Buffy Sainte-Marie, Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1 at the Capilano University BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, a co-presentation with the Rogue Folk Club and part of the Cap Global Roots series. Sold out.
New songs typically pop into singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie's head like dreams, often seeing words and music arrive simultaneously.
"I'll wake up in the middle of the night or I'll be on an airplane and a song will pop into my head. Just whatever I happen to be doing, a song pops into my head the way an idea pops into your head. It's partly craving, and it's partly decorating, and it's partly witnessing how you feel about something that you didn't know you felt that strong about," she says.
Some songs prove easily shapeable from there, for example, 1965's "Until It's Time for You to Go"; whereas others require serious dedication.
"A song like 'Universal Soldier,' that's like writing a thesis for a professor who hates you and you're determined to get an A+ from the son of a bitch. I mean you're just determined. So 'Universal Soldier' and 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,' some of those other songs that have a lot of social meaning, a lot of sometimes even political meaning, I work on 'em real hard as opposed to a love song that just comes bubbling out of my heart," she says.
The iconic and prolific 74-year-old Cree artist, born in Saskatchewan and currently based in Hawaii, is awaiting the release of her 16th studio album, Power in the Blood, May 12.
"If there's a theme to it it's the diversity of our lives if we allow it. The songs are very, very diverse," she says.
"Not the Lovin' Kind," expresses the sentiment, "Yeah you're a jerk, but I'm not going to let you get to me," she says. In contrast, the album's title track, with its lyrics, "When that call it comes; I will say, no no no to war," is intended as an antiwar song. "Almost all of them have a positive spin to them one way or another, even if it's kind of deep. Even like 'Power in the Blood.' I mean at least somebody's out there saying that. At least the song exists, even though it's discussing GMO and fracking and other social issues of our time. The fact is we are talking about it," she says. Sainte-Marie just wrapped a two-week tour that took her to Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, where she performed a string of arenas with Morrissey.
This week she's hitting the road once again, embarking on a North American tour that will bring her to Capilano University's BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts for two sold-out shows, April 30 and May 1.
Touring internationally, performing with top artists and playing to packed houses - the excitement, despite more than 50 years in the recording industry, has yet to wear off. "Musicians, mostly we're playing for ourselves. It's just a privilege that there's an audience there at all," she laughs. "If you're a natural musician and you've loved music since you were a kid and you've been doing it the way other people do sports, then you're into it. It stays fun. Especially when the music's good. I've been doing it for so long that I can pretty much pick and choose what I do on stage."
She performs songs from her catalogue audiences want to hear, classics like "Up Where We Belong," tracks from recent records, and adds new songs all the time.
Sainte-Marie has maintained a busy touring schedule since the release of Running for the Drum six years ago, so had a lot of material ready when True North Records approached her, wondering if she wanted to make a new album.
To record Power in the Blood, her fourth studio release in 20 years, Sainte-Marie spent much of the last year going back and forth to Toronto. "I had the songs and I was eager to give them away and record them and get a little input from some other producers other than myself. It was a wonderful experience recording. I love all three producers," she says.
Sainte-Marie co-produced her last few albums with Chris Birkett (Sinéad O'Connor, Bob Geldof) and so called on him once again. However, she also wanted to try working with some different producers this time around. She auditioned half a dozen before asking Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Barenaked Ladies, Rheostatics) and Jon Levine (Nelly Furtado, K'NAAN) to come on board.
Sainte-Marie gave each her planned playlist, letting them choose which songs they wanted to work on.
"That was the ticket, that was the key to it. So everybody was working on something they wanted to work on," she says.
While challenging, Sainte-Marie fully enjoys the recording process. "Until you have that mix of the song whereby it sounds like it sounded in your head the first time you ever heard it, up until then it's like looking in a distortion mirror. When it crystallizes and it's right, you know it immediately. You know that's the way you want it," she says.
Power in the Blood's title track is a cover of a song by UK band Alabama 3 and serves as the title track of their 2002 album.
Sainte-Marie became a fan of the band as a result of their Song, "Woke Up This Morning," being featured as the theme song of TV's The Sopranos.
"God, it's a great song!" she says. She sought out their albums and was captivated by "Power in the Blood."
"It was the bloodiest damn thing you ever heard. I mean it was as violent: '(As I cut them) limb from limb' and 'When that call it comes, I will be ready for war,'" she says. Sainte-Marie met the band last year when she was performing in England. "I told them, 'This would make a great peace song' and of course they laughed. But I modified the words and I think it is a great peace song. I really like it a lot," she says.
In addition to a number of new, all-original works, Power in the Blood also contains a contemporary version of "It's My Way," the title track of Sainte-Marie's 1964 debut.
"I've grown a lot since I first recorded it. But the song itself really, really still motivates everybody in the same way.. .. Sometimes you write one that's a classic and it's always going to make sense through any generation in any language.. .. It's really about finding your own path whoever you are. You're not trying to tell other people to come and be your follower or your fan. You're pointing out that everybody has their own path and the joy of life is in discovering that," she says.
Sainte-Marie wears many hats - visual artist and philanthropist included. She's operated the Nihewan Foundation for Native American Education since 1969 and its Cradleboard Teaching Project serves children and teachers around the world for free.
She's also long been known for her social activism.
"When I see a problem it just intrigues me and I just crave to get my brain around it and what can I do to make it better. To write a song like 'Universal Soldier' is one thing but it's not enough for me. I mean I do love and appreciate songwriting as one way to make a contribution, to help people to put things into words in a way that makes sense but I also spend a lot of time just learning, just trying to find out what's going on. I guess I'm interested in issues, not all issues, but the ones that really move me, really do move me and I react not only as a songwriter but also as just a person living in communities," she says.
