Dala, the exciting Canadian duo, arrives at the Barns at Wolf Trap in the wake of a London debut, opening for folk icon Arlo Guthrie. Winner of the 2010 Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Folk Artist, Dala also boasts two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for Contemporary Album of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year. Their success proves that the friends you make in high school may be the most valuable you ever know.
Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther first met in their high school band class in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. Both were raised in musical families who played the guitar and sang together in harmony, so it was no surprise to either that their voices blended so well. But when they discovered a mutual talent for composing, they could not resist performing together. For a few years, college got in the way. Carbine studied liberal arts while Walther pursued sculpture.
“We each had our own career interests, but we were blindsided by music,” Carbine said. “When our family, friends and fans began encouraging us to become a professional duo, it was an easy decision.”
After launching their duo in 2002, they soon were harmonizing before appreciative audiences in North America and Europe at such major events as the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Ottawa’s Westfest and the Vancouver Island Folk Festival.
Earlier this year, Dala was featured in the PBS special “Girls from the Country,” and along the way has cut five albums. Their original song “Horses” from their fourth album, “Everyone Is Someone,” was nominated by the National Public Radio as one of the Top 20 Folk Songs of 2008.
“We wrote that song for a fan, a young man who had a freak accident while a teenager,” Carbine said. “He lost abilities we all take for granted, and when we visited him, we were so moved to be in his presence that we were inspired to write that song.
“We compose about 90% of our music and also do covers of songs by singer/songwriters we admire. Initially, we do our own arrangements, but when we go to the studio, our wonderful producer offers suggestions and helps up put together the final version.”
Dala, the name derived from the last syllable of each member’s given name, has been classified as a folk pop duo. Carabine agrees that category best describes their love of an upbeat rhythm and pretty melody characteristic of their jaunty “Levi Blues.”
“So much has happened over the past eight years, but the Newport Folk Festival last summer was like an out-of-body experience,” she said. “Because it was the 50th anniversary, familiar icons attended like Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. I was sitting on a cloud.”
She promises that the Wolf Trap audience can look forward to hearing songs from Dala’s five albums, along with some new ones during an casual evening full of fun and audience participation.
