The name came relatively easy.
Comox Valley musician Helen Austin had wanted a fun title for her new project with Paul Otten.
At 6’4”, the Ohio resident towers over Austin, an English native who stands at 5’ tall. “The height difference is ridiculous,” she said.
Austin also wanted to incorporate an animal into the moniker, a nod to her previous work in the children’s music industry.
And so Big Little Lions was born.
But despite their sizes, Austin said, they’re not such an odd couple.
Austin and Otten met in Los Angeles in 2011 while they were part of a panel about how to write music for television and film.
They struck a friendship that led to Otten producing Austin’s kids’ album, Colour It — a CD that earned her a Juno Award in 2014. By then, Austin was eager to get back into “grown-up music” and asked Otten to form a band.
It’s been a good collaboration so far, with Big Little Lions scooping plenty of awards including top prizes in the International Songwriting Competition, the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and at the Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMA) where they were named Ensemble of the Year. Their most recent album, Just Keep Moving, was also nominated for two CFMA last year for Contemporary Album and for Vocal Group of the Year.
On Saturday, they’ll headline the second Music on the Grill series concert this year at the Evergreen Cultural Centre — one of 10 stops on their summer tour of B.C. and Nunavut.
Their July 22 show in Coquitlam will include current and upcoming songs (the duo just put out a summer single called Better Than This).
“We’re road testing a lot of new stuff,” she said. “We’re hoping to get something out next year.”
Austin also promises the audience won’t be distracted with the height difference. “He’ll be sitting down most of the time so we’ll be at the same level,” she laughed.
• Tickets to Music on the Grill with Big Little Lions (and opening act Ben Beveridge) are $55 for the barbecue meal and concert, or $35 for the concert only. The show starts at 8 p.m. The series is presented by Greenline Dental and the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Call the box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
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The last Music on the Grill concert is on Aug. 19 with Tiller’s Folly and Dawson Rutledge.
