Peterborough, Ontario's Serena Ryder surrenders to nostalgia with her If Your Memory Serves You Well debut full-length album, which pays homage to Canada's rich landscape of musicians with a collection of covers compiled to form her own tower of song.
Ryder's three-octave throaty powerhouse voice revamps Leonard Cohen's "Sisters Of Mercy," Percy Faith's "My Heart Cries For You" and Paul Anka's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," among many other seasoned Canuck classics.
"The album's title references how we have 100 years of Canadian songwriters on my album," says Ryder, calling from her home in Toronto. "It's a lyric I lifted from a Bob Dylan song I cover called 'This Wheel's On Fire.'"
As a teenager, Ryder kicked around Peterborough — a bohemian city of nearly 70,000 an hour-and-a-half north of Toronto — lending her multi-dimensional talents to the likes of The Silver Hearts and Fire Flower Revue. In the midst of her early twenties, Hawksley Workman snatched up the petite, doe-eyed brunette and her larger-than-life voice to re-release her independent Unlikely Emergency debut.
"It's been very natural working with Hawksley," she says. "The moment I met him, we were very friendly. He's kind of like a big little brother at times."
The last time Ryder trekked across this vast country of ours, she was opening for Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. Just a few days before her current tour began, she gently reminded herself mid-interview to pack her yoga mat and a packet of sage.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back on the road," she says. "When I'm not on the road, I don't know what to do with myself. People say it's like getting off schedule to go on tour, but for me it's getting on schedule."
Ryder combines a fresh, dream-like perspective of the world with a voice that melds Southern gospel choirs and belt-heavy blues performers. The daughter of a former go-go dancer/back-up singer, Ryder embodies the fairy-like, carefree spirit of Janis Joplin and the qualified, skilled talents of Etta James.
"Inspiration is just something that is out there," offers Ryder. "I don't have a formula for writing, I just get started.
"It's usually gibberish to begin with. I make music because it's what I'm meant to be doing. It's really to share a truth with people, break down the barriers."
Check out Ryder in the following cities:
Jan. 30-31 Duncan, BC @ Duncan Garage
Feb. 1 Victoria, BC @ The Central
Feb. 3 Tofino, BC @ Tofino Legion
Feb. 4 Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
Feb. 6 Kimberley, BC @ Bean Tree Cafe
Feb. 7 Lethbridge, AB @ Tongue 'n' Groove
Feb. 8 Red Deer, AB @ Elks Hall
Feb. 9 Edmonton, AB @ Sidetrack Cafe
Feb. 10 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigo's Cafe
Feb. 18 Guelph, ON @ Albion
Feb. 21 Waterloo, ON @ Starlight Room
Feb. 22 Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
Feb. 24 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
Feb. 26 Ottawa, ON @ Barrymore's
Feb. 28 Whitehorse, YK @ Acto Place
March 7 London, ON @ London Music Club
March 8 Montreal QC @ Petite Campus
—Shannon Webb-Campbell
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