Wyrd Sisters (band)
Encyclopedia
The Wyrd Sisters are a Canadian
folk music
group.
The band was formed in 1990 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
by founding members Kim Baryluk, Nancy Reinhold and Kim Segal. The band chose the name "the Wyrd Sisters" to represent and reclaim the ancient pre-Christian triple goddess
, also known as Weird, Wurd, Urd, Urth and The Fates. Presenting initially as a trio, the group later grew to include a full band.
The Wyrd Sisters have released six independent recordings to both fan and critical acclaim. Herizon Magazine dubbed the Wyrd Sisters' 1997 release Raw Voice, "a collection of 11 lyrically intelligent and musically diverse songs that can best be described as folk-pop-jazz fusion with a feminist bent" and said of the band's 2001 release Sin & Other Salvations, the lyrics were marked by "elegant, spare poetry" and new band member Kiva
's "ethereal tones enhance the beautiful harmonies that have marked the [band's] previous three recordings".
Three of the Wyrd Sisters' recordings have been nominated for Juno Awards (Canada's national music awards) in the Best Roots & Traditional Album - Group category: Inside The Dreaming (1996), Raw Voice (1998) and Sin & Other Salvations (2002). Sin & Other Salvations won a Prairie Music Award (forerunner of the Western Canadian Music Awards
) for best album, Roots and Traditional. Many of their songs have been recorded and covered by other performers. They have several videos and have scored music for movies.
In 2005, the band began a legal action against Warner Brothers, Jarvis Cocker
of Pulp
, and Jonny Greenwood
and Phil Selway
of Radiohead
for trademark infringement over the use of their band name in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
. The injunction was dismissed, and the band was ordered to pay costs. As of March 2010, the lawsuit has been settled, the details sealed.
Members of the core vocal trio have included:
Additional touring musicians have included:
Additional musicians on recordings have included:
Leave a Little Light: Don Benedictson – bass, Greg Lowe – guitars, Sandy D'Aoust – guitar, Marilyn Lerner – keyboards, Mitch Dodge – percussion, Karen Erhardt – cello, Reg Kelln – snare
Inside the Dreaming: Don Benedictson – bass, Marilyn Lerner – piano & keyboards, Andy Stochansky – percussion, Paul O'Neill – guitars & mandolin, Gilles Fournier – upright bass, Lori Freedman – bass clarinet, Eli Herskovitch – clarinet, Dave Lawton – Trumpet, Sasha Boychouk – soprano saxophone, Richard Moody – viola, Larry Roy – guitar, Veronique Potvin – viola, Glenn Matthews – percussion
Raw Voice: Don Benedictson (as db benedictson) – bass, Rob Lee – drums, Paul O'Neill – guitars, mandolin & synth, Darryl Havers – organs, Sasha Boychouk – saxophones, Marilyn Lerner – piano, Richard Moody – viola, Celso Machado – percussion, Paul Janzen – EWI, Gord Kidder – harmonicas, Monica Guenter – viola, Karen Moffat – violin, Christina Zacharius – violin, Leanne Zacharius – cello, Sal Ferraris – percussion, Bill Spornitz – penny whistle, Shane Nestruk – baritone saxophone, Rick Boughton – trumpets, Lori Freedman – clarinets, Murray Pulver – guitar, Norm Dugas – organ
Sin & Other Salvations: Murray Pulver – guitars, mandolin & additional vocals, Daniel Roy – drums & percussion, Don Benedictson – bass, Bill Spornitz – soprano saxophone, Richard Moody – violin & viola, Marc Arnould – organ, Ron Halldorson – pedal steel, Pierre Guerin – bouziki & mandolin, Kevin Breit – national steel guitar, Marilyn Lerner – piano, Paul Balcain – tenor saxophone, Lindsay Bart – Irish wooden flute, additional vocals: Sunny Breaks, John Schritt & Sam Baardman
Wholly: Daniel Roy – drums & percussion, Paul Yee – bass, Murray Pulver – guitars, mandolin, percussion & background vocals, Marc Arnould – piano, accordion & organ, John Schritt – vocals, Richard Moody – strings, Julene Gravette – drums, Marie Josee Dandeneau – bass, additional vocals: Annali Braul, Lottie Enns, Gail Zacharias, Karin Kliewer
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group.
The band was formed in 1990 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
by founding members Kim Baryluk, Nancy Reinhold and Kim Segal. The band chose the name "the Wyrd Sisters" to represent and reclaim the ancient pre-Christian triple goddess
Urðr
Urðr is one of the Norns in Norse mythology. Along with Verðandi and Skuld , Urðr makes up a trio of Norns that are described as deciding the fates of people...
, also known as Weird, Wurd, Urd, Urth and The Fates. Presenting initially as a trio, the group later grew to include a full band.
The Wyrd Sisters have released six independent recordings to both fan and critical acclaim. Herizon Magazine dubbed the Wyrd Sisters' 1997 release Raw Voice, "a collection of 11 lyrically intelligent and musically diverse songs that can best be described as folk-pop-jazz fusion with a feminist bent" and said of the band's 2001 release Sin & Other Salvations, the lyrics were marked by "elegant, spare poetry" and new band member Kiva
Kiva (musician)
Kiva is a Canadian harmonic overtone singer keyboard player and songwriter, based in Prague, Czech Republic. She is internationally recognized as a western pioneer in world beat/jazz music, particularly the art of harmonic overtone singing which she both performs and teaches...
's "ethereal tones enhance the beautiful harmonies that have marked the [band's] previous three recordings".
