 As guitar notes dance about Shawna Caspi's full, wholesome voice, audiences listen- no, experience the stories that she has to tell. And while you might have to listen to them twice to get every single word, the journey is never painful. Do yourself a favour and experience what this emerging Canadain songstress has to offer, in an exclusive interview with theMOVEMENTZ.
How did you first get involved with music? Did you always want to pursue it as a career? I was singing from quite a young age, in children’s choirs, and studied classically in the beginning. I went to an arts high school where my focus was vocal music, and started learning classical guitar around the same time. By the time I was ready to go to university, I knew it would be to study music and by then I was also writing songs and playing live in the folk music community. Your latest album "Paint By Numbers" was released about a year ago.What were you hoping for audiences to gain from listening to this album? Are you working on anything new at the moment? The challenge with “Paint by Numbers” was to make a record with a rich, full sound that also highlighted the intricate finger-picked acoustic guitar accompaniment of my solo live show. I have to hand it to my wonderful producer/engineer Dylan Bell for helping to achieve that goal and working out appropriate arrangements to fit each song.There are no new recordings in the works right now, just new songs and more gigging! If you had to describe your sound to someone who had never heard it before, what would you say? The music is folk with a bit of a classical influence, emphasizing finger-picked acoustic guitar. I describe my songwriting as “slightly crooked”, since it tends to stray from traditional song structure and rhyming schemes. I love playing with words and lyrical lines. Where does your song writing inspiration usually come from? Songwriting tends to initially happen in short flashes for me – a couple of lines from a recent observation, a reaction to a thought or feeling, a story about someone I know, etc. I collect all those little bits and then build on them. Are any of your songs based on an interesting story that you'd be willing to share? The last song on the record, “No Cinderella”, is a true-love story that was based on the wedding reception of one of my favourite couples. It was the best wedding celebration I had ever been to – love was paramount, with none of the terrible wedding “politics”, stress, overspending, and guilt-tripping. Just how it should be. Who are your favourite artists and how have they influenced your music (if they have)? I am drawn to artists with great storytelling skills and many of my favourites are independent Canadian artists such as: Danny Michel, Craig Cardiff, Rose Cousins, Sarah Slean, Emm Gryner, and many more. Guitar greats such as Don Ross, Stephen Fearing, Bruce Cockburn, and Andy Sheppard are also on the list.They inspire me to really craft each song carefully and think about how to better tell my stories. I also learned a lot about alternate guitar tunings from like likes of Don Ross and Bruce Cockburn. How do you feel about the Canadian indie scene? Good or not so good place to be? I have found the Canadian indie scene to be very supportive. Rather than competing ruthlessly, I find that artists are more likely to cheer each other on. It’s a fabulous time to be independent. I get to make the music that I want and send it directly to those who want to hear it, thanks to online tools and marketing. What's the best thing about making music? I love the people. Communication between human beings, the folks I get to meet on and off stage, collaboration. Where would people go to purchase your music and/or learn more about you? The one-stop shop would be my website at www.shawnacaspi.com. The CD is available in-store at Musideum and Soundscapes in Toronto and The Ottawa Folklore Centre in Ottawa or online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/shawnacaspi.
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