No one knew they were making an album.
Musicians Missy Burgess, Dwayne Cloes and Wulf Von Waldow casually got together to play one show at the Lawrence House Centre for the Arts in October 2018.
All seasoned artists in their own right, they packed the Turret Room, a small space with perfect acoustics on the second floor of the Christina Street mansion.
And, as Missy says, they brought their “A” game that night.
Missy moved to Sarnia from Ottawa about five years ago and regularly performs folk and blues with various local musicians.
She met Dwayne, a multi-instrumentalist, at an open mic and invited him to put a show together with Wulf on sax.
They rehearsed a few times, and Missy says she was impressed with the vocal harmonies. That night, the audience seemed to become part of the performance.
“When we finished playing I felt totally satisfied,” she said.
“The collaboration was strong that night,” agreed Dwayne.
He had quietly set up video cameras and microphones around the room to record the session. “I told no one I was recording it. I thought I was just doing it for my own use,” he said.
When played back later he was struck by what he heard.
“There’s some magic in that room that makes everything sound so good,” he said.
It was a night of blues, jazz and some folk written by Missy, as well as several covers including a few Tom Waits’ tunes, Fever by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, and Big Blue Train by Lee Rocker.
“I had no intention of ever doing another CD,” said Missy, who has released three others. “But I heard this and thought it was too good not to be released.”
In his home studio, Dwayne invited Dave Doyle to add some bass, then mixed and produced 14 songs from the 2018 live performance. Dave has since joined the band.
A release party took place last weekend in the same room the original show took place.
Copies of Missy Burgess with the Blue Train: Live are now on sale at The Cheeky Monkey, The Book Keeper, Cowboys & Indians, and the Lawrence House.
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The Arts Journal reflects Sarnia's lively cultural community. Send your ideas to [email protected]
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Release party and show for Missy Burgess with The Blue Train
WHERE: Lawrence House Centre for the Arts, Turret Room, 127 Christina St.
WHEN: Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.
TICKETS: $10. Call 519-337-0507 or buy online at www.lawrencehouse.ca/house-concerts.
The Arts Journal reflects all things cultural. Send your ideas to [email protected].