MORRISBURG – “It might be cold outside,” said singer Alysha Brilla as she stepped on to the stage at Upper Canada Playhouse on Saturday, February 1, “but it is certainly warm in here! How are you feeling Morrisburg? You’re a wonderful audience and we are going to fill this space with energy.”
And for the next two hours of her St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage concert, Alysha Brilla did fill the room with the energy and the passion of her unique music. By the end of her concert fans, old and new, were singing along with her and her band mates, and up on their feet dancing in the aisles. It was a dynamic, exciting and unconventional concert, and the audience loved it.
Supported by Sammy Duke on bass, chimes and the cajon, and Gerima Harvey on djembe (who also enjoyed the crowd singing Happy Birthday to him!), Alysha accompanied herself on guitar during all her songs. Alysha has a powerful voice and a unique stage presence. In an earlier Leader interview, she spoke of how she loved to share stories with her listeners, and focus those experiences into her musical themes.
She also has a sense of humour.
She shared memories of a safari she took to Tanzania, her father’s country of birth, and amused us all with her tales of Lions openly prowling through the tents of the camp (which left everyone decidedly uneasy). But from this story came the song ‘Peace,’ which she shared. Sometimes “inside my head a war rages on, but I still hear the song/ We’ve got hope and despair and they’re dancing together.”
Her emotions play a large role in the themes of Alysha’s songs. ‘Rescue’, a song about friendship, was a “song of hope, even though dark days will return.” And ‘Echo’ from her latest album, Circle, paid homage to gifts we receive from our ancestors, no matter the pathways we choose to follow: “gifts passed on by those who came before/different spirits to absorb.”
The second half of Alysha Brilla’s concert was what she frankly called “the dancing set.” From ‘After Dark’ (which invited the audience to sing the chorus) and talked about what it was like having a crush on someone, to the boisterous and bouncing ‘Pink Pony Club,’ people found it more and more difficult to stay in their seats. Alysha is not confined to one genre of music. She ranged from folk, to rock to soul, and had the crowd cheering each style.
The show stopping finale was ‘Bigger Than That’ (with some references to her beloved Tuxedo Cat pet). “You think you might try to keep me back/But I’m bigger than that…You put up a wall, but I’ll climb it like a cat/ Cause I’m bigger than that.” The crowd not already up dancing in the aisles cheered and applauded this remarkable and unique performer. When Alysha Brilla shouted “Morrisburg I love you!” the audience shared that love.
Great night. Great SLAS concert.
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