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By Sarah Lemmon
Photos by Sarah Lemmon

Raine Maida - Commodore Ballroom, Tuesday, March 11th 2008 with Billy the Kid.
Raine Maida has always been recognized as the lead singer and songwriter for ‘Our Lady Peace.’ After 10 years with the iconic Canadian rock band, Maida is reborn with an innovative voice in his first solo album ‘The Hunters Lullaby.’
Flying solo, and label free, Raine takes the opportunity to write about what matters to him. The album is a combination of political opinions like the song, ‘One Second Chance’ and autobiographical stories like ‘Careful What You Wish For’ or the personal reverie in ‘Yellow Brick Road.”
Maida draws inspiration from a collection of other outspoken individuals. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen were also artists who voiced important political messages in their lyrics.
Coming from a theatre background, I absorbed his performance like watching an actor recite a monologue. His new sound is a combination of poetry and song accompanied by acoustic instruments and back-up vocals from wife, Chantal Kreviazuk. Maida is a storyteller, a teacher,an activist with something to say. His music is beautifully crafted and deserves to be heard.
As much as I wish the world would agree with me, this music is not for everyone; a lot of listeners will be discouraged by the complexity of his lyrics. Many will be too lazy to listen, or too obtuse to care. I think the majority of his previous OLP followers will be filtered out and a more educated, world aware, audience will take their place. That said, OLP fans should be happy to hear that Raine’s encore performance is a revival of ‘Innocent.’
Another singular voice that should be heard is the opening artist, ‘Billy the Kid.’ Mentored and produced by Raine Maida, she tours along side him promoting her solo debut ‘Diary of a Lost Girl.’
Billy is vulnerable and youthful regardless she stands into her performance with a strong, sturdy sound. She is eager and animated; displaying her talents by strumming her acoustic guitar and playing harmonica simultaneously, singing her heart out, sharing her life story through song. This tour is only the beginning for the Vancouver born musician.
Billy supported Maida on the streets of Toronto when he teamed up with War Child Canada on fundraising efforts to rebuild a school in the Congo. He busked the streets singing and playing guitar. I have complete support for artists like Raine Maida who give back to the community and world. Music is a brilliant way to get a crowd to listen and understand the ramifications of political and cultural discourse that is taking place around us. Public awareness is often neglected however Raine and Billy have chosen to speak out. Hear and Now !
Open your ears and listen.

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