When alt rock luminaries like Tim Rodgers say things like “Sure Sian’s got a great voice, dexterous guitar chops, is a looker and charming as hell, but what about the positives” about you, you must be on to something. Originally from Cairns and now based in Brisbane, Sian Evans is returning home for a quick visit and show at Resonate on Thursday the 7th of May, ahead of the upcoming release of her new E.P. “How Time Has Treated Thee”. Sian will be returning again at the end of May for a special CD launch show at the Grand Hotel Resonate gig.
Sian has a virtual arsenal of stringed instruments, stomp boxes and other curios, but she started her musical life as a classically trained flautist. I asked Sian to explain the change of instruments “Michele shocked was my favourite artist as a kid. She’s the reason I became a songwriter. I didn’t make the shift so much as I just started playing it also and then had more opportunities to play as a singer than a flautist, so I just kind of dropped or pushed the other things back in the mix. I wanted to write and sing and I couldn’t find anyone to play guitar for me at 14. I’m inpatient, rather than outsourcing, if it’s not done quickly and effectively to standard I’ll usually sort it out myself”.
Not content to just strum guitar, Sian has also ventured into what some may consider the dark side of the stringed instrument world, and picked up some formidable Banjo skills. Sian explains “I always loved it. So much. The sound. The style, Mega hearts! The opportunity came about, the right person with patience entered and Voila! I feel totally blessed. It’s totally shifted the way I play guitar also. But I just love it. They are bastards to tune though. I reckon that’s why they end up with a bad rep and shitty jokes..but honestly, it’s just so much fun!
Some may know Sian from her singing in The Rusty Datsuns, the dinky ragtime/jazz outfit Pollysassin, or her alter ego “Banjolina Goat Stomper” in NQs Hillbilly Goats. Having been some time since I last saw Sian play solo, I asked Sian what we can expect from her solo show at Resonate and she enthused “Not just a folk singer banging on a guitar. It’s folk-roots and blues with an alt country thing but a little bit badass. You live and shit goes down and those experiences, well it’s what shapes every artist. That’s why we do it right? I want my audience to feel like they are released from their own shit, or liberated, if only momentarily. If I can do that for people we’re all winning. Music is a beautiful thing for that reason. To lose yourself and forget about the grind..
Sian plays a Cairns Show at Resonate next Thursday the 7th of May at the Grand Hotel in Cairns, and returns on the 28th of May to launch her new CD “How Time Has Treated Thee” also at Resonate. Both shows are free entry.
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