By David DeRocco

According to the 1972 musical, “life is a cabaret, old chum.”  But Signs of Life? Well, that’s definitely contemporary cabaret, the kind you get when old chums get together to record the  songs of Maja Bannerman.   

Signs of Life is a new CD compilation released this May by Bannerman, a Niagara-based writer/singer/ performer who developed her eclectic artistry while living in Toronto’s vibrant Queen Street West scene during the 80s. The CD contains a delightfully diverse cross-section of 15 tracks, all hand-picked from a vast collection of songs penned by Bannerman over a life-long career as an acclaimed writer, musical artist and spoken word performer.  

“I prefer that it’s just not one style of music,” said Bannerman, once referred to as “the Mother of spoken word in Canada” by Canadian dub poet and musician, Lillian Allen. “At a certain point to me this morphed into what I now call contemporary cabaret, whatever the mood of the song is. Whether it’s country or jazzy, whatever the story demands, that’s what it is.”

Signs of Life is definitely rich in stories both real and imagined and delicately woven into the music by Bannerman’s unique vocal stylings. Whether it’s a loving tribute to Leonard Cohen (Ode To Venus), a wish for a lover to share his heart while dining at St. Catharines’ iconic Valley Inn Restaurant (I Want A Man), or an emotional plea to legalize medicinal heroin (Bring The Heroin Home), Bannerman has delivered a collection of original music that’s whimsical, provocative, emotional and entirely quirky – in other words, the perfect reflection of the artist who created it.

It’s the song “Bohemian Rags to Rhapsody,” however, that has inspired Bannerman’s next creative endeavor. Working in collaboration with Niagara musicians Beth Bartley and Mark Clifford – a.k.a. Vox Violins – Bannerman and company will be incorporating songs, spoken word monologues, improvised music and more into a unique “Bohemian Rags to Rhapsody” contempory cabaret June 16^th at Mahtay Café on St. Paul Street St. Catharines.

“I’ve been doing cabaret off and on since I moved here about twenty years ago,” said Bannerman, who first started in adult cabarets as an MC.  “I like the feeling of a cabaret, the intimacy, the immediacy. “Bohemian Rags to Rhapsody” was commissioned for a performance in Sault Ste. Marie. And I’ve wanted to get players together, people that were multi-instrumentalists, to bring it to the stage. Who better than Mark and Beth, who used to come see me perform at The Rivoli in Toronto. It took us a while to get together because of our schedules. So I’m thrilled.”

 Bannerman is hoping the cabaret morphs into a regular series staged under the song’s title, with a rotating cast of friends, guest artists and even audience members stepping up to provide cameos during the performances. For now, she’s happy to be staging the first event June 16^th, and hoping to attract a very specific audience.

“People who may be looking for something different that’s a little theatrical, a little musical and who are curious to find out what contemporary cabaret might be.”

Tickets are $10 or “pay what you can.” For details visit www.MajaBannerman.ca or http://mahtay.ca/events/.