lowdown backroads of acoustic Americana, that is always moving and evocative. 

Chrisman and Lowe have been sharing stages together since 2006 when they met during a bluegrass jam at a BBQ joint. The duo plays songs culled from the depths of the American musical tradition as well as writing new classics shaped by those musical landscapes. 

As a member of the Carper Family and High Plains Jamboree, Chrisman has performed at Merlefest, A Prairie Home Companion, Augusta Heritage, and Mountain Stage.  She is an in-demand side player as well, with notable performances alongside Bobby Bare, Alice Gerrard, John C. Reilly, and Willi Carlisle. 

Lowe was a member of the Atomic Duo and has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Vancouver Folk Festival, the John Hartford Memorial Festival.  His songs have been covered by numerous bands, and recently a song he co-wrote with Brennen Leigh was featured on the Grand Ole Opry.