Trundled

Bands to play acoustic concerts deep in Alberta mountain cave

'The acoustics in the cave are phenomenal'
Colette Derworiz · The Canadian Press · Posted: Dec 02, 2018 11:24 AM MT | Last Updated: December 2, 2018

Ellen Braun and Joe Shea, who are part of musicial duo Trundled are seen in this undated handout photo doing a sound check. The pair will sing in a cave under Grotto Mountain near Canmore, Alta., in December. (Canadian Press/Handout, Ellen Braun)
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Ellen Braun admits she was a little nervous when she and bandmate Joe Shea were asked to perform in a cave deep in the heart of Grotto Mountain.

But the singer-songwriters who make up the folk duo Trundled got harnessed up, put on their helmets and went to what's called the Grand Gallery — part of the Rat's Nest Cave near Canmore, Alta., — in October.

"It's a big, giant room in a cave," she said in an interview.

They immediately started a sound check and sang an a cappella version of one of their songs.

"It was so cool how our voices just resonated off the walls," said Braun. "It was a really amazing experience."

The musicians will haul in their guitars on the next trip Dec. 16 for a full acoustic concert — one of four shows which are part of the Spirit in the Mountain concert series at the cave this winter.


Ellen Braun and Joe Shea are part of musical duo Trundled. (Canadian Press/Handout, Ellen Braun, Trundled)
Similar concerts have been taking place for about a decade in an area called the Volcano Room, which is about 100 metres underground inside Tennessee's Cumberland Caverns. They draw fans from around the world who are interested in live music and cave exploration.

Adam Walker, who owns Canmore Cave Tours, said the Grand Gallery concerts started in 2015 when the company was asked by the town of Canmore to get involved in its Christmas festivities.

"We've always known it to be a pretty incredible place to have some music, but we never formally created an event," he said. "In 2015, I said, 'What the heck. Let's give it a go."'

A local community choir performed in the cave for five nights.

Walker said the experiment provided a template for holding other cave concerts, which include a 30-minute hike up to the cave and then a 20-minute journey down about 10 storeys — nearly 50 metres — into the Grand Gallery.

'A really private performance'
"You have to earn it," he said. "It's not for everybody, but it's a really private performance. There are only 24 people plus the musicians inside, so it's really small and intimate."

Walker said they will hand out blankets and cushions for people to sit on as they listen to the hour-long concert.

"The acoustics in the cave are phenomenal."

Braun said she and Shea are looking forward to performing and will even record a few of their songs in the cave.

"I was actually in that cave maybe 15 years ago or more," she said. "I never would have imagined ... that I would be a full-time musician and booking a gig in there.

"Neither of us had ever sung in a cave before."

Other bands involved in the concert series include The Silkstones, an indie-rock group from southern Alberta on Dec. 14; Elk Run and Riot, a Canmore folk-rock band, on Dec. 15; and Seth Anderson, a local folk musician with East Coast roots, on Dec. 17. - CBC

Ellen Braun’s journey reaches star crossed
BY JORDAN SMALL JUL 5, 2018
BOW VALLEY – It’s not totally out of the question for Ellen Braun to unexpectedly ask to use your smartphone on the street.

If you know the Canmore singer-songwriter and see her around town, then chances are she’s on a leisurely stroll – perhaps humming tunes from her newly released album star crossed.

But if Braun’s making a B-line your way, as her co-actor, Ben Francis, in Canmore Summer Theatre Festival’s production of Romeo and Juliet (July 4-7) experienced one day, get your phone ready.

Out on the mountain town and with no phone or notepad, “a song came in my head,” said Braun.

Luckily, a familiar face was nearby.

“I saw Ben and I was like, ‘Can I just borrow your phone, please?’ I didn’t want to talk because I didn’t want the song to be out of my head, so then I called myself and sang my song in my voicemail and gave the phone back to him.”

The uncommon encounter by the passionate musician can be partly attributed to an overflow of songs she’s come up with recently as the late bloomer is in full swing of pursuing her musical dreams full-time.

Though, it doesn’t end there, as she’s trying other artistic avenues such as acting and has landed roles in the YouTube series Canmoretown, and the play Romeo and Juliet, which runs from July 4-7 at 7 p.m. at Canmore’s Stan Rogers Memorial Stage in Centennial Park.

Expecting to sing and perform a few songs on her guitar for R+J, Braun quickly became fully incorporated as a musical narrator in the Shakespearean play with a twist.


“I find acting super fun, but singing is my home,” she said.

Some of the song lyrics in Braun’s star crossed, a four-track album about love, had to be slightly reworked and then were included in the local Romeo and Juliet production.

The album’s songs include ‘Careless Heart’, ‘Aching’, ‘Juliet’, and ‘Love Knows’, which a music video was made of and is on YouTube.

Along with Braun (vocals, guitar), helping to make the album possible were Hugh Dunbar (vocals, violin), Nicola Fortin (vocals, cello), John Thiel (guitar), and Trundled band mate Joseph Shea (vocals).

