Anyone lucky enough to have scored tickets to Serena Ryder’s two sold-out shows in Halifax this weekend can expect to witness a little bit of magic.
The affable, Ontario-born songstress is set to hit the stage at St. Matthew’s United Church Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Ryder told Metro Halifax in a recent interview performing in a place of worship is always an “intense” experience.
“I adore the energy that happens in churches,” she said. “There’s something that seems to have sunk into the walls, into the wood, into the stained glass.”
Add to that the nearly perfect acoustics, and Ryder said there’s really no better venue for listening or performing.
The Halifax shows are just the most recent stop on an eight-week tour that will take the 25-year-old across the U.S. and Canada to showcase her sixth album, is it o.k.
“I love Halifax,” said Ryder, who played Casino Nova Scotia’s Schooner Room back in March.
“I know so many awesome people have come out of there as musicians. People seem to just hang out there…it’s kind of insane.”
Ryder has already made an indelible impression in Canada – taking home the 2008 Juno award for Best New Artist – but is just beginning to make her mark in the U.S., where is it o.k. had its release just a few weeks ago.
“This has been a really long tour, and it’s been great…but I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and playing in front of people who actually know my music,” she said of her long-awaited return to Canadian soil. “There’s a familiarity that comes as you build those relationships.”
A self-confessed music junkie, Ryder said she still finds it “weird” to listen to her own blend of folk, roots, country, and pop. But she’s had no problem sitting down to write while on the road, and says fans can look forward to some new material.
“I’ve been writing a lot, but it will still probably be a while before it’s actually done,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll have at least another year of touring.”
