by LORRAINE CARPENTER

“Oh, now we’re country in the city, high and lonesome every night, taking care of business under big, bright city lights… the locals think we’re crazy and we don’t put up a fight.” – Carolyn Mark

When she wrote “Country in the City,” Canada’s first lady of “alt” country was decrying the awkwardness of playing to jaded metropolitan crowds and rural country purists. With this city’s special blend of small town/big city characteristics, it’s a similar story in Montreal, home of country-folk singer Angela Desveaux (formerly of the Sonny Best Band), bluesy bluegrass singer Katie Moore (a member of the Yonder Hill trio with Desveaux, and Timber with guitarist Warren Spicer) and ridiculously versatile vocalist Annabelle Chvostek (from children’s opera to electronic soundscapery!), a recent addition to Winnipeg’s renowned roots harmonizers the Wailin Jennys, with Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta.

The diverse influences and backgrounds of the three Montrealers reflect an urban tendency to mix and match the styles filed under “roots.” Without the built-in fanbases of Canada’s small towns and prairie cities, and with constant exposure to a wide array of music, Montreal’s roots artists are rarely purist, with the obvious exception of the folks at the Wheel Club’s Old Time Country Mondays.

The Mirror spoke to Moore, Desveaux and Chvostek about country audiences, traditions and fashions.

Mirror: Who is your audience?

Annabelle Chvostek: Ours is right across the board, from teenage girls to white-haired old ladies and long-haired bearded men. We had members of a metal band drive three hours to see our show in Lanesborough, Minnesota.

Katie Moore: [My crowd is a] mixed bag, though it’s not uncommon to look out into the audience and see more than a few streaks of grey.

Angela Desveaux: I’ve mostly played opening sets, and I just recently started playing the kind of music I feel is really me, so I don’t know who my actual audience is yet.

M: Do you find playing with older, more traditional artists exciting or intimidating?

KM: I love going to the Wheel Club. It’s a little like going home. If, at 70, I’m still going to weekly music jams, I think I’ll be smiling about my life.

AD: Almost everyone has a special and heartwarming experience the first time they visit an old-time country open-mic night, but I’m not particularly interested in reinterpreting traditional songs anymore. I’ve never felt insecure about my knowledge, exposure and love for real country, western and bluegrass music, but I sometimes feel pressure from the audience at a traditional country show. I’ve taken country and made the music I want with it and sometimes people don’t like change, or simply don’t like the changes I’ve made.

Can’t take the country out of the girl

M: How concerned are you with living up to or maintaining tradition?

AD: I’ve dropped any effort to live up to a country fan’s expectations. I just play and trust that people hear the serious country music influence. I took jazz-singing lessons and the teacher told me that we could never take the country out of my voice, and that it would be a shame to do so. So I quit. In Montreal, the challenge is convincing the audience that country doesn’t have to be traditional or commercial, that we can offer a different, innovative type of country.

KM: You don’t hear too much traditional country music on the radio, even country radio, so nights like the Wheel Club, Matt Large’s Sunday nights at Barfly and Thursdays at Grumpy’s are important because they let likeminded musicians meet and play together. Lots of people hear [the music] for the first time there, and realize they love it. But the idea of “protecting” a music genre doesn’t make sense to me, because then it only exists in the past, a memento that you can’t touch.

M: Speaking of tradition, if you made it to the Grand Ole Opry, what would you wear?

AC: Maybe I’d go in drag as Waylon Jennings.

KM: A Canadiens jersey with my boyfriend Steve Begin’s #22 on it. Wait… I think that’s what Shania wore. Maybe something really unique, like a jean skirt and cowboy boots. Wait… that’s what Alison Krauss wore. I guess I’d have to go with my old standby: call mom.

AD: Well, heheheee, I wouldn’t be as daring as Neko Case [who was banned from the Opry for shedding her shirt at one of their outdoor concerts]. But one thing’s for sure: I would not wear a fancy western shirt.

Angela Desveaux opens for John Lennox at Casa del Popolo on Friday, Nov. 25, 10 p.m., $7. The Wailin Jennys and Katie Moore are at la Sala Rossa on Saturday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m., $20

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