Cellar Sessions: Gabrielle Shonk October 11th, 2017 City Winery New York Full Session
- 5 years ago
Gabrielle Shonk and her band sit down for a One On One Session at City Winery New York on October 11th, 2017. For more info visit: http://www.gabrielleshonk.com Audio & Video by: Ehud Lazin
Setlist:
Raindrops
Free
Habit
Musicians:
Simon Pedneault - Guitar
Jessy Caron - Guitar
Cédric Martel - Bass
Pierre-Emmanuel Beaudoin - Drums
Gabriel Desjardins - Keys
Back in 2012, shortly after the Canadian-American musician Gabrielle Shonk completed her degree at Québec’s Université Laval, where she studied jazz, she started writing a song called “Raindrops.” In its earliest form, it had what Shonk described as “that acoustic, Sunday-morning jazzy feel”—but when she embarked on the process of writing and recording her debut album two years ago, she decided to revisit the song, in the process completely revamping it.
The song that emerged from that reimagining, which premieres exclusively here on W, took a darker turn. Gone was the acoustic guitar; in its place, the jangle of electric. Shonk’s voice, part of the same throaty jazz-pop lineage as Amy Winehouse or Tony Bennett-phase Gaga, croons over a snare beat and a few sparse piano chords. But the essence of the song remained the same: It’s about the point, just before the demise of a relationship, “where you know things aren’t going that well” but can’t help wonder, “is this worth pushing through and working through it, or is it just broken, and at the end, and I’m denying it?” Shonk told me, adding that she was going through a similar internal battle when she wrote the song. The lyrics are similarly candid: “Can’t seem to decide if I stay or I go,” Shonk sings, “Why is it that I never seem to know?”
And though five years have now passed since she first put down the words, the song—and the rest of the material that makes up her debut record Gabrielle Shonk, out September 29 on Universal Music Canada—continues to resonate. “It’s funny how things are cyclic,” she said. “I wrote them a while back, but they still feel accurate—I don’t feel any nostalgia towards it yet.”
Of the record’s 10 tracks, three are in French; after Shonk immersed herself in Quebecois and French music, she decided to try writing it for herself (albeit with the assistance of a co-writer). “I really wanted to do it because I feel like my reality is very bilingual,” she said. “Before creating, you have to absorb different things—I had to absorb a lot of French music to be able to create it myself.”
And though five years have now passed since she first put down the words, the song—and the rest of the material that makes up her debut record Gabrielle Shonk, out September 29 on Universal Music Canada—continues to resonate. “It’s funny how things are cyclic,” she said. “I wrote them a while back, but they still feel accurate—I don’t feel any nostalgia towards it yet.”
Of the record’s 10 tracks, three are in French; after Shonk immersed herself in Quebecois and French music, she decided to try writing it for herself (albeit with the assistance of a co-writer). “I really wanted to do it because I feel like my reality is very bilingual,” she said. “Before creating, you have to absorb different things—I had to absorb a lot of French music to be able to create it myself.”
Setlist:
Raindrops
Free
Habit
Musicians:
Simon Pedneault - Guitar
Jessy Caron - Guitar
Cédric Martel - Bass
Pierre-Emmanuel Beaudoin - Drums
Gabriel Desjardins - Keys
Back in 2012, shortly after the Canadian-American musician Gabrielle Shonk completed her degree at Québec’s Université Laval, where she studied jazz, she started writing a song called “Raindrops.” In its earliest form, it had what Shonk described as “that acoustic, Sunday-morning jazzy feel”—but when she embarked on the process of writing and recording her debut album two years ago, she decided to revisit the song, in the process completely revamping it.
The song that emerged from that reimagining, which premieres exclusively here on W, took a darker turn. Gone was the acoustic guitar; in its place, the jangle of electric. Shonk’s voice, part of the same throaty jazz-pop lineage as Amy Winehouse or Tony Bennett-phase Gaga, croons over a snare beat and a few sparse piano chords. But the essence of the song remained the same: It’s about the point, just before the demise of a relationship, “where you know things aren’t going that well” but can’t help wonder, “is this worth pushing through and working through it, or is it just broken, and at the end, and I’m denying it?” Shonk told me, adding that she was going through a similar internal battle when she wrote the song. The lyrics are similarly candid: “Can’t seem to decide if I stay or I go,” Shonk sings, “Why is it that I never seem to know?”
And though five years have now passed since she first put down the words, the song—and the rest of the material that makes up her debut record Gabrielle Shonk, out September 29 on Universal Music Canada—continues to resonate. “It’s funny how things are cyclic,” she said. “I wrote them a while back, but they still feel accurate—I don’t feel any nostalgia towards it yet.”
Of the record’s 10 tracks, three are in French; after Shonk immersed herself in Quebecois and French music, she decided to try writing it for herself (albeit with the assistance of a co-writer). “I really wanted to do it because I feel like my reality is very bilingual,” she said. “Before creating, you have to absorb different things—I had to absorb a lot of French music to be able to create it myself.”
And though five years have now passed since she first put down the words, the song—and the rest of the material that makes up her debut record Gabrielle Shonk, out September 29 on Universal Music Canada—continues to resonate. “It’s funny how things are cyclic,” she said. “I wrote them a while back, but they still feel accurate—I don’t feel any nostalgia towards it yet.”
Of the record’s 10 tracks, three are in French; after Shonk immersed herself in Quebecois and French music, she decided to try writing it for herself (albeit with the assistance of a co-writer). “I really wanted to do it because I feel like my reality is very bilingual,” she said. “Before creating, you have to absorb different things—I had to absorb a lot of French music to be able to create it myself.”