The Acorn is the on-going musical project of Rolf Klausener, Jeff Debutte, Keiko Devaux, T.Jeffrey Malecki and Howie Tsui.  Anchored by vivid songwriting and eclectic instrumentation, The Acorn produce an original brand of experimental, popular folk music that effortlessly marries modern and traditional forms.

The project began as the solo electro-acoustic work of Rolf in late 2002. The Acorn’s first full-length release The Pink Ghosts, a mostly-instrumental tribute to the Ottawa region, was released in July 2004 on Ottawa’s Kelp Records and firmly planted the band as a strong new presence in the local scene. In the fall of 2005, they released the Blankets! EP, it was a more melodically focused effort showcasing the bands emerging synthesis of experimental folk and pop.  Already at this point, the band was garnering considerable praise from CBC radio and campus radio stations across the country.

After a year of solid touring, the band signed to Toronto’s Paper Bag Records (Tokyo Police Club, Sally Shapiro, The Figurines) who released their six-song Tin Fist EP in early 2007 to glowing reviews.

The Acorn's newest full-length recording, Glory Hope Mountain, is a sprawling, biographical album based on the life of Rolf's mother, Gloria Esperanza Montoya. Armed with heart-drums, gut-strings, ukuleles, marimbas and Klausener’s best songwriting to date, The Acorn has created a moving musical document of a miraculous life.

Since the release of Glory Hope Mountain, The Acorn have graced the cover of Canada’s National music magazine, Exclaim, garnered innumerable rave reviews across Canada, the United States, online and in print, and are quickly becoming one of Canada’s most talked about musical exports.

PRAISE FOR GLORY HOPE MOUNTAIN:
“…Mountain is no biography. Instead, Klausener crafts from her stories an allegorical narrative of strength, perserverence, love, and redemption.” - Pitchforkmedia.com

 “The lyrics by Rolf Klausener on Glory Hope Mountain sear into the memory like passages from a fine novel…The Acorn’s new album is not only definitive, it’s quietly magnificent.” - Toronto EYE Weekly

“Glory Hope Mountain is masterful biography.” - Edmonton Vue

 “Where other bands might have fallen into a clichéd trap, Glory Hope Mountain feels heartfelt and authentic. It's in the thoughtful way the folk-rock songs are spun, using a wide variety of instruments and guest musicians to infuse the album with a fresh and oftentimes shiver-inducing aura that speaks of the past, of longing, and of hope.”
-  Junkmedia.com

“Klausener’s songs are by turns fantastical and down-to-earth, slow and quiet and joyfully exuberant, with dazzlingly beautiful melodies, insistent rhythms, vivid images and a voice full of longing and pride.”
- ELLE Magazine

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