A small line grew outside the Mayfair Theatre. The cinema’s doors were supposed to open at 2 p.m., the man to my left informed me. This chain of people continued to snake along the sidewalk for the matinee show of Lynn Miles’ latest album, Fall for Beauty.
Miles, an Ottawa native, said she moved to the area when she was 13. She said she loves the small city feel, where she “can get into her car, drive less than 20 minutes and find nature.”
Miles said she has grown up surrounded by music, and she started playing around with different mediums of song writing and performance from a very young age.
“As long as I can remember I’ve always been singing,” she said, adding she feels lucky to do what she does.
The band took to the stage and Lynn emerged. Though the sound monitors were suffering from glitches, without pause Miles launched into a narrative comedy routine starring the techie.
Following the minor disruption, Miles started the set with “Fearless Heart,” a song about finding courage in the face of a broken heart. Most of Lynn’s songs are steeped with melancholy, but her vibrancy and comedic style make her shows anything but depressing.
The first set was dedicated to a run-through of her newest album. Miles said she “wanted to show little moments of beauty,” and, for Lynn, sadness has a lot of beauty within it. Her songs are, after all, largely inspired by the struggles people face in life and love.
Her folk and country style of musicianship brought her own sadness and heartbreaks, and the audience related positively. The songs rang with honesty, an important quality for a performers to have.
As Lynn worked her way through the set list, Bill Mason’s short film Paddle to the Sea was projected onto the movie screen. Lynn’s songs dealt with and confronted addiction, a tribute to Vancouver’s East Side, the loneliness of the open road, and abuse. Much of Lynn’s inspirations for her songs are drawn from timeless struggles faced by people today and yesterday.
Miles recently travelled to Nashville to engage with the country music scene.
“They get two artists, stick them in a room together and they write a song,” she said. “It’s very weird.”
The industry and Miles sometimes run in the same circle but she said she will never change her music to suit the demand. She does, however, enjoy the benefits of involvement with a label.
“It allows me to focus on my writing. . . not running around calling people and arranging shows all the time,” Miles explained. She said music is her passion and becoming involved with the industry lets her settle down at home and do her work.
Miles’ band listened and engaged with each other on stage. Improvised solos were common, with Miles introducing them as her “man candy.” The banter between the band gave the show a comfortable air, and the audience responded with enthusiasm to Lynn’s comedic energy.
Jim Bryson, who recently released an album with The Weakerthans, made a cameo appearance during the set, singing a playful duet with Miles.
The second half of the set was dedicated to fan favourites. For Miles, the best part of making music is how it brings people together.
“Music can transcend borders,” she said, and added she finds it exceptionally rewarding when fans tell her how her music is helping them through a particularly tough time in their lives.
It’s obvious that Lynn Miles loves what she does and will continue to make her music her own way.