By Thomas Miller
If you're among those who's never seen someone perform on the didgeridoo, tonight at The Root: Community Emporium is your best chance to do so.
Tristin Chanel, who’s originally from Calgary but now spends most of her time in New York and Toronto, is bringing her didgeridoo to Lloydminster.
She first got into the didgeridoo when she heard Xavier Rudd perform; the Australian is known for his ability on a number of different instruments, the didgeridoo included.
“Everyone loved him, so I thought to myself, I want everyone to love me too,” she said with a laugh. “I went out and bought a didgeridoo and learned how to play it.”
It’s not a typical instrument for someone who’s really into punk music and has performed with bands in that genre for the last 10 years. It’s not just the didgeridoo she plays, however, she’s a talented musician on a number of different instruments and sings as a soloist.
“Recently I started playing bass in a punk band out here in New York City, and guitar for another band,” she said.
“My first instrument was the drums. I’ve been playing since I was 10. It’s what I’m best at. I also play piano, harmonica and trombone.”
She said her performance will include a great deal of crowd participation.
“A lot of people enjoy when I play the didgeridoo because it’s not an instrument that you usually see at a show, especially the way I perform,” she continued, going on to say that some people describe it as a loud, passing-gas type of sound.
“I will do a didgeridoo limbo, as well as a lot of audience participation.”
Part of that participation is when she asks the audience for different words to say into the didgeridoo to figure out what that sounds like an improv performer asking for prompts, and it’s even how her didgeridoo got its name.
“A girl asked me to say Bill Cosby, I ended up naming my didgeridoo Dr. Huxtable,” she added.
She plays everything from funk to house and techno with her didgeridoo, even playing with a metal band, which she called different but fun.
“I created my own style as a female didgeridoo beat-boxer,” said Chanel. “So it’s rhythmic and upbeat and high energy.”