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Searson is a young energetic group
who has taken their love of music and created an exciting, contemporary
sound that has brought them to national acclaim. This unique
music includes two fiddles, piano, guitar, bass, vocals, bodhran, mandolin
and step dancing. The Searson live stage show is extremely exciting and
dynamic and is always received with an enthusiastic reaction from
audiences across Canada. Mike is the lead guitarist and lead male vocals in the band. He also plays the piano and keyboards and is known for his energy on stage! Mike loves being on the road and playing music with the girls. What a lucky guy! Erin is the lead piano and lead female vocalist in the band. She also step dances and plays the mandolin on stage. Erin attends the University of Ottawa and is finishing up her fourth year. Heather is the lead bass player, step dancer, vocalist and bodhran player in the band. Heather attends Queen’s University in Kingston. Jamie is one of the lead fiddlers and is an accomplished step dancer. Jamie also enjoys playing the mandolin and singing on stage as well. Jamie attends Brock University in St. Catharines Colleen is the other lead fiddler, step dancer and vocalist in the band. Colleen will begin her first year at Trent University in the fall. |
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Hi Erin, Mike, Jamie, Colleen, and Heather (Searson), Thanks for allowing us to do an interview with you for The Canadian Celtic Music Website.
This started as a gradual process.
All of us have played music from a young
age and I remember my sisters and I going to house parties at my
grandparents where we would listen to musicians like The Leahy's and
Natalie MacMaster, and we loved their music! Jamie had the
opportunity to play music with her
grandfather from a young age and all of us used to play at Senior's
Homes and Telethons. Eventually people were hiring us to play
for them and we decided to make a
go of it. Jamie joined the band about five years
ago and we have all been taking our music careers very seriously and
are working hard to reach our goals! Since all four girls are in
University now, we all make the
extra effort to balance our music and school schedules.
For someone who is new to your music, how would you describe it?
So many people ask us this question
because it has such a unique sound. The
closest we can describe would be to say that it is a mixture of high
energy Celtic/Folk music.
What musical/educational background do each of the members have? Do you all have formal training? All of us have had formal training of some sort in the past. Erin has her Grade 9 Royal Conservatory in piano, has taken about seven years of step dancing lessons, and has had eight years of vocal lessons. Mike has his Grade 8 Royal Conservatory in piano and has taught himself the guitar. Heather has had two years of lessons on the bass, seven years of step dancing lessons, and around 7 years of vocal lessons. Jamie had three years of fiddle lessons and nine years of step dance training. Colleen has had five years of fiddle lessons and seven years of step dance lessons. It has been a long time since any of us have taken music lessons and we have learned to expand from our formal training and add our own styles and skills to our instruments. What's it like performing with your family? Has it been something you've done all your life? We all love to perform with each other! It is a great way for us to stay in close contact with one another while sharing something that we all love to do with others. We have been doing this our whole lives and since Jamie has joined she feels like one of the family. So many people think that it might be weird for us to travel with our Dad but we all feel like close friends with one another and we all have a blast on the road!! How did being raised in the Ottawa Valley influence what you are doing now? There is so much musical talent in the Ottawa Valley and this is where we got our start. From competing in Step Dance and Fiddle Competitions to playing for people in the area, the Ottawa Valley gave us an opportunity to share our music with others while also allowing us to experiment with our own personal styles. On your first recording, it was mostly traditional material. Your new CD "House Party" is primarily original material. How long have you been working on this recording? We have written all the music on the new CD and it took us a year to write the music, rehearse, and record the CD. It was a tough year for us because we were all still in school and we did a great deal of driving this past year so that we could get the CD finished. But we all feel that it was worth it and are proud to have done a CD with all original material. What instruments does the band play?
Erin plays the piano, mandolin, step
dances, and does the lead female vocals.
Mike plays the guitar, piano, electric guitar, and does the lead male
vocals. Heather plays the bass guitar, bodhran, step dances, and
does vocals. Jamie plays lead fiddle, mandolin, step dances, and
does vocals. Colleen plays lead fiddle, step dances, and does vocals
as well.
Do you feel that you had to change your style of music with your new CD?
We all feel that our music has grown in
the last couple of years. When we started writing the songs for
this CD we really had to focus on what the "Searson" style
would be and we have been developing our own style for the last while.
We love to experiment with new sounds and ideas and people will notice
a huge difference from our first traditional album. We have had
a lot of fun writing this new CD and creating our own personal style.
Celtic music has become more diverse is the past few years. Instrumentation has become more varied and there has been a few key musicians/groups who have helped the public to become more aware of celtic music. It's always been around, it's just that many people had never heard celtic music before! Many people are surprised to hear how long we have been playing this type of music because they have only been exposed to it in the past couple of years. Who are some of your musical influences?
A few of the various musicians that have
influenced different members in the group are: Donnell Leahy,
Afro Celt, Rolling Stones, Blue Rodeo and James Taylor.
