Canada is woven out of a diverse fabric of people, cultures and places, which can sometimes make Canadians’ idea of what Canada is or what it means to be Canadian very different.
But, for Canadian singer/songwriter Diyet, the common thread across it all has been music.
As part of The Great Canadian Songbook, a group of three musical acts touring across much of Canada to play some of the most iconic songs by Canadians, she’s seen diverse audiences relate to the music her group performs like never before.
The Great Canadian Songbook looks to do the same in Parksville, where they’ll perform at Knox United Church (345 Pym St.) on Nov. 4.
Performing the music of Canadians like Leonard Cohen, Stan Rogers, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Buffy St. Marie, Stompin’ Tom Connors and Barenaked Ladies, Diyet said she and her fellow Great Canadian Songbook performers Ken Lavigne and Tiller’s Folly brought together some of their favourite songs, and very different perspectives on all of them, to create the show.
Tiller’s Folly is a Celtic-influenced Canadiana band, while Ken Lavigne performs as a classical tenor with modern style. Diyet sings country, folk, roots and traditional styles influenced heavily by her indigenous ancestry and life in the Yukon.
Born in a tent and growing up on the ancestral lands of her people in the that territory, Diyet has Southern Tutchone, Tlingit, Japanese and Scottish heritage.
Diyet said, when approached by Lavigne about the Great Canadian Songbook project, she thought she could bring an important Canadian view to the group.
“As far as having not just a female voice but having an indigenous voice, having a northern voice, it would help to interpret some of these songs,” she said. “I think it adds a really nice touch to the whole show. Because obviously I interpret music differently than they do, and they interpret music differently from each other and from me.”
“It’s a really nice blend, and I think there’s a lot of complimentary sounds as far as musical styles, but also as far as voices.”
One way they all brought their parts to the show was in choosing what songs they felt needed to be a part of it.
“We all put out a bunch of tunes and put them into the pot,” Diyet said.
“For example, I put in a couple of Buffy St. Marie songs because I wanted to see which ones would come out in the wash, and which ones would fit the show because you want to have music that sort of blends or tells part of the story, and creates a bit of a tapestry I guess.”
One of those was Universal Soldier — a song about how war is perpetuated, and written in reaction to the Vietnam War.
“I grew up with that song, and my mom was a really big fan of Buffy St. Marie,” said Diyet. But, learning to sing the song for the first time, Diyet said she gained new appreciation for how the song still rings true today. But she know thinks of it as a song about human behaviour, and how, as people change, some issues continue to come up.
The song is also emblematic of Canadian music in that Canadians often don’t write songs that are just for fun, but that deal with difficult subjects.
“I think the tradition of songwriting in Canada, it seems to me that it goes a little deeper and makes you think a little bit. Not all music is easy. Not all subjects are easy, but that’s good. We need to be challenged.”
But the performance is nonetheless an uplifting, inspirational one for audiences, she said, and manages to include parts of many people’s Canadian experience.
“From my impression of the shows that we’ve done already, people leave them feeling bolstered in spirit,” she said. “It’s a nice way to connect with people. So many people love these songs, and they identify with them. They are part of their own lives. They also see themselves in these songs.”
For Diyet, it’s Canada’s music itself that makes her feel Canadian.
“Growing up in the north and the perspectives that I have of Canada as an indigenous person as well… the common thread I think for me in identifying and connecting with other people in this country has always been about music.”
While choosing the best and most influential Canadian songs is an impossible task, notes Diyet, she said she’s proud and excited to share the work of some of country’s amazing musical talent.
The Great Canadian Songbook performs at Knox church on Nov. 4 starting at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $38 (plus service charges) sold at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo. Call 250-754-8550, or go to www.porttheatre.com.