Being a musician on the road is a transient experience—you’re constantly in motion, going from one place to the next—but Ella Coyes has been finding connections with audiences everywhere they go.

“I haven't put out a record before like this,” the singer-songwriter says. “I kind of forgot, over the last couple years especially, just how much you share when you do that, and how much people are willing to share with you.”

Coyes has been touring behind Communion, their debut album as Sister Ray. The album collects 10 compelling songs of affecting, interpersonal moments, told in sparse but deft instrumentals. Released in the spring, Communion has been widely acclaimed—it earned a spot on the 2022 Polaris Prize longlist, Canada’s $50,000 independent music award.

It’s also kept Coyes busy: chatting shortly after an early September tour of Europe—playing solo as the opener for New Orleans band Hurray for the Riff Raff—Coyes is soon heading back to the road, spending the next few months crossing Canada and doing shows with the likes of the Rural Alberta Advantage and Basia Bulat. They’re also heading back to Europe with Bristol-based Clara Mann, with some festival dates somewhere in the itinerary as well.

It is, Coyes admits, a busyness that they sought out.

“I asked for it and I got what I wanted,” they laugh, of their touring schedule. “It's really exciting. I love being on the road so much.”

In doing most of these shows solo—the album featured a few additional players and instruments—Coyes notes that the songs can feel more responsive to how they’re feeling that day, which helps connect with the particular audience in each particular room.

“[The songs are] a lot more fluid because when I'm by myself,” Coyes notes. “I can really play how it just feels to be there. It's scarier for sure, but in a good way, that I really like a lot. The songs are a lot freer. I really don't feel a huge attachment to the record, or playing songs like they are in the record [...] I think it makes the shows better, and it keeps it really fun for me.”

In a way, it also harkens back to Coyes’ roots: growing up in Sturgeon County, they got their start in music at open mics around St. Albert, connecting with like-minded local artists and the occasional touring musician.

“I think my first gig that I ever got booked for was busking in front of Arcadia at the farmer's market,” Coyes recalls.

They’d go on to perform at the inaugural St. Albert Amplify Festival, and receive a youth artist award at the 2015 Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts.

“It was just the most social environment for me there,” Coyes says, of those open mic days. “In the city, ‘cause I lived in Sturgeon County—I didn't live right in the city. And so that was kind of the meeting space for everybody, those open mics.”

Now, being on the road means finding different connections, in places where the audience might be discovering Coyes and their music for the very first time.

“It feels really exciting to be playing for true strangers,” they say. “I really like that a lot.”

By: Paul Blinov

To learn more about Sister Ray, please visit their website. 

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