Cayleah

Grunge is back for one night only — but you don’t need to be in Seattle to hear it.

London fans of the grunge rock phenomenon are going to make some noise of their own Saturday night.

They’re celebrating the exact 20th anniversary of the release of In Utero, the last album by genre gods Nirvana. That’s right — 20 years. We feel old, too.

Featuring six bands, London Does Grunge is a party perfect for people who remember the 90s, and for those who, for whatever reason, don’t.

“We want to get people together that love that early 90s era of music,” said Joe Bonasia of headline band Astoria.

Knowing the big Nirvana anniversary was coming up, “we figured, let’s make a party out of it,” Bonasia said. “After that, I just put the radar out there to see who would be interested and these bands came together.”

All the acts will play their own material but will throw in some grunge covers too, said Bonasia.

“It’s also allowed us to reminisce about the local band scene was like back then,” he added.

London Does Grunge is at Call The Office at 8 p.m. Saturday.

It features Astoria, The Jailers Daughter, Basement Bound, Slouch, Brian Bailey and the Method and Cayleah.

There’s no dress code. Just come as you are.

At a glance

— Event to celebrate 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s last studio album.

— In Utero was released on Sept. 13, 1993, and was Nirvana’s third album made in the studio.

— Featuring tracks like All Apologies and Heart-Shaped Box, it will be reissued in remastered format on Sept. 24. - Metro London

"Ayelen" With a Celtic setting mood, it's a mix between tribal and mild techno, with vocals that bring out the color pink in the music being played.

"Set To Fly" Is an interesting assembly of music with the vocals very much matching the music that's being performed, reaching high and low with an ambiance of music so well displayed.

"Pyrite" a folk almost (Joan Baez) in the later part of the sixties, the music being performed comes as soft Rock with a mix of hypnotic flower power psychedelic trance, a haze of well timed guitar playing to bring this piece of music to an end.

"Tamarindo" Another mood influenced piece with the piano coming through in the background, giving it a mild impression and yet again flirting with the psychedelic presence so exposed.

"Believe In Love" Is a song that comes across with uncertainty that creates a maze of confusion in terms of being in and out of love. The instruments pick up on a more compulsive beat in the later part of this song.

"It's Alright" Delivering vocals with purity and acoustic guitar that's so well tuned and played the way it was meant to be played for pieces that are so fitting and leading into another plateau, making the lyrics so structured for the music that continues to exist.

In closing, These musicians bring the music to life in the style of music that is put forth. From percussion to string to electric, these musicians lead me to believe that this group CAYLEAH is certainly going to gain a following, in no time at all. - Music Star Universe

"Ayelen" With a Celtic setting mood, it's a mix between tribal and mild techno, with vocals that bring out the color pink in the music being played.

"Set To Fly" Is an interesting assembly of music with the vocals very much matching the music that's being performed, reaching high and low with an ambiance of music so well displayed.

"Pyrite" a folk almost (Joan Baez) in the later part of the sixties, the music being performed comes as soft Rock with a mix of hypnotic flower power psychedelic trance, a haze of well timed guitar playing to bring this piece of music to an end.

"Tamarindo" Another mood influenced piece with the piano coming through in the background, giving it a mild impression and yet again flirting with the psychedelic presence so exposed.

"Believe In Love" Is a song that comes across with uncertainty that creates a maze of confusion in terms of being in and out of love. The instruments pick up on a more compulsive beat in the later part of this song.

"It's Alright" Delivering vocals with purity and acoustic guitar that's so well tuned and played the way it was meant to be played for pieces that are so fitting and leading into another plateau, making the lyrics so structured for the music that continues to exist.

In closing, These musicians bring the music to life in the style of music that is put forth. From percussion to string to electric, these musicians lead me to believe that this group CAYLEAH is certainly going to gain a following, in no time at all. - Music Star Universe

Cayleah M. and Soohong talk to Nate about the upcoming CHRW Rock Off battle of the bands show at the Spoke Tavern. - CHRW Radio 94.9FM

London’s own Cayleah, the newest musician to hit the music scene with a powerful voice and an inspiring sound. Her hit song, SET TO FLY, from the album Inception, has already garnered fanship and international success. In fact, she is on the front page of London Fuse this week (click here to see). I for one was captivated by it the first time I heard it and have had it in playlist ever since.

Her music is reminiscent of The Cranberries, Melanie Doane, and Smashing Pumpkins all combined into one, with her own style emerging through.


So? sits down with Cayleah for a Q&A:

SO?: Thank you for taking time out of your exciting schedule to give us a sneak peak into your rising career. The news of your stardom make come as surprise, a pleasant one of course, to some people who never knew you as a singer/songwriter. How and when did you decided to become a musician professionally?

Cayleah: For the last 4 or 5 years it had been a plan broiling in my brain but at that point I was way too scared. I didn’t have the experience or background in music. I had been writing songs for a long time already but didn’t have much confidence in myself. I did my first open mic, which was terrifying, and then another and so on, it was a really long time before I really believed my songs/voice were good enough to record. But then finally I did it! [she laughs] ‘cause apparently perfectionists are perfect at doing nothing and I didn’t want to be that.

SO?: I’m glad that you did find that confidence because now we the fans get to hear the music that you hid for so long. So what were you doing before you decided to pursue your music full time?

