Time: 9 p.m.
Cover: none
SC Mira
Sadye Cage - vocals, guitar
Ty Vega - guitar, keys, vocals
Mario Lagasse - bass
Jed Desilets - drums
Caro LaFlamme - keys
A vacant warehouse. Music blasting. A woman with a needle in her chest meets a man in a tacky red suit. Pulp Fiction meets feigned pomp. Sadye Cage meets Ty Vega.
The unorthodox union, born of fake blood and abandoned asylum lighting,
and fleshed out with the addition of drummer Jed Desilets, bassist
Mario Lagassé, and Caro LaFlamme on keys, would eventually become
Winnipeg-rooted indie-rock outfit Sc Mira.
Originating first
with Cage and a handful of her songs, Sc Mira began its growth as a band
when Vega was tapped to lend his producer’s touch to the material, but
instead found himself magnetically drawn to it and, more importantly,
its potential. “It was that voice,” he says, citing Cage’s unmistakable
delivery – quivering, delicate, simultaneously sweet and sinister. Their
bond as artistic outcasts has since become unbreakable.
Sc
Mira’s musical tapestry is a seamless weaving of folk, alt-country,
rock, and indie pop. Their upcoming debut, Waiting Room Baby, showcases
simple but savory instrumentation framing and keeping focus on Cage’s
voice and poetry. The overall product on record, which features the
legendary Buck 65 (a poet in his own right) on the track “Motel Honey,”
is sweet but haunting, bold but brittle. Live, though, those same songs
are injected with energy and rise, fervor and ferocity.
With
the recordings that would eventually comprise Waiting Room Baby in hand,
Vega and Cage travelled to Montreal in 2014 to work with acclaimed
producer and engineer Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Basia Bulat).
Originally recorded in an old bank vault in downtown Winnipeg, the six
tracks would benefit from Bilerman’s co-production at his hotel2tango
studio. “He drew out everything we wanted to emphasize and really
brought out the best in those songs,” offers Cage.
The lyrics
are richly emotive and pair perfectly with Cage’s voice. “I like to tell
stories, I guess,” she says shyly. The incredibly hooky lead single “On
My Own,” an atmospheric and upbeat modern folk offering, harkens back
to the singer’s several-year-long struggle with her health. While it’s
often considered a means of healing, at times, music can be pain.
“Sometimes, writing songs and drawing from some of those experiences
made things a lot worse,” says Cage, reflecting on countless hours spent
in hospital beds and shut in from the world round her – an experience
with which Vega can relate. “Motel Honey,” on the other hand, is more
narrative in its approach and explores the politics and morality of sex
and prostitution.
Despite the fact that their debut album has
yet to see the light of day, Sc Mira has been able to draw accolades and
attention through their energetic and electric live performances. “Our
sound gets a bit heavier on the stage,” Vega shares. “We make sure
people get a show – not just live music.”
That sentiment has
yielded impressive showings at NXNE and the Mile of Music Festival,
where Sadye and Ty were joined by Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins),
who quickly became a fan. They’ve performed to thousands at Winnipeg’s
MTS Centre and toured extensively supporting Buck 65 (where they even
joined him as his backing band for the tongue-in-cheek single, “Super
Pretty Naughty) in recent months.
With a live show that boasts
the urgency and intensity of a thunderstorm and a fresh take on fiery
folk rock – dark, dazzling, eerie, elegant – Sc Mira is a shot of
adrenaline, straight to the heart. Fitting, isn’t it?
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Owl is Lethbridge’s newest Lounge in the same building which had Mood, Squeaky’s Pub before and O Riley’s before that. They feature live acoustic music and excellent food. |
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