REVIEW: This show should be required viewing for all millennials and others seeking guidance on whether to follow their dream or settle for the security of a real job. The staging of the show was brilliant. Hats off to playwright John Brahan, who also performed on the drums, director Dan Schultz, who likewise took the role of the artist seeking his dream, and Shanlie Phillips as the semi-spoiled but gifted daughter of music industry parents. To sound like an artist who doesn’t have any talent takes a lot of skill, and Schultz pulled it off. But this wasn’t supposed to be a true display of their musical talents, rather a biting look at coming of age, and in that they succeeded.
RECOMMENDATION: This one is definitely worth checking out. Remaining performances are June 22 at 10 p.m. and June 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available on their Fringe project page.
REVIEW: Once again a brave solo artist has given us an absolute gem that is easily one of the best, if not the best, show at HFF19. All the way from Canada comes the compelling and emotionally draining story of Marla Black, and I was proud to be crying by the end of the show. I learned so much about the pack structure of wolves and sled dogs, and how it applies to every day living. This was a Ted Talk/Seminar disguised as a Fringe show, and would be a bargain at ten times the price. Don’t miss this priceless and thought-provoking show.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t miss this show. The only remaining performance is June 22 at 5:30 p.m., so get your tickets before it sells out. Tickets are available on her Fringe project page.
So it’s been about six weeks since our last Women in Entertainment feature, and this time up we’re bringing you a pair of amazing ladies – guitarist Kelly Richey and drummer Sherri McGee, who together are known as The Spear Shakers.
Born in Lexington, Kentucky but living in Cincinnati since 2000, Richey started playing guitar at the age of 15. The late Lonnie Mack was so impressed with her hyper-muscular playing and singing that he described her as “Stevie Ray Vaughan trapped in a woman’s body.” Listed among the “top 100 gifted guitarists” by the influential Truefire Community, Richey frequently draws comparisons to guitar icons from Stevie Ray to Jimi Hendrix. Throughout her career, Richey has shared the stage with legends like Mack and Albert King and has opened for Boston, Heart, Joe Cocker, Lita Ford, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Walter Trout, Little Feat, Foghat, REO Speedwagon, George Thorogood, Average White Band, Robben Ford, Warren Zevon, and James Brown.
When it comes to touring, Richey has earned the title “Queen of the Road Warriors,” as she has covered the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia in her 30-year career. During that time, she played over 4,000 shows, logged a mind-boggling 1 million road miles (and counting) and released 16 albums on her private label, Sweet Lucy Records, earning her a reputation as a master guitarist and singer/songwriter.
On the other side of the band, McGee knew she wanted to play drums since she was a toddler. Before getting a real drum kit, she played along to Tom Jones and Monkees records using two hairbrushes on a green Naugahyde recliner, and one of her earliest influences was watching Karen Carpenter on television. McGee has been called a cross between Patsy Cline and John Bonham.
She started playing drums when she joined the 5th-grade school band in Glasgow, Kentucky. By the time she entered high school, she was in marching band, concert band, stage band, and pep band as section leader and lead snare drummer. At the age of 15, she joined The Flying Scotsmen, a 17-piece swing/big band of male adults. After high school, Sherri moved to Lexington, where she played top bass drum in the University of Kentucky marching band.
After graduating from college, McGee quickly became part of the Lexington local music scene as one of three females fronting a Motown-type band called the Twinkettes, as well as being part of Spree 33, a versatile new wave cover band. She was also a founding member of Velvet Elvis, an original pop/rock band that released an EP and a full album before securing a record contract with Enigma Records. They later released a record produced by Mitch Easter and toured extensively; shot two videos for MTV, and were favorably reviewed in Musician Magazine and Rolling Stone, among many other industry publications. They opened for Let’s Active, Adrian Belew and the Bears, and UB40, to name a few.
We asked the band to tell us what inspired them, and Richey had this to say: “The gift of music has been a constant source of inspiration in my life, it’s provided me a bridge to my soul, and a common language for connecting with those around me.”
