Classical Gas

After dinner at Enoteca Sociale, I wandered over to the Garrison for some music. In keeping with a quiet Sunday evening, NoShame Productions put on a show with 3 bands with a folk or classical sound - at least as classical as you'll get with pop music.

First was The Weather Station with some minimalist soft music. The duo had some interesting songs, but definitely more suited for a night at home chilling on the couch. Next came Kite Hill, a 6 member band that is a side project. Upright bass, cello, violin, recorder, flute and drums backed up a pianist singing some plaintive tunes. They remind me of Bell Orchestre, but not so self-indulgent. The only negative note is that I really couldn't hear the recorder or the flute. Also, orchestration for "non-pop" instruments tend to be simplistic. I'd like to hear something that approaches a classical piece or even the complexity of a decent pop guitar part.

The head-liner was Olenka and the Autumn Lovers from London, Ontario. The lead singer, Olenka, is a Polish-Canadian who also plays the guitar. Hmm, the last female Polish-Canadian singer/guitarist I've seen is Basia Bulat. And I became an instant fan. Will lightning strike twice?

I heard the same Polish influence in Olenka's music as Basia's. There's a quality to certain songs such as Odessa and Go that evokes a tradition of old folk songs. The instrumentation was also similar: with 2 female harmonies, cello, violin. The Autumn Lovers also throw in drums, tenor sax, trumpet, xylophone, and even some sleigh bells. The major difference is that Olenka's songs are more pop: both in her voice and in the guitar of the male lead guitarist. He added some awesome licks that gave the live performances a driving rock feel - though he didn't indulge in any guitar face.

So I ended up liking Olenka a lot and have been listening to her new CD "and now we sing". However, she doesn't quite thrill me like Basia because of the same pop sensibility. There's a timelessness to Basia's unique voice and songs that suggest somehow that these songs weren't written a few years ago but have passed down for several generations.