Live shows are best heard by live bands. And not just any collection of musicians. Those bands that have a vision together like a well practiced team who are put to being their A game and get contributions from all the players. Of course, there are only similarities in this regard but playing as a true band is a totally different beast. You start to anticipate each other in ways that only playing lots together can do.

Bywater Call have assembled a band that really plays together, moves through sections and truly jams when it matters. I caught up with their soaring soulful lead singer Meghan Parnell to get a deeper sense of this band and understand some of her feelings on its inner powers and roots. They open up her 18th annual Blues at The Cove Series at The Cove Inn on Thursday, October 17 for the best in the rural Ontario music supper club experience on the Rideau! Details and reservations here: web link

Seamus Cowan: It’s been a while since I’ve known about your group. I trust lots has changed since I first heard about you but can you tell me how the group came to be and how things have evolved since you started to write and release records?

Meghan Parnell: Well, Dave (guitar) and I had been talking about writing for a long time. We had been running a fairly successful event cover band, but were getting tired of playing other people’s songs and really wanted to create something of our own. We were very inspired by the retro soul and blues revival happening through artists like Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, Gary Clarke Jr. and Tedeschi Trucks Band and decided to just rip off the band aid and do it. A friend was playing a show in old Mirvish Village in Toronto. He needed an opener, so we took the slot and forced ourselves to have 30 minutes of material ready. We assembled some players and we were off to the races. The guys in the band all went to the jazz program at Humber, so all know each other from that. We got our first little opportunity to play a festival in late 2017, which is when we decided to add the horn section. Little did we know, that would eventually lead to us to dragging a 7-piece band around not just Canada, but all over the US and Europe as well.

We’ve evolved as song writers with every album we’ve written and we continue to do so. We’re trying more and more to lean into a sound that is our own, showcasing the strengths in the band and just trying to strike a chord with the listener.

Live – we’ve evolved too. When we first started the band, we played the tunes through as written. We now really embraces being free with some of the material, taking a journey and bringing the audience along with us.

Q: Touring the States seems to be part of the plan with your band these days. How do you find you are received in the States and is it a different inspiration playing down there?

Meg: We were lucky enough to have a booking agency out of North Carolina approach us and want to take a chance on an unknown band from Toronto. We’re still building there, but have found a bunch of pockets that really work for us and there are just so many markets to play there.
We’re well received there for sure, and the audiences are generally really excited to be a part of growing with us! They’re sometimes surprised that we’re from “Up North” after hearing how we sound…and that we remind them of the like of Neil Young and The Band who have been so influential in the Americana/ Roots Rock sound. We get a lot of apologies and “We love Canada” these days too.

Q: There is a southern soulful sound in your voice and your tunes. What is your big inspiration as a singer and a group when it comes to vocals and why do you think we are all so moved by the sounds of soul and gospel?

Meg: Though I’m not a religious person, I think there is an emotion and an honesty in gospel and soul singing that really grabs onto people.

I have so many inspirations. Very early days would have been Bette Midler, Janis Joplin, some Bonnie Raitt, and a lot of musical theatre and of course Alanis Morrisette. A little later on, I really got into Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Otis Redding, Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse and currently Susan Tedeschi, Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes), Teskey Brothers, Oliver Wood (Wood Brothers), there’s a lot of great music out there right now. These are all performers who really make me feel something with their music and inspire me to do the same with ours.

Q: Gypsy Soul Records is your original label. I think labels can be great teams for artists to have so that they can be part of a collective identity. A sound. What’s your favourite part about the sound of this band?

Meg: Absolutely. A team is key. Trying to build and grow as a band is a full time job. With so much to do and learn, there’s always something more you can be doing.

We play with warmth, joy and a little bit raw. I think people feel that with our live show. Maybe we lighten up a heavy day, or help someone feel and be ok with their sorrow, or let someone take a little vacation in their mind for 90min. All the while, we are continually tying to experiment with our sound and trying not to take the whole thing too too seriously.

Q: As you travel down the path of artistry together, is there a feeling of something on the horizon that excites you collectively in your band?

Meg: We’re quite excited about some of the material we’re working on. More genre bending, more soul, more vibes! Posted: Oct 1, 2025