Logan McKillop along with Madeleine Roger come to Jojo’s Café April 14. (Contributed photo)

By Dale Boyd

Osoyoos Times

Born out of the basement on cold, winter nights in Winnipeg, the Manitoba sound is making its way to Osoyoos in the form of Logan McKillop and Madeleine Roger.

The duo play Jojo’s Café on April 14.

Winnipeg has one of the hottest music scenes in Canada, said McKillop, though the folk and roots singer-songwriter from Onanole, MB, admits it may be a surprise to those not from the area.

“At the same token it’s fairly well-known. A lot of people do seem to have heard the underground rumblings of what is happening in Winnipeg,” McKillop said.

He has a theory as to why the music scene is burgeoning.

“Because the winters are so blistering cold that we have no choice but to hide out in our basements and make music with each other,” McKillop said. “It’s a really interesting music scene because it’s very supportive and everybody plays in each other’s bands and supports each other’s genres.”

A feeling of community and the meshing of the boundaries of genre between musicians come out of those cold basement nights and McKillop captured that sound on his sophomore, 10-track album Anchorless, released on March 29, featuring a range of Manitoban musicians.

“If you’re part of this community, you’re in. Unlike some of the other music scenes in Canada which seem a bit more competitive,” McKillop said. “Cold, prairie cities, there’s something going on there.”

Meeting tons of friends and musicians in the area, McKillop couldn’t help but put as many on the new album as he could. Around 15 different players, adding myriad sounds from banjo and mandolin to a string section and clarinet, appear on Anchorless.

The follow-up to his 2013 debut Prairie Sky, highlights his growth as an artist and a person, spending four years on tour before heading back into the studio. Prairie Sky, marked the first time he had entered a studio in 2013, recording 27 songs in 12 days. He decided to take some more time with Anchorless.

“It was over the span of two years from the first time we pushed the big red button until we finished. I really decided to take my time with the audio and make sure things are sounding right,” McKillop said. “I, really, gave everything I had into this album.”

McKillop grew up around music, it has been part of his life from day one with his mother and father playing since he can remember.

“We even had the McKillop family band at one point,” he laughed. “No joke, it’s a real thing.”

McKillop is bringing not only a collaborative musician with him to Osoyoos, Madeleine Roger, but his partner.

“We initially realized we weren’t seeing a lot of each other when we started dating because we were constantly touring in opposite directions,” McKillop said. “We decided to do something about that so we started touring together this spring.”

Both singer-songwriters, McKillop and Roger are going to play as a duo going song-for song at the Osoyoos show.

Tickets are $20 available at the café or by e-transfer to [email protected]. The show runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

To check out some of McKillop’s music and learn more visit www.loganmckillop.com.