Ladies Of The Canyon | id

Ladies of the Canyon are four friends who got together in their living rooms to write and sing songs influenced by their favourite bands – The Eagles, the Band and Fleetwood Mac.

Musicians and songwriters Maia Davies (vocals, guitars, mandolin, keyboards), Senja Sargeant (vocals, guitars, mandolin), Jasmine Bleile (vocals, guitars) and Anna Ruddick (electric and upright bass, vocals) have their distinct tone and personality, but when they come together for harmonies, it’s a gorgeous, soaring blend.

Their debut full-length album, Haunted Woman (Kindling / Warner Music Canada) was produced by Colin Cripps. Already recognized as one of Canada’s premiere guitarists, Cripps previously produced critically acclaimed albums by Kathleen Edwards and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy. Through his production work, Cripps has deftly showcased the wide range Ladies of the Canyon confidently explore; both as songwriters and vocalists.

Their flexibility as artists can be seen through many of their tracks. Senja sings lead on four songs, including the first single, “Follow Me Down.” “War & Glory” is also sung by Senja, yet these two tracks couldn’t be further away in vibe and delivery. “Follow Me Down” is sunny pop inspired by one of Senja’s recent relationship travails. “I was conquering some personal troubles and didn’t realize I could have better and get better,” she recalls. “That’s what that song is about – waking up and seeing the light.”

For the darker “War & Glory,” Senja called upon Maia to help crystallize the song. “I knew what it was about, but I couldn’t put the lyrics to it myself because I was a mess so I had to ask Maia to write the lyrics for it after I told her what it was about.”

Maia calls Senja “outrageous,” marveling how she’ll start dancing “out of nowhere” and doesn’t care what people think. Onstage, she has been known to announce her ex-boyfriend’s phone number. Along with Anna, the two have made up new versions of all the Ladies of the Canyon songs; some with a Celtic feel, others with totally inappropriate lyrics for their private pleasure.

Maia takes lead on songs such as “No Deliverance,” the stirring war-time ballad “Haunted Woman” and light, wistful acoustic “Goodbye Gold & Blue.”

“No Deliverance” is real-deal, old-school Nashville country that would make Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette proud. “I was pretty influenced on that by Dolly and Tammy,” Maia says. “The song’s a story I’d written in my dreams about a girl born in the beginning of the century in farmland California. I have no idea why I dreamed that.”

Along with singing and songwriting talents, Maia has a business acumen that has served the group well. After the four recorded an EP in 2009 in their native city of Montreal, Maia investigated the music business and dealt with lawyers, labels and other industry types. She has since made a permanent move to Toronto to keep an eye on the ongoing business of LOTC’s music.

Senja refers to the raven-haired Jasmine as the groups’ “mama bear,” calling her the most grounded of the four. “You can go to her with anything and she’ll be there for you,” Senja says.

Jasmine’s newborn keeps her company on the road. She can be heard on lead vocals singing “Every Minute” and the sagely “Lonely Town,” which was written for a 55-year-old friend who’s still single. “Its words of encouragement that you can find love at any age,” says Jasmine. “The lyrics don’t have the same impact as the message of the song because ‘lonely town’ makes it sound like a sad song, but it’s about finding love and getting older.”

The group’s bassist, Anna, brought her own songwriting skills to the album by contributing the track, “Hard To Find Love,” on which Jasmine sings lead. “Her main thing was bass for so long,” Jasmine says, “but we’ve since discovered that she has this gorgeous voice.”

“They were singing together a long time before I joined,” says Anna. “I played in a lot of bands as a professional musician, doing whatever I was hired to do — rock, electro, prog, classical, jazz. When I started with Ladies of the Canyon, I didn’t sing or write any music; I just played shows. I wouldn’t always play with them because I was in another band that was touring all the time, then I became much more involved. I do harmonies now, but I sing the least.”

Off stage, it’s Anna and Senja who provide hours of entertainment on the road when Ladies of the Canyon tour. Jasmine is the voice of reason, while Maia makes sure all business is in order. But when they get on stage, these four women make one wonderful sound. They’ve been doing so for the last two years, and with the release of Haunted Woman, this next year will be more of the same.
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