Singer Songwriter Maura Shaftoe has been making beautiful noise for over twenty years. Blessed with a warm, soul-filled voice, she is an engaging performer who connects deeply with her lyrics and audience, heavily inlfuenced by the grand dames of jazz– Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Nina Simone – yet her versatility stretches beyond jazz, blending sounds reminiscent of Bjork and Marianne Faithful.
Make me a memory, invites us to be in the present moment, and to live with no regrets.
Collaborating with drummer and WCMA nominee Tyler Hornby, the duo have crafted original songs firmly rooted in jazz but infused with elements of Latin, folk and funk. Maura’s playfulness within the jazz form and raw, honest lyrics will intrigue jazz enthusiasts and new listeners alike. In one breath, her lyrics remind us to live fully – use the nice china / breakout the champagne – and in another not to hide behind the cheap veneer of materialism, but to go out and make memories that feed the soul.
“With Make Me A Memory, Maura Shaftoe matches the impressive strength of her voice with a clear-minded prosey set of lyrics that range from the inquisitive to the accusatory.Shaftoe manages to express humility without veering into self-deprecation, the search for identity without navel-gazing, and disillusionment without acidic bitterness. Her vocal performance is an excellent match for her open narrative," Jason Velazquez
Special Guest Fauna
Fauna is a newly formed solo project of Alyse Johnston, a local musician and songwriter based out of Kitchener-Waterloo. Fauna is intentionally minimalist, adding layers of organic and electronic loops to form an atmospheric sound. Fauna is a drawn out daydream and an embodiment of healing. Crooning songs about every feeling buried over bouncy beats under a blanket fort of forget-me-nots.
