Emerging Artist: Zarasutra shows off a voice older than its years

Zara Dureno – who performs under the moniker Zarasutra – is a burgeoning new voice in the city’s singer/songwriter circuit. She’s more frequent at open mics than her own showcases right now, but she has had a few shows under her belt. She’s playing with another popular young talent, Tony Coates, this Saturday night at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West).

She cites Feist and Cat Power as influences and it’s easy to hear their impact on her delivery; her voice has the strength of Nico and the fragility of Bon Iver. It can be as powerful as it can frail. But her real feel comes from her bloodline. She’s the daughter of Windsor music veteran Colleen “Tex Sin” Dureno, who powered such Windsor outfits as Dead Heat, Tulaine Blacktop and The Hard Liquors, as well as her solo work as Haint Flannery of a See-Saw (written and recorded during a stint in the Appalachians). Anyone that knows Colleen knows her passion for music is nearly unparalleled. She’s a collector of songs, ideas and her drive has taken her across North America. That passion has rubbed off on Zara.

Although she’s barely able to play in the venues themselves, Zara demonstrates a voice that sounds older and more hardened than her age would dictate possible. But she sings like she’s lived, loved and lost for a thousand years.

If you’re a Facebook user (and in this day and age, who isn’t?), I’d recommend checking out some of the songs on her Facebook page music player. I’d recommend a couple of her own – “All I Ever Want” and “Lullaby for a Lover”. And her cover of the Misfits‘ classic “Die, Die My Darling” is perhaps more hauntingly disturbing than Danzig and the boys’ original.

Zarasutra, opening for Tony Coates, Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West), Saturday March 19th, 9:30pm

Fri. Feb. 11: Tony Coates, Mary Allan and Den-Igan at Milk

Tony Coates has sure come a long way in the past year. I remember seeing him a year or so back playing at Open Mic at Phog, wondering who this new voice was. He had a deft soulful storyteller tone in his performance, like a deeper Bright Eyes, and people in the room were just captivated.  I knew it was only a matter of time before his voice caught on around the scene. He’s now playing regular gigs around town – he opened for Austin, Texas via Winnipeg roots outfit Twilight Hotel last month at Phog – as well as shows at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West), where Tony will be performing. His latest song posting”So High” shows a far more Jacksoul side of Coates than the usual Ben Harper/Jack Johnson fare he started out as – it will be nice when he finally gets a full band together and some of his songs are finally fully realized.

Also on the bill is newcomer Mary Allan, whose voice and talent have landed her the hosting duties of Milk’s Tuesday night Open Mic. Drawing on inspirations like Bon Iver and Broken Social Scene, she’s only going to get stronger with the right shows and crowds. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that Coates and Allan will be performing together as well.

Opening the show is another face of the future for Windsor’s singer/songwriter circuit (and beyond) Den-Igan Haslip – and I must say, if you haven’t heard her yet, you’re in for a treat. She’s the latest in a line of Windsorite roots troubadours like Ron Leary, Tara Watts and David Dubois. She has an organic feel like Sarah Harmer or Kathleen Edwards, but somehow with a little more edge despite almost sounding more fragile. Check out the song “Pancakes, No Heart Aches” to get a sample of her story.

If you’re looking for a quiet night of stories and laughs and a moments to reflect, this just might be the best place in Windsor to be on Friday night. If nothing else, it’s an intimate showcase featuring three of the brightest young talents in the next generation of local musicians and songwriters.

Tony Coates & Mary Allan, with special guest Den-Igan Haslip, Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West), 9pm, $3 cover