Amelia Curran (2/10/2010)

by Amanda McCulley on February 23rd, 2010

“I can only serenade,” Amelia Curran’s relaxed vocals settled in a layer over her skilled guitar playing, “and wait my turn to burn or fade—”

It was about an hour into Curran’s set at the Green Room earlier this February, and the seventy-odd people that crowded the Montreal bar were staring, fascinated, at the unassuming brunette onstage. The Newfoundlander was one of the many Canadian artists on their way to the Cultural Olympiad. As she ordered a beer before her set, she explained to myself and a fellow fan, “This is actually my first time in Montreal…I had five days. I figured this would be more fun than going home.” The fellow fan, a bright eyed, thirty-something man promptly inquired, “What about the song, ‘Bye Bye Montreal’?” Amelia paused for a minute before admitting, “It’s about the idea of Montreal. It used to be our answer to Soho. It isn’t — not anymore.”

The track in question is the first song of the set, as well as Curran’s 2009 album Hunter Hunter. As uncommon as it is to greet a crowd with a farewell, it is even rarer for a single musician to cause a full bar to fall silent in nothing short of respectful fascination. Her subtle yet skilled guitar playing complemented her well crafted, cyclical storytelling. As she continued to play, it became clear how her last two albums, Hunter Hunter and 2006’s War Brides, have been earning her growing attention in both the Maritimes and the rest of Canada. While War Brides earned a few nominations from the East Coast Music Awards the year it was released, it was her work that went into Hunter Hunter that earned her four nominations in 2010, including Female Solo Recording of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year, Folk Recording of the Year, as well as the FACTOR Recording of the Year for the haunting track ‘The Mistress’.

‘The Mistress’ is the sort of song that floors you the first time you hear it on CBC Radio Two the same way that Amelia Curran is the sort of musician who will inspire you to go to a music store and buy your first acoustic guitar (I’m guilty of both). Think of a female, maritime conglomeration of Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. The result is something like an East Coast, laid back Ani Difranco, a little easier on the radical feminist anger, a little heavier on metaphorical narratives. Hunter Hunter itself is a well rounded, more mature version of her last album, however she is at her best when whittled down to the bare essentials. As her gig at The Green Room proved, the background vocals and fiddles that appear on the album versions of ‘Bye Bye Montreal’, ‘Mad World’, ‘Outlive Me’, and ‘Wrecking Ball” are unnecessary additions to the raw depth of her songs. ‘Last Call’, the last track on the album and of the night, is the best of unadorned apologies:

Midnight is marked by a broken down choir/ and the red faced prophets are claiming their fame/ but I don’t remember their name/ Morning comes like a broken winged bird/ as though daylight delivers a miracle cure/ And here in the pink of a dangerous day, forgive me…

On stage, Curran even jokes about her brooding writing style, at one point asking the crowd, “Do you guys want sad, or metaphorical and weird?” Feast on the labours of your mind, before you go hungry, before you go blind…Her metaphor-ridden, introspective lyrics would be offset by her stage banter, “I was going to suggest you guys play a drinking game,” she playfully pointed out “I’ve never been a religious person, but I went to Catholic Schools. I had nuns for teachers, until grade twelve. Where we had MEN for teachers! You guys can drink whenever I use religious symbolism,” before launching into one of War Brides‘ highlights, ‘Devils’. About a minute and a half into the song, two people sitting near the front ran out of drinks. They joked, exaggerating their swigs, causing everyone at the Green Room, including Amelia, to laugh. “Wow,” Amelia stated, “I’ve never written such funny songs before.”

Amelia was holding her palm to her head as people started leaving the venue. On my way out, I asked if she had a headache, “That’s my ‘I’m overwhelmed’ expression,” she admitted, as a lineup of people grew to talk to her. The dark bars in Montreal see their share of musicians, but few are able to convert a crowd full of this city’s hipsters into fans. At one point during her set, a tall young man jumped from his seat, ran to the merch table, and grabbed a copy of her CD. This rarely happens to the touring acts that crowd this city, let alone someone who dropped out of university to busk on the streets of St. John’s. Canadian music has so much more to offer than cringe-worthy opening ceremony lip syncing fiascos. If it is, in fact, time for a reprise to our answer to Soho, Amelia Curran is one of the songsmiths worth listening to.

Amanda McCulley

Myspace