Southern Souls
Mulberry Street Coffee House 193 James Street North
Having a video filmed by Southern Souls has become a rite of passage for any Hamilton musician and beyond. The website began in the summer of 2009 and the amount of material founder Mitch Fillion and the team have produced is incredible. I’ve been a big fan since the beginning.
They film artists performing live off the floor in unique spaces. The intimate nature of the videos and unique arrangements of the songs make the videos so enjoyable. Southern Souls is also a full-fledged music site with photography, reviews, interviews, and show listings.
I was excited to meet Mitch and be part of Dawn and Marra‘s first shoot with Southern Souls. The duo performed a few songs and asked friends to come to Mulberry Coffee House to sing gang vocals on “Not On Top.” The song is off their new album Teaspoons and Tablespoons – if you haven’t heard it yet, it’s a must hear!
There was a small group of us and we joined in on the last chorus. On the album, the group vocals on this song are done by Vancouver band Said the Whale. The girls recorded the album out in Vancouver earlier this year.
Dawn and Marra played my birthday bash fundraiser in April and that may have been the first time I heard the song along with their other new material. I love the lyrics to this song and it was fun to belt them out:
No I’m not on top, today
Maybe in 100 years, I’ll be better
But until that day, Imma make my way
Though my life is a mess, and all my love loveless
No I’m still gonna fuckin’ save the day
Even though I’m not on top today
After we wrapped that song, I watched Mitch film the girls performing an older song of theirs, “A Love Letter.” They moved over to the small hallway in Mulberry and the acoustics sounded amazing. I had goosebumps listening to their harmonies. Dawn and Marra win over fans everywhere they go – people who happened to be in Mulberry couldn’t help but stop and listen.
It was really a treat to be part of a Southern Souls video, and for one of my favourite local bands, no less. Dawn and Marra celebrate their album’s release with a show August 22nd at The Casbah – be there!
Watch the finished video on Southern Souls.
– Kristin
