B.C. songbirds flock together for tour
With their aptitude as singer-songwriters, it’s hard not to compare B.C. “birds” Elaine Ryan, Aspen Switzer and Genevieve Rainey to a certain band of “chicks.”
But before you go all Gloria Steinem on this writer about anti-feminist words, the reference is actually to The Dixie Chicks, as like that group, the women, who call themselves For the Birds, are multi-instrumentalists known for their clear-cut voices and candor on stage.
And they are all about to perform in concert at Friesen’s Countrytyme Gardens Sunday.
The women, who with Kelowna’s Kim McMechan, all met at the Lilith Fair talent search in Vancouver last Canada Day.
An online songwriting contest geared towards drumming up new talent for Sarah McLachlan’s 2010 Lilith tour, the contest saw all four women place in the top six.
“I remember jotting down Kim’s name, and thinking these are women doing the same thing as what I am doing,” said Rainey, who is originally from Markham, Ont. but has lived in B.C. the past 13 years and is now based in Vancouver.
It was Ryan, who spends her time between Hawaii and Vancouver, who got in touch with the women with the possibility of performing together.
“She said ‘let’s do this’ so we all got together for a tour last fall, calling it the Lilith Fair Almost There tour,” said Rainey.
Their first stop was in Kelowna to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Resource Centre.
It was while Ryan, Switzer and Rainey were planning this current tour (McMechan has taken time off to study photography, but is joining them for some of their shows in the Okanagan-Shuswap) that one of them came up with the name For The Birds, which is actually a reference to British hip hop band The Streets.
“There’s a line from one of their songs: ‘around ‘ere we say birds, not bitches,’” said Rainey, who coincidently has a half sleeve of tattoos on her arm that feature... birds. “It sort of stuck.”
All guitarists, Ryan plays the ukulele, while Switzer plays banjo, and Rainey is learning the harmonica. And although they perform “in the round” for most of their live shows, the women are known to create harmonious chemistry while singing together.
In fact, they have been known to occasionally perform Stevie Nick’s Landslide, which was popularly covered by none other than The Dixie Chicks, for an encore.
“We are really picky about how it sounds. I’d say it’s definitely more Dixie Chicks, but with our own touch added,” said Rainey. “We all like to improvise vocally, but we are all perfectionists so sometimes it can fall flat or it can go well, depending on who you ask.”
Individually, each woman has made a name for herself in her own right.
“All of us have had recording projects the last couple of years, and we’ve all been busy promoting and writing music,” said Rainey.
A runner up in the 10th annual Canadian Music Week national songwriting contest, Rainey says she writes songs like a cowgirl lassoes a wayward calf –– you can almost hear her chasing an idea around the muddy corral of thought, wrapping her mind around its legs and dragging it home for dinner.
Ryan has also won songwriting contests, and made waves with her debut full-length album, Songs from the River, released last May.
She recently recorded a new single this year with Grammy-Award winning engineer Dave Russel, and shared the stage with Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers. She also had her song, Dream of Peace, featured on a charity compilation album in support of Martin Luther King’s legacy.
Switzer is a Nelson-based singer-songwriter whose second album, Humble but Bearing No Apology, won best Folk/Traditional Recording of the Year and best Roots/Word Recording of the Year at the 2009 B.C. Interior Music Awards.
Since releasing her debut CD in 2006, she has performed for audiences from Victoria to Charlottetown, playing diverse venues, Fringe and music festivals, including Salmon Arm’s Roots and Blues.
With their current tour taking them from Vancouver’s Railway Club to cities and towns throughout Alberta, the girls say they are looking forward to returning to the B.C. Interior.
“We have played some interesting places, some of which will be going down in the history books,” said Rainey. “We may have to write a book about our experiences.”
Their concert here is also a first for Friesen’s Countrytyme Gardens, known as a popular brunch/lunch spot in Coldstream. Opening for For The Birds will be local siblings Jayme and Peter McKillop.
For The Birds perform at Friesen’s Countrytyme Gardens, 9172 Kalamalka Rd., Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at Friesen’s and the Bean Scene. Call 250-549-3587 for more information.
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