Fortunate Ones travel the winding road to the Arden Theatre

It used to be Fortunate Ones played only in St. John’s and Corner Brook taverns and bars. The Newfoundland folk-pop duo still does.

But since the release of the duo’s 2015 debut album titled The Bliss, a win at the Canadian Folk Music Awards as well as a Juno nomination, they’ve amped up their street cred with calls to perform in concert halls from coast to coast.

Internet reviewers continually make note of singer-guitarist Andrew James O’Brien and singer-pianist-accordionist Catherine Allan’s “sweet harmonies” and the “sincerity and simplicity that instantly connects them to audiences.”

Hot off the press is news that O’Brien and Allan will open for the nationally acclaimed brother-sister duo Jill and Matt Barber Nov. 16 at Dalhousie Art Centre’s Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.

“It’s so super cool to open for them,” says Allan, a huge self-proclaimed fan of Jill Barber. “Just listening to her – that low register. It’s really something.”

A hard-working couple, the Fortunate Ones notch up to 200 performances a year. They are now on a 19-city tour that stops at St. Albert’s Arden Theatre on Friday, Nov. 4.

Allan and O’Brien were last in the capital region about seven months ago performing at The Almanac on Whyte, a quaint bistro that serves rustic French food and craft cocktails.

“We love to tour western Canada. It’s a long way from home, but my brother lives in Calgary and we’re always on the hunt for new fans.”

Not wanting to be known strictly as Newfoundland artists, Fortunate Ones selected Dan Ledwell, an award winning record producer to record The Bliss at his studio in Lake Echo, Nova Scotia.

“We didn’t have a concept when we went in to record. We were just a hardworking band and we didn’t know what to go for. Dan, our producer, navigated the sound. We were an acoustic band and he added some cool synth sounds.”

Needless to say, the 11-track was an unforeseen success.

“Things exploded kind of unexpectedly. You never know when you put a piece out there what will happen.”

The duo started performing together when Allan dropped by O’Brien’s apartment. Her brother Mark was in a band with him. That night the threesome casually started jamming.

The next day O’Brien left a note on Allan’s desk inviting her to learn a few songs and perform with the band that Friday night.

“It terrified me when I saw the note. It was so unexpected, but I love singing. It had been so many years singing in my room and I said, ‘time to get over yourself.’ And the rest is history.”

O’Brien, in fact, had spotted potential in her singular voice.

“He said it was not a typical singing voice. It’s quite low and husky. It’s interesting because our range is similar and how gravelly my voice is paired with his. Andrew has a very interesting timbre and it’s very smooth. I think he could sing in a boy band.”

The two realized they meshed, not only vocally, but also in their approach to delivering music.

“We really enjoyed singing together. The other guys in the band had day jobs. We wanted to tour and we dove in. We started writing songs put together a team.”

There was a year of challenges to get their album on the national scene, but The Bliss was finally released on Old Farm Pony Records.

With the musical community watching, they got a break. Two songs, Lay Me Down and the title track, The Bliss, hit No. 1 on CBC Radio 2’s Top 20 in 2015.

In addition to a high-flying album, the two band mates are also romantic partners.

Allan has repeatedly counted her blessings, and that’s why they called themselves the Fortunate Ones.