Evening Hymns

The pseudonym of Canadian singer/songwriter Jonas Bonnetta, Evening Hymns also features a revolving door of fellow musicians backing Bonnetta live and on record. Born in Orono, Ontario, Bonnetta first came to prominence with his 2007 debut, Farewell to Harmony. Although this was released under his real name, Bonnetta eventually opted for the Evening Hymns moniker for fear that his music would be pigeonholed as generic singer/songwriter material. The first official Evening Hymns album, Spirit Guides, was released in 2009. Recorded in just four days at an art gallery where Bonnetta worked, the album followed in the footsteps of his debut, a mix of acoustic guitars, field recordings, and eclectic instrumentation. After Bonnetta moved back to his hometown to help run his family's newly purchased sawmill, his father passed away. Channeling his grief into his songwriting, the results would become the basis of his third album. Relocating to Perth, Ontario and living in a small cabin that partner and bandmate Sylvie Smith's parents had just bought, Bonnetta was joined by members of the Wooden Sky, Timber Timbre, and City and Colour to record what would become 2012's Spectral Dusk. The remote location and his father's passing gave the album an almost spiritual feel, moving from brooding instrumentals to emotional paeans to his father.