Mama’s Broke — the Nova Scotian duo of Amy Lou Keeler and Lisa Maria — have shared Heaven, a new single via Free Dirt Records and Forward Music Group, and announced their Analog Tour across North America this spring. The track is the first taste of the pair’s forthcoming album, with physical copies available exclusively at the upcoming shows.
KLOF Mag named the duo Artists of the Month in the lead-up to their 2022 album Narrow Line, and sat down with them for a wide-ranging interview around that release. That album earned a JUNO nomination and an invitation to perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk. More recently, we caught them in the Sierra Nevada merging fiddlesticks with Ukrainian melody for Sweet Harmony Sessions.
Heaven is a song about stepping back from the cycles of distraction and urgency, and devoting time to what you love. Its title carries an edge: I don’t wanna go to heaven / just wanna get up off the ground, the pair sing, turning the idea of a promised afterlife reward into something to push against rather than wait for. The song walks an old rail line through the wealth divide, rising temperatures, and a system where every nickel costs a dime and the least of us can’t afford to die.
“We’ve been fed the distant promise that, through diligence and quiet perseverance, we will someday reap the rewards of our labour when in reality, we’ve been left with a system collapsing under the weight of its own greed and corruption,” the band explain. “The gap between rich and poor has reached unprecedented levels; a minimum wage no longer suffices to keep both the lights on and food on the table; and our air and water are more polluted than ever before.”
But there is a turn. The final verse sets down its burden and picks up something gentler — companionship, daisies growing through railroad ties, and the old-time song as a vessel for carrying forward what matters. They’ll work you up just to wear you down / so lay your burden in the ground, they sing, before the imagery opens out: it’s me and my love on the other side. It’s a move that feels characteristic of Mama’s Broke, whose music has always found ways to let light collide with darkness.
Here they are performing “Heaven” live:
Stream: https://bfan.link/mamasbroke-heaven
For more than a decade, Mama’s Broke have been in near-constant motion, bringing their folk-without-borders approach to small clubs, DIY spaces, and everywhere in between. Their music was forged in travelling communities where songs functioned as both currency and connection, and that foundation — built through long days busking and trading melodies across Eastern Canada, Appalachia, Ireland, and beyond — continues to run through everything they do.
Analog Tour
The Analog Tour runs from late April through early June:
Apr 28 – XBK Live, Des Moines, IA
Apr 29 – The Englert Theatre, Iowa City, IA
Apr 30 – Stoughton Opera House, Stoughton, WI
May 1 – Cactus Club, Milwaukee, WI
May 2 – The Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN
May 3 – Judson & Moore, Chicago, IL
May 4 – Lucky Wolf Theater, Paw Paw, MI
May 5 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
May 6 – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Cleveland, OH
May 7 – Club Café, Pittsburgh, PA
May 8 – Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
May 9 – Velvet Earth Farm, Medusa, NY
May 10 – Jalopy Theatre & School of Music, Brooklyn, NY
May 11 – Fort Hunter Mansion & Park, Harrisburg, PA
May 13 – Press Room, Portsmouth, NH
May 14 – Lilypad, Cambridge, MA
May 15 – SPACE Gallery, Portland, ME
May 16 – Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT
May 17 – The Parlor Room, Northampton, MA
May 19 – Big Sky Music Studio, Trumansburg, NY
May 20 – Babeville, Buffalo, NY
May 21 – The Sound Garage, Toronto, ON
May 22 – Aeolian Hall, London, ON
May 23 – Red Bird Live, Ottawa, ON
May 27 – Bar Le Ritz PDB, Montreal, QC
May 28 – La Source de la Martinière, Quebec, QC
May 29 – Charlotte Street Arts Centre, Fredericton, NB
May 30 – The Sanctuary Arts Centre, Dartmouth, NS
May 31 – Evergreen Theatre, Margaretsville, NS
Jun 3 – Trailside Music Hall, Charlottetown, PE
Heaven is out now via Free Dirt Records and Forward Music Group.
More: https://mamasbroke.ca/