Preview
SOREAL
Friday, January 31
Weeds Café
Sometimes great things happen far away from the local scene's designated cool district. Occasionally, exciting things occur right in the heart of good ol' suburbia. Take, for instance, Lauren Beardsworth and Alicia Hoogveld, who juggle performances in northwest coffee shops with diploma exam preparations. The two gals are in their last year of high school and singer-guitarists in their own band, Soreal (as in So Real). Word of their talent has travelled all the way to a high profile manager in Vancouver....
We saw this scenario happen a few years ago, remember? Tegan and Sara took over the city armed with two acoustic guitars and a legion of supportive high school pals. Here we are again with two gals, their electric guitars and two journals of lyrics from the heart. This time around, though, the agenda is decidedly rock ’n' roll.
The duo's material includes everything from catchy radio-ready gems to mature, emotive rock epics that have enormous potential (and their covers of Twisted Sister and Joan Jett are known to get crowds singing along). Beardsworth and Hoogveld started writing music together when they were 12. They ought to be ready for their Behind the Music special in another few years.
"Grade 8 was the first time we had the same class and we just started hanging out," says Hoogveld, exchanging a smile with her band-mate. "She played guitar and started teaching me. From there, we started writing together."
They began composing lighter music that was heavily based on harmonies. It didn't take long before they found their way to electric guitars. Lauren was intoxicated with the raw emotion of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill and Hoogveld found her elderly muse through the vocal power of Steve Tyler.
With so many sources of inspiration, it is sometimes a minor challenge for them to identify their own colourful take on music. Meanwhile, their friends eagerly toss out comparisons to Avril Lavigne, Bif Naked, Live on Release, Alanis Morissette and the Cranberries.
"We started out really acoustic and then we got into the rock and went extreme," Beardsworth says. "We found a happy medium."
Even though Soreal has found themselves musically, some people might make the mistake of thinking that a young band is not a serious band. Not this duo – it's obvious that music is oxygen to them. Making a career out of music is not just a frivolous daydream, but essential for happiness.
"When our music reaches a larger audience, I hope it'll really move people," says Hoogveld.
"Being able to reach out and touch people with music is a really amazing thing, and being able to do that with something I wrote would be just a great feeling."
Another success story waiting to happen? Let's hope so. But there's only one hold-up.
"We have to graduate first," says Beardsworth, laughing. |
