Sounds and Sparks – “This Aster”
Sounds and Sparks is a new series on WTIP that features Minnesota musicians discussing the latest songs on their newest albums. We go track by track and learn the meanings and stories behind the songs, as well as interesting anecdotes from first inspiration to the recording process.
This episode features artists Brian Laidlaw and Ashley Hanson. Often performing under the name Brian Laidlaw and the Family Trade, they recently completed work on a record called This Aster, a collection of poems by famed French-Canadian poet Emile Nelligan translated and reworked into lyrics for music. Brian and Ashley talk about Nelligan’s fascinating and often tragic life, the challenges that came with keeping meter and rhyme schemes solid in English as well as French, and memorable moments of recording.
Sounds and Sparks is supported in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
