Ocie Elliott is a Canadian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

duo from

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

. They are composed of Jon Middleton, who is also vocalist and guitarist in the band

Jon and Roy Jon and Roy is a Canadian three-piece folk rock and reggae band from Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia. Career Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jon Middleton and percussionist Roy Vizer met at University of Victoria. They form ...

, and Sierra Lundy. They were nominated for the

Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year The Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to the best new musical group in Canada. The award has been given annually since 1974, and was previously called Most Promising Gro ...

at the

Juno Awards of 2022 The Juno Awards of 2022 were held on May 15, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario. The awards were presented at the Budweiser Stage, an outdoor venue, and was hosted by actor Simu Liu.David Friend"Actor Simu Liu to host first outdoor Juno Awards at Toronto� ...

. They have released 9 albums and EPs. The band got its name after Middleton, inspired by Lundy's obsession with the

1920s File:1920s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Seán Hogan during the Irish War of Independence; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, whic ...

, found the name "Ocie Cleve" in a 1920s name generator and combined it with the first name of folk singer

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

History

As a child, Lundy sang in the school choir, although she was more focused on sports. Her dad, however, wanted her to become a musician. Middleton's father played acoustic guitar often on camping trips and also inspired his interest in music. Lundy attended art school in Victoria. They met and began dating in 2016, when Middleton performed solo at a cafe on

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled b ...

in which Lundy was working. A month into their relationship, Lundy's sister and a friend insisted that Middleton and Lundy, who were both artists, perform together. They immediately performed a rendition of "Look at Miss Ohio" by

Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, countr ...

. For their first couple years together, they only performed

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of about 50 songs in coffee shops and restaurants. Artists whose songs they performed include

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

Milky Chance Milky Chance is a German rock band originating in Kassel. It consists of vocalist and guitarist Clemens Rehbein, bassist and percussionist Philipp Dausch, and their band members, Antonio Greger and Sebastian Schmidt. Their first single, " Stole ...

, and

Beach House Beach House is an American musical duo formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. The band consists of Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals). Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006 to ...

. They released a self-titled EP in 2017. Their song "Run to You" was included in a 2019 episode of ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'' and their song "The Less We Know" was included in a 2022 episode of the show.

Ecological activism

The band tries to minimize its ecological footprint by not creating much merchandise. They also take trains as much as possible instead of driving.

Influences

The duo cite

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and

as their biggest influences.

Discography

* ''Ocie Elliott'' (September 22, 2017) * ''We Fall In'' (February 8, 2019) * ''In That Room'' (March 20, 2020) * ''Tracks'' (July 17, 2020) * ''Slow Tide'' (March 12, 2021) * ''A Place'' (August 27, 2021) * ''With the Lights Down'' (February 25, 2022) * ''What Remains'' (September 23, 2022) * ''Know The Night'' (November 24, 2023)

References

{{reflist 2017 establishments in British Columbia Canadian folk music groups Canadian musical duos Musical groups established in 2017 Musical groups from Victoria, British Columbia