Maerin

Posted by The Link in Link Live Sessions on January 21, 2013

Follow @Linknewspaper

The trees outside Mile End’s Salon Sweet William shuddered in a frigid wind, but inside Maerin Hunting warmed the room with an intimate performance of “I’ll Tell Ya,” a song telling a story from the perspective of a former crush, detailing her anticipation before anything happened.

“I wrote this song after we finally started dating, and this was my way of explaining my angst, waiting for him to tell me that he liked me,” said Maerin.

Maerin grew up in Montreal, the daughter of a dancer and art history major who met in Concordia’s Drawing 101. Now in the final stretch of her undergrad in jazz voice, it was her great-aunt that first inspired Maerin to study music—giving a piano to her family home.

“I remember playing all kinds of old jazz standards with her around Christmas,” Maerin said. “When I was at Vanier [College] I started studying pop voice, but I quickly switched into jazz voice, not knowing [these were] songs I had been singing with my grandparents. I knew a whole repertoire already.”

She now does most of her songwriting on guitar, something she credits to hearing the likes of pop songwriters John Mayer and Jack Johnson as a kid. The heartthrob factor didn’t hurt, either.

“The same reason boys start to play guitar, to get girls,” jokes bassist Patrick Latreille about Maerin’s choice of instrument.

She’s been playing her original material live now for over a year, an experience of baring personal experience textured by a full band moving softly around her. It’s a feeling she’s becoming more comfortable with as time goes on.

“You can be onstage and let people know things about you that you wouldn’t necessarily tell them in conversation,” said Maerin. “It’s a very personal and vulnerable space.”

The band, under the name Maerin, is in pre-production for their debut full-length record, and are hoping to be playing festivals come summer time.

“My favourite after-show comment was this one individual who said, ‘Maerin, it felt like you held my hand through issues I’ve yet to go through,’” she said.

“I think that’s a pretty good example of what I strive to do.”