Three of the Wyrd Sisters' recordings have been nominated for Juno Awards (Canada's national music awards) in the Best Roots & Traditional Album - Group category: Inside The Dreaming (1996), Raw Voice (1998) and Sin & Other Salvations (2002). Sin & Other Salvations won a Prairie Music Award (forerunner of the Western Canadian Music Awards
Western Canadian Music Awards
The Western Canadian Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony for music in the western portion of Canada, that originated in its current form in 2003...
) for best album, Roots and Traditional. Many of their songs have been recorded and covered by other performers. They have several videos and have scored music for movies.
In 2005, the band began a legal action against Warner Brothers, Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
of Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
, and Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
and Phil Selway
Phil Selway
Philip James "Phil" "The Graf" Selway is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of English rock group Radiohead. He also drums and provides backing vocals, along with occasional guitar and lead vocals, for 7 Worlds Collide...
of Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
for trademark infringement over the use of their band name in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film directed by Mike Newell and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman...
. The injunction was dismissed, and the band was ordered to pay costs. As of March 2010, the lawsuit has been settled, the details sealed.
Band members
The band has evolved throughout its history, always centred on a trio of vocalists, and backed on stage and in recordings by additional instrumentalists.Members of the core vocal trio have included:
- Kim Baryluk (1990–present) (all recordings)
- Nancy Reinhold (1990–2002) (vocals & guitar) (Leave a Little Light, Inside the Dreaming, Raw Voice, Sin & Other Salvations)
- Kim Segal (1990–1992) (Leave a Little Light)
- Lianne Fournier (1993–2000) (vocals & keyboard) (Inside the Dreaming, Raw Voice)
- KivaKiva (musician)Kiva is a Canadian harmonic overtone singer keyboard player and songwriter, based in Prague, Czech Republic. She is internationally recognized as a western pioneer in world beat/jazz music, particularly the art of harmonic overtone singing which she both performs and teaches...
(2000–2005) (vocals & keyboard) (Sin & Other Salvations) - Lindsay Jane (2003–2004) (vocals & guitar)
- Jennifer Gibson (2005–2006) (Wholly)
- Delina (2006) (Wholly)
- Johanna Hildebrandt (2006–present) (vocals & violin) (Wholly, A Little More Light)
- Dem McLeod (2006–present) (A Little More Light)
Additional touring musicians have included:
- Carolyna Loveless (2008–present) (drums, percussion, background vocals)
Additional musicians on recordings have included:
Leave a Little Light: Don Benedictson – bass, Greg Lowe – guitars, Sandy D'Aoust – guitar, Marilyn Lerner – keyboards, Mitch Dodge – percussion, Karen Erhardt – cello, Reg Kelln – snare
Inside the Dreaming: Don Benedictson – bass, Marilyn Lerner – piano & keyboards, Andy Stochansky – percussion, Paul O'Neill – guitars & mandolin, Gilles Fournier – upright bass, Lori Freedman – bass clarinet, Eli Herskovitch – clarinet, Dave Lawton – Trumpet, Sasha Boychouk – soprano saxophone, Richard Moody – viola, Larry Roy – guitar, Veronique Potvin – viola, Glenn Matthews – percussion
Raw Voice: Don Benedictson (as db benedictson) – bass, Rob Lee – drums, Paul O'Neill – guitars, mandolin & synth, Darryl Havers – organs, Sasha Boychouk – saxophones, Marilyn Lerner – piano, Richard Moody – viola, Celso Machado – percussion, Paul Janzen – EWI, Gord Kidder – harmonicas, Monica Guenter – viola, Karen Moffat – violin, Christina Zacharius – violin, Leanne Zacharius – cello, Sal Ferraris – percussion, Bill Spornitz – penny whistle, Shane Nestruk – baritone saxophone, Rick Boughton – trumpets, Lori Freedman – clarinets, Murray Pulver – guitar, Norm Dugas – organ
Sin & Other Salvations: Murray Pulver – guitars, mandolin & additional vocals, Daniel Roy – drums & percussion, Don Benedictson – bass, Bill Spornitz – soprano saxophone, Richard Moody – violin & viola, Marc Arnould – organ, Ron Halldorson – pedal steel, Pierre Guerin – bouziki & mandolin, Kevin Breit – national steel guitar, Marilyn Lerner – piano, Paul Balcain – tenor saxophone, Lindsay Bart – Irish wooden flute, additional vocals: Sunny Breaks, John Schritt & Sam Baardman
Wholly: Daniel Roy – drums & percussion, Paul Yee – bass, Murray Pulver – guitars, mandolin, percussion & background vocals, Marc Arnould – piano, accordion & organ, John Schritt – vocals, Richard Moody – strings, Julene Gravette – drums, Marie Josee Dandeneau – bass, additional vocals: Annali Braul, Lottie Enns, Gail Zacharias, Karin Kliewer
Discography
- Leave a Little Light (1993)
- Inside the Dreaming (1995)
- Raw Voice (1997)
- Sin and Other Salvations (2001)
- Wholly (2007)
- A Little More Light (2008)
Compilations
The Wyrd Sisters' music has been featured on the following compilations:- We Are Each Others' Angels – Benefit Compilation CD, Lifeworks Media, NY (2000)
- Folk Alliance Showcase Compilation III – North American Folk Alliance (1999)
- The Hanging Garden – Movie Soundtrack, Virgin Music Canada (1997)
- Christmas From Home Benefit Compilation CD – Radio Canada (1997)
- If A Tree Falls – Earthbeat! Records Compilation CD (1996)
- New Canadian Women Singers – CBC Variety Compilation CD (1993)
Additional works
- A Web Not a Ladder – film score, a National Film Board of Canada documentary (1993)
- Making It Work – TV series theme, WTN & Out of Breath Productions (1993)
Further reading
- Fleming, Lee (1996). Hot Licks: Lesbian Musicians of Note. Charlottetown: Gynergy.