Last year, Braun was affected by depression – something she never before experienced – and she stopped working full-time.

Instead, with the support of husband, David, and their three children, Braun did what came natural to her and her leap of faith has since grown positively.

It all started with her first band, Trundled, a folk duo with long-time friend Shea. Trundled released their self-titled EP in November 2017, which included song ‘Inchoate’ and placed in the top 100 in CBC’s 2018 Searchlight contest.

This August, Braun travels to music-mecca Nashville for an invite-only workshop, plus a two-week, music residency stint at the Banff Centre.

“I used music as a way to heal for a while and songwriting has always been this thing that helps me through any tough period,” she said, before lightly rapping a balled fist on a wooden table – a symbol that’s supposed to jab away jinxes on good fortune.


“This is what I’m talking about, amazing things are happening that’s why I don’t want it put an end date on it because it feels like it’s snowballing into so much goodness,” she said.

Trundled will be performing July 9 at the Calgary Stampede, and locally, July 22 at Canmore’s Rose and Crown, plus Canmore Folk Festival, Aug. 6.

For more information about star crossed and to see tour dates, visit www.ellenbraunmusic.com. - Rocky Mountain Outlook

Awkward beginnings lead to Trundled EP release
BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN OUTLOOK DEC 6, 2017
It was a bountiful year of gigs for Canmore folk duo Trundled and they’re closing it out with a hometown performance.

The singer-songwriters’ – Joe Shea (vocals, guitars, keys) and Ellen Braun (vocals, guitars) – hometown EP release of the self-entitled, Trundled, is Friday (Dec. 8) at artsPlace, where the duo will perform the EP’s seven original tracks, plus others, starting at 7:30 p.m.

“Seven is my lucky number,” said Shea, in regards to the track-list on Trundled.

“It is?” asked Braun. “My lucky number is 13 and I think we could have easily done 13 (tracks for the EP).”

In the Outlook interview, there were recurring jests between the friends and musicians, which have increased since a preliminary, and somewhat uncomfortable, jam session late last year between Shea and Braun.

“We had an awkward musical date,” as Shea put it.

But the backstory needs to be laid out before said awkward session happened, and it starts in 2003 when they were completing their Masters at the University of Calgary.

It was at open mic nights at nearby coffee shops where the students found an outlet to perform their stuff.

“It’s funny because we played open mics, but we didn’t know each other that well at all,” said Braun.


She even bought Shea’s CD at the time, but “felt pretty badly” about quickly forgetting about it – until this year.

“So, for 14 years I had it and never actually listened to it and now I have and it’s great,” she said.

Going separate ways after university to start careers and raise families, the two reconnected on social media when they both found themselves living in the Bow Valley after over a decade since the university open mic days.

“I put it put there (on social media), and asked if he wanted to play guitar some time,” Braun said.

They got together for the jam session, sort of familiar with each other from the coffee shop open mics, and it was a feeling out process, complete with some “What do you want to play?” And, “What are you going to sing?”

“But it worked out,” said Shea.

They officially formed Trundled in late 2016, and have played their original music around the community since.

Performing together isn’t exactly unique to the formation of Trundled for Shea and Braun – well, in a way.

Braun and Shea played together on stage once before – in 2003 – it’s just that no one can seem to recall that gig.


“We played a show together, there’s proof in writing,” said Braun. “At some point, we knew each other well enough to do that, but I guess you know a lot of people at that time.

“And now, all a sudden, we have a CD,” Braun added.

Trundled’s seven-track EP was completed over three, five-hour studio sessions in Calgary, where Braun and Shea recorded three individual songs they wrote each and one they collaborated on.

Their most recent performance was at Calgary’s Ironwood Stage and Grill for an EP release party last month.

Shea, though, was battling an illness at the time, which forced a little creative revamping of the playlist.

“I couldn’t sing and I had no voice,” he said. “It was a Monday night show and by Sunday I sounded like death, and on Monday I had nothing.”

“It was actually kind of neat,” Braun added, “because you worry about what’s the worst thing that could happen – lose my voice – and then it happened. But I think we pulled it off, people had a good time and got a taste of our music.”

Trundled’s fingers are crossed that come showtime for the hometown EP release on Dec. 8, things will go a bit smoother.

Before Trundled hits the stage, the opening act, local five-piece band The Shoulder Season will perform.


Tickets are $20 for the general public and $17 for artsPlace members.

It might be a few months before Trundled plays together again, as Shea is headed to Europe for work.

“People should definitely check it out … or you’ll have to wait a while,” said Braun.

For more information, visit www.trundled.bandcamp.com. - Rocky Mountain Outlook

Local bands enter search for Canada’s next top act
BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN OUTLOOK FEB 22, 2018
Local musicians are trying to break out on the Canadian music landscape and are looking at home for a bit of support.

Bow Valley bands Elk Run & Riot and Trundled are entered in CBC Music’s Searchlight 2018 with hopes their songs will advance through a gauntlet of rounds while gaining exposure in the Canada-wide contest.

