Po' Girl

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Po' Girl
Po' Girl, performing at the Joshua Tree Music Festival
Po' Girl, performing at the Joshua Tree Music Festival
Background information
OriginVancouver, Canada
Genres
Years active2000–present
LabelsNettwerk
Jericho Beach
MembersAllison Russell
Awna Teixeira
Benny Sidelinger
Mikey "Lightning" August
Past membersTrish Klein
JJ Jones
Diona Davies
Shelley Okepnak
John Raham

Po' Girl is a Canadian music group whose style derives from folk, country and jazz. The band evolved from a series of jam sessions, in 2000, between Trish Klein of The Be Good Tanyas and Allison Russell, then of Fear of Drinking. The two met up again in 2003 and named themselves Po' Girl. Klein said at the time that the new group offered her the opportunity to write and perform her own songs.[1] Po' Girl recorded their last album in 2010, but the members' musical careers have continued to develop, either as soloists or in other bands. Once based in Vancouver, Po' Girl is now back in the Eastern cities of Toronto and Montreal. The current band lineup is Allison Russell (singer/multi-instrumentalist), Awna Teixeira (singer/multi-instrumentalist), Benny Sidelinger (multi-instrumentalist) and Mikey "Lightning" August.

Musical style[edit]

The style of music they perform has been called "urban roots", defined by band founding member Allison Russell as "rural music with urban lyrical content and appeal, typically played on old-timey instruments...defined in its early years...[as]...mostly folk- and country-influenced".[2] The band's sound has been described as having a "bit more jazz and swing" than that of the Be Good Tanyas, and "with straightforward musicianship built around Klein and Russell’s intertwining vocals, Po’ Girl delivers nice, casual music that slowly grooves into the heart."[3] Po' Girl's music has been compared with that of The Band, Hazel Dickens, Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, Elizabeth Cotten and Norah Jones. It showcases melodies from instruments as diverse as banjo, clarinet, harmonica, dobro, accordion, and gutbucket bass.

Recordings[edit]

They released their self-titled debut album in 2003.[4][5] One reviewer commented on the "folk-mountain fresh" vocals of Klein, the "sleepy clarinet" of Russell and similarities to The Cowboy Junkies and Norah Jones.[6] Shortly after the release of the first album, the band added a new member, Diona Davies, who was known to Klein as a skilled fiddler.[1]

In 2004, they recorded and released their second album, Vagabond Lullabies, which included Davies (fiddle, piano and vocals), CR Avery, (hip hopper) from the trio Tons of Fun University, Roey Shemesh on bass and John Raham and Shelley Okepnak on drums. The album was positively received, with Sue Keogh of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) noting that "This is a sweet little gem showcasing some of the finest acoustic musicians Canada currently has to offer,"[7] and Mike Regenstreif in Sing Out! writing that "Hip hop poet C.R. Avery effectively adds spoken word passages to a couple of songs".[1] There were guest appearances on Vagabond Lullabies from Frazey Ford and Ani DiFranco.[1] One reviewer stated that Vagabond Lullabies had more "depth and maturity" than their debut album, with contrasting vocals and good harmonies, but did comment that there was "still an odd Americana-goes-pop polish that keeps Po’ Girl from sounding entirely authentic".[8]

2006 saw the release of their B Side record, with tracks including guest appearances by Sarah Harmer, Luther Wright, Shaun Brodie, Jason Mercer and Ana Egge (which could only be purchased off-stage). In 2007 came their third album, Home to You,[9] which was noted as being focused "on the band's bittersweet relationship with being away from home".[10] One reviewer said the album was a "most nourishing slice of Americana" with a mixture of folk, blues and alt-rock.[11]

Deer in the Night was released in May 2009 with one reviewer noting that there were "touches of jazz idiosyncrasy in their vocal lines, echoes of French chanson, hints of the deliciously odd Nova Scotian folk, all mix[ed] together into an organic whole".[12] Russell was later to note that she had been abused by her stepfather for 10 years when she was a teenager and wrote the song "No Shame" in 2006 following his release from prison.[13] She said she was encouraged to perform the song on stage by the other band members and the response from members the audiences—many of whom told stories of their abuse—confirmed for her that the issue was "endemic".[13] She said that it was important to not be silent about what had happened to her.[14]

In the summer of 2009, they completed a live album consisting of recordings in venues from their favourite states. The studio album Follow Your Bliss, described as a "listening experience guided by a multitude of masterfully executed instruments which sound simple in their design but intricate in their delivery",[15] was released in 2010. Joe Breen in The Irish Times commented that the music on the album showed many influences and could "never be accused of sameness".[16]

Live performances[edit]

In 2005 Davies estimated that the band had been touring for at least 10 months of the previous year, and admitted that much of their material was inspired from being on the road.[17]

The band made their first tour to Scotland in 2010, playing at the Edinburgh Festival,[18] and followed this up with a series of concerts around UK and Ireland. Folk Radio noted at the time:

It’s impossible to put this band in a tidy little box – they’re equally at home in Douala, Cameroon playing the Massao World Music Festival, as they are at the International Jazz Festival in Montreal, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Woodford Music Festival in Australia or just playing for fun for the people in Vondel Park, Amsterdam.[19]

They played Ontario in 2012 which they found "inspiring",[20] and when interviewed before a concert in 2011, Russell said that the group was a "modern-day troupe of nomads" who had toured extensively and she was "willing to make sacrifices to see where the road would take Po’ Girl".[21]

Ongoing musical careers of members[edit]

Russell has continued her musical career, being a member and co-director of the band Birds of Chicago since 2012,[22] and from 2019 has performed with and written for the band Our Native Daughters,[23] whose debut album, Songs of Our Native Daughters, was widely acclaimed.[24][25][26] In 2021, Russell released her debut solo album Outside Child.[27]

From 2006 Davies has been a member of the band E.S.L.

