Feature Article July 17, 2002
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Musical
feast in Sharbot Lake- Sirens
at St. James, Ball and Chain at Oso Hall
Sharbot Lake was graced with excellent, if disparate, musical events
on consecutive nights last week.
On Wednesday night, the ongoing summer concert series at St. James
Major featured The
Sirens. Donna,
Jo-Ann, and Amber, a trio from London, sang and accompanied themselves
on guitars, bodhrans, and a variety of percussion instruments. Most of
the songs the Sirens performed were original compositions by the
members of the band, and they showcased their vocal talents and
harmonic timing on a few covers as well. Among the cover tunes, their
renditions of Girl From the North Country, a Bob Dylan
transposition of a traditional English ballad, and the Rankin Family
standard Belle of Belfast City stood out for their purity of
singing.
There was a strong confessional orientation to the original tunes,
which is always a risky enterprise for an artist, because their
particular story doesnt always translate to the general interest of
the audience. Many of the Sirens original songs carried powerful
messages that were only enhanced by the concrete circumstances that
brought them about. Particularly powerful was the song Misery,
wherein a woman reveals, for the first time, that she was abused for
50 years by her husband, and Portrait, a song about anorexia.
Most of the songs had a lighter tone than the two mentioned above, and
the group also engaged in much pleasant between-song banter, sometimes
at the expense of Donnas mother. The only complaint I have about
the evening concerns one of the side comments made by Donna, at the
expense of her fathers musical taste, because he listened to the
Carter family. The Carter family songs are rural and poignant, not
whiny!!
On Thursday night, Ball
and Chain (Jody Benjamin on guitar, triangle, and vocals, and
Michael Ball on fiddle and vocals), played at the community dance at
Oso Hall. They play their share of
whiny old country tunes themselves, drawing from the likes of
Webb Pierce, Hank Williams, and yes, even the Carter family. Jody
Benajmin sings with comfort and conviction,
with the right touch of gentle irony at times, to bring these
country tunes to life, and Michael Balls fiddle brings a
lightness and swing to the music.
For this occasion, Ball and Chain brought an extra fiddler, and
the interplay between the two fiddles filled out the sound
considerably. Ball and Chain explore some of the little known
territory of old-style Cajun music. They also play original tunes, and
some contemporary songs by the likes of Julie Miller and everyones
favourite - Washboard Hank.
Whether they were singing Drivin Nails in my
Coffin, Ay Yay, or Seein Double, C&W, Ball and
Chain kept the audience entertained.
The concert also featured Cajun dance lessons, and even some Scottish
country dancing at the behest of an audience member. Hopefully there
will be more waltzing and country dancing at the Oso Hall in the
months to come.
