Won't You Cry For Me

On Friday, I was at Longboat Hall for a special show by Oh Susanna! The opener was a solo set by Halifax musician Mo Kenney. I liked the variety of styles and techniques she played on her guitar. But her lyrics were middle of the road, especially compared to my last show with Jenny Berkel and Misha Bower.

20 years ago, Susanne Ungerleider released her first album Johnstown. 6 albums later, it was obvious Johnstown established her musical career. On this anniversary, she has re-released it on vinyl and doing a small mini-tour. Throughout the set, she also gave the attentive crowd some insight into the stories or motivations behind these songs. There were 2 overarching threads. First, some of the desperation of Vancouver's downtown Eastside was part of her unconscious experience. Along with her own insecurities, this was reflected in the darkness of some songs. At the same time, she had just relocated to Toronto and found a welcoming community of like-minded friends and musicians. This allowed some brightness to shine through as well.

Listening to these songs live, it was clear Ungerleider founded her voice early. The story-telling hallmark of her lyrics was present from the very beginning. From the opening murder ballad Johnstown to the last hopeful tune Tangled and Wild, each song was rich in details. Long-time friend Justin Rutledge joined her Oh My Good Ol' Gal, making explicit the duet nature of the song. Ungerleider joked that she would love to have other musicians from that era like Luke Doucet return but they had gigs with some guy named Jim Cuddy.