Shaye

[vaneramos]

CBC Radio 2 aired three live concerts from St. John's, Newfoundland, on Friday evening, and that's how I discovered Shaye. The car stereo was playing them when I picked up Danny from the bus depot; he commented right away. This contemporary folk band consists of three female singer-songwriters from the East Coast: Kim Stockwood, Dahmnait (pronounced "Davnet") Doyle and Tara McLean. The concert showcased their second album, Lake of Fire, released in February. They were performing "Star" as we pulled into the parking lot, and sat listening, with twilight falling and stars coming out. The song pays tribute to McLean's sister, Shaye, for whom the band is named, who died as the result of a highway accident in 2002.

By the time I had sampled the rest of the tracks on the album, I was hooked. Tight harmonies, lively instrumentation, compelling rhythms. The spirit of the lost sister frequently prevails through the lyrics, a summons to live vividly in the present. From the title track:

Let's go swimming in a lake of fire. 
Turn the radio up if you wanna get higher.

Besides the trio's brilliant songwriting, the album features covers from the likes of Van Morrison and Ron Sexsmith. My favourite track "We Are Water" (Patty Griffin), with its indelible, trudging rhythm, sounds like a theme for Eramosa River Journal, and I can hardly stop listening:

I am a river babe,
I've got plenty of time
I don't know where I'm going
I'm just following the lines
There's just no telling where this river will flow
I got no choice in the matter, baby,
I just go where it goes

Keep an ear out for this promising Canadian band.

Comments

[butterflyminds.livejournal.com]

Haven't heard of them but they sound interesting. Might look them up sometime. Haven't bought any music in ages.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

One thing I like about iTunes is the option to buy one song for $0.99! I like all the tracks on this album. There are also some good ones on their first album, Bridge (2003, I think), particularly the song "Beauty", but they have developed their sound a lot since then.