Cayleah: I was working at a start-up tech company in London as a Product Manager. Was at KPMG before that as an Operations Improvement Consultant.

SO?: It’s a great story, leaving your full time job to pursue your passion. So who were the artists that inspired you make the giant leap from corporate office to mobile tour bus?

Cayleah: Dylan, PJ Harvey, Bowie, Etta James, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana

SO?: Wow great influences. The one thing you all have in common is soul. It radiates in your music and it is obvious to listeners that your music is something deep and personal. So tell us, what does music mean to you?

Cayleah: Starting in grade 4 I bought music– err I guess then I got my mom to buy me music. We had just moved from Toronto to London and lived out in the country on a farm, I was pretty lonely I think for a while there and really sought out music as a way of identifying with and engaging in something that was external to me. It really helped me in that time and became an important part in my life. I remember I used to memorize every lyric/melody/guitar solo I heard and used to rewrite the songs in my head to my own lyrics/melody.

SO?: You admit to not having the musical background when you began seriously contemplating the career move into music. What instruments do you now play?

Cayleah: My main instrument is vocals, and I songwrite with guitar/piano. I play guitar live but I would never say I’m that great at it. I add to the grunge sound. [she chuckles]

SO?: Well I have heard great reviews from your live shows, so I’m sure you’re just being humble. In fact, your song, Set To Fly, is an international award winning song. Tell us about that.

Cayleah: That was a pretty incredible day. I had submitted Set To Fly to the song of the year competition and kind of forgot about it because the ranking process takes a while. One day I received an email saying that I had placed in the Semi-Finals and I was so blown away, I knew it was a pretty big competition and didn’t know what to expect! But yeah, then following the excitement of that I realized I was one spot short of getting some funding for recording, and then I was bummed out for about 5 minutes.[she laughs]. But yeah it was really nice to have been recognized by these sort of more academic songwriters as I had been studying song-writing/songwriters and reading anything I could get on it.

SO?: What is your song Set to Fly about?

Cayleah: Set to Fly, jeez, um well, typically I don’t like talking about the meanings of my songs …But I guess it’s about busting out and being yourself in a free and wonderful way. And I think it’s about finding that and that blind rebellion, albeit sometimes necessary, isn’t always the end answer.

SO?: That’s really amazing. Well, the song must have many meanings to many different people, and the award is definitely well deserved. Since your fans are curious, what else can you tell us about making your album INCEPTION?

Cayleah: I guess that I work my ass off and that I sweat/blood/tears/all of it, for this.

SO?: What are the best moments you’ve experienced in your musical journey so far?

Cayleah: Our show at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, July 10, was really special; it was the first time we had played together with Mark, our new drummer, and everyt - SoCommentary

The Song of the Year songwriting contest has awarded Cayleah Matthews the Semi-Finalist placement in the song contest. Song of the Year receives entries from all over the world and only the top songwriters receive a Semi-Finalist placement in the songwriting competition. - Song of the Year Songwriting Competition

Cayleah plays unplugged versions of songs from their debut EP, Inception. - CHRW Radio 94.9FM

Cayleah M. of Cayleah talks to DJ LT about their new EP, Inception, their EP release show, and premieres two tracks off the album. - CHRW Radio 94.9FM

Cayleah Matthews has been writing songs for eight years, but only recently decided to make music her focus.

Now, her London band Cayleah is set to release its debut EP, Inception. The post-punk revival meets indie-rock band will take the stage Thursday at The Black Shire Pub (511 Talbot St.) to showcase their material.

Inception, Matthews says, is “about transitions and new beginnings.”

It’s something the singer/songwriter knows a bit about, having abandoned a career in business to follow her passion for music.

“I made a discovery about myself that I was supposed to be writing music,” she says. “That meant a huge change.

“I had to let go of a lot of ideals that had been instilled in me from a young age, and bust through the ones I had imposed on myself too.”

Cayleah has always been drawn to music, but kept her compositions under the radar for most of her life.

“When I was a kid, any time I had access to a musical instrument I would go after it,” she says.

“In our house we had a piano, and I didn’t know how to play it, but I would come up with what I wanted in secret on my own.”

Today she creates unabashedly — her music is filled with driving melodies, curbed synth effects and powerful lyrics rooted in folk storytelling.

Her songs Set to Fly and Ayelen tell the story of changing beliefs and finding your true potential.

But, Matthews emphasizes, the song meanings are open to interpretation.

“People have their own take, and it doesn’t matter what it meant to me,” she says.

“In my songs, any time there is gender, you could swap it out. Men go through these things as well. It’s a pretty universal experience. It’s really, to me, about being a human.”

Inception was recorded at Fanshawe College’s MIA Studios and co-produced by the band’s lead guitarist Soohong Cho. Other band members include Rob Pearse (drums), Martin Hudon (bass) and Jesse Kelly (keys).

The band draws some of its inspiration from ’60s New York rock (the Velvet Underground) and post-punk (Joy Division). Other major musical muses include PJ Harvey and Cat Power.

“A lot of the sound is driven by the fact that we wanted a super energy-filled show, and we wanted to have fun on stage playing,” Matthews says.

Thursday’s release party will open with an acoustic set by Dennis Pedersen with songs from his new album Up in a Tree.

Doors open at 9 p.m. Entry is pay-what-you-can. - Metro London