Review from Home County Folk Festival
July 19, 1999
Last summer they played the Open Stage at the Home County Folk Festival; this summer, they opened the show. In less than two years, the Sirens — Donna Creighton, Nora Galloway, and Jo-Ann Lawton — have established themselves locally, and the sound of their voices should carry them much further. They share with their mythic namesakes not only breathtaking vocals, but also, a composition of disparate parts: in this case, folk, celtic, country, chanty, pop, and swing. Music must be heard to be appreciated, of course, but if you’ve not yet heard them, imagine a whirlpool mix of Dixie Chicks, Indigo Girls, the Andrews Sisters, and, occasionally, the Marx Brothers.
At Home County, they principally performed songs from their self-titled debut album. These included the signature Lure of Lorelai, the swingy I Want My Heart Back and the moving Anachy. Jo-Ann Lawton proves the power and maturity of her craft with A Sailor’s Wife, an original which sounds like something the forsaken women of forgotten villages have been singing for generations.
They also included newer works, not all intended to be described as mature. I Wish I Were Ghandi, which examines the degree of love humans typically feel towards things that crawl and sting and buzz, has obviously become a crowd favourite. The song highlights not only enchanting vocal talent, but also theatrical stage presence. Nora Galloway affects ridiculous accents during the singing; Donna Creighton hams it up with hand gestures and facial contortions.
The history of that song shows the groups’ chemistry at work. I wish I were Ghandi, but I’m not was a statement Galloway made before squishing an insect. She told this tale to her fellow Sirens, and they had soon joked their way into a song, even humouring Creighton’s whim to work entymology into the lyrics.
As the song requires, they pick up guitars, recorders, dulcimer, and bodhran. Added to the women’s own musical talents, were the bass accompaniments of David Zdriluk, who also produced their CD.
Each time I have heard the Sirens, I’ve been impressed by the range of people their concerts draw. Not everyone will like their music, but a diverse crowd clearly does. My parents, who will be celebrating their forty-fifth anniversary this summer, enjoy the band, but I have also heard the CD played in the halls of Central Secondary School.
When I attended a recent rehearsal, I was struck by the comradery of the group, and the seeming ease with which they achieve vocal harmony. Sitting casually on Galloway’s back porch, they would jump from conversation and note-taking to performance — and distinctive voices would blend and move and wave together. As they range out of London, playing Summerfolk in Georgian Bay, and booking gigs in the Maritimes, the Sirens will undoubtedly etch a place on the map of contemporary Canadian music.
Nora Galloway, discussing the band’s eclectic sound, once said they write songs for friends
. I recommend you attend an upcoming concert; you may find yourself a friend of Sirens.