by Sylene Argent
Local band “Fresh Breath” is a finalist in three International Singer-Songwriter Association Awards (ISSA) categories, and the Kingsville-based musicians Katie (KT) and Josh Pascoe are not only excited for the recognition, they are grateful for the abundance of community support.
Being named as a finalist in the three categories for the ISSA awards means Fresh Breath made the Top 20 finalists list in the categories of International Band of the Year, International Entertainer of the Year, and International Female Vocalist of the Year.
“This is huge for us. We’re excited,” Katie said.
Fresh Breath - an alternative country band, fusing rock, blues, and pop - originally applied to be considered in the recognition program, and were thrilled to make the Top 20 list in the three categories. They made the finalists list, thanks to online support in the voting round from local community members and fans on both sides of the Canada/US border.
Making the finalist list means so much more than being recognized as great musicians, as the band from a small-town received enough support to make the list against bands from big cities.
“We have an amazing support system,” Josh said.
The local musicians are looking forward to hearing the results, which will be announced on August 5 in Atlanta, Georgia. They noted a gold, silver, and bronze winner will be chosen in each category.
In the meantime, the Pascoes have a summer of touring planned, which they are excited to start. The duo will head out west this summer to perform in Alberta, in addition to playing within the usual local route of venues and festivals within a four or five hour radius. They returned recently from a two-month-long stint in Texas, where they were able to grow their fan base.
“We try to make everything as meaningful as possible,” Josh said of the songs he and his wife create, noting their songs are often about conflict and resolution; things in which anyone can relate. “It helps us through hard times and we hope it helps others, too.”
The duo is also looking forward to releasing a new album in the fall, which has yet to receive a title.
Around three-quarters of the soon-to-be-released album will be happy in nature, while there will be a few tear-jerkers, as well. While touring after the pandemic, they noticed their audiences were ready and really responded to their upbeat music, so they are excited to share that new music.
Katie said the new album was recorded with a band, which provided for a nice, live band sound.
In 2021, Katie and Josh released a video, which they shot in downtown Essex Centre, for their song, “World Gone Crazy.” It ended up being a semi-finalist in the Canadian Independent Music Video Awards last year. This song was off its previous album, “How Did I Get Here?”
To learn more, log onto www.freshbreathband.com.