Although it has been traditionally said that one person can make a difference, musically-speaking, two people can make a real change. Enter Chris Brown and Kate Fenner: an alt-folk rock duo from Toronto, by way of Kingston and New York city. Their politically savvy yet poetic peacenik lyrics and disarming melodies will have you simultaneously moved to daydreams and, quite possibly, itching to write a letter to your member of Parliament.
The pair met in their high school days, forming the groundbreaking and legendary Bourbon Tabernacle Choir in 1985, alongside the likes of Howie Beck and Andrew Whiteman of Broken Social Scene and Apostle of Hustle fame. This star-studded cast, while prolific for a time, parted ways in 1995 and paved the way for the present-day partners to record on their own, as well as venture into successful and rewarding offshoot projects with Brown’s Citizen’s Band, based out of New York, and Fenner’s solo artistry and numerous illustrious collaborations.
“With Citizen’s Band, it’s a group of people that I’ve known for four or five years. It’s kind of like an extension of how we grew up; playing music with a group of friends,” Brown said.
“With Kate, it kind of followed the diaspora that was the break-up of the original band and we started recording and writing together. With us, it was always more of a lyrical and poetic concern.”
This “poetic concern” goes much further beyond Brown’s rich instrumentals and Fenner’s smoky alto voice, extending themselves as artists into unabashedly political territory with an emphatically humanitarian voice. In the socially-conscious stunner “Resist War,” from Chris and Kate’s most recent collaborative effort, Go On (2004), Fenner sings, “For what is life if it takes them to die for us? / And if the willing and the brave and the deaths of millions has promised no relief, / then I take my life and place it on the side of peace.” The source of their moral outcry and sympathy for the human condition is quite simple, Fenner said.
“It really came out of being truthful and the concerns that we have; it’s what we wanted to comment on as artists. It can take a lot of bravery to make a political statement without being preachy and create a beautiful moment in music that is universal,” Fenner said.
With six critically acclaimed albums as a duo and an ever-growing collection of solo ventures, most recently including Brown and the Citizen’s Band’s Oblivion and Fenner’s Magnet, they’re no strangers to the activist scene.
“The thing about music is that it can keep the important issues on the table for a long time and it really carries a depth charge. The albums stick around because they translate so well across contexts and situations,” Brown said.
Involvement on the world stage hasn’t gone unnoticed by their contemporaries either. While Fenner, with all the humility of a true homegrown talent, claims she is still “just a fan,” she and Brown have recorded and performed with such industry legends as B.B. King, Ani DiFranco, Tom Jones, the Barenaked Ladies, the Tragically Hip and the Rheostatics—a condensed list. Colleague Norah Jones even goes so far as to call Kate one of her favourite acts to see live in New York City.
So with all their well-deserved industry praise, extensive travel and worldwide conscience, it’s a wonder they’d choose Queens’ very own Grad Club to house one of their rare public performances.
“It’s always been a really music-positive venue, homey with a great atmosphere,” Brown said.
“Campuses are always a hot-bed of social activity and have always been great places of change and challenge to the status quo.
“Wherever you perform, and in whatever you put out there, you essentially create your environment.”
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Chris Brown and Kate Fenner play Saturday night at the Grad Club at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
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