LAC LA BICHE – Shawna Caspi, a Toronto-based singer who also has a passion for artwork, will be bringing her style of folk music to the stage of the Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park campground amphitheatre for the June 28 edition of the Music in the Forest concert series.
Caspi’s stop in Lac La Biche is part of a string of shows that she will be playing during June and July, with several dates booked in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan.
The show marks the folk singer’s first time playing in Lac La Biche.
“I love the idea of live music in a provincial park. It’s a great way to connect nature and music and to bring in events that visitors can take in while they are enjoying a getaway or a break from the city,” Caspi said. “I’ve also been waiting my whole life to see the northern lights, so I’m really hoping there’s a chance for that.”
Caspi will be performing solo, with just her voice accompanied by acoustic guitar playing.
Caspi’s acoustic guitar is influenced by her background in classical guitar, and therefore, she explained, it’s a softer sound compared to a strumming folksinger, with more complex instrumental lines.
“I try to create the sound of a whole band under my fingertips with my guitar style, even if I’m just playing solo,” she said.
“I’m inspired by singer-songwriters who aren’t afraid to be raw and honest in their writing, and who really craft their lyrics. I also love great guitar players,” Caspi stated.
It’s been four years since Caspi released her most recent offering, 2021’s Hurricane Coming. Since Hurricane Coming was released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Caspi wasn’t able to properly tour the album for about two years after it was made available, and said it feels like she has just started to have the chance to share the songs on the album with live audiences.
“One of the early singles off that album is a song called Lay Low Shadow, which is a conversation with my anxiety, admitting that this is something that I’ll always have with me, and it’s up me to interact with it in a healthy way,” Caspi explained. “I try to write with more clarity and to dig deeper with my songwriting all the time, to be bold and truthful and share more of myself. I feel like I do better at that with each album, and that Hurricane Coming is my most raw and honest album so far.”
Lately, in addition to being on the road, Caspi has been spending a lot of time booking, advancing and publicizing shows, but also focusing on writing new songs.
“I haven’t quite figured out the next steps for recording or releasing this new material, but I can confirm that I’ll be playing some new songs live,” she said.
When she isn’t recording music and hitting the road on tour, Caspi puts her artistic abilities to work as a visual artist, and enjoys painting with acrylics. Caspi’s last three albums feature her paintings in the cover art.
For the June 28 show, the doors of the Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park campground amphitheatre open at 6:30 p.m. and the music gets underway at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the concert, contact Alberta Parks Lakeland district office at 780-623-7189.
