What is roots music? It usually involves acoustic instruments, is diverse and is the very foundation of our blues, folk, country and rock. Roberts Creek musician Angie McCauley considers herself a roots musician. She's just produced her first CD, Comfort Zone, that covers a range of styles from folk to blues to country. (The title is drawn from one of her original songs, Can't Stop the Rain: "The hardest part is leaving that old comfort zone.")
Yes, there are hints of bluegrass in the CD; McCauley is frequently to be seen playing with banjo picking husband David Groom, but she's trying to leave the bluegrass image behind. When banjo enters the music, you can't help but think bluegrass, she says.
Among her favourites on the CD are the country rock tune "One Last Chance" (not a banjo in sight) and the spontaneous charm of "Someday" that has a bluesy flavour. Her upbeat songs ("Your Turn to Cry") often have a sad theme, while her blues songs ("I'm Not Gonna Be Blue") are often cheerfully optimistic. But beware, all these intellectual attempts to pigeonhole the musical eclecticism of Angie McCauley could make a listener lose perspective on the fact that she really is a darn good singer. Her voice works the best on country rock but can also sing true on the blues.
McCauley plays and celebrates Comfort Zone at a CD release concert on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Gumboot Café at 8:30 p.m. She will be accompanied by a host of local talent who have also appeared on the CD: vocalist and songwriter Joe Stanton, Simon Paradis on guitar, Susann Richter on vocals, Jay Johnson on drums, Steve Quattrocchi on mandolin and David Groom. One beloved musician who sung on the CD will not be at the launch party. When McCauley first began recording this CD in 2005, she used vocals from the late Hahle Gerow on a few tunes. "She and Susann harmonized so well together," says McCauley. "That may have been her very last recording."
On "Your Turn to Cry," Gerow sings with Richter to the sounds of Blaine Dunaway's fiddle for a heartbreaker of a blues song.
The recording process was a long time in the making, but McCauley is happy with what she learned about it from local music recording engineer Ray Fulber of Strait Sound. You might have heard her play at the Cellar coffee houses, at the Heritage Playhouse's Showcase this summer or at the Powell River Folk Festival, but have not yet seen her play on tour. She admits there's still a lot to learn about the industry; this CD may offer her the next step.
McCauley is restless musically; she's willing to expand her horizons and is already thinking about the next album in which she'd like to go a bit more electric. She's changed careers several times, going from forestry to desktop publishing to her current job, hairdressing at a Gibsons salon. Through it all, music has remained a constant.
"I've been playing since I was a kid," she says, remembering that she attended the conservatory for a while where she learned piano at the age of nine and studied a classical curriculum. Today, she plays guitar and sings all her own material. Tickets for the Nov. 18 concert are $12 and are available at Roberts Creek Health Foods, Ashley's Books in Sechelt and Hallmark Cards in Gibsons. You can hear McCauley's music on www.angiemccauley.com.
