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March 2, 2007
Wandering with the wildflowers
Israeli-Canadian singer takes inspiration from her life travelling
in small-town B.C.
KELLEY KORBIN
Like the columbine, asters and daisies described in the first track
on her new CD, Yael Wand is determined to make roots and thrive
wherever the wind takes her. In fact, it was being blown into a
tiny British Columbia town that persuaded her to dive into her music
career.
Wand, an independent singer/ songwriter and self-taught guitarist,
has just released her second solo album, At Your Door. She
was born in Haifa, Israel, and moved to Vancouver with her parents
when she was nine. But it was the less dramatic move from the Lower
Mainland to the little gold rush town of Wells, B.C., that really
sealed her fate as a musician.
"I moved to Wells in 2003," she told the Independent
in a recent interview. "It was actually a big push to reinforce
for me that I either had to take my music seriously or let it go.
It's such a tiny town, I knew if I was there I wouldn't have a lot
of opportunities to play music and, if I wanted to play music seriously,
I'd have to really go out there and tour just to take my music anywhere....
It was a big turning point for me, really – taking myself more
seriously as a musician and trying to set some goals.
"I pictured myself at the end of my life wondering what I would
regret having done or having not done and I knew that music and
singing and performing was something I've always loved – it's
been with me for as long as I can remember - and I knew if I didn't
do it, that would be my big regret. So this way, at least, I won't
have that."
In the end, while she had to leave her new town to go on tour, Wells
and her home there proved to be a muse for Wand. Her unkempt garden
– "we let our garden grow wild, we don't mow the lawn
or anything, so every week, you get a new color coming out"
– became the inspiration for the track "Wildflowers."
The house itself, according to local legend, was once home to an
eccentric man who used to make his own hooch and host wild parties,
thus giving fodder to the catchy track "Moonshine Maker."
Wand has since moved to a new home, in Smithers, a town she described
as a hotbed of arts and culture in northern British Columbia and
which, unlike Wells, has the bonus of being home to a small Jewish
community. There is no doubt to Wand that living in small towns,
where life is less expensive and perhaps less materialistic, has
allowed her to pursue her music full-time and live her life a little
closer to her values.
She classifies herself as a contemporary folk singer, but said that
she is a "musical sponge" who draws upon all kinds of
influences, including some Middle Eastern sounds. As a fluent Hebrew
speaker, Wand said Israeli folk music has inspired her style, especially
its focus on voice as one its most important elements – a focus
that lends itself easily to her diverse and somewhat mournful vocal
range.
But the folk genre, while it has a loyal following, is not where
you can make the big bucks in the music industry. And, according
to Wand, that's just fine for her. She said, "I'm not looking
to be a huge star – I've never had stars in my eyes. I love
performing, being on a stage and being able to engage an audience
and I love songwriting and crafting music and playing with other
musicians. So, I'd love to be able to find a way to do that on a
regular basis and travel and still manage to keep a semblance of
a normal life. Hopefully I can do this for a long enough time that
I manage to leave a little bit of an impact on other musicians."
This last statement is typical of the quiet confidence Wand exudes,
a confidence that is reflected in lyrics like "I don't need
no man to tell me who I am, I know I'm the best thing you ever held
in your hands." It's a confidence Wand has earned from knowing
what she wants and orchestrating her life so that she can do what
she loves – what more can a 29-year-old hope for?
Wand performs on Saturday, March 3, at Rime, 1130 Commercial Dr.
To hear tracks from At Your Door or to buy a CD, go to www.yaelwand.com.
Kelley Korbin is a freelance writer living in West Vancouver.
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