BeatRoute Magazine-Alberta Jan 2011
Haunting. Moody. Soothing. Melodic. Mesmerizing. These are the descriptors that come to mind when listening to Twilight Hotel, the musical partnership of Brandy Zdan and Dave Quanbury that began some eight years ago. Fitting under the broad genre of roots music, Twilight Hotel’s sound is based on enigmatic and intricate songwriting, sung in captivating harmonies, with elements of both folk and rock and a live-off-the-floor feel.
Both Zdan and Quanbury are versed on a number of instruments, including guitar, lap steel, accordion, piano and trombone, which they have incorporated into their music in one way of another. And for these particular musicians, there’s a certain care placed on songwriting, arrangements and presentation.
“We have a very strong opinion about playing together as a band, and we give our songs a ton of stage time before recording,” explains Zdan of the common base that she and Quanbury share about their joint venture of making music.
The two Winnipeg, Manitoba, singer-songwriters discovered a musical chemistry almost instantly when they stumbled across one another through the Winnipeg music scene – a small, yet mighty community that served Twilight Hotel well in their musical beginnings.
“That’s the thing about the roots music community: they’re always willing to give you a helping hand,” says Zdan.
As the release date of their third album, When The Wolves Go Blind, nears, Brandy Zdan reflects on how their songwriting, which was previously based on observing the world around them, has shifted to being centred on their own experiences of life. Zdan attributes this transition from third person narratives to personal accounts to the duo’s 2009 tour for their second release, Highway Prayer, which took the pair across the Mexico/Arizona desert from their newfound home in Austin, Texas, to Kingsize studios in Los Angeles, California. Covering this heavy ground delivered a wealth of life experience that has served Twilight’s songwriting dynamic well.
“Self reflection… it’s come back to us. I don’t know what that is and maybe it’ll transition back the other way. You can find inspiration in the oddest of places. You never know where the muse is hiding,” laughs an enthusiastic Zdan.
With the addition of horn and banjo on the record, fitted with a tight rhythm section and full band recording, the authenticity of this newest release is reminiscent of vintage guitars and shiny 45s.
Most of the songs on When The Wolves Go Blind were co-written by the pair during their 2009 tour for Highway Prayer. Themes of isolation and loneliness with a spirit of travel and adventure tie the album together – evidence of the duo’s encounters on the road.
“We feel it’s the most defining album of our sound,” says Zdan, who talks about the loneliness experienced by Winnipeg musicians, who are geographically isolated from the larger Canadian cities.
With a recent relocation to Austin, less than a year ago, the pair is looking forward to their upcoming tour in their homeland, playing in the prairies, under the open skies that have inspired so much of their music.
As the last couple of years have seen the duo cover a lot of North American ground, a move south of the border and even a 2009 Juno nomination for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year, Zdan and Quanbury are ready for wherever their journey takes them next.
-Lindsay Wilson
BeatRoute Magazine
