Kat Harlton
Lead Photo: Jen Squires
Hailing from the geographical centre of the continent (aka Winnipeg), Sweet Alibi has wowed audiences and critics alike with their unparalleled harmonies and down home roots infused soul. With three albums already under their belts, coupled with their captivating live shows – the ladies (Jess Ayre Rae, Amber Rose, and Michelle Anderson) have continually changed the game with their artistic craft.
Now they’re back, with their latest single “Confetti” (their first official single since 2016). We had the opportunity to catch up with Jess Ayre and discuss the new single, who the band would like to perform with and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “Confetti”?
Jess:Years ago while driving with a friend we were listening to CBC radio, and between songs Rich Terfry amusingly read a headline. It was about Austrian woman who cut up her 1.1 million of life savings just before she passed away. A collection of shredded money was found strewn across her bed in her retirement home.
I turned to my friend and said, “it would be like confetti made of money”
He chuckled, “Confetti at her funeral”
I wrote it down in my notes, and forgot about it.
Three years later, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, and given a fleeting amount of time to live. In the last three months of her life, a lot of my family started acting appallingly greedy, by trying to get her to rewrite her will, and cut out half of the family from receiving any inheritance. My grandma was pretty disappointed with the silliness of everyone’s behaviour.
It took me back to the story of the woman from Austria, and sympathized with how she was likely fed up with how her offspring put money before family.
Kat: Can you talk about the songwriting process, where you find inspiration and how it works between the 3 of you?
Jess: Someone usually has an idea with lyrics or a hook and we’ll get together and work on it together to developed it. We take inspiration from life experiences, and other musicians. Writing our upcoming album has been really fun because our band has been really involved in the process and it really shapes the songs in a more cohesive way.
Kat: Is there an artist you’d like to perform with, that you haven’t had the chance to yet. Or a song you’d love to do a cover of?
Jess: Festivals are a great way to play with other amazing artists. It would be cool to play a festival where Feist is playing.
Kat: Do you have any advice for emerging artists, or have you been given any advice that’s stuck with you or made an impact?
Jess: Never be late. We should probably heed that advice.
Kat: What’s next?
Jess: We’re recording our upcoming album with Matt Peters and Matt Schellenberg of Royal Canoe. In the meantime you can hear our latest single “Confetti” on CBC Radio 2 Top 20.
For more on Sweet Alibi visit: https://www.facebook.com/pg/SweetAlibi3