Trio arrives here next week

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

One of the tests of musicianship is how well a band plays live. By this standard – and many others – the Jessica Stuart Few are a very talented trio. Readers would do well to check out one (or more) of their shows when they come to British Columbia next week.

Headed by local-girl-made-good Jessica Stuart (guitar/koto/vocals), Toronto-based JSF also features Dan Fortin (double bass) and Tony Nesbitt-Larking (drums/vocals). They are touring with their second CD, called Two Sides to Every Story, which was released earlier this year. Their first CD, Kid Dream, came out in 2010. Both have received accolades.

In between the two recordings, the band played some 200 shows, solidifying its sound, Stuart told the Independent about how the experience of producing Kid Dream differed from that of Two Sides. Therefore, they “headed into the studio with confidence and recorded all of the instruments live-off-the-floor, simulating a live performance situation,” she said. “This really made for a crazy cohesion between us and, since we had been playing so much, we felt comfortable taking the kinds of improvisational chances we would on stage, so the result was kind of magical.

“One of the big differences between Two Sides to Every Story and Kid Dream,” she added, “is that we recorded 16 songs for Two Sides, and chose the most cohesive, vibe-filled 10 tracks for the final cut, kind of like the ‘best of’ of the moment, whereas with Kid Dream we recorded 12 and I was attached to releasing almost all, no matter what. I will likely stick to the Two Sides method for the next release.”

Stuart is the daughter of musician Wendy Bross Stuart and Ron Stuart, whose WRS Productions have produced numerous local events.

“There was always music around from before I can remember!” said Stuart. “I took violin lessons from age 3, piano from age 5, and was singing and dancing well before that with my older sister and mother.... We’d do performances at the Louis Brier Home, among others, from very early on in my life. I was involved with sports a lot as well as music, and also had my share of dance lessons, and later was involved with theatre. I imagined myself going into music as a career from early on, but changed my life plan a few times when I was excelling at math. In the end, I took a few detours into business, language, etc., but ended up very happily in music.”

Attracted by Toronto’s “incredibly vibrant and varied arts scene,” Stuart said she headed to the city to pursue music in 2007, and began her professional music career there the following year.

When asked if it took long for her to find her own style, she said, “I think the bottom line here is that my musical voice is authentic to me – not at all a put on. I have a huge amount of disparate musical influences – from world musics, classical and musical theatre from my mother’s influence, the pop music of my childhood, to rock music, soul, hip-hop and jazz, which I was attracted to of my own accord, so, naturally, my musical voice takes some influence from many of these genres, but as a new homogenous thing of its own.

“I do think I went through a slight transition musically after moving to Toronto,” she acknowledged. “I was enamored by the jazz scene, resulting in a jazzy first release for the Jessica Stuart Few with Kid Dream. Since then (and hundreds of performances later), my writing has settled a bit, and the Jessica Stuart Few is undeniably a ‘folk-jazz power trio,’ basically songs you can sing and tap toes along to, that takes musical/rhythmic chances like jazz, all delivered with the energy and spirit of rock music. I only play material I like in this group, so I have no nerves or reservations about it, whether it conforms to the popular indie sounds of the moment or not. I think the key is to only put out things you are proud of, then you can stand behind it no matter what, criticism or no.”

The trio play all their own music, with a notable exception. They do a cover of the Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain,” in which Stuart, vocally and on her koto (Japanese harp-like instrument), features prominently. The song appears on Two Sides.

“My arrangement of that song was just meant to be a one-off for a performance a few years back,” she shared. “But it was so well received by both audiences and my bandmates that we kept playing it, and I decided that it should be included on the new album even though several of my originals didn’t make the album’s final cut. I think playing a cover song on the koto gives listeners a chance to really hear what the instrument is all about on a familiar canvas, so I’m happy we included it.”

JSF’s Two Sides launch tour has taken them to many places across Canada, and will take them to many more after their B.C. dates. About how she and the band keep the performances fresh when performing so many nights in a row, Stuart said, “We all love playing the music, and have huge respect for one another as players, so it doesn’t get old for us. Also, although the structure of the songs stays mostly the same from show to show, we fool around musically on stage, so we switch up feels and our approach to each song based on what each other is doing, the audience and the situation we’re in.”

Once the Canadian tour is complete, the band heads to Japan.

“When my parents told me that we would be spending a year in Japan when I was in elementary school, I wasn’t excited or particularly pleased at the thought of leaving my home, but, in fact, it was a totally life-changing experience for me,” explained Stuart of her connection to that country.

“Firstly, as a 10-year-old, it was a reality check about the world and how experiences that I thought were common to all kids my age were simply cultural. After returning to Canada, I experienced a lot of negativity from my peers to do with having lived in Asia, so this also affected the fabric of my personality a lot, making me comfortable behaving independently of others’ opinions.

“When I was in Japan, I studied koto, which is now a huge part of my music career, and I’ve been working towards touring Japan since the start of the Jessica Stuart Few, so this October’s tour, and our accompanying Japanese album release in September are beyond exciting!

“Funny thing about Takashi Iwasaki,” added Stuart about the artist whose original artwork appears on the Two Sides CD package. “I came to work with him through an exhibit he had at the art gallery next to my apartment in Toronto. I didn’t actually realize he was born in Japan, but we felt a strong artistic connection to each other’s work immediately, and I’m sure our shared cultural experiences have something to do with that.”

JSF’s B.C. tour dates

July 28: Beat 94.5 and New Music West present Beat Boot Camp at the Vancouver Public Library, and Jessica Stuart joins the panel on succeeding as an independent musician (songwriting, recording, tour booking, promotions, management, etc.)

Aug. 1: Vancouver’s Railway Club with Dubai, Barnaby Jones and Line Divide, 9:30 p.m., $8

Aug. 2: Music at the Cannery Concert Series (all ages), at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Steveston, 6:30 p.m., by donation

Aug. 3: Nanaimo, Corner Bistro with Josh Gellman

Aug. 4: Victoria, Merlin’s Sun Home Theatre with Wolfheart, house concert (1983 Fairfield Ave.)

Aug. 6: Victoria, Concerts in the Square at Centennial Square, noon

Aug. 6: Salt Spring Island, house concert, 8 p.m. ([email protected])

Aug. 7: Vancouver, Canadian Music Centre (all ages), 8 p.m., suggested donation $5-$15

Aug. 8: Kelowna, the Yellow House Restaurant, 7 p.m.

Aug. 12: Revelstoke, Summer Street Fest, Grizzly Plaza, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 13: Kelowna, Parks Alive!, Sarson’s Beach, 7 p.m.

For all of the tour dates and more information about the Jessica Stuart Few, visit jessicastuartmusic.com. Two Sides to Every Story will be for sale off the stage at all of JSF’s shows. It is also available through iTunes, Bandcamp and CD Baby, as well as in select stores around the city.

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