By Jay Scott Kanes

HONG KONG – Few Prince Edward Island (PEI) musicians venture farther “away” from their home soil in Canada than drummer Annette Gallant, a country-music pioneer of sorts in one of Asia’s leading cities.

Annette’s skills on drums spur the Shotgun She-Ras, an all-female country-and-western band based in Hong Kong where most of the music fans clearly prefer rock or Canto-pop, even Chinese opera.

“Soon we’ll play two shows in Shanghai, which is pretty exciting,” said Annette. She knows of no other PEI musicians active in Hong Kong, although she’s met several from elsewhere in Atlantic Canada.

“Every day, I get a kick out of saying, ‘Wow! I’m playing music, I’m in a band and it’s so much fun,” Annette said. “I just want to go with the flow.”

Lead singer Sholan Tsang from Britain, guitarist Meg Olinger from Iowa and bass player Claire Tallon, a Brit who grew up in Hong Kong, complete the She-Ras’ lineup.

“Annette’s fantastic,” said Claire. “She’s one of the best drummers. Steady Neddy! That’s what we call her – because she is.

“On top of her drumming skills, we need Annette’s personality. The rest of us get very nervous and shy. We hate things like having our pictures taken. But Annette’s really good at jollying us along. ‘Get ‘er done for God,’ she always says.”

“Annette’s so positive about everything,” Sholan agreed.

Not an original member of the She-Ras, Annette joined early on when the initial drummer, a Nova Scotian, returned to Canada. “We like drummers from Atlantic Canada because they’re such easy-going, friendly people,” Claire joked.

Although country music’s a rarity in Chinese cities, the She-Ras perform songs popularized by the likes of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Alison Krauss, plus their own material. All four band members help to write songs. For example, Annette and Claire collaborated on “Eddy the Fiddler” about a veteran PEI musician spotted by Annette at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival. Later this year, the She-Ras should release a debut CD.

Born in Summerside, PEI, in 1980, Annette grew up in Charlottetown and lived in Ottawa before crossing the Pacific Ocean during 2004. “Coming from PEI definitely contributed to my interest in music,” she said. “My Mom’s family was really musical. A lot of my relatives sang in choirs. My Mom always played the piano for us to sing along.

“In Grade 4, I played a violin. Then I joined a school band at Stonepark and took up a trumpet, but that wasn’t cool enough so I switched to percussion. I stayed in a school band until I graduated from Charlottetown Rural. Later, I bought a ukulele. So my musical background’s a bit scattered. I never mastered most of the instruments.

“But I played music with my friends all the time. Instead of going to bars, we’d take guitars and drums to the beach and play music there.

“Truthfully, I never really thought that I’d play in another band. But now I can’t imagine stopping.”

Annette’s a daughter of the late Julia (Cheverie) and of Eric Gallant, the latter a former Kinkora school principal now living in the Souris area. Her brother Adam (her “greatest inspiration”) led the PEI band Officer Girl and later joined Mars Hill. A recording-arts specialist, Adam, now living in Montreal, has helped the She-Ras (by email) on their upcoming CD. Another brother, Scott, is also a musician.

“One of my friends had moved to Hong Kong,”Annette said. “Being in a lull in Ottawa, I did the same.”

As a day job, she teaches English and math at a tutorial centre. “Teaching isn’t necessarily what I want to do for my whole life,” she said. “I almost left Hong Kong last year, but stayed because of the band. So music comes first, and teaching’s second. I won’t make other plans for a while.”

Between lessons and songs, Annette pines to visit PEI. “I love going home and miss it like crazy,” she said. “I haven’t been there in two years. I miss the beaches, the laid-back attitudes and sitting around playing music with my friends.”

Maybe Annette should convince all the Shotgun She-Ras to spend a summer performing on PEI. “That’d be great fun,” Annette said. “Find someone who’ll fund it, and we’ll be there.”

















ARCHIVES

Doing the unusual, Annette Gallant of PEI
plays country music in Hong Kong.


The Shotgun She-Ras, (left to right) Annette Gallant,
Meg Olinger, Claire Tallon and Sholan Tsang,
blaze trails as country-music 'pioneers' in Hong Kong.
(Photo by Darren Hayward)


Claire Tallon plays bass and sings.


Sholan Tsang delivers most of the lyrics.


Meg Olinger once disliked country music.