Guest Room Sessions: Shelly Waters, ‘Evangeline’

October’s Guest Room Sessions begin with Louisiana-born singer-songwriter Shelly Waters performing her song “Evangeline,” in a South Carolina park. Readers can press play above to watch the acoustic al fresco performance.
According to Waters, the inspiration for “Evangeline” runs deep — all the way back to her home state.

“There’s a majestic oak in Evangeline Oak Park in my home state of Louisiana that was named for the heroine in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem “Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie,”” she tells The Boot. “The poem tells the story of a young couple, Evangeline and Gabriel, who were separated during the exile of my Acadian ancestors from Nova Scotia.”

To film her Guest Room Sessions clip, Waters chose another park: White Point Gardens in Charleston, S.C. She stopped to film while en route to her new home of Portland, Maine, and is joined by renowned Lowcountry musicians Wes Powers on cajon and guitarist Dale Baker.

“I chose this location for this performance not only because it reminds me of that park in Louisiana but also because the timing was amidst my move,” Waters notes. “The video will be a perfect souvenir from the historical city.”

Check out the video here:
http://theboot.com/guest-room-sessions-shelly-waters-evangeline/

“Evangeline” appears on Shelly Waters’ latest self-titled album, released in July.
Oct 1, 2017, Ann McCarthy