Three Little Birds

Three Little Birds – three local singer-songwriters: Angela Schleihauf, Erin Saoirse Adair and Amelia Leclair. Together they sing delightfully, fresh as the morning dew, luminous as the brightest day of June – a bit like the Marley classic of the same name. On their Dean Watson co-produced, self-titled debut (he did Andrea Simms-Karp’s Hibernation Nation, amongst others), the ladies perfect their own blend of Manouche-like ditties (Misery) knotted with reggae variations (Oil and Water), country-like storytelling (Uranium Mining) and folk aesthetics (the wonderful We Are an Ocean). The arrangements are astonishingly rich, bursting with Schleihauf’s oboe, Leclair’s cajon and English horn and Adair’s pianorgan and violin, taking unexpected detours, putting to the forefront their magnificent three-part harmonies. Had Marley been alive, he would have approved. - Ottawa XPress

Three Little Birds CD Release Concert
With: Django Libre and special guests
When & where: 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Mercury Lounge, 56 ByWard Market
Tickets: $10 at the door

Their name, Three Little Birds, is the title of a Bob Marley song, but it also conjures images of frail and helpless creatures.

That’s not how I’d describe these Three Little Birds. The Ottawa folk trio makes music that’s characterized by pretty female voices and gentle acoustic instruments, but lullabies and love songs are not their thing. Instead, the sweet harmonies of Angela Schleihauf, Amelia Leclair and Erin Saoirse Adair embrace messages that hit hard.

On their self-titled debut album, to be released this month, the Birds speak out against injustice with songs that address human rights, environmental issues, consumerism and sexual abuse. During an interview with the three members in the Centretown apartment where two of them live, they explain what fuels their fire. The disc will be at Compact Music (both locations), Vertigo Records, CD Warehouse and will be available online at threelittlebirdstheband.com starting Saturday.

“I guess it’s just rage at the state of the world,” begins Adair, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

“Some things come from personal experiences,” adds Schleihauf, 24, a university music student and community activist, “and some things come from working with a lot of human rights organizations and learning about issues.”

Leclair, 25, who has studied percussion in Brazil, relates the example of Oil and Water, a reggae-tinged number that informs the oil companies “we hold you accountable for your actions.”

“That was inspired by the BP oil spill,” she says, her hair in dreadlocks. “I was reading a lot about it in the news. We all were. We had a practice one day and we were all really upset, outraged, and so we decided to write a song about it.”

The meaty songs are also a reaction to the portrayal of women in mainstream pop culture. These young women grew up with female pop idols that ranged from the Spice Girls and Britney Spears to Sinead O’Connor.

“For us, writing songs is a form of protest,” says Adair, “not being afraid to say f--- you, especially as women.”

“The depiction of women is over-sexualized, objectified,” says Schleihauf, “so I think it’s really important that all of our songs are about something meaningful so we’re not objectifying ourselves.”

Floating over many of these fearless lyrics is the mysterious sound of the oboe, an instrument that seems to underscore each song’s sense of urgency. A notoriously difficult instrument to learn, it’s supplied by Schleihauf, who barely knew what an oboe was when she auditioned for a spot in Canterbury High School’s acclaimed music program.

Although she was a pianist with many years of lessons behind her, Schleihauf switched to flute a couple of months before the audition because Canterbury didn’t offer a piano program and she had her heart set on attending the arts-friendly high school.

“They said they’d accept me if I switched to oboe, french horn or bassoon. I didn’t even know what those instruments were, but my aunt had an oboe so that’s why I picked it,” says Schleihauf, now studying the instrument in university. “I find it’s very expressive. Once you learn how to play, you can really control all of the things about the sound. You can change colour, bend pitches, control vibrato. In some ways, it’s like singing.”

With Leclair on percussion and Adair on various stringed instruments, oboe rounds out the band and helps create a unique sound. What’s more, all three women write songs. When they first got together to practice a little over two years ago, they were able to build a repertoire of each other’s songs, although it didn’t take long before they were writing new songs together.

Thanks to a grant from the Ontario Arts Council as well as support from private donors and a fund-raising concert, the CD was reco - Ottawa Citizen

Intro and Interview by Tony Martins / Photos by Jonathan Lorange

Even before I’d met any of them or heard a note of their music, I was strangely drawn to the Three Little Birds. It probably had to do with the subtle complexity of the group’s name. For me it has a modesty to it—the “little” part—but it also puts forth a musical confidence. Even the tiniest of birds can sign with strident voices.


