They may live in separate corners of the globe but that hasn’t stopped the Belle Miners releasing their debut album Powerful Owl in November.
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The folk/pop band will launch the album at the Berry School of Arts on Thursday, January 4, before continuing a tour around New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
The trio, Canadian-based Felicia Harding and Marina Avros and Australian-based Jaime Jackett combine harmonies and relatable stories into a 10-track upbeat sonic journey covering themes from love and loss to overcoming life-threatening illness.
While they’ve done a few house concerts, the band has never played at a venue on the South Coast – a region that holds a special meaning for the trio.
“Our first show was at Berry Mountain together at a concert and we had a Powerful Owl fly over,” Jaime said.
“From then on that was our totem spirit and we decided that’s what our album should be called.”
Jaimie, Felicia and Marina all met at the age of 11 in British Columbia.
Now based in Broome, Jaime and her husband work at the Broome Bird Observatory, while Felicia lives in Vancouver Island and Marina spends the majority of the year living remotely in Northern Alberta in a fire observation tower.
While the distance has its musical challenges, Jaime said the trio has a strong connection built through years of friendship.
“The magical interweb helps but we’ve all got a long-term relationship, having played together for a considerable time so we get each others feel and vibe,” Jaime said.
“We’re always writing songs so we always know the direction we’re going.”
Powerful Owl was recorded in March on Vancouver Island and includes songs that have been years in the making.
Lead single ‘Fall In Love With Me’ is dedicated to same-sex marriage, and ‘25 Years’ is an ode to enduring relationships.
"It was completely by chance that the government of Australia happened to be going to the polls the very week we were planning to release our single," Jaime said.
"And with the marriage equality plebiscite up and coming in Australia, we wanted to show our support for our band mate, Marina, and the LGBTQI community in Australia, and the world, by offering up our pending release for equality. It is focused on love, personal challenge and death.
“It's sort of the collective life story of the band, if you will."
They don't shy away from darker tales of personal hardship either. 'Strange World' and 'Night Flight' are inspired by Jaime's 11-years spent living with brain cancer.
"Last year, I had a brain stem tumour removed that had been considered inoperable and benign for 11 years.
“After a series of events, it was my family's discovery of Dr Charlie Teo that saw me having the 'inoperable' removed.”
It was revealed that the tumor had become cancerous and Jaime credits the well-known surgeon with saving her life.
“The band has helped get me through this insane period of my life. We stubbornly toured in February, despite the challenge, and followed that by recording 'Powerful Owl' after the tour,” Jaime said.
“Needless to say, that experience was a huge influence on songs that I penned.
“Lyrics come in many ways – fully formed, smooshy syllables, painfully pulled from the ether, or magically drifting into your head.
“Scribbled on paper, recorded on phones, or repeated by rote so their remembered for later when a pen or phone is handy. Our muses and geniuses take many forms.”
2018 Belle Miners Australian Tour:
Wed 3 Jan | Magic Mountain, Merimbula NSW
Thu 4 Jan | Berry School of Arts, Berry NSW (Tickets)
Fri 5 Jan | Heritage Hotel, Bulli NSW (Tickets)
Sun 7 Jan | Mosaic Carriage, Fremantle WA
Thu 11 Jan | Broome Convention Centre, Broome WA
Tue 16 Jan | Hastings Caves, Parks Tasmania, Geeveston TAS
Wed 17 Jan | Frank’s Cider Bar, Franklin TAS
Fri 19 Jan | Printers Room, Sebastiaans, Ballarat, VIC
Sat 20 Jan | Upwey Skylark Room with 3MDR, Burrinja VIC
Sun 21 Jan | Toff In Town, Melbourne VIC
Thu 25 Jan | The Mechanics Institute, Nagambie VIC
Fri 26 Jan | Star Theatre, Chiltern VIC
For more information and to book tickets, head to https://www.belleminers.com/tour