Grandfather’s words prompt new Niagara folk duo For Ernest
For Niagara couple Michael Saracino and Tara Lynn Stanclik, inspiration for their new duo was found among a bunch of dusty cards and paper years ago.
As a kid, Saracino recalls going through his grandfather’s stuff and discovering a treasure trove of jazz keepsakes. Christmas cards from Duke Ellington. Louis Armstrong scribbles on a napkin. A world of music that made a huge impact on him.
Saracino’s grandfather, Ernest Orlando, helped establish the jazz scene in Toronto, along with friend and pianist Norm Amadio. Together, they helped bring American jazz musicians on tour to the city.
“I would get to see some of the things he had in his record room,” Saracino recalls. “Every year, until he passed, he got a Christmas card from Duke Ellington. These cool things that were always in my periphery growing up.”
There was also a bit of advice Ernest gave his grandson: “If you want to play music forever, that’s great. Just make sure you have a plan.”
Years later, Saracino and his partner of eight years finally put some music together during the pandemic. When it came time for a name, they went all the way back to those grandfatherly words of advice.
“We were finally making a plan,” says Saracino. “We felt like we were doing it for Ernest, and that’s how we came up with the duo name.”
For Ernest arrived last year with the five-song EP “Buildings,” featuring some stellar harmonies and sweeping acoustic guitars. It was followed up by this year’s single “Found and Seen,” with a fulllength album, “Cinema,” coming his fall.
Forming a duo with her partner was “a little nerve-racking, to be honest,” says Stanclik.
“I knew him, of course, to already have his own reputation as a performer, especially in the region. I thought, how are we going to do this in a way that feels original and organic and not just me creeping in on what he’s doing already?
“It was nice to have a fresh start with a name that was different and have a direction with it.”
The St. Catharines duo recently got accepted to play the NXNE Festival in Toronto in June, as well as the Robson Valley Music Festival in British Columbia in August.
Along the way, Saracino will still play cover shows and Stanclik will still work for a psychologist practice while also performing with Niagara band Minuscule.
“We have a little hand in lots of things,” says Stanclik.
In addition to the festivals, Saracino and Stanclik will be performing all summer at Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery and The Good Earth Wine and Food Co.