The Wyrd Sisters

in Concert with Orchestra London

Friday, November 14, 1997

Last November, I was privileged to attend the Wyrd Sisters' performance, in concert with the resident orchestra here in London. This was an evening which I will remember for a long time, and I am sharing it with you now, because the Wyrd Sisters are touring again this year, so some of you may get a chance to hear them in your hometown.

Firstly, I must congratulate the Orchestra London team on having the courage to invite the Wyrd Sisters to town. This city can be a painfully status-quo, cultural void at times, and we rarely get acts here which aren't totally mainstream and "safe". Well, the Wyrd Sisters aren't exactly mainstream and they are definitely not "safe" but they are wonderful entertainers who create the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

Whether performing with their regular band (Rachel Melas on bass, Rob Lee on drums and Richard Moody on viola), accompanied by the full orchestra, or singing a cappella, this Winnipeg trio of Kim Baryluk, Nancy Reinhold and Lianne Fournier moved and delighted the audience with their gorgeous lyrics and spine-shivering harmonies. These women are straight from the soul, and their music is imbued with anger, pain, love and outrageous joy. They sing harsh political commentaries, haunting ballads and bold calls to action and empowerment, but they are also not afraid to kick back and have a roaring good time, both in their music and their banter with the audience.

A personal favourite of mine from the Wyrd Sisters' repertoire is "Rain Dance", a song which speaks of following one's own path, marching to one's own beat and dancing in the rain, even though onlookers are likely to "think I'm insane". Well, I might very well be insane, but every good rain-storm finds me in the central park of downtown London, dancing for joy. The neighbours and passers-by do stare out at me from behind their net curtains and through their car windows, but I just laugh and carry on. Rain dancing is an intensely joyous and spiritual experience for me and, when I first heard the Wyrd Sisters perform this song, I nearly fell out of my chair! I was in awe that Lianne had actually written a song about MY experience.

The Wyrd Sisters' music is rich food for the souls of the old and the young, the bold and the timid, the outrageous and the restrained alike. (Our uptight, traditionalist, London audience even survived - and ENJOYED - the famous Faucet song. Now, that was quite a sight!) I had felt as if I was walking through the desert for a long time prior to that performance, and the Wyrd Sisters' concert was a spiritual homecoming for me. I walked in dry and alone but left empowered and full and reconnected to my source of love and joy.

I strongly recommend that any of you, who have the opportunity, go out and see this group perform live. I will leave you with these words of warning: If you do go to see the Wyrd Sisters in concert, go prepared to be moved in the depths of your soul - and make sure you get seats with plenty of dancing room!

For more information on the Wyrd Sisters, check out their website.