In every community there are those who move away leaving behind fading memories and, while some never look back, others seek out their roots and make stops at the places they once called home. Singer and songwriter Cat Jahnke spent the first few years of her life in Maidstone where her father Ted Jahnke was one of the community's doctors. On Tuesday night she stopped by the Legion Club Room to share songs and stories with fans and people who remember the years her family lived in the town.
Jahnke has toured across Canada several times but this is the first time she has played a show in Maidstone. She enjoys playing the small venues, making a personal connection with her audience. On this stop the connection started years ago and people were quick to point out how easily recognizable she was as her mother's daughter.
Jahnke lived in the community until she was almost three and although she has some vivid memories of the time they aren't all complete. "I remember being two years old and being allowed to cross the street to visit a friend," she said, not remembering the name of the friend or the street. In preparation for her stop, her dad was mentioning some of the names of people in the community expecting her to remember them but it was too long ago and she was too young.
Most of her family now lives in Saskatoon and she has been living in Winnipeg since 1998 when she began studying music at university. Her father and two siblings made the trip to the show and many audience members were delighted to spend a few minutes chatting with the doctor.
Jahnke invites people to visit her facebook page at www.facebook.com/catjahnkemusic and is promoting her new album, The Stories Are Taking Their Toll. She has just shot her first music video with a production crew in Winnipeg who had just finished making a horror movie and is waiting for the video to be released in September. Jahnke is also working with a photographer to create a series of photographs to go with her songs, offering listeners another clue to what she is saying in the lyrics.
The current tour included four Saskatchewan shows as well as stops in Alberta and British Columbia.
Clair Reilly-Roe, a New Yorker originally from Ottawa, opened the show with a sweet, clear a capella number saying, "I've always wanted to just sing." Sing she did, playing along on the guitar until close to the end of her set when the power failed. A television cameraman turned on his battery powered light to act as a spot, candles were found for the tables and the show continued with Jahnke picking up her acoustic guitar and doing a few songs including a Joni Mitchell cover while unplugged. It is interesting to note Mitchell, who is one of Canada's favourite singer-songwriters, also lived in Maidstone during her youth and attended the same high school as Jahnke in Saskatoon. Losing the lights and soundboard meant the audience was treated to something special, something pure and the strength of a very fine performer.
When the power came back on, Reilly-Roe finished her last song and then Jahnke made her way back to the front of the room where she sang and played guitar and piano showing a wide range with her crisp, sweet vocals and clever, witty and biting lyrics. "If I'm not writing sad songs, I'm writing angry songs," she mentioned during one of her introductions. During her song, Apple, which was featured on the NBC web series, Control, she involved the audience in part of the chorus, getting everyone to sing along. She sang a song with French lyrics for her bilingual fans and showed her appreciation for the listeners. Her skill at the piano even during what she called very tricky parts let a little bit of the classical influence show through during what might have been her last number of the night, but after a standing ovation she encored playing a cover of the song, Rollerskates.
