Canadian Duet Charms Chatham Audience

The Sanctuary Concert Series at the on Saturday night featured two young women from Canada who call themselves "Dala." Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine have been performing together since 2002.

“We first met when I was 16, in band class,” Carabine said. “It was unexpected. We were both learning guitar. This was before iTunes. We just shared this love of music and harmony. We wrote our first song and played at a coffee house. It was a good venue.”

Carabine, 27, and Walther, 29, have been together for more than a decade. Artists who have inspired them as songwriters include Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and Simon and Garfunkel.

Dala has found a formula that works for them.

“We follow our ears. That’s how we write,” Carabine said.

“It’s good as gold. We don’t like to overwork things. We keep it as simple as possible. We give it some time,” Walther said.

They also plan to stick together. “I would never do it without Sheila,” Walther added.

At 8 p.m., manager Scott Sheldon welcomed the audience and thanked them for being open to something new and different. The brunette and blonde introduced themselves, showing their humorous side to the audience from the start.

“My name is Sheila and I’m the ‘La' in Dala.”

“My name is Amanda, and I’m the ‘Da’ in Dala. Wow, there are a lot of people here!”

Their original songs included themes based on family traditions, relationships, nature, humanity and spiritualism. Each song began with an amusing tale that inspired the lyrics. They played the piano, guitar, ukulele and glockenspiel beautifully, yet understated enough to allow vocal harmony to be the main texture of their music.

“I loved them. They remind me of Indigo Girls in a not-such-a-hard way; lots of fun and laughter; creative songwriting; great sense of humor,” said audience member Elizabeth Carlson, of Morristown. I’d love to hear them again. They like Neil Young. I love Neil Young. It’s like that coffee-house atmosphere.”

The duet's first song, a cover of “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell, had flowing harmonies with sweet voices interplayed, sometimes independent and other times together, making the classic song twice as nice.

“Levi Blues,” an original, was about a cheap romance novel titled “One Night Stand,” that they had purchased at a truck stop. It was thumb-snapping with Carabine on guitar and a few “ya ya yas” thrown in at the end.

“Horses” was a haunting tune, inspired by a boy who had been in an accident and couldn’t speak. Carabine was on piano. “Global Warming,” was a little ditty written in response to an angry listener. Walther played ukulele with Carabine on guitar. It was one short verse with a punch line that drew laughter from the audience.

“I thought they were great," audience member Tom Carr said. "I actually listen to them online on Youtube. The video of ‘Horses’ is available.”

“North Country Fair” was a beautiful rendition of a Dylan song. Walther explained that her dad was a hippie, and her life growing up was a big folk fest. “Alive” was inspired by a four-day power outage during a very cold Canadian winter.  

The artists each performed a solo while the other went offstage. Walther was introduced by Carabine as the blonde bombshell. She did a tribute to her dad on guitar, singing Loudon Wainwright’s “One Man Guy.” Carabine’s solo was a song about a new relationship after leaving a long relationship. It was the first time she performed it live.

They switched up the instruments for each song. For “Best Day,” an upbeat song that had been written on a plane flight to the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Carabine played ukulele upside down, left-handed, while Walther played the glockenspiel.

They both played piano for a song Walther wrote based on a stalker who had called her. The message in the lyrics was, “Because we’re friends on Facebook doesn’t mean we’re friends in life.”

Wil and Karen Biscardi came from Rahway and were delighted by the concert.

“Fantastic,” Wil Biscardi said. “They’re very mature, but they seem so young. I was blown away. It was a big surprise. Scott brings in fantastic and talented people here, whether it’s someone like Pete Yarrow, or someone new.“

“They really connect with the audience,” Karen Biscardi added.

The concert lasted more than an hour, ending with the classic, “Moon River,” then followed by an encore of three more songs, and the finale of “Harvest Moon,” by Neil Young. DVDs and posters were available to purchase in the lobby after the show, where Dala signed memorabilia and chatted with audience members.  

“Delightful. I’ve seen them before and I love them,” said Ken Bolton, of Green Brook.

Ken’s wife, Linda said, “We’ve been coming here for five or six years, and Scott’s created a monster in me. This is my home.”