The Spear Shakers have just completed their first release which consisted of three songs in both audio and video format, all of which were previously featured in this blog. The songs came from Richey’s extensive catalog and were recorded live in the studio.
As for their future plans, Richey says: “The Spear Shakers rock and will continue to roll with a fire that ignites peoples souls.”
If you want to keep up with the latest happenings with The Spear Shakers, you can follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook or subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Welcome back for another edition of Women in Entertainment. Today we are pleased to feature one of the pioneers of music, Brie Darling, who is currently the drummer, vocalist and songwriter of the resurrected 70’s band Fanny (now known as Fanny Walked the Earth), one of the stable of amazing artists signed to Blue Élan Records.
Darling has had a storied career spanning more than 50 years, and including a myriad of creative endeavors. She joined the Sacramento Musician’s Union and played her first professional gig as a drummer when she was 14. Five years later, she moved to Los Angeles and began playing clubs and bars until she got hired to perform as a recording artist. She has recorded as an artist with
Fanny (the first all-girl band to release an album on a major record label), Earthquire, American Girls, Boxing Gandhis and now Fanny Walked The Earth.
Along the way, she has also recorded, toured with and performed with the likes of Melissa Manchester, Keith Moon, ELO, Ringo Starr, Robbie Nevil, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King, Nikki Sixx, Glen Campbell, Janiva Magness and The Temptations.
“I now go by Brie Darling (having previously been known as Brie Howard and Brie Howard Darling),” explains Darling. “I’m a drummer, singer and songwriter who has dabbled in a few films, some TV and a whole lot of music videos. I also make crazy amazing behemoth cakes and love designing and building houses . . . anything creative and artistic. In fact, what truly inspires me is opportunity. My motto is ‘Be open to everything and be ready for anything.”
“Besides writing songs that I have recorded, my songs have also been released by a plethora of other artists, including The Pointer Sisters, Ellen Foley, Randy Crawford, Peter Criss (Kiss) and Michael Jackson (“Night Line” is still in vaults awaiting release!) I am really proud to have been part of writing and performing what has become an anthem for women’s rights, ‘When we Need Her.’ That song also earned us an LA Music Critic Award for Best Video (group) in 2018.”
Not only did 2016 bring the resurrection of Fanny, but also gave Darling the opportunity to compete on Cake Wars, where she took home first place. Check out her amazing Facebook page for this endeavor.
What does the future hold for this amazing woman? “I’ll keep writing, playing, performing and creating . . . until I can’t. Please stay tuned for a brand new secret project that I’m thrilled about. If you like what you’ve already heard, then I think you’ll love this.”
If you would like to know more about Darling, check out the links above for her website and her three Facebook pages. If you’re in Los Angeles, make sure you don’t miss the next performance of Darling and her band, Fanny Walked the Earth.
Hard to believe that our last Women in Entertainment feature was published in November 2016. So much has happened since then, and we have some great upcoming features for you on some of today’s best female entertainers. We start today with the continuing saga of four-time LA Music Critic Award winner Alice Wallace, who also won the Female Vocalist of the Year award at the 2017 California Country Awards.
We last interviewed Wallace in August 2016 as part of our Getting to Know the Winners of the 2016 LA Music Critic Awards series. At the time, she was an up and coming country artist who had recently signed with California Country Records, the label created by Manda Mosher and KP Hawthorn, formerly of CALICO the band. Mosher has now gone solo and Hawthorn has created a new label, Rebelle Road Records, along with bassist Adrienne Isom and industry executive Karen Rappaport McHugh, an integral part of the successful Stagecoach Festival. Wallace is the first artist signed to the new label and her album, Into the Blue, drops on Friday, January 18.
Rebelle Road is a newly founded entertainment company dedicated to strengthening the California country music community and expanding the role for women in the Americana/roots genre. Launched in March 2018, the trio have combined their longtime experience in music marketing, festival production, visual presentation and life as touring artists and record label owners. They’ve already produced showcases at SXSW and AMERICANAFEST, industry panels and two one-day festivals.
This past October, the trio produced a benefit concert at the legendary Palomino Club, which hadn’t been open for 23 years. “We realized that we needed to create what doesn’t exist right now in the music industry — both for women and for artists living outside of Nashville. There is a strong history and legacy here in California; the Palomino spirit lives on and we’re going to bring it back,” says Hawthorn. Wallace was a featured artist that night, and Pollstar called her stellar moment on the famed stage (which has been described as the Grand Ole Opry West) as “shot through with Crystal Gayle’s ache and Linda Ronstadt’s country essence.”
Wallace has a truly distinctive style, which she explains evolved from growing up surrounded by the music of artists like Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. “I really taught myself to sing by mimicking their styles,” she says. “The powerful belt that Linda has, the emotive lilt to Emmylou’s voice. Trying to navigate those different elements helped me find my own voice nestled in between all that.”
These days, Wallace performs as many as 200 dates a year, both solo and with a band. “In some ways, I wish I had done it sooner,” she says of her decision to pursue her passion for playing music. “But I’m also glad I have the life experience to help fuel my songwriting and survive life on the road.”
When asked the question, “What inspires you?” she responded: “In writing this new album, I took so much inspiration from California and the southwest. I have spent the last three years touring across this region, soaking in the atmosphere of the ocean and the desert and the mountains and the canyons. And I think you can hear that in these new songs.”
When asked if she considered herself a country or Americana artist, she told us that she thinks she is more Americana these days. Although she still sings with a twang, she only used pedal steel on two of the songs on the new album, which has a grittier edge than her previous country release. Check out our review of the new album in Friday’s Get it or Forget it series.
We also asked her about her future plans. She told us: “Once the album is out, it will be back on the road to play these songs as much as possible. We are talking about another European tour, plus dates all across the country. I am so looking forward to sharing these new songs with audiences.”
She also plans to attend SxSW in March, where her label is sponsoring the California Country Social, a concert featuring about 30 bands. She said she will likely return to AMERICANAFEST in September as well.
You can keep up with Wallace by visiting her Facebook page, following her on Twitter and Instagram, subscribing to her YouTube and Spotify pages, or just clicking on her website.
Kanisha K is no stranger to Indie Voice Blog. We have featured her twice before – in 2015 for her Christmas song, and this past February for “Bet on Me,” which was also nominated for best single (female) in the LA Music Critic Awards. We love what this young lady has accomplished, and her future potential as an indie artist.
“I love being able to do what I love and to inspire people who think that their dreams can’t come true. All of this is hard for me to believe sometimes, but I think everything boils down to focusing on your passion and working hard. I’m excited about the way music travels,” explains Kanisha when describing her vision. The Holland, Michigan native has embraced hit music from the past as well as the current music scene, forging a combination that allows her creative style to shine.
A couple of years ago she released her song “Oh Damn Yeah” to Top 40 and CHR Radio. The song was written and produced by uber producer Joe Vulpis (Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Richie Blackmore, Jennifer Love Hewitt) and mastered by Tom Coyne (Adele, Beyonce, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift, Pink, Ariana Grande) and recorded at Vulpis’ studio in Nashville. It seems only fitting that two years later, she is re-releasing it as a country mix.
“Working with Joe Vulpis and bringing his songs to life through the recording process was an enormous honor for me. I really fell in love with “Oh Damn Yeah” and “Never Stopped Loving You” and worked hard to preserve the integrity of both the music and the lyrics. I think we have some hits here.”
The song takes all the elements of today’s country pop scene and mixes them with this amazingly written song, keeping all the elements that made the original version such a hit while making the song attractive to another genre. It is truly ready for extended air play on a multitude of radio formats, as well as being a killer song for placement in television and film.
But as every artist knows, every story has a beginning and Kanisha’s begins at home. At a very young age, the singer was introduced to a wide array of music from her supportive parents. She credits her musical influences as Etta James, Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin.
From singing and playing piano at age four to joining a band and playing the sax and guitar in sixth grade, Kanisha knew that vocal lessons would be the next step in her musical education. Beginning those lessons in eighth grade she went on to join her High School choir the next year and also became involved in local community
theater. Her participation in an award-winning choir ultimately took her into the studio with Robyn Robins from The Silver Bullet Band and eventually headed to Los Angeles where she recorded two songs at the legendary Capitol Records studios.
Kanisha enjoys speaking about her love of animals and is proud to live in a family that has a total of six pets – two dogs, two cats, one bird and a rabbit. She has recently gotten involved working with the HSUS (Humane Society of the U.S.) and the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected organization and plans for much more work with pet and charity foundations in the future.
We can hardly wait to see what’s next for Kanisha. She has garnered our full attention. Don’t forget to follow her on Spotify, and listen there as well.
It’s been a while since our last article in the Women in Entertainment series, February 1, 2016 to be exact, but we’re back with another edition. Fair warning – it’s a long one, but definitely worth the read.
Our feature today spotlights Alyssa Jacey, a pop/soul singer-songwriter out of Nashville by way of San Diego, who loves the color blue. Why, you say. Jacey explains, “About the age of 16, I got my first car and decided to paint it. I was flipping through the color pages and had an instant attraction to the color Highlight Blue Pearl, a bright royal blue with an opal coating. From that point on, I could only see the color blue. I would make a beeline to that color whenever I was choosing clothes, and always fell for the guy in the royal blue sweater. I’m currently on my fourth car, and all of them have been blue.”
Jacey has turned that attraction to blue into her own brand. “I always tell people when they come to my shows, ‘Bring your crew and wear your blue.’ My grandmother and I were very close when she passed away from Alzheimer’s. I had just started singing and she never got to hear me perform. I told myself that when I was able to support myself with my music that I would do something to help fight the disease. Now, when my fans come to my shows, if they are wearing blue, I donate $1 from their ticket sale to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.”
Jacey had formerly been a hip-hop dancer, choreographer, and private dance instructor, had appeared in music videos and performed at the Super Bowl. She assumed that her career would be in the dance industry. But that all changed, literally overnight, when Jacey went out with her friends. “One day I just made the decision to pursue music. I had spent my whole life dancing but there was always something missing; Karaoke night changed all that and my life has never been the same,” explains Jacey.
Jacey’s latest single, “I Want it to Rain,” is an incredible song that truly belongs on radio outlets worldwide. Since it was posted on her YouTube channel just a month ago, the video has already received more than 3,000 views.
Jacey recently posted on her Facebook page that she has spent more time in the past three months in Europe than at home. Not bad for an unsigned independent musician who is the epitome of the DIY artist. In fact, that success has enabled Jacey to also become an international public speaker, and to open her own business, Image Twelve 28. The business allows her to provide coaching for other indie musicians who want to achieve their dreams.
“I was 23 when I found my voice, 26 when I learned the guitar and 28 when I learned to drum. I believe you can do whatever you want as long as you believe in yourself. Don’t listen to the naysayers, just do it. My true purpose here is to inspire people.”
But what inspires Jacey? “What inspires me is the beauty that lies in the unknown. As a DIY artist, you never know what hand your career will deal you, and it’s BEYOND EXCITING. Opportunities come from all angles, in all shapes and sizes, and the fun part is two fold: Being surprised with ones you weren’t expecting and seeing how many you can turn into reality, and going through individual experiences, which are each so unique and so special. When I think of all the experiences I’ve had over the years and risks I’ve taken to get to them, my heart swells up. My favorite hashtag to use is #LivingWithGratitude, and I absolutely am, living with gratitude, every single moment, of every single day.”
Where does Jacey see herself in the future? “My future plans have not changed since the exact moment I realized I was going to pursue music, and basically, that’s ‘I know I’m here, and I want to get there. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I know I will, and I will just take it one step at a time.’ I started playing music because I had a late calling. At 23 years old, I was convinced by friends that I had a voice. I had never sung before, never written a song or played an instrument. But after a year of singing karaoke and hearing the same thing on a consistent basis from random strangers from karaoke bar to karaoke bar every week, I knew I had to pursue it. I was going to let absolutely nothing stop me from getting as far as I could go. Did I want to be famous? No. I wanted to see if I could ever make a living playing original music, and after that, the sky would be the limit, should I chose to continue. Just 13 months after moving to Nashville (and 8 years after being in the music industry), I started to earn a living. I’ve been so motivated by seeing hard work pay off, that when it comes to “future plans,” all I can do is just keep doing what I’ve been doing. In doing so, every six months beats out the previous six months, and all I’m doing is just following my intuition.”
For more info on Jacey, be sure to check out her website and Facebook pages, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel. If you like her music, you can stream it on Spotify or Pandora, or purchase it at iTunes.
Just like the atrocities committed on 9/11, most of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing on June 12, 2016, when 49 innocent souls were gunned down in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. No longer would Orlando be considered just a vacation getaway – it will now be remembered as the site of one of the biggest hate crimes committed against one particular group of our nation’s citizens.
Shadow Pearson, the lead singer of Orlando based band The Actomatics, chose to do something about the senseless act by writing and releasing a song to help raise money for the onePulse Foundation. She was joined by a choir of more than 100 people, representing the ‘voices’ of Orlando, whom she dubbed the City Song Players. The song is entitled “City Song – Finger on the Pulse,” and was released on September 27, 2016 by Star 1 Group. In addition, the music video is set to premiere today during an International Broadway Event at the John and Rita Shakespeare Center.
We sat down with Pearson to help you get to know her. Here are the results of our interview:
IVB: When was your first performance?
SP: My first professional gig was about 9 or 10, I believe.
IVB: Who do you consider to be your influences?
SP: My first piece of vinyl was purchased by my father, The Temptations’ Sky’s the Limit. There was music everywhere in our home. As a family we sat around and played the songs of Hank Williams Sr every night with my mother at the piano and my father on acoustic guitar. Then came Stevie Wonder, Jethro Tull and The Who. I love everything about Pete Townshend. My grandmother had a lot of Christian vinyl, especially Oral Roberts. She was in rural Mississippi. ‘Something good is going to happen to you, happen to you, happen to you.’ I played that song a lot too. He was a charismatic Pentecostal televangelist, but I think there’s Rock Star in that stuff too.
IVB: What is your new song release “City Song – Finger on the Pulse” so important?
SP: The song was written by the people for the people. We are the voice of the people.
IVB: What are your future plans?
SP: Our video debuts worldwide in October. We have been invited to show at an International Broadway Event on the 17th. There is also a documentary which we are editing. Perhaps the Spring would be a good time to have a fundraiser and get the documentary into the film festival circuit. I’m not sure of the length yet as to whether it would be included as a short or a full length entry.
IVB: Do you have any stories you want to share about the creation of your song, the onePulse Foundation, touring, recording or fan interaction?
SP: There are times when everything falls together perfectly. This was one of those times. Music heals. There has been nothing but an outpouring of love. Everything is love.
IVB: Where can people find out more about you, the song and your efforts?
SP: You can download the song on Bandcamp (link above). Also check out our band’s website and Facebook pages, the onePulse website, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, ReverbNation, and Bands in Town, and subscribe to our email list. Word of mouth is one of our biggest draws, so share, share, share. I like that word.
Thanks to Jennifer Allison for the background material, and for letting us know about this worthy artist who is giving back to her community.
Once a constant on the Los Angeles music scene, ellee ven has moved east to spread her Groovalution and encourage people to participate in Give Into the Groove, a non-profit that raises awareness of local charities and encourages everyone to become involved in philanthropy.
Ellee ven calls her music “groovetonic,” which she explains is non-genre specific music that makes you move. But what is a “Groovalution?” Read on and you will discover the answer within the interview we had with this amazing artist and activist.
IVB: How long have you been performing?
EV: About 12 years.I was a school teacher, married and divorced and moved into Apartment 1111.I felt that the numbers 11-11 were a sign from the universe that I needed to do something different, and my heart kept coming back to music. My