Small children attack Serena Ryder!
WILLIAM O’DONNELL VOLUNTEER STAFF
I knew before I went that I was going to enjoy Serena Ryder’s show on Jan. 25. Call me Captain Bias, but I’ve seen her numerous times in performance and I wagered that her form would not dwindle on this particular night. What I didn’t know was that my interview with the singer/songwriter would turn into the two of us defending the West End Cultural Centre from an onslaught of small children.
It started when we stepped outside for a moment together and noticed some children fiddling with the devices on her rental truck, which contained her band’s musical gear. Despite our watchful glares, they continued without concern. Ryder suggested we “interview” them, which seemed like a harmless bit of fun at the time. This was true for the first part, as their little eyes lit up with visions of television stardom (despite my holding a tape recorder and not a camera of any sort). Ryder and I playfully chatted with the children until they became more abrasive. When we returned to the WECC, the children followed, jabbering on about Serena’s coats and whether they could join us inside. Before we knew what was happening they were forcibly pulling open the door and attempting to run inside. Small as they were, we were able to gently stop them.
Then, like something out of Lord of the Flies, more turned the corner and joined the attack. Words were no longer useful as Ryder and I attempted to pull the door shut with the rabble outside hollering and pulling against us. Like the valiant interviewer I am, I set myself outside to hold off the horde so that Ryder could close the door behind me. Little arms hit me, their heads rammed me and smoke was blown in my face (one of the kids chased Ryder’s finished cigarette and proceeded to smoke it . . . this boy is most likely no more than seven, mind you). Eventually the house manager came outside and screamed loudly enough to temporarily startle the kids and allow me to make it inside. This story would become the talk of the night, as each crew person and band member would be told about it during the sound-check. The story was later relayed to the audience by both opener Scott Nolan and Ryder’s between-song banter.
Aside from pseudo-heroics on my part, my proudest moment of the evening was having put the idea into Scott Nolan’s head to play a Tom Waits cover (Nolan is a lifelong Waits fan and organizer of the yearly Tom Waits birthday party show here in the ’Peg). He took this request as an opportunity to play Waits’ “2:19” for the first time live. Nolan provided a fine set and represented Winnipeg well.
Ryder is famous for her strong songwriting skills, but even more so for her “three-octave voice.” It would seem that no interview would be complete without mentioning this title. As Ryder puts it herself, while we joked about this reputation of hers, “Once people start writing about you the first things that they write about you kind of sticks . . . but it’s fabulous, I love it.” Indeed, there are worse labels to bear in the music industry. Ryder demonstrated the power of this voice by opening her set with a capella fanfavourite “Melancholy Blue.”
The remainder of her set concentrated mainly on material from her latest release If Your Memory Serves You Well, which was feverishly embraced by an enthralled audience. Ryder’s older material was largely performed by just her and a guitar, but a full band backed her for new material. Despite flubbing the drummer’s name at one point, the camaraderie was apparent as the band’s playing gelled well with Ryder’s. “The most important thing for me, in my music, is meeting kind-of kindred spirits . . . I would never play with anyone I didn’t adore,” Ryder told me earlier that day, and it showed through the lighthearted joking and smiles shared by everyone on stage.
During her set, Ryder offered an unrecorded original tune called “Music Soup,” which could be a sample of things to come. She informed me that “the next record will be more of a singer/songwriter record.” The future looks promising for Ryder, and not just because she is another talented youth (youth being a woman of 23 in this case.) No, that phrase is more than just a tired cliché here: Ryder’s natural talent (which has shined at every concert of hers which I’ve attended), combined with the desire to be a “global citizen” and seek influences both in and out of her native country, make certain a promising career ahead.
I look forward to seeing what she creates next. And I thank her for the tea.
