CARLIE HOWELL

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE

The Electric Storm Collective began as a writing partnership between poet Eva Tihanyi and composer Carlie Howell. Their lyrical and musical collaborations are informed by their shared histories as as feminized artists coming into their queerness, a couple of decades apart. In 2019, Eva and Carlie were awarded a Canada Council Explore and Create Grant to compose a suite of music entitled “When Lightning Strikes The River.” In 2020, Carlie received funding to attend the Banff Centre for the Arts to arrange the songs for chamber pop orchestra. Most recently, they were awarded a grant to assemble the bring 14 musicians into the The Electric Storm Collective to rehearse, record and perform this music. They are excited to be producing a chapbook of the lyrics, as well as a special edition vinyl.

ABOUT THE PIECE

When Lightning Strikes the River is a narrative suite of 14 songs about the feminized queer experience, romance, partnership, friendship, mental health, depression, grief, redemption, spirituality, and ultimately, love. The evocative lyrics are set to lush harmonies, organically shifting time signatures and intricate ostinatos, drawing on influences from jazz, pop, folk, and Brazilian traditional and contemporary styles of music. The pieces are presented within a narrative arc, from the first spark of a relationship, through passion, partnership, heartbreak, the support of community to rebuild to a place of self-love and of self-knowledge. The music and its theatrical setting are both a result and a reflection of the creative collaboration between poet Eva Tihanyi and musician Carlie Howell.  

When Lightning Strikes The River : Phase 3