The most alive I can ever be! It's an amazing high....I am in the moment and I love it! The audience is SO important to me....we have some wonderful and faithful friends/fans who come to as many of our shows as they can! There's that saying...."sing like nobody's listening", well, I sing like everybody's listening!
What's it like performing with your sister?
It is the best! It's like being "home"....we are great together....if I do a
gig on my own it's like half of me is missing! Megan is an excellent
vocalist and her natural harmony talent is amazing...
What's in your CD player right now?
I'm an old rocker. Scorpions, Whitesnake, Journey.....some favourites! In my
CD player right now? My softer, folkier side...Shawn Mullins and Jerry Jeff
Walker and the best blues man ever - Gary Moore! Guitar leads that tear into
your heart and make you FEEL!!!!!!!
Has music always been a big part of your life?
Absolutely! My parents were very musical. My dad was an entertainer, played
piano beautifully, sang and played the guitar. He had a dance band in his
younger days. Mom was a fun and talented pianist who played for all the
parties and sing-alongs while we were growing up! All of my siblings play as well..... Dad taught me to play guitar at age 12 on my Harmony! That guitar was my first real love! I sang and played at coffee houses and festivals in the 60's in and around Kelowna. Even had a manager for a time! I remember the gig at the Totem Inn in Peachland when I was 16....too young to stay in the bar on my breaks! Took some time off from music for some reason when I was married but I'm so glad that in 1986 I moved back home to Kelowna and Meg and I renewed our childhood dream of being on stage together!
If you could play another instrument, what would it be?
I admire anyone that can play any instrument. I would love to play an awesome lead guitar but somehow I think that I'm meant to be a "solid" rhythm player!
Tell us about your band days.
SO MUCH FUN!!! Meg and I played our first paying gig together in " Easy Living " at Duffers in Kelowna! What a rush...to get paid for doing something that we loved to do so much!" Velvet Rodeo" was a wonderful learning experience! Our great friend Wayne (front man and bass player extraordinaire!) took us under his wing and taught us so much. Played with some really good players over the years and touched a lot of people! The dances were the most fun...great energy from the crowd! I love the feel of a band backing me up, especially the live drums .....I am so very proud of what Meg and are doing on our own . But it is really exciting to be working with a band again on our Tribute to The Everly Brothers! The Top Dawgs are Dave McBride ( my guy) on drums, Charlie Veaudry on guitar and our brother Dave Evans on bass! We often meet in Beaverdell to rehearse!
What's your favourite song(s) to perform?
I really love to do "Whiter Shade of Pale"...put my guitar down and be able to just SING!!! "House of the Rising Sun", of course. But my favourites are definitely the ones that Meg and I sing together...the folk songs and the ballads.... like Landslide, Sound of Silence and Crying in the Rain....tight harmonies. And now the Everly Brothers show tunes - 28 in all!
Who were/ are your musical inspirations/influences?
Firstly, my dad....he always believed in me and in my talent to entertain an audience, He was a remarkable man and musician and without he and mom's support I may not have had the confidence to do this thing I love to do!....Steve Earle's sister, Stacey, played rhythm guitar with Steve at a concert I went to and she inspired me to dust off my guitar and work on my calluses again!..... Meg and I love to harmonize so I really appreciate the close harmonies of family - Everly Brothers, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Judds, The Waifs...and any harmony focused acts - Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, Diamond Rio, CSN & Y and Alabama....
What artist dead or alive would you love to meet/perform with?
Hmmm.... I'm really a big fan of male vocalists so..... Jon Bon Jovi! Love his music and admire his longevity on the scene! I would love to meet Sir Elton and Van Morrison - and if they wanted to do a tune together, I couldn't say no! Plus I love Texas music - listen to Jimmy LaFave, James McMurtry and Guy Forsythe for a taste soemtime - amazing stuff!
Describe a memorable moment on stage!
There have been so many over the years! But I do remember one night when we were playing in Greenwood at the Inn ....a couple requested " Stand By Me" and danced by the bar as we played it.... it was obvious that they were so in love.....not long after she died of cancer. I feel honoured that we were able to give them the music to hold each other close to that night......
How was the studio experience for you?
Exhilarating and exhausting! Thanks to Larry and Betty Anne at Vernon Recording it was an amazing experience...we always talked about doing a project and the dream came true in 2003.. time is always a factor in our lives and music so it took almost a year to complete! (Couldn't have done it without the love and support of Dave and Bud) The musicians that we chose to work with us are the best! Recording weekends were challenging and lots of fun....we learnt so much. I am especially proud of the session when we did " Sound of Silence"....We did it in one take ....my guitar and both of our voices at the same time. Yeah...the studio was very addictive. I loved it!
Besides the band/duo scene, what else have you done?
Theatre!! I tried acting for the first time in my life in two Powerhouse
plays here in Vernon...I was Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa and The Viziera
in Aladdin....it was lots of fun but I really missed interacting with the
audience! So....I got involved in two dinner theatre productions with Henry
and Judy (Rose) Piovesan....I tackled the role of a well-endowed, hot
blooded Spanish tango dancer in Bananas and a ravenous man-hungry three-eyed
alien in Starlet! What a blast! Great people to work with! I'd do dinner
theatre anytime!
Are you working on any original material right now?
Meg seems to be the better writer....she's penned some beautiful, melodic
ballads. I've written three songs to date. I starting writing " Riding on a
Greyhound " on a bus trip to audition for a recording company in Vancouver
when I was 15.....it was a successful trip but when I came home to write a
few more originals for my first album "life got in the way".....I finished
that tune 30 years later!!! My other originals from those years were lost long ago! I am working on a tune called "Sunday Morning"...it's about that special time when life slows way down and it's just two people sharing time and their love for each other. And "She Cries" is the true story of a woman in a loveless marriage who had 4 children. Would love to write more - the time factor as always!
Any plans/dreams/goals?
Keep singing with Meg.....entertain and touch people with our music....Get
our name out there more! We hope to travel around Europe with our families and do a mini tour! Record another CD with mostlyoriginal material...what a rush hearing your own song build instrumentally
and then be recorded...your thoughts set in "vinyl" forever! Music is my
passion and I absolutely love being on stage with my sister singing the
songs that we love to sing!