With worldly and socially conscious lyrics sung in harmonies that are becoming the envy of the Ottawa scene, Three Little Birds are a synergy of musical influences. Songs on their debut, self-titled album feature everything from Balkan-style harmonies, to reggae beats, countryfied melodies, and Tin-Pan era arrangements.


Erin Saoirse Adair has folk leanings, Amelia Leclair studied Latin music in Brazil, and Angela Schleihauf is completing a degree in oboe performance at the University of Ottawa. Though technically adept, the Birds tend to keep their instrumentation simple so that each song’s message rings clear. Songs on the new album touch on issues including consumer greed, uranium mining, apartheid, societal oil addiction, and sexual abuse. But the record is not all doom and gloom; there’s a healthy dose of love and longing in the mix—something that seems only right when birds are singing.


Though they’ve been harmonizing for less than two years, Three Little Birds have been heard. The trio received a Popular Music Grant from the Ontario Arts Council for the debut album, which is due for release in 2012.


Because these three singer-songwriters overlap vocally when performing, I reckoned that a group conversation would be the best way to capture some of the Three Little Birds vibe. We hooked up on Facebook and it went something like this …



Tony Martins

cheep, cheep, cheep ... hello, 3 little birds

Amelia Leclair

Hey Tony!

Angela Schleihauf

hello!

Erin Saoirse Adair

hello!!

Tony

thanks for all being here … one of the main ideas driving my interest in you guys and the photo shoot is "harmony" ... that's sorta why I wanted you all to be able to talk at once in this chat session … so feel free to blurt out responses whenever you feel like it

Erin

harmony is a very important thing

Tony

great, so question #1 is about how your own harmony developed ... what is the brief history of how you came together? when, how?

Amelia

We started playing together in February 2010, almost 2 years ago

Angela

All of us knew each other from previous jam groups

But Erin was on the search for two other women to make a "girl band with her" which I think she originally wanted to be a Beatles cover band

Erin

well more than two

Tony

The Beatlettes?

Amelia

hahahha!

Erin

yeah I was trying to find the ringo, george and paul to my John

Angela

that part of the plan wasn't revealed to us until about 6 months into the group—by which point we had already become a totally different group

Tony

Well, there are some parallels there ... because you guys are all songwriters, as were the Beatles ... save Ringo

Erin

Ringo wrote octopus's garden









Tony

Oh, yeah. Must be nice to collaborate on writing, not just the playing

Amelia

yeah, that is probably one of the most fun parts of this project for me

Erin

definitely

Tony

your bios emphasize the different backgrounds ... what are the common grounds?

Angela

we like music

Erin

we are women

Amelia

yes! and we all have similar values

Angela

we think it's important to talk about things that matter (politically or personally)

Erin

well we're all extremely critical

not in a negative way

but we feel that music is a good tool to mobilize peoples' awareness

Tony

how have audiences reacted to your social consciousness approach?

Angela

quite positively. i always expect someone to be really pissed off after we finish singing, but that hasn't happened yet — probably because of our audiences

Tony

well, you have a band manager and a new album ... how much desire/ambition is there for the birds to fly far and wide and reach more people?

Erin

A LOT of desire. We are all extremely ambitious --- another trait we all share

Amelia

i think we all really want to take this project as far as it can go

Tony

Let's talk about the album ... where did you record? did you have a producer?

Amelia

we recorded in Gallery Studios with Dean Watson

Erin

its produced by us and Dean








Tony

how did you go about selecting songs?

Erin

if they are meaningful in some way, and if the meaning fits with the overall message of the album.

and obviously we're not going to put some of the crappy songs that we've written on there

Tony

how many crappy songs have you written?

Angela

ha ha ha

Amelia

hahahaha! every songwriter has a crappy song or two in their repertoire

Erin

about a hundred

Amelia

hey!

Erin

(for me its about a hundred)

Tony

Do an album of them called Three Little Bird Droppings

Amelia

speak for yourself hahaha

Erin

you're perfect, Amelia

:D

Tony

Oh ho! Are the Three Little Birds getting a bit catty?

Amelia

no. we are getting "birdie"

Angela

well those [crappy songs] usually don't go too far outside our notebooks, but we communally wrote one about butts that we scrapped

Erin

(SSHHHH ANGELA!)

