B l u e P a r a d e - A S a r a h S l e a n F a n s i t e
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Rivoli, Saturday, January 30
By Martin Crawford
The usually trendy and elitist atmosphere of the Rivoli softened its edge last Saturday evening as Sarah Harmer, Sarah Slean and Oh Susanna took over its stage. The three musicians are in the middle of an Ontario tour, and, as Slean put it, "a soul searching".
"The three of us have been sitting around Sarah's house singing West Side Story," Slean told the audience during her set.
Oh Susanna (Suzie Ungerleider) started the evening with a love song, then moved into her more comfortable niche of sober country-folkish murder ballads. She informed the crowd that she recorded her new CD with a backing band, and that it will contain some "rock and roll-type" songs.
Sarah Slean, a former U of T music student, brought the mood of the crowd into an introspective trance. Her music, unmistakably influenced by Tori Amos, was beautiful and captivating.
Slean's inter-song banter, unlike Ungerleider's, was upbeat and amusing. "I'm always moved by male cello players, especially when they get into what they're playing and they close their eyes and lean their head back. It makes me think of naughty things. Sorry, Dad!"
The highlight of the show, however, was Sarah Harmer's solo performance. I've always wondered what it would be like seeing her outside her role as singer with Kingston's Weeping Tile. Harmer, the band's songwriting force, has a talent for writing reflective songs that are both genuine and clever.
Harmer started her set with an unreleased tune called "Lode Star," but quickly moved into old Weeping Tile favorites. "CoffeeStain," a new song, is a good example of Harmer's muse in action. "I loved you and I guess I still do, everything was going good. I thought something bad would happen, then it did when you came home that night. But I'll just cross my toes, and that's the way that it goes."
It was when Harmer called up the other musicians to join her in her final song ("The Road" from Weeping Tile's Cold Snap album), that the affinity between the three musicians became truly apparent.
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