The sun was setting in a pleasant watercolour of pinks, purples and oranges as it cast a warm golden glow over the city when I arrived at the James Street Super Crawl that balmy mid-September night. The Super Crawl is an annual art and music festival held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada where a large section of James Street North is closed off from regular traffic and instead taken over by: stages, art installations, galleries, and various vendors selling anything from handmade jewelry to food and beverages.
Unsure of which direction to go in, I stopped and stood a moment to absorb my surroundings. I took in the crowds of people cheerfully chatting and walking past, the mouth-watering scent of grilled hot dogs wafting through the air and the vivid colours of the spectacular mural a group of artists had remarkably been painting on the street since six o’clock that very morning. However, what essentially captured my attention and distinctly pulled me in the direction of the main stage were the faint, delicate wisps of strings playing and the wistful crooning of some mystery songstress.
It was here, in that enchanted moment that I was mesmerized by the extraordinary musical styling’s of Canadian folk singer/songwriter Basia Bulat. Although I only caught the tail end of her performance, her voice and her music touched a chord deep within me that urged me to explore her musical catalogue in its entirety.
Basia is a unique talent with a captivatingly strong, yet warm and inviting stage presence. Her voice is incredibly soft and sweet, while still disarmingly powerful. Basia’s music fearlessly bursts with an eclectic array of instruments, including, but not exclusive to: the autoharp, violin, guitar, and even the ukulele. It is fun, light, and at times, even hauntingly beautiful as it possesses the ability to pierce the soul itself and evoke a pure, raw emotion. Her music has you craving a drive through the countryside with the windows rolled down, your hair whipping in the wind and all of your cares blowing away as you tap in time to the beat and belt out her flowing lyrics. My favourite songs “Little Waltz”, found on her debut album Oh, My Darling (2007), and “Go On”, the first track on her sophomore album Heart of My Own (2010), display the diversity so frequently found in her music. The former is a bittersweet and soft symphonic ballad that brings tears to your eyes and has your heart aching for a love that was lost; while the latter, is a loud, folk-rooted allegro painted brazenly with strumming guitar, an increasing drumbeat and the wistful strings of violin—collectively, yielding a cathartic release. Needless to say, in my opinion, both of her albums warrant a listen.
In October, Basia performs at the Hamilton Place Theatre with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra where she will present songs from her upcoming album. Eager to hear her new album and what the addition of an entire orchestra will do for her already enchanting arrangements, I can almost picture the scene now: the dimly lit theatre, the rows of instruments strategically placed on the stage, the palpable anticipation in the air and the sudden hush falling over the crowd as the musicians assemble and play out the first strings of what is sure to be an unforgettable night.