Amelia

Haaaaaa!!!

Erin

and of course the Unconditional Love song

Amelia

i forgot about that one!!

Erin

which is the worst, and most cheesy song of all time

Tony

Haha ... men's or women's butts?

Erin

we hadn't gotten to that decision yet

Tony

So the Butt Song is still in development!

Amelia

we were making fun of all of the oversexed songs that are popular these days, most of them objectifying women

so we wanted to write a spoof song about objectifying men ... so i guess it was about men's butts.

Tony

most men are open to being objectified

Erin

that’s the problem.

Tony

I think you should definitely do the butt song

Angela

nah—men are already objectified all the time. there hasn't been a drive for them to take a look at the pressures the media puts on them the way women have done through feminist consciousness

Erin

that’s true angela, well said

Tony

what do you like about men's butts? Objectively speaking

Erin

ok this is getting weird...

Amelia

hahah!

you'll have to wait and hear the song, Tony








Tony

ok, change of subject ... vocal harmonies!

how do you create them? lots of practice?

Angela

it really depends—sometimes it's an individual project that gets brought to the band and we sort out harmonies and instruments around it … mostly through jamming

Tony

How do you describe/define your music? so many styles and vibes involved

Erin

Miscellaneous Folk.

Erin

exactly. its hard to pin-point exactly

Tony

you're creating your own genre

Angela

I always mentioned the vocal harmonies when i describe it

Erin

it is a amalgamation of many genres, and musical classifications. You could say its a "harmony"

Tony

to what extent is Three Little Birds a product of the Ottawa music scene?

Angela

living in Ottawa tends to hone your political view a fair amount, so I think that has influenced us a fair amount.

Erin

we have a lot of musician friends, so going to shows and listening to artists such as Claude Munson or being around musicians such as Megan Jerome and The Peptides really influences our sound

Amelia

I love the music scene in Ottawa … I think we have a pretty incredible network of grassroots artists here

Tony

I'm a Toronto boy myself ... but there's something homey about Ottawa that keeps me here

Amelia

I'm originally from Toronto. I moved here 2 years ago (a few months before we started TLB), but I feel like I've been here forever! I love Toronto, don't get me wrong. And there's a great music scene there as well. I still collaborate with Toronto artists, but there is a real feeling of community and solidarity between artists here that I haven't felt to the same extent in Toronto

Erin

well I need to go to class

so thank you Tony for this amazingly fun interview

and I will talk to all of you guys soon!

lates.

Tony

Thank YOU, Erin

Amelia

Later, girl! Have fun in class :P:P

Angela

enjoy it!

Erin

thanks, I will








Tony

Before we wrap it up, any world tours planned?

Amelia

we are applying to festivals right now across Canada

Tony

what would be your dream gig right now?

Angela

good question — I have a couple festivals that are close to my heart that I would really like to play: Shelter Valley Folk Festival, and Blue Skies, as well as playing at Bread and Puppet Theatre in Vermont.

Tony

Anything else about Three Little Birds that the world needs to know?

Amelia

(thinking about it)

Tony

(waiting patiently)

Angela

Look out for our CD and new material!

There's so much, its hard to boil it down into a statement

Tony

How about "We are going to change the world with an innovative blend of awesome musicality and poetic, thought-provoking lyrics!"?

Angela

That sounds pretty good—here's a jingle for it: We can change the world together for the better!

hahahaha

Tony

Hells ya!

Angela

oh my, so much cheese, but I do believe it!

Tony

Thanks for taking the time to this, Three (now two) Little Birds!

Amelia

Thank YOU Tony!

Angela

Thanks Tony! This has been great!



Listen to Three Little Birds on their myspace page.

Jonathan Lorange is an Ottawa-based photographer. View his work at www.lorange.ca. - Guerilla Magazine

Indie-folk concert: The Three Little Birds
with Opening act: Claude Munson
Alliance Française Gallery
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
Show starts at 6:00 pm (that's not a typo)
Free admission

Meet at 5:45 pm in the lobby of Alliance Française. After the show, we can go for food or drink (as you wish) at a nearby establishment on Bank or Elgin Street.

Note: The songs are in English.

Information from Alliance Française website:
http://www.af.ca/otta...

