Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira’s New Celtic Folk Album Here to Stay

I Never Wrote About Celtic Folk Music – Until Now

I’ve written about techno. About indie misfits screaming into the void. Even about bedroom pop drenched in reverb and existential dread. But Celtic folk? Despite the fact that I often let it play while the kettle boils and the sky does its grey thing over the UK, I’ve never properly written about it. So here’s me, finally pulling up a chair next to the fire, to talk about Here to Stay – the new album from Canadian fiddler Jocelyn Pettit and American cellist Ellen Gira. And let me tell you, this record? It moves.

The Sound of Movement, the Stillness of Home

Jocelyn and Ellen met in Scotland – of course they did. Where else do musical alliances forged in tradition and wanderlust begin? Since that first encounter, both artists followed the arc of their own migratory paths back to North America. And that theme – roots meshed with travel – anchors their latest album Here to Stay. The album artwork itself shows a Common Loon (or Great Northern Diver if you’re more BBC than CBC), gently threading that idea through the visuals.

These 11 tracks are built from their shared histories and the honest act of making music with real hands, on real strings. Jocelyn’s fiddle and Ellen’s cello talk to each other like cousins. Add in some French Canadian foot percussion, a jig born from a tribute to Jocelyn’s cousin Mary-Jane, and the kind of harmonies that make your stomach remember your childhood.

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Accolades? Oh, They’ve Got a Few…

Now, before you start thinking this is some under-the-radar pub band I stumbled on during a rainy night in Vancouver – think twice. The folk world already nodded (and clapped politely, of course):

• 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards: Traditional Album of the Year winner

• 2024 Western Canadian Music Awards: Instrumental Artist of the Year nominee

• 2023 International Acoustic Music Awards: Best Group/Duo finalist

• 2022 Global Music Awards: Bronze winner (Duo category)

And that’s not even counting the over 60 radio stations (hello CBC, BBC and the rest of the planet) and more than 20 articles and reviews across North America and the UK. Some of us are just catching up.

From Midnight to Here to Stay – And Onward

The title track Here to Stay is their second single from the album, and it’s the one I’ve got looping now. Written by Jocelyn, it threads emotional resilience and the idea of collective strength right into the chords. There’s a jig tucked in the middle – playful but grounded, like someone dancing barefoot at a family reunion. It just feels… right.

That might be the strongest trait of the album. Nothing feels forced. There’s enough craft here to make other musicians nod respectfully, but enough soul to make anyone with a heart pause and let it in.

And there’s not any end of journey at the edge of the studio. They’ve already wrapped a UK tour and are now winding through North America, fiddle and cello in tow. Upcoming shows include:

• July 2 – Langley, BC (Douglas Park Spirit Square – Sounds of Summer)

• July 5 – Squamish, BC (Squamish Academy of Music)

• Sept 6 – North Creek, NY (Tannery Pond Center)

If you happen to be near, cancel your quiet night in. Trust me.

Here to Stay is now streaming on all the usual suspects – Spotify, Apple Music, everywhere. You can also find the duo at jocelynandellen.com, where tour dates, news, contacts, and probably the occasional photo with green plants await.

As for me? I’m glad I finally wrote about Celtic folk. Even more glad it was this Celtic folk. Because every now and then, a record comes along that makes you want to sit a little longer, listen a little deeper, and call your mother.