What do you enjoy to do when you're off the road?
Basically, everyone enjoys getting
together with their friends, sleeping in their own beds and
recuperating from the long road trips. Also, all the girls
make sure to stock up on candy for the next road trip...we couldn't
do without! During our time off between shows we get together
and rehearse, write new music, and work on the show. We
practice a lot between shows in the summer time since we are living
close together and we really want to keep on improving.
What have been some of the highlights of your career so far?
We took a few votes and first and foremost, our
main highlight has been to make an entirely original CD. This
was a great feeling of accomplishment for us. Secondly, we
have had the opportunity to open and/or play with various musicians
that we admire such as Natalie MacMaster, Blue Rodeo, Leahy, and so
many more talented musicians. It is always inspiring for us to
see what other musicians are doing and it definitely motivates us to
keep on practicing! Thirdly, the fact that we have been able
to stay together for so long. We have had so many great
experiences and shared so many laughs together and we wouldn't trade
it for the world. We all hope that we can keep playing music
together for a very long time!! You wouldn't believe some of
the things that Mike has to put up with, what with travelling with
four girls all the time!! (Secretly, we know he loves it!)
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
If we keep working as hard as we have been, we
would like to take our music to the next level. It would be
great to be known well nationally, and to tour internationally.
We all hope to still be playing music together and to be having as
much fun as we are right now. We are also planning on having a
few more original CD's out in the next 5 years.
Where have you toured locally, nationally, internationally?
We have toured all over Ontario, many, many times
over the past six years. We have played out West as far as
Calgary, and played in Eastern Canada as far as Quebec City. We
have done private functions in the U.S. and are planning on playing
more in the U.S. over the next couple of years. During the
summer is our busiest time since no one is in school, but we play a
lot between September and April so keep checking the touring schedule!
Is there a place that you have yet to tour that you would like to visit?
Basically, we are willing to travel anywhere in the
world if we can make it work. A few favourites for the band
would be Ireland, Japan, Australia, and Italy. We know that we
are going to get there someday!
Jamie's favourites are The Simpsons and Happy
Gilmore. Mike loves Friends and Lord of the Rings.
Colleen's into Lavern and Shirley and Brave Heart. Heather absolutely
loves The Wonder Years and Star Wars. Erin loves The Wonder
Years also and Indiana Jones.
Who are your favourite singers/instrumentalists?
Favourites by different members of the band are
Bella Fleck and the Flecktones, Wictor Wooten, Wide Mouth Mason, Wayne
Lemke (Blues guitarist), Dave Matthews, James Taylor, Jethro Tull, and
The Rolling Stones.
If you could perform with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Heather would love to perform with The Barenaked
Ladies because they seem to have so much fun on stage or U2 because
she has always admired their music. Jamie would love to perform
with Sheryl Crow and Mike would absolutely love to play with Barbara
Streisand because he thinks that she is an awesome singer and would
love to win over her audience! Colleen would like to jam with
Slainte Mhath because she saw them when we played at the Windsor
Celtic Festival this year and loved all the different instruments that
they used on stage. Erin wants to play with Afro Celt because
they have such awesome rhythms and use so many different instruments.
The energy is incredible!
Best of luck with your career in the months and years to come! Thanks so much Kimberley! See you all on the road! Erin, Mike, Jamie, Colleen, and Heather (Searson) |
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"About 400 music-lovers enjoyed Cape Breton/Celtic fiddling and entertainment provided by the Searsons." - The Review (Vankleek Hill, ON) "You could call the Searsons' CD
release celebration a house party for the House Party." - Steve
Newman, Wilno Newspaper |
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October 2002
November 2002
December 2002
These dates are subject to change. For the latest tour dates, please visit Searson' Website - http://www.thesearsons.com |
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For more info on Searson, check out their website - http://www.thesearsons.com Fan Mail/Booking Information: Searson, PO Box 236, Eganville, Ontario, K0J 1T0, music@theSearsons.com (613) 649-2573 To order Searson CD's, visit their website. If you're interested in more Canadian Celtic Music, visit the Canadian Celtic Music Website. |
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Congratulations to our winners: Gloria M from Abbotsford, BC, Cal N from Marcellus, MI, Ray L from Centralia, WA, Daniel S from Mount Uniacke, NS and Karen B from Winnipeg, MB. Thanks to all that entered! |
Another unique aspect of Searson is the band members which include Heather
Searson, Colleen Searson, Jamie Gardner, Erin Searson and Mike Searson.
Searson has received many appreciative comments from fans who love to see
a young band that is mainly female and to also see a father playing music
with his daughters and a close friend.
When did you decide that
you wanted to be musicians for a career?
What's your take on why Celtic
Music, especially Canadian, is so popular these days in other parts of
the world?
What are your favourite
movies / TV shows?