Trish Klein has continued to work with The Be Good Tanyas, as well as having credits for recording with Frazey Ford, Ana Egge, and Bill Bourne, and on several roots revival compilation albums.[28]

In 2012 Awna Teixeira released a solo album, Where the Darkness Goes. She was joined by Allison Russell on this recording and the music was said to show inspiration from a wide range of sources that created songs in a folk style which were observations of her "life and times and travels".[29][30] In 2013, in a home recording space in Salt Lake City, Teixeira played, sang and recorded all five songs on an EP Thunderbird.[31] A full-length album, Wild One, was released by Teixeira in 2015, with a reviewer Greg Johnson noting that this second album "[was] a work of swirling mystery steeped in sweet misery with uplifting haunting music and an eclectic palette of songs and instruments".[32] Teixeira commented:

"When I first started writing these songs almost two years ago, I decided that I would like to somehow use this release to help raise mental health awareness. There are songs on this album that make reference to and are for some beautiful people in my life that struggle with mental illness and for some beautiful people we have lost along the way".[32]

Because of references in one song to mental illness issues within Teixeira' family, another reviewer said the album wasn't an "easy listen."[33]

Photo gallery[edit]

  • Allison Russell of Po' Girl, performing at Wood, 2009
    Allison Russell of Po' Girl, performing at Wood, 2009
  • Awna Teixeira of Po' Girl, performing at Wood, 2009
    Awna Teixeira of Po' Girl, performing at Wood, 2009

Discography[edit]

  • 2003 Po' Girl
  • 2004 Vagabond Lullabies
  • 2006 B-side recordings
  • 2007 Home to You
  • 2008 Deer in the Night
  • 2009 Live
  • 2010 Follow Your Bliss

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Po' Girl Alternative folk group". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  2. ^ Asay, Jeremy (9 November 2010). "Po' Girl: The Canadian Urban-roots Group's Sound Keeps Growing". Salt Lake City Weekly. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Po' Girl". The Journal of Roots Music. 1 September 2003. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  4. ^ Heselgrave, Douglas (January 2004). "Downwind with Trish Klein". The Music Box. 11 (1). Archived from the original on 9 December 2003. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Po' Girl". Rate Your Music. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  6. ^ Album reviews (1 April 2004). "Po' Girl". Uncut. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  7. ^ Keogh, Sue (2004). "Po' Girl Vagabond Lullabies Review". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  8. ^ Liss, Sarah (16 September 2004). "Po' Girl New and Notable Releases". Archived from the original on 31 January 2021.
  9. ^ Reid, Graham (11 March 2007). "Po' Girl: Home To You (Shock)". Elsewhere.co.nz. Archived from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  10. ^ Jeffries, David. "Po' Girl Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  11. ^ Pomranz, Kristyn (18 May 2007). "Po' Girl: Home to You". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  12. ^ Williams, Kent (13 March 2009). "Album Review: Deer in the Night Po' Girl". Little Village. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b Gewerz, Daniel (1 March 2010). "Po' Girls' Allison Russell gives voice to victims of sexual abuse". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  14. ^ Hardy, Jenn (19 June 2010). "Po' Girl sings out against childhood abuse with 2010's "No Shame" tour". THIS. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  15. ^ Bucifal, Slavko (16 November 2010). "Po' Girl – Follow Your Bliss". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  16. ^ Breen, Joe (22 October 2010). "Po' Girl". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  17. ^ Thornton, Stuart (18 August 2005). "Po' Girl brings the road tunes". Monterey County Weekly. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Po'Girl". Edinburgh Festival. 2010. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Po' Girl UK & Ireland Tour". Folk Radio. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  20. ^ Sly, Mathieu (20 January 2012). "More than a hobby". The Queen's Journal. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  21. ^ Parlin, Geri (12 March 2011). "Po' Girl to perform roots music at Pump House". La Crosse Tribune. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Birds Of Chicago On World Cafe" (Studio Sessions). NPR. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  23. ^ Gotrich, Lars (13 December 2018). "Rhiannon Giddens Forms Our Native Daughters, Shares Harrowing 'Mama's Cryin' Long'". NPR. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Songs of Our Native Daughters". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  25. ^ New Horizons (7 April 2019). "Songs of our Native Daughters". Radio New Zealand (RNZ). Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  26. ^ Hight, Jewly (14 February 2019). "'Songs Of Our Native Daughters' Lays Out A Crucial, Updated Framework for Americana February 14, 2019". NPR. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  27. ^ Pareless, Jon (13 May 2021). "Allison Russell Faces Her Past in Song". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Trish Klein - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Awna Teixeira 'Where The Darkness Goes' - Self-Release". Lonesome Highway. 29 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  30. ^ 2012 C.D. Reviews. "Awna Teireira - Where the Darkness Goes". American Roots UK. Retrieved 1 February 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ "Awna Teixeira". Twin Butte Country. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  32. ^ a b Johnson, Greg (22 February 2015). "Wild One by Awna Teixeira". nemmblog. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  33. ^ Gibney, Cara. "Awna Teixeira – Wild One". No Depression The Journal of Roots Music. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

External links[edit]

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