Searchlight is from CBC Music and puts out a call for new songs from emerging Canadian artists.

There are four rounds that bands must advance through in order to win. The first round, which runs until Feb. 28 at 1 p.m., includes an online public voting portion to whittle down the songs to the top 100.

Trundled entered “Inchoate” from their self-titled EP release this past December, while alternative folk band Elk Run & Riot entered “Wandering” from Animalia, from their upcoming third album set for release March 2.

The contest is open to single musicians, bands and choirs.

Round two starts March 1 and the top 100 songs selected will be chopped down to 10 finalists and then in the final round a champion is crowned.

The grand prize winner earns a spot in the Allan Slaight Juno master class artist development program this October and a performance slot at the 2019 Junofest, among others.

Ellen Braun, one half of folk duo Trundled with Joseph Shea, said winning Searchlight is the ultimate prize, but being recognized in the top 100 would be a major step for the band.


“That would be an amazing place to get to,” said the singer/songwriter/guitarist.

“‘Inchoate’ is a song I wrote and preformed as Trundled. That song is about developing and starting over and I can say I’m happy to have it out there and I’m proud of it.”

Andrew Cotter (vocals, guitar) of Elk Run & Riot, said: “We thought the timing was really good for our song to be in the contest and to get our name out there a bit more.”

Elk Run & Riot’s “Wandering” is about “coming to terms with a relationship that is too far gone to bring back.”

Elk Run & Riot’s next local gig is Feb. 23 at Hy5 in Canmore. On April 14, the band will have its Canmore album release for Animalia at artsPlace.

Braun’s next performance will be at Canmore’s Paintbox Lodge on March 1, where she’ll perform alongside Lori Reid.

For more information about Searchlight and to vote, visit www.cbcmusic.ca/searchlight. - Rocky Mountain Outlook

Page 29
I grew up in the Glebe, in the big red
brick house on the hill on Broadway
that you can see when you are rolling
down Craig Street. In the mid-1980s,
you could catch me belting out tunes on
that steep front lawn or singing to the
trees along Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
I named all of those trees and spent
time climbing them, which is probably
why your copy of the Ottawa Citizen
arrived a little late to your door.
The older I got, the less inclined I
was to share my love of singing publicly
but I did get up in front of my
Grade 6 class at First Avenue after
Mrs. McCarthy said I could entertain
the class for the last 10 minutes
(if I could keep quiet for the first 50
minutes). I cut out paper bellbottoms
and sideburns and did my best Elvis
impression – his tunes, my lyrics.
It wasn’t until my mid-20s that I
started to write and perform my own
songs in Banff on a guitar bought for
me by my brother Simon. While living
in Alberta in the early 2000s, I
squeaked out a four-song EP and then
a single, Caribou, in the creases of
life that at the time included graduate
studies in environmental science and
full-time work at the Pembina Institute.
Music faded from view almost completely
when I moved back to Ottawa
and started my own family. Three kids
and full-time work meant there was
little time for music; however, I did
play some live music on CKCU and
at the Bridgehead Coffeehouse conveniently
located in the bottom of our
condo building.
I moved with my family back to
Banff three years ago. I started focusing
on music again as a way to heal
after a particularly difficult time.
Life took an unlikely direction with
me shifting to writing songs fulltime,
starting a duo Trundled with my band
mate Joe Shea, and performing solo
and with my band throughout Alberta
and British Columbia. There must be
something in those mountains.
My most recent project is composing
and recording songs for the Canmore,
Alberta Summer Theatre Festival in
July. My new EP, which will feature
Romeo and Juliet- inspired songs, will
be available in June.
When I recently decided to return to
Ottawa to play one show on June 13 at
the Art House Café, it sold out within
hours of going online. I added another
show on June 14 and it sold out too.
There aren’t words to describe how
happy I am to be so warmly welcomed
back to my hometown. I’ve now added
a third show on June 15 at Bar Robo,
which is a pay what you can no tickets
event. I’ll be singing my heart out
at all three shows just like I used to.
For details on upcoming dates and
to hear some of my music: www.ellenbraunmusic.com.
Ellen Braun
Photo: courtesy of ellen braun -

Typically if you go to a concert, you don't need to take along your hiking boots and flashlights But this weekend, a Canmore band is performing -- in a cave. Trundled, a Canmore based duo, dare performing their upcoming concert in the Rats Nest Cave in Canmore. Joe Shea and Ellen Braun joined host Doug Dirks in studio to talk about the special show. - CBC Calgary

It’s been an epic series of five shows from talented local artists over the past four months! We’re looking forward to wrapping up our Mountain FM Presents: Fall Concert Series local music collaboration with artsPlace by presenting Trundled this Friday, December 8th.

I spoke with Ellen and Joe from Trundled who are excited to share songs off their newly released EP and share the stage with their friends from The Shoulder Season. They also performed their song Inchoate live in studio.

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