Scions are a new, innovative, experimental ensemble based between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

The group features members from the award-winning minimalist chamber-jazz quartet New Hermitage, the Polaris-nominated drone-hymn duo Joyful Joyful, and the acclaimed producer and composer Michael Cloud Duguay. Their collaboration began at the Sappyfest music festival in Sackville, New Brunswick, in August 2022. During this event, New Hermitage and Joyful Joyful connected for the first time and teamed up with Duguay for a spontaneous improvisational performance based on his songwriting. The enthusiastic response, capped by a standing ovation, solidified the ensemble’s decision to pursue the project further, with Duguay deftly shifting from front-person to producer and musical director.

After being awarded a Canada Council project grant in early 2023 the group took residence in Hotel Wolfe Island on Wolfe Island. Over a week the seven core members lived and worked together, culling material from sunrise improv sessions and collaboratively shaping it into a unique body of work that would later become To Cry Out In The Wilderness.

As well as announcing the album Scions also share the first single from the project “Fight Song”. Speaking on the creation of the track band leader and musical director Michael Cloud Duguay said: “While composing, we experimented with different ratios of drone-to-pop from piece to piece, and I knew from the start that the material required one composition that leaned as far ‘pop’ as this ensemble of jazz, classical, and experimental players could go.” He Continues “”Fight Song” was the final song that we composed. The composition began with the ostinato motif as we experimented with switching and layering multiple time signatures without losing the hook. Once we had that, the rest of the piece came easily – Ross delivered a guitar solo straight from 1970’s no-wave, and we uncovered the sort of melodrama that Corm and I have always loved to sing together, supported by the heavy playing of the ensemble.” This Is Pop? today’s song of the day is here for you.