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October Arts Spotlight:
Yael Wand and Sioux Newberry in Concert
By Christina Bradley
The Bear’s Paw was once again home to another night of musical magic on September 13th, drawing the season to a close with song, style and plenty of soul. Yael Wand and Sioux Newberry, the two talented musicians responsible for casting this enchanting spell, transformed the Bear’s Paw from local eatery into intimate live lounge.
Grabbing their audience by the ear, heart, mind and hand they took us on a soulful journey: intimate, quirky and charming. Offering a healthy serving of folk, a dash of country lyrics, a spicy touch of hip-hop and just enough swing to leave us all in a swirl!
Yael Wand, a seasoned performer and a local to these parts has collected a posy of faithful followers, whom she teased and tantalized with a taste of the many treats her new album has in store and truly whetting our appetites for its upcoming release. Newcomers to Yael’s music were held captive by her undeniable stage presence and her musical powers.
Sioux Newberry is just about as sassy as they come! Her music offers a fresh and contemporary sound with lyrics that provoke the imagination and pleasure the soul. Sioux’s interludes of ‘white girl rap’ are not only feisty but truly electric, leaving the audience clinging to every fast paced phrase and wondering what direction they might take next.
Yael and Sioux’s styles were a wonderful combination, both performers complementing each other perfectly. The moments when their talents combined offered a rare and special treat to all of us in their company.
It was wonderful to see that the audience was as diverse as the music, with locals, firefighters, tourists and a few Quesnel folk all adding to the mix. This concert was one of the many events this summer to draw support from the surrounding communities, heightening awareness for all the various artistic ventures this wonderful little town of Wells offers.
The Bear’s Paw as always provided a glorious setting, with glorious food and I think it is fair to say, or as Yael might sing, the entire evening turned out to be a truly ‘glorious thing’. - The Nugget, Wells, British Columbia
Discography
Newberry vs. Newberry - Freight Lines (Forthcoming Winter of 2008)
Sioux Newberry - Tentative No/Probable Yes (Forthcoming Winter of 2008)
David Newberry and the Charismatic Megafauna - Self titled (May 2007)
Photos
Bio
Sioux Newberry has been surprising audiences since she first cut her teeth as a hip-hop artist while attending University in Guelph, Ontario. Spending sleepless nights spitting, cussing and harmonizing her way through performances with prominent DJs in the Toronto area, she learned to find solace in the charms of folk songwriting and classical vocal training. "In fact," says this small-town darling, "I have always seen hip-hop as a tool for learning to write better folk music." Today, where the styles of jazz, country, folk-rock, hip-hop and accapella foot stomp meet, Sioux emerges as a student of reflection, offering songs and stories that consistently demand that her listeners look both inward and outward.
David Newberry has rock and roll in his heart, but somewhere along the way he found that folks like Woody Guthrie, Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt could craft a song and a story like no others. The result is a unique singer/songwriter with a collection of folk songs played by someone who learned his trade in the world of punk. Sweet country songs full of hardship and hope that are sung with the world weary tinge of alt-rock and whiskey. With each performance, David blends the energy and politics of punk rock with the storytelling and lyricism of American roots music.
Together, Sioux and David offer support on each other's solo material, and present a batch of new songs co-written especially for this project. Their music reflects the realities of everyday life in Canada - highlighting 'the regular' in an extraordinary way. It also talks a lot about trains and boats.
While they are extraordinarily different musicians, their unique styles compliment each other, both picking up where the other leaves off. You'll find their common ground to be both eclectic and coherent, and most of all, realistic and reminiscent of home.
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