On May 8 the Cowichan Folk Guild host Siarimis on their Goltraí (lament) tour.
Starting at 7:30 p.m. inside the Providence Farm Chapel, the show is an entirely acoustic, unplugged, candlelit performance. Siarimis consists of Kester Reid who mostly grew up in England with his family who now live in Scotland, and Luke English who grew up in Duncan.
"It has been a long time since we had an unamplified show that really takes advantage of the natural acoustics and resonance of the chapel at Providence Farm," said Reid. "We are so stoked to be playing at Providence Farm. Luke loves to return to his home turf. We stopped by at another venue last year with our Pirates, Poets and Warrior Queens tour, and we have also played Islands Folk Fest a couple years back in a Latin band that we both front called El Combo Cumbialandia."
Reid and English have been playing together for four years in various projects including El Combo Cumbialandia as well as a reggae band. Their music project Siarimis, which was Reid's brainchild, has now been active for three and a half years. Siarimis is a Gaelic word which means; let’s go west.
"I chose the word Siarimis for the band to celebrate my ancestral language," said Reid. "Osgaeilge, or Irish, was my Grandmother’s first language and to hint at an important concept in the Gaelic mythology and spiritual beliefs is the west being the place of renewal, eternal life, and the Otherworld. The fact that in this conjugation it apparently indicates 'let’s go back', which chimes well with our message of recovering ancestral traditions and values and exploring them through folk stories, and music."
There are 'three noble strains' in Irish music: Suantraí (lullaby), Geantraí (joy), and Goltraí (lament/grief).
"Grief is actually about coming out of numbness and coming back to life," said Reid. "The old Irish stories say a harper could only be admitted to the hall of kings and be considered a knowledge holder if he has mastered the three noble strains of music, which reflects not just an aesthetic, but actually a worldview, that is full of indigenous wisdom."
Siarimis explores this essential tradition through Scottish and Irish songs and stories.
The tour will also play Cumberland where the duo is based, Salt Spring Island, Victoria, as well as Vancouver, with some Gulf Islands dates shaping up for later in the summer. Those new to the music of Siarimis can expect traditional instruments, harmonies, laughter and heartache as they lead audience members back into the beauty of belonging to an old time, and place. The performance will mostly consist of slower traditional laments and ballads, rich in harmonies, and full of powerful stories about Gaelic life, history, and beliefs. Some songs are upbeat, some are riddles, and even funny, because grief is a paradox, and the tradition presents balance.
"We are all in the midst of various kinds of grief and joy and this show aims to acknowledge that and give us all an outlet through incredible ancient music in a beautiful location," said Reid. "We play traditional songs alongside a few originals, and share folks stories that expand on themes in the tradition that resonate through the show. We always get the audience singing as that is part of the oral tradition back home — songs with refrains that are traditionally sung by an audience. Many seem to appreciate the chance to connect with Gaelic heritage that is common to so many of us around here."
Along with some group singing, audience members can also expect to learn some historical context for the songs. Doors will open at 6:30 and tickets are $20 and can be purchased at buytickets.at/siarimis/1630230.
"We hope that audiences take away a sense of the beauty in the Goltraí tradition," said Reid. "So many songs, not just in this tradition but in many, are about loss of love, of homeland, and of opportunity, much like the blues. Because grief is such an essential part of life, and we have to feel it. Oral tradition, stories, and songs have historically helped people feel their grief, and be in it together, so that we can process it and be renewed by it. It’s not about just moving on, but actually grief is natural, and can be beautiful, and if we honour that it renews us, and everything else. My personal hope, and my experience, is that connection to the Indigenous knowledge in my own heritage is an important piece of my reconciliation with Indigenous peoples as a settler here. I have worked in Indigenous settings a lot, and have always had elders guide me towards learning about my own traditions, my own history, even as they generously share their own. We hope attendees take home a little taste of the wealth, and beauty of this tradition."
