Some Canadians feel patriotic playing hockey or drinking a domestic beer, but for a legendary Canadian musician, it comes down to insects and a canoe.
Liona Boyd spent two weeks canoeing in James Bay for a performance and to work on a film — a memory she describes in her autobiography as an ultimate Canadian experience.
“It really made me feel like a true Canadian,” said Boyd, who grew up in England before immigrating to Canada when she was eight years old.
“You can’t be a true Canadian unless you’ve canoed and fought off the black flies,” she laughed.
Boyd is bringing what she describes as her unique and Canadian-inspired program to the foothills with a performance in Okotoks on March 3 and Turner Valley on March 9.
Boyd’s roots helped influence her new album The Return to Canada With Love, which she said was inspired by her return to the nation north of 49th parallel, after spending 20 years in the United States.
“I’m very inspired by this return to Canada,” said Boyd. “There’s a lot about Canada that I’ve missed.”
One of the songs on Boyd’s new album is called Little Towns, which she said she is looking forward to performing for foothills fans.
“It’s kind of fun to do this, especially as I was inspired to write this song that was particularly for the little towns because there’s something really special about playing in a small place and some of them are bloody hard to get to,” she laughed.
Boyd has played all over Canada including small fishing villages and the oil towns in northern Alberta, but this will be her first time performing in Okotoks and Turner Valley. She will perform with Michael Savona and the show will feature love songs, instrumental solos and a sneak preview of her new album featuring a lot of patriotic songs and one she wrote about her late father. Boyd said audience members will be getting a two for one deal as Savona is a fine classical guitarist and their voices blend together well.
She said she hopes her performances draw in some younger audience members, adding concerts are a great way to inspire children to welcome music into their lives.
“My mother took me to a concert and it changed my life,” she explained. “I think it’s essential that kids get exposed to all kinds of music.”
Boyd has come a long way since that 13-year-old girl who was inspired by classical guitarist and lutenist Julian Bream.
She said she was thrilled to reach the top of the classical guitar world, but started something new about two years ago – songwriting. She said she never thought she could sing, but has been writing poetry since she was five years old and feels she is a born songwriter. Now that she both sings and writes, she said she can express herself with words and music.
“I love writing songs,” Boyd said. “This is a new thing that I’ve been doing and the audiences seem to really like it. I haven’t abandoned my guitar for a minute.”
In 2009, she released the album Liona Boyd Sings Songs of Love where she sings and plays guitar with Srdjan Givoje. Boyd wrote all the songs on the album except for the classic love song The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, which she said she wishes she had written.
Boyd had to put performing on hold for six years because of her focal dystonia, a neurological condition that caused her hand to contort. But she emerged from the experience feeling more powerful.
“Now I am back stronger than ever and I kind of reinvented my whole career again and now I think it’s the best thing that’s ever happened because it opened up a whole new chapter in my already very exciting life,” she explained.
Boyd has won five Juno awards and been named Guitar Magazine’s Classical Guitarist of the Year five times. She has performed for the British Royal Family and at Mother Theresa’s Hospice and said her life has taken her all over the world on all sorts of incredible adventures.
“I can’t believe I’ve done all these amazingly different things,” she laughed.
Despite experiencing the jet set life in Acapulco, living in Beverley Hills and feeling like a rock star performing in a stadium in Lisbon, Boyd said she is looking forward to coming to the foothills.
“I’m delighted to be coming to all these smaller places,” she said. “This is where my career started, actually. I told my agent this is like a time warp.”
For tickets to the March 3 show at the Rotary Performing Arts Centre contact 403-938-3204. For the Turner Valley show on March 9 visit beneaththearch.ca. For more on Liona Boyd, visit her new website lionaboyd.com.
