TRENT SEVERN
@ THE DAKOTA TAVERN, TORONTO
NOVEMBER 27, 2012
I never thought I would see a band as superbly talented as Trent Severn in a small environment like the Dakota Tavern in downtown Toronto. The words “mesmerizing,” “phenomenal,” “transcendent,” and “exceptional,” came to mind after seeing the trio stop the entire audience dead in their tracks during every song. The show was simply unforgettable. It’s no surprise that this band stands out from the pack with a star-studded cast that includes Emm Gryner and Dayna Manning, both highly celebrated Canadian artists with major league resumes. The third member of the band, Laura C. Bates, is a young musical prodigy who’s quickly earning a name for herself in the music biz as a first rate fiddle player and singer. Laura managed to land a spot in the band after working with Dayna on past tours, and was an obvious choice with her level of talent.
On stage, the band sounded just as good as their amazing debut CD. It’s been quoted; “their debut release sounds like a greatest hits record,” and I can’t disagree with that statement. The ladies perform with passion and they are all business when they hit the stage. With a combined 30-plus years of stage experience between the three of them, it’s no surprise why they are playing at such an elite level.
When TS ripped into the song “Freedom” they completely blew the roof off with the chorus’ three-part power harmony, keeping the audience locked in to the performance. During slower and moodier tunes, Laura C. Bates created huge atmospheric sounds with her electric fiddle, making for an amazing live sound that would fit well as a soundtrack to the TV show Deadwood. Dayna Manning’s vocals and guitar skills are reminiscent of a young Joni Mitchell with perfect finger-picking techniques and a voice that seems to have no bounds; she also plays a mean banjo. A few chuckles were had when Emm shared a story about her mother who once kissed former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, influencing the song “Mulroney Times.” The girls were all smiles and had fantastic chemistry on stage and it flowed through the room. For fans of female folk music it would be simply criminal not to see them live while they are in their prime and currently touring.
In a brief interview with the girls I was able to dig a little deeper about their background, songwriting process and intentions for the future.
Spill: Who originally came up with the idea of getting TS together?
Emm Gryner: I originally had an idea to produce and all female folk band and wasn’t even sure if I would be involved as a performer, initially. Since Dayna and I had a musical history together I figured I would give it a shot to see how we all sounded together, and it worked well.
Spill: Laura how did you get involved with TS?
Laura C. Bates: I had done gigs with Dayna and she asked me if I wanted to be involved and naturally I was. We have a family history together, Dayna used to babysit me when I was a kid and would play music when she was over, so we hit it off from an early age.
Spill: What about family musical backgrounds? Are any of your parents musical? Please tell me about how you all got into music.
Mr. Bates (Laura’s dad and tour van driver): We took our kids to southern Ontario folk festivals from the time they were born and sure enough Laura started asking to play the fiddle by the age of 4 or 5 and that when things started. As parents we did not play music.
Emm Gryner: My brother’s a musician and producer, my grandmother actually played piano with one of the prime ministers way back. My father’s a Jazz guy and he tried to push me into that, but I rejected.
Dayna: My parents both played music and we have a very musical family so my transition was natural. My father is a music teacher at a high school in Stratford. He eventually introduced guitar to the curriculum and we both learned to play together.
Spill: What future plans lay ahead for TS at this point?
Dayna: Our plans are simply to hit up the 200 to 400 seat theatres around Canada and get to know our audience off stage. After 10 years in the business, I find I get more satisfaction out of playing live and meeting someone who just bought our CD off stage than anything else really. We want to play as many shows as we can and connect to as many people as we can.
A band like Trent Severn is a rarity to say the least. I would say a powerhouse like this comes around once a decade if you’re lucky and now, with a slight resurgence of the Laurel Canyon sound of the late 60’s and 70’s Folk Pop, these ladies are at the right place at the right time. This band deserved a shot and undoubtedly has the talent to rise as the undisputed best female fronted act in Canada and could reach a status of greats such as Allison Kraus, Dixie Chicks and Joni Mitchell.
Artist Links
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: EMM GRYNER – “JACK”
