ES:MO — Elizabeth Shepherd & Michael Occhipinti

Event Description

Admission: $25

ES:MO is Elizabeth Shepherd and Michael Occhipinti, two imaginative and acclaimed musicians who push against the boundaries of genres to seek out the new. ES:MO incorporate the musical ideas that move them regardless of style, and both have been restless explorers for years. ES:MO’s love of contemporary harmony and rhythm gets paired up with a love of great songwriters, explorations in electronics and modern guitar soundscapes, r&b and funk, poetry, folk and orchestral traditions, and great musicianship.

Michael Occhipinti’s huge colour palette of guitar work combined with Elizabeth Shepherd’s soulful and ethereal voice and keyboard work is a special pairing, as evidenced by their debut album, The Weight of Hope, which received a 2022 JUNO Award nomination (individually Michael and Elizabeth have a combined 17 JUNO nominations). The album was built around the duo’s ability to interpret the great songs of Stevie Wonder, Bruce Cockburn, Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake and others, and the duo are just about to release a single which interprets Americana artist Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires.”

In autumn 2025 ES:MO will release its 2nd album SUNSHINE IN MY BONES, a celebration of the duo’s own compositions built on hours of improvised jam sessions, samples of washing machines, voice and guitar loops, and the vision of two great friends who recognize the magical connection they have when they improvise music together. The lyrics explore everything from modern warfare to love among tulips and the need for human connection in a distant age, and several guest drummers join Elizabeth and Michael who play everything else.