Sirens Luring Fans, a Career
March 27, 1998
The Sirens of Greek mythology were part birds/part women who lured unsuspecting sailors to watery deaths on a rocky, coast with their irresistible songs.
The Sirens of our city in the here and now are a trio of female songbirds seeking to attract a larger audience for their sweet sounds.
The goal is to work toward a quantity of quality gigs,
said member Donna Creighton. The dream is to make a darn good living at what we’re doing. Rich and famous would be the icing on the cake.
Rich and famous, the Sirens are not. They are barely known, in fact. But if determination and hard work can change that, then watch out.
Creighton, Nora Galloway and Jo Ann Lawton aren’t going to sit around and wait for Lady Luck. We have our hopes and our dreams, but we also have concrete plans,
said Creighton. We’re determined to make things happen.
One way they do that is to organize concerts featuring more established artists so the Sirens can open. Perhaps their best act of self-actualization has been the CD they released last year. It was their first recording and a do-it-yourself project from the start. The CD cost $6,000 for 1,000 copies, including studio work and press run. The trio went into the studio in September and by the end of December had sold enough copies at $20 apiece at concerts, Dr. Disc and HMV Galleria to recover their costs.
Timing and Expense
We talked about doing a CD, but Nora and I were very hesitant,
said Lawton. It seemed like a daunting task. We questioned the timing and expense. We wondered if we were ready for it, but Donna jumped and we jumped with her.
Creighton used a line of bank credit to finance the project.
She just took charge,
said Galloway. I’ve been a singer for 20 years and I’m confident about performing, but I’ve always hated the business side of things. Donna doesn’t.
Creighton said she developed her business sense while managing Over the Wall Theatre, a young people’s troupe, for three years. I learned how to start a project from scratch, to cold call for money and support, to operate on a shoestring, to negotiate contracts, to promote things and find venues for performances.
Creighton was a high school teacher in Aylmer when she decided she’d be better off in music. Her mother was a music teacher and Donna grew up in a house so strewn with instruments that they seemed like toys. She wrote music conservatory exams and studied English and in university.
Galloway also studied English and drama after being force fed
piano lessons as a child and teenager.
I was into both theatre and music, but the music part was stronger. I was a better singer than an actress.
While working for the Stratford Youth Theatre, Galloway met a member of Prairie Wing, a country band that was looking for a lead singer.
A Real Job
It was a chance meeting in a laundromat. I asked for an audition and ended up on the road, playing every kind of place in every small town you can name. I quit university to join the band and my parents gave me the silent treatment when I told them. My mother told me to get a real job.
Galloway sang country, rockabilly and bluegrass for a decade before leaving to form the Nora Galloway Band.
Sirens dates back to 1993, when Lawton was booked to perform at the Home County Folk Festival.
I was terrified,
she said. I knew Nora and I asked her to sing harmony for me. I was delighted and relieved when she did.
In 1996, Creighton was working on improving her vocals and guitar skills and was, itching to play with others.
I contacted Ken Palmer (Home County’s artistic director) and he put me in touch with Nora and Jo-Ann.
This third voice came in and fit perfectly.
said Galloway. After that we were a group.
A friend dubbed them the Sirens.
Although Galloway has more practical experience in music and Creighton more formal training, Lawton is the principal songwriter. We’re all writing songs now, but Jo-Ann has a special knack for it,
said Creighton.
Lyric writing is a reflection of Lawton’s lifelong interest in poetry. I studied fine arts at Fanshawe College, but I’ve always found just as much power in words as in visual images.
Lawton loves traditional jazz and swing singers. Nora and Donna love Joni Mitchell and I just don’t get it,
she said. But we’ve been able to find common ground.