Musical inspiration through the ages

This story is part of a web series called Music that Matters with CBC Yukon's Airplay host Dave White. Dave sits down with Yukoners to talk about five pieces of music that inspire them. 

Selina Heyligers-Hare is essentially a child of the music scene in Yukon. Both of her parents were musicians and played in several different bands over years.

Heyligers-Hare has taken on a similar role, sometimes playing solo, sometimes playing with Major Funk and The Employment or another group, and always keeping busy.

She took a break, though, to share five of the songs that have influenced her as a musician and a person.

"It was really hard, actually, there were so many artists I wanted to include, but I had to narrow it down," she said.

Her first selection was The Beatles and the song Because from their classic album Abbey Road.

"It's always been one of my favourites," she said. "It's so eerily beautiful and almost off-putting depending on your mood. I like how weird it is. I think they were the masters of taking a weird sound or an unsettling harmonic change and using it in a way that was so pleasing to the ears you didn't feel any of that tension."

Heyligers-Hare's second choice came from American artist Jeff Buckley. Satisfied Mind was on his record Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk, a collection of studio tracks and demos released after Buckley's death in 1997.

"He was a big influence on me when I was in my teens," she said. "It was mostly his voice. It's so raw and you can hear every little bit of it. It kind of made it easier for me to dissect and learn from ... it showed me I can sing that high without killing my throat, and I can have good tone and strength up there."

For her third selection, Heyligers-Hare chose Yebba and her track Evergreen.

"I discovered her two or three years ago now, and she kind of opened my ears to pop music, because before I really didn't like anything pop, honestly ... She kind of showed me that pop could be interesting musically and vocally ... just listening to vocalists like that makes me think about my own voice and I how I can use it in that way."

Jazz combo Snarky Puppy's song What About Me? was Heyligers-Hares fourth choice.

"They're all so incredibly inspiring," she said. "Every track you hear makes you think, "Oh My God, I've got to go practice.' You need bands like that to keep you motivated ... It gets me excited just to be in the same world at the same time as these guys."

"This last one is definitely close to my heart," she said of Helplessly Hoping by Crosby, Stills and Nash.  

"I used to sing it with my mom and another vocalist when I was young. I've always loved Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and I've always loved this whole era ... Everyone in this band is a really strong vocalist, and it just takes the band to a whole other level, and that's something I've always strived for in the bands that I've been in."