Mama’s Broke have spent the past nine years 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.

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.

This will be the first installment of our two show Front Lawn Series. So bring your blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets to enjoy The Heartwood lawn! Jupiter Jane Cafe will be providing some of their signatures as well as the Eichardt’s bar for adult refreshments. Gates and vendors open at 6:00 with music kicking off, with openers Little Wolf, at 6:30. $25 suggested donation at the gate.