Fresh
& Familiar
PHOTO : CRYSTAL SKRUPSKI
have to come together ,” he says of what made for such a successful partnership . “ There ’ s just so much to consider . There ’ s the musical personality – is it a comfortable fit ? And then there ’ s the timbre of the voices . With Jackie , her timbre is actually really similar to mine . You ’ ve got a black lady and a Jewish man kind of meeting each other in the middle with this timbre ( laughs ) and it ended up having this very romantic energy and sound to it , but we had to try that to know . It might have looked different on paper .”
The track is arguably the one which best captures Barnes ’ desired sonic aesthetic , and that ’ s a credit to both vocalists and how they play off of one another . “ I just don ’ t believe in rushing harmonies or arrangements ; I believe in sounding it out first , and making sure the voices are reflecting the emotional world of the material ,” he offers , and in the case of “ New York Story ,” that ’ s simply undeniable .
In 2018 , Barnes plans to go from small New York clubs to glitzy strip showrooms in an effort to capture the horn-heavy big band sound of vintage Las Vegas . Considering how successful he was at injecting the spirit of a city into his current collection , the next should have you feeling like you ’ ve just caught aces at The Sands .
Fresh
& Familiar
Through a bright and buoyant take on folk with a 1940s flare , Rosie & the Riveters have quickly established themselves as a new and noteworthy staple of the Canadian folk music landscape .
The group ’ s 2015 debut album , Good Clean Fun !, is just that , and earned them some impressive achievements and acclaim . Its follow-up , though , finds the trio maintaining the vintage Andrews Sistersinspired sounds and fun fashions while pushing into weightier lyrical territory .
As the name implies , inspired by World War II-era fictional feminist icon Rosie the Riveter , the band and brand were always a vehicle to celebrate , inspire , and empower women ; subsequently , on the soon-to-be-released sophomore effort , Ms . Behave , Rosie & the Riveters couldn ’ t help but take on some of the issues plaguing a healthy social discourse in 2018 .
“ These are issues that compelled us to write songs because they ’ re things that still need to be discussed ,” shares Alexis Normand , one-third of the group alongside Allyson Reigh and Farideh Olsen .
Rosie & the Riveters
“ There ’ s still progress to be made , and maybe that ’ s the role of this record – like , ‘ We ’ re not quite there yet as a society , so there ’ s still room for this kind of dialogue .” Cuts like the title track embody a direct and unapologetic take on modern feminism while others are more playful and lighthearted in their delivery while still making similar points . “ Ask a Man ,” for example , is a sarcastic dismissal of mansplaining while “ Gotta Get Paid ” cleverly tackles the wage gap , both wrapped in the ladies ’ signature upbeat arrangements and throwback three-part harmonies .
Perhaps the most powerful and timely offering , though , is the closing number , “ I Believe You ,” which strips back the shtick and elaborate harmonies in favour of a simpler , more straightforward vocal approach that puts the focus right where it needs to be : on the words being sung .
The songs on Good Clean Fun !, Normand explains , were typically penned by a single member and then brought to the group to be properly “ riveted .” This time , though , the members were more collaborative , and even brought guest writers like Matthew Barber and Royal Wood into the fold .
“ There was certainly an evolution ,” Normand shares . “ There ’ s much more trust between us , which means we can be more vulnerable with each other , and creating is a truly vulnerable activity .”
That approach is certainly what propelled both the music and lyrics to new places , and Ms . Behave is all the better for it . When it comes to arranging parts for the three singers , Normand says there are no set roles – it all depends on what best serves the song . “ We kind of go at it naturally first , and then I ’ ll go through and make sure the notes are accounted for and nobody ’ s doubled up ,” she says , drawing from her background in music theory . “ I took a lot of counterpoint in university , so there are these old-school rules where your vocal parts stay in the same general range . That can help us keep our parts straight , because we ’ re always switching it up . It ’ s not always one person on the soprano parts , for example . Like the leads , it switches every song .”
With songs being built from the ground up , she notes that choosing who takes the lead vocal part is typically left to who ’ s most touched or compelled by the music or subject matter . “ It ’ s about which song speaks to whom the most ,” she says . “ We never really fight about it ; we ’ re naturally drawn to different songs and go from there , but there was definitely more
40 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN