A lot of bios read like long affected press releases. I tried to write one in the standard style, but how could I subject you to fake self-praise, written in the third person? I couldn’t.

 

So here’s my story, plain and true. I sing and write songs, and I’d love for you to listen to them.

 

Last year, I released my first full-length recording, called “Somewhere Along the Wire”. I chose the title because it reminded me of long highways, which I love. When I was a kid on cross-continental family road trips, I was always fascinated by telephone wires swooping up and down in the window as we sped by in the Olds Cutlass.

 

I recorded “Somewhere Along the Wire” in spaces as humble as my apartment bedroom, as grand (and freezing cold) as the Cantos Music Museum after hours, and as beautiful and arcane as the Audities Foundation Studio in Calgary.

 

What a trip it was to start the album in my cluttered, messy room, then to finish it at Audities surrounded by a console from Strawberry Studios, a reel-to-reel machine from The Record Plant, and a compressor from Abbey Road. I was like a hypoglycemic kid in an electric candy store.

 

I do all the singing on the album, as well as the acoustic guitar and sampled percussion. Lady Luck must have bought into the project, because she sent an incredible team of musicians my way to complete the sound. This included keyboard wizard John Leimseider (Iron Butterfly, Spencer Davis Group), bassist Ranjit Ranawaya (Sentient), my sweet sis - Brooklyn’s Baroness of Brass - Steph Richards (Kanye West, Industrial Jazz Group), and my dear old Dad, who stopped by to lay down some solos on his way back to Africa.

 

My songs deal with relationships and the complexities that come with them. I don’t keep a journal - I write songs instead - so you’ll hear a musing, confessional tone on the album. Each song is about a moment in my life where I experienced something strong; something extraordinary that made me feel my humanity for better or worse.

 

“Stepping On My Heart” is a letter to a paranoid lover who just wouldn’t give me space. “When Georgy Speaks” is a teasing sketch of a certain gentleman whose power-hungry antics shocked the world for eight years. “Promenade” is a celebration of the sunny, leisurely life I led in the south of France, while “Bad Canadian” is an ode to misbehaviour above the 49th.

 

Musician bios usually lay it on pretty thick: “catchy and seductive”, “charmingly eclectic”, “sweet and playful”, etc. I don’t like to describe my music - I would much rather you listened to it. Hell, if you’re reading this, you probably already have. If not, there are free downloads on this site, so help yourself.

 

A little about my history: Mom was a folk singer and Dad was a rock and roll guitarist. Mom played the Ottawa coffee house scene, while Dad rocked out in a band called Bogus. I never fit in at school - too tall and introverted, preferring the company of books and daydreams. I started writing songs when I was six; the first one was a very heartfelt ballad about endangered species.

 

I played in coffee houses around Calgary through my teen years, brooding over boyfriends while idolizing Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLachlan.

 

After recording demos at a handful of studios, I got fed up with creepy Svengalis promising to make me a star… for a price. If there are any aspiring musicians reading this, take my word for it; go get some recording software and learn to use it. I recommend Ableton Live - It’s easy and fun and doesn’t try to take your pants off.

 

To clear my head, I took an opportunity to go live in Cannes, France, where I wrote songs in a hundred square foot garret by the sea. If it sounds very romantic, that’s because it was! I chased adventures, catching the train out of town whenever I could afford a ticket. I sang in a gothic cathedral in Hesse, got mugged in the back streets of Tangier, and busked with a hobo in Amersterdam while cops stood by, singing along to “Love Hurts”.

 

I came back to Calgary, set up the bedroom studio, and made “Somewhere Along the Wire”. Just as I was mixing the album with David Kean at Audities, I got another opportunity to move - this time to Vancouver.

 

So here I am in a groovy new town, starting over again. If you look for me, I’ll probably be on the Spanish Banks writing something new, if it’s not raining. If you invite me to your party, I’ll be very shy until my third gin. If you ask me to play at your benefit event, I’ll happily oblige (especially after all that gin.)

 

My new life on the coast means new songs with a new perspective. I’m looking forward to starting the next album, which I plan to release early next year. In the meantime, enjoy my blog posts and come out to a show if you’re in town.

 

Thanks for listening.