"About the concert

"We invite you to discover the band Three Little Birds composed of three promising young women: Erin Saoirse Adair (voices, guitar, violin, and harmonica), Amelia Leclair (voices, percussions, and guitar) and Angela Scleihauf (voices and oboe).

"Discovered during one of our slam evenings, they gave a mini-concert last June at the Alliance Française. Their original and refreshing compositions enchanted the audience.

"Thanks to their strong texts served by emotional voices and communicative energy, you will be delighted to travel in the folk musical world of these 3 poets. Three Little Birds, talents to discover and to follow up!

"Discover their universe on: http://www.myspace.co...


Three Little Birds welcome in first part of their concert: Claude Munson. Claude Munson is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose music blends blues and folk traditions with neo-folk. An original voice, deep poetic lyrics, and chord progressions that will calm your heart, his repertoire has the potential of becoming the soundtrack of your life. You can discover Claude Munson on: http://www.myspace.co...

--


"About the artists

"Three Little Birds are a rabble-rousing musical alliance who, in their infectious melodies reflect the honest humanity of their audiences. They are a caravan of poetesses carrying a dozen instruments, many dialects, and incantations of wise origin. Hailing from Ottawa, they disseminate their rhythms in various corners of the world, sharing captivating vocal harmonies over adept acoustic instrumentation. Bringing together three songwriters/vocalists/multi-instrumentalists, Three Little Birds is an innovative project and a nascent idea. These women, bards defiant of genres, are: Erin Saoirse Adair, classical pianist and poet; Amelia Leclair, world-wandering songstress and student of Brazilian rhythms; Angela Schleihauf, community activist and adventurous oboist."
- Ottawa Cultural-Social

At the Mercury Lounge Nov. 2010
Friday, November 19
Mercury Lounge
Three beautiful young women.
Below the glitter ball which fills the room with shattered glass as people sit with their glasses of beer to hear this trio from Ottawa.
The crowd is small because it’s an early show for a Friday in this sleepy capitol town. The Mercury Lounge presents some of the top acts in the world and if you’re looking to be entertained by live musicians holding real live instruments the Mercury Lounge always has an eclectic blend of world renown stars, that are carefully hand picked by this very astute and musically savvy staff.
So we wait with anticipation.
There are wonderful martinis for those who choose to roam the three floors of this pleasure jewell set in the heart of Ottawa’s Byward Market. Come one come all … tonight is the night to play and here they come … Three Little Birds we can all prey on them for a while.
I see a mixed blend of audience members as we settle in to listen to these three song birds. They are on stage now, Erin Sacires Adair on guitar, Angela Schisihauf on oboe, Amelia Leclair, tambourine and kit drum, they all share and harmonize like angels on acappella like vocals.
“You drift away but baby don’t back down. Ahhh, Ahhh, Ahhh!!!”
How beautiful, how charming, how graceful how peaceful, how lovely.
These Three Little Birds sing in perfect harmony:

“We are Three Little Birds and we are going to play some songs for you”

Songs:
Mining disasters and to the people who keep our air and water clean:
“I need air, please take care.”

And Three little Birds do
no devilry energy here
let’s listen in sovereignty …
“Let’s find a way to live responsibly.”

Then they cover “Train Song” by Vastee Bunyoun(?)
“Many hundred miles and it won’t be long.”

Eyes closed in concentration…
fingers plucking out the rhythm
beaten out on a wooden box
“It’s 90 hundred miles
and it won’t be long…”

to the Israeli Apartheid
they don’t think it’s very nice!
Wow!
Excellent!
Whoa!
Then cover “I’ll Fly Away”
from “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?”
and
“We Are an Ocean,”
Amelia Leclair
takes the guitar
and quietly grabs my heart.
“Dirty Old Man” closes out the set and this dirty old man says go today and see this amazing trio
Three Little Birds are fantastic!!!
Get some today and leave that stoopid shotgun at home will ya please???
They’ve flown this coop
to calls for more from the full house
but you follow them now
wherever thy may fly! - Hyepewrite's Blog

This is the party for OPIRG Week - Tools for Change. It features music by the local and amazing folk/pop band Three Little Birds and the Revolutionary hip-hop of Testament from London, Ontario. It is also a fund raiser for Ottawa Movement Defense. Come out and show some love for OPIRG, Three Little Birds, Testament and Ottawa Movement Defense! - Ottawa Independent Media Centre