Feb. 03, 2010 - Issue #746: Spine

Faye Blais: Three’s company

Trio of singers hit the road together

When their own ventures along the music-making thoroughfare finally aligned in 2009, it didn't take long—actually, it didn't take more than one conversation—for Faye Blais, Sarah Burton and Jacquie B to recognize that a collaborative tour through Western Canada and down the coast to California was more than just a sure thing. 

Since last week Blais and Burton have been wayfaring across the country via the Canadian Via Railway, the two songstresses stopping in places like London, Ottawa and Montréal for a few stage shows and serenading passengers in the common area and back car of the train.

"It's really an interesting way to go about touring the country, but there was something about it that just felt unreal. To be honest—I think all three of us can say the same—this is one the easiest tours we've ever had to book and it's looking like one of the strongest tours any of us will have been on up until this point," explains Blais. "We thought why not turn the tour into a life experience as well as a business venture or a musical tour."

The strength of the tour lineup can be traced to the strong personalities involved, with each of the three women bringing their own personality to the stage born of their unique experiences: Blais recently moved back to Canada after living abroad in Taiwan and Australia for four years; Burton is usually found fronting the folk/country Sarah Burton Band in Toronto; and it's Edmonton's Jacquie B's first time venturing out of her typical up-front role to charm audiences with the mystique of her back-up vocals and accordion playing behind the other two.

"It's nice to a have a kind of female powerhouse show with three distinct personalities and three distinct musical styles and bringing them all together as sort of nice little bowl of cherries, I guess," says Blais. "New flavour comes into the things you've written and all of a sudden your song takes on an entirely new life, a new meaning maybe even, for those who are listening. It's a bit of an adventure for us on our own material and that's the real pleasure of it." V

Faye Blais
With Sarah Burton, Jacquie B

Thu, Feb 4 (9 pm)
Prism

Fri, Feb 5 (8 pm)
With Low Flying Planes
House concert (95A St. & Jasper Ave), $10

Sat, Feb 6 (4 pm)
Black Dog, free

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