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Searson
CD launch set for
Centennial Park June 12
By Terry Fleurie -
Staff Writer, Eganville Leader, 2002
Eganville - Centennial Park will
provide the ideal back-drop next Wednesday night (June 12) as Searson,
the locally-based Celtic-folk group, release their latest CD to hometown
audiences.
Bosting a new and exciting sound that the band patriarch Mike Searson
calls "uniquely their own", Searson will headline a
free concert in the park as part of a recent local tour to launch their
second CD entitled House Party.
Comprised of four Searson family members, dad Mike and daughters Erin,
Colleen and Heather, along with Pembroke's Jamie Gardner, Searson
has gradually been working on developing a sound all of their own that
will allow any listener to identify the piece with the band. They feel
confident their newest CD, containing 11 tracks(7 vocals, 4
instrumentals), which the band wrote themselves, accomplishes that task
quite well.
"It's all our own music now," 23-year-old Erin noted.
"It's really nice to write it for ourselves, what we want to
do."
"We're all really proud of it; this is our music, our CD, we
co-produced it," she added. "It's a big accomplishment for us
and I think it has taken us to a whole new level. The people who have
been to our shows notice a big improvement, a big difference, which is
nice to hear back from everyone."
"And to get positive feedback on your own music, that's really
where you want to be," added Mr. Searson.
The group began working on the project last summer when all band members
started to contribute ideas for the content of the tracks. At all times,
it was a group collaboration, an amalgamation of different instrumental
and lyrical suggestions, with the focus being a new, self-developed
sound.
"It's way different from our last CD; we really don't know how to
describe it," Erin stated. "It's more Celtic, it's kind of
folk..."
"A little bit pop, a little bit country," added her dad.
According to Erin and her father, the instrumentals were really no
trouble, but the vocal tracks became tedious at times.
"The music for the songs is easier, but the lyrics, you really have
to sit down and think about," Erin explained. "It's a long
process...you want to make sure you're writing something
substantial."
"And you want to make sure you're not saying the wrong thing or
something that can be interpreted the wrong way," her father added.
According to Mr. Searson, some of the songs came together quickly, over
one or two days, while some would take perhaps a month to get to where
the group was comfortable with the final product.
The co-producer on the album was well-known musician and executive Bobby
Lalonde, who played an important role in the creation of the material as
well.
"Bobby co-produced the album with us and and we did a lot of
give-and-take there," Mr. Searson noted. "We also used Jilie
Leahy as a bit of a sounding board for some of the numbers."
While nad her father provide lead vocals on different numbers, the
voices of all Searson band members blend harmoniously for the choruses.
For the instrumental aspect of the House Party CD, each member has a
particular instrument they specialize in; Mike, guitar; Erin, keyboards;
Heather, bass guitar, and Colleen and Jamie, the fiddle. Unlike their
previous CD, this work also incorporates the addition of several back-up
instrumentals as well including precussion, drums, whistle, mandolin,
cello and bodhran (Irish hand drum). The track, 'The Prophecy',
also includes a segment with Jamie ste-dancing.
The CD was recorded at Mr. Lalonde's Bolab Studios in Fournier, Ontario.
It required the band to essentially stop their performing schedule for
an extended period to concentrate on the recording.
"Given the fact that the girls are all in school (Erin at the
University of Ottawa, Heather at Queen's in Kingston, Colleen at Opeongo,
Jamie at Brock (University) and stuff like that, we basically had to
stop performing since last September and we really didn't start again
until March of this year when the project was finished," said Mr.
Searson.
Weekends were spent rehearsing at the Searson Hyndford area home with
the final recording and mixing being done over an 18-day period at
Bolab's Fournier location.
"He's just an all-round talented guy," Mr. Searson remarked.
"He's an unbelievable talent as a producer, an engineer, a player,
musician, everything he does."
While the CD features many new sounds, one particular track entitled, 186
Alice Street, is devoted to the group's real beginnings. The title
for the song is the street address in Eganville of Mr. Searson's
parents, Harry and Mary, and it was there he was introduced to the music
he plays today. The Searson home has long been known as a popular place
for many famous performers including the Leahys, the Schryers, Natalie
MacMaster and noted Irish performer Dermott Flynn.
"That's kind of a summation of all the parties that used to go on
there and that's where we got to hear a lot of different performers and
musicians," Mr. Searson said. "It was kind of a fun thing that
everyone enjoyed."
"Those parties really influenced us where we were little,"
Erin added. "We watched and listened to these great performers and
they were always encouraging us to keep playing."
While work on recordings and performances continues, it is evident the
band is having fun doing what they do. As always, Mr. Searson and his
daughter pay huge credit to wife and mother Val, for keeping the home
fires burning and always being incredibly supportive of their work.
"She doesn't travel very much with us anymore, but it's nice to
come back to the home life," Mr. Searson noted. "Most
musicians don't have the luxury of coming back to an established home
and it's because of Val that it's here."
"She's so supportive and she's been with us through the hard times
and the disappointments," Erin added. "We couldn't do it
without her; she's always there for us."
The band has many bookins throughout the summer with a major date in
Timmins in July when they will perform with fellow Canadian and
international stars Blue Rodeio, Jan Arden and the Wilkinsons.
The June 12 CD release will feature guest performances by dancesr Fast-4-ward
and musicain, Barney McCaffrey, Admission to the event is free of charge
and the first act will hit the stage at 7 p.m. The new CD, which has
it's jacket designed by Eganville's Daniel Conroy, will be available for
sale at the release as will other band merchandise. More information on
the group is available at www.searson.org.
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