The Kindness Killers do The Country Twist

The small town of Peterborough, Ontario is known for a few things; Trent University, the pervasive smell of oatmeal, and the Pig’s Ear, which hosts the best bar trivia night in Canada (no foolin’!). What you might not know is that it also boasts a fine tradition of folk and country music that includes musicians like Willy P. Bennett and Washboard Hank. The Kindness Killers is another Peterborough-based band that dutifully tips its hat to the old masters while adding a modern spin.

“We’re really interested in applying the form of pre-Nashville country songs and applying it to contemporary issues,” says lap steel player Nick Ferrio, who also plays in The Burning Hell. One song borrows the story of Mary Harshbarger, a Newfoundland woman who killed her husband last year because she thought he was a bear. The band turned her story into a modern murder ballad with a feminine twist. “We’re trying to blur the lines between the past and the present,” says Ferrio. “We like to maintain a connection to the world we live in.” They play the Company House tonight at 8pm with Year of Glad for $6.

This article appears in Apr 14-20, 2011.