Archive - October 20, 2020

We included a portion of our interview with Shaye Zadravec in Episode 523 of Folk Roots Radio. We’re now pleased to be able to bring you the full conversation. It’s definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!

Shaye Zadravec, a young vocalist from Calgary Alberta, has been creating quite a buzz for her ability to interpret other people’s songs. Shaye, who describes herself as a singer and only occasionally a songwriter, started out her career in dance before moving into musical theatre and then on to a full music career. Her first full-length album, “Now & Then”, features ten tracks, and includes fine versions of songs by Jay Farrar (Windfall), Jesse Winchester (Biloxi), Paul Westerberg (Skyway), Lawrence Russell Brown & Pat McLaughlin (The Whispering Wind), Lynn Miles (Night Drive), Roy Forbes (The Slider), Joan Besen (Did You Fall In Love With Me) and Ian Tyson (Summer’s Gone, Silver Bell) alongside a beautiful instrumental by (her producer) Goran Grini (East Longview Serenade) that uses samples from four songs on the album. Now & Then was recorded over five days at OCL Studios (just outside Calgary) and produced by Norwegian musician Goran Grini (who also plays some acoustic guitar / Wurlitzer piano) with support from Mike Lent (bass), Chris Nordquist (drums), Tim Leacock (guitars / mandolin), Russell Broom – guitars, Bruce Bouton (steel guitar), Denis Dufresne (fiddle) and Sydney Zadravec (background vocals).  Shaye Zadravec’s  first EP “Norway” (also produced by Goran Grini) is also worth checking out. It features an absolutely gorgeous cover of Chip Taylor’s “I’ll Carry For You” alongside spine-tingling versions of “Lilac Wine”, made famous by Nina Simone and Elkie Brooks and Cris Cuddy’s “Dear Elvis”, as well as an excellent version of Shelby Lynne’s “If I Were Smart”. Although Shaye Zadravec has not really been able to perform live since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, in the past she has opened shows for William Prince, Dan Mangan, David Francey, Chip Taylor, and pop opera sensations Il Divo. If you want to check out Shaye Zadravec’s live work, take a look at this fantastic performance of Mary Margaret O’Hara’s “To Cry About” (with support from Tim Leacock) at the Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in March 2019 while she was on the Il Divo tour. For more information about the music of Shaye Zadravec, visit shayezadravec.com. Music: Shaye Zadravec “Biloxi”, “Skyway”, “Summers Gone” and “Night Drive” from “Now & Then” (2020, Indelible Music) CDN.