Distraught over his father’s lengthy illness — he passed away last February — throughout 2008 the writer’s block was preventing Bonnetta from expressing himself as he usually did, through his music. So his friends stepped in. First, members of Toronto band the Wooden Sky lent him their apartment when they went on tour — with the caveat that he had to present completed songs to them when they returned.

It helped, but not completely. Soon after, Bonnetta was chatting with with Casey Mecija of another “Bellwoods Scene” band, Ohbijou, and he made a bet with her that they would both write new songs.

From that conversation came Mecija’s Ohbijou bandmate James Bunton, who signed on as producer. While recording ‘Spirit Guides’ at an art gallery, Bunton boosted Bonetta’s confidence and helped him find a new, less stripped-down sound as seventeen musician friends chipped in on the album.

“The record turned out to be loud for Evening Hymns,” Bonnetta tells Spinner. “I thought it was going to be this quiet, lush record and instead it became these heavy drums and electric guitars.”

Released late last year, ‘Spirit Guides’ offers beautiful lyrics and music about life, romance and, ultimately, the death of his father. Bonnetta found that speaking metaphorically through nature was the perfect antidote to his writer’s block.

Bonnetta retreated to his cottage for the bulk of the writing on ‘Spirit Guides’ and worries that his future writing might lose that fresh air vibe since he has now moved to downtown Toronto. So he’s very conscious about spending a lot of time in neighborhood parks, the area near his mother’s house in Cobourg, a sawmill he runs part-time in Orono and his cottage at Mazinaw Lake, where he now plans to go for annual writing retreats.

He was excited to go to the cottage to write last month, despite arriving amidst a terrible snowstorm. He managed to write and record a demo of one song, ‘You Could Be a Cabin on the Burn,’ but was forced to go back to Toronto when the power went out. But at least he’s found a cure.

“I isolate myself so I can work,” he says. “I know what I need to do now.”

http://www.spinner.ca/2010/01/28/evening-hymns-beat-writers-block-with-spirit-guides/

At the heart of Evening Hymns is Jonas Bonnetta, a soft-spoken songwriter from rural Ontario. “Spirit Guides”, Bonnetta’s first release under the name Evening Hymns, is a heartbreakingly beautiful record. Its no surprise that not only the blogosphere has caught on to this excellent act, but his praises are sung by more than just dudes with macbooks – look no further than the CBC, who predict that Evening Hymns will “break” in 2010.
[Special thanks to SouthernSouls.ca for the live footage!]

http://www.andpop.com/2010/01/29/evening-hymns-interview-on-side-b-destined-to-break/

Fri, Jan 22 at the Garrison

Local indie label Out of This Spark had a lot to celebrate at their third anniversary. Not only have they put out some great records this year, but they’ve also enjoyed a significant profile boost thanks to the success of Timber Timbre, who helped snag them international distribution through Arts & Crafts. No wonder the gig was sold out well in advance.

And it looks like 2010 is already shaping up nicely. Their first release of the year, Evening Hymns’ Spirit Guides, has garnered rave reviews all around. The band’s moody, intricately arranged tunes translated amazingly well onstage, and were easily the highlight of the night.

Not that the other acts were letdowns. Jenny Omnichord’s quirky one-woman band (featuring inventive use of her namesake instrument) was indisputably charming, and the D’Urber-villes put in an energetic, crowd- pleasing performance. Indie folk band Forest City Lovers sounded a lot less twee at high volume, and the rock power suits them better than you might expect.

At night’s end, remaining audience members were treated to a few songs by an Out of This Spark supergroup made up of members of each band (which makes sense, given how many OOTS bands share members) – a great example of the musical community developing around this label.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/video/story.cfm?content=173463

Ryan Taylor | Published: 1/12/10

http://media.www.mcgilltribune.com/media/storage/paper234/news/2010/01/12/AE/Cd.Reviews.Evening.Hymns.Spirit.Guides-3852537.shtml

A loved one passes away, and it’s hard not to write about it. It’s also hard not to let those songs become bogged down in grief and melancholy, making it a drag for listeners. On his debut full-length, Orono native Jonas Bonnetta (aka Evening Hymns) channels the sadness that came with his father’s illness and death into nine emotional songs and soundscapes that avoid these pitfalls.

His lyrics, for one, are vivid and original, particularly in Dead Deer, when he compares someone to a factory blowing smoke and to a dead tree whose leaves are falling on him. The orchestration, too, is fearless. Often he starts with sparse acoustic guitar and snare drum, expanding suddenly to include distorted guitars, accordions, violins and full-throttle choirs. Always his voice is warm and worn.

Broken Rifle is a welcome slice of lo-fi, life-affirming pop, while November 1 2008, Lakefield, Ontario, offers five and a half minutes of thunderstorm sounds.

