Performing art in the gallery
February 7, 2010 1:18 PM
Last Sunday, the StFX Art Gallery was graced with the rich sounds of Canadian singer/songwriters Leif Vollebekk and Charlotte Cornfield. Vollebekk and Cornfield are both Montreal-based artists from Ontario, who have been touring together to spread their rich, earthy, alt/folk sounds across the country.
The art gallery was the perfect location: intimate, like someone’s basement, and with the feel of a venue that only those ‘in the know’ know about. This feeling was intensified by an audience that was full of the CFXU Radio’s ultra-hip staff, who helped put on the show along with local musician Landon Coleman.
The set-up and lighting were simple, but anything more would have been a distraction. When standing at the microphone, the singers were framed by the glow of a string of Christmas lights on the wall behind them and a paper lamp on the floor.
Charlotte Cornfield started off the evening. Her performance was like a privileged peek into her private musings. At times she seemed to be singing to herself, like someone who is testing out a song they’ve just written. Her clever lyrics covered love, friendship, and life in Toronto and Montreal.
She accompanied herself with soft but rich guitar, an instrument that she clearly has a great understanding of despite her academic focus on drums. Her voice has been compared to Joni Mitchell, but her sound is distinctly contemporary. She sings with a breathy earnestness that fans of artists such as Feist or Cat Power will find incredibly appealing.
Though most of her songs were thoughtful and serious, she had the audience laughing near the end of her performance with an acoustic cover of Beyoncé’s song Irreplaceable.
After a brief intermission, Cornfield was followed by Leif Vollebekk. Vollebekk was instantly endearing. He stole the hearts of every audience member with his charming humour and contagious grin.
As soon as he started singing, he drew the audience in. With his eyes closed and his head bowed for most of his songs, he really made the listeners feel the emotion behind his lyrics.
Vollebekk’s songs, which he writes in English, French, and Icelandic, were given added dimension with pensive accompaniment on the guitar, keyboard, and harmonica. He may be the only artist who can include the harmonica without making his music sound like bluegrass.
His sound is beautiful and intense, definitely not typical alternative. He gives each line lots of space so that the listener can take in the meaning behind his lyrics. Vollebekk’s music bears resemblance to fellow Canadian acts Arcade Fire (with whom he has plans to record) and Patrick Watson, but it is still distinctly his own.
Both artists’ songs were like short films; they were thought-provoking and serious, but touching. Vollebekk and Cornfield produce the kind of music that could be listened to with equal pleasure from a hammock in the summertime or in front of a wood fire in the winter.
These are two musicians who will, if there is any justice, go very far. They are a credit to the Canadian music industry, and soothing to the ears. Check them out on MySpace and iTunes, and if they come back to Antigonish in the near future, be sure to come see them live.