Top track: Broken Rifle

NNNN/NNNNN

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/discs.cfm?content=173120

Evening Hymns:

Who: Understated troubadour Jonas Bonnetta, a satellite affiliate of the Toronto scene that produced chamber-pop darlings Ohbijou.

Home bases: Toronto and Peterborough, Ont.

Why he’s great: A native of Orono, Ont., Bonnetta brings his love of pastoral spaces to his sophomore album (and first under the pseudonym Evening Hymns), Spirit Guides (2009). His rousing, rootsy songs bring rural vignettes to life – the crumpled bodies of fallen deer, the scent of cedar, the sensation of pilled flannel, factory smoke and busted rifles.

Recommended if you like: Iron & Wine, Magnolia Electric Co., Hayden.

Stay tuned for: A number of Canadian critics included Spirit Guides on their best-of-2009 lists. With any luck, those boosts will heighten the band’s profile in 2010. (Out of this Spark)

http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/arts/2876/

http://www.quickbeforeitmelts.com/2009/12/albums-2009/

http://londononburgeoningmetropolis.blogspot.com/2009/12/torontos-best-albums-of-2009.html

Evening Hymns / Spirit Guides (Out Of This Spark)

Initially I worried that my warm feelings towards this record came from its familiarity, as it draws together most all of the best aspects of the current Toronto “Bellwoods” scene into a single distinct statement, rich with atmosphere, emotion and melody. And then I realized that complaining about that was like complaining that someone gave you a mix tape that contained all your favourite songs that somehow sounded entirely new. Which is to say, ridiculous.

http://www.chromewaves.net/2009/12/chromewaves-favourite-albums-of-2009/#respond

Evening Hymns (SCQ’s Year-End Questionnaire Part III)

From the second I heard ‘Lanterns’, the first song from his arresting new album Spirit Guides, I knew Evening Hymns had just given 2009 a tremendous shot in the arm. I had the good fortune to catch the man behind the moniker, Jonas Bonnetta, the evening before his record officially dropped, and he dives into these questions with the honesty his album is dripping with. (Photo by Peter Chatterton)

SCQ: What have been some of your favourite records of 2009? Gush away.

Cass McCombs-Catacombs, Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca, Mountains-Choral, R. Kelly-12 Play:4th Quarter (although not officially released), Sam Amidon-All is Well, Phosphorescent-To Willie, Timber Timbre-S/T

SCQ: Be it from the radio, lost on Myspace or from your roster, what song(s) could you not stop spinning?

‘Something Hiding For Us In The Night’ and ‘(Bit) Part’ by The Wooden Sky. Before this record came out I’d go to their Myspace and listen over and over… so much Tom Petty in those songs it’s great. The whole record is really beautiful but those two songs had me hooked. I’m really overplaying Washed Out’s “Feel It All Around” right now. I just got back from being on the road out west and it felt really nice to play that song near the beach.

SCQ: Seldom celebrated but crucial to The Album’s identity is cover-art. Can you offer any shortlist of personal favourites from the past year?

Bill Callahan-Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, Mt. Eerie-Wind’s Poem (always a contender for best album artwork), Bonnie Prince Billy-Beware.

I guess Mt. Eerie takes it for me. That dude always blows everyone out of the water when it comes to artwork. It starts with the cover and then as you open it up it gets more and more epic. His release “No Flashlight” is probably my favorite packaging of all time.

SCQ: When you look back on what transpired this year, what will stand out as your most memorable musical moment(s) of 2009?

Getting signed to Out Of This Spark was pretty memorable. I’m really excited to be working with them. The label is really focused on the artist and allows me to be pretty flexible in how I want to work. I got to open for some great bands that I’m a fan of too. That was a thrill. The biggest deal was probably finishing the record. It started out pretty small and ended up turning into this larger affair that we tried to wrangle. That was a real accomplishment that I’m really happy with.

SCQ: Most of us probably haven’t thought as far as New Years Eve plans but still, looking forward, what do you have on the horizon for 2010?

I just want to tour a lot. I’d like to take Evening Hymns more into the U.S. and would like to go to Europe. I’m slowly forming a band to play these songs with me and i’m excited to travel and play some new towns.

I’m also really excited to start recording another record right now. I know that as I type this my record comes out in like 5 minutes but I’m really looking forward to taking all the things I learned with Spirit Guides and putting it towards something new. I’ve started demoing things now and hope to start another record at some point early in 2010. I’d like to do a vinyl only release. Maybe some 7″ releases or something. Who knows..

http://theskeletoncrewquarterly.blogspot.com/2009/12/evening-hymns-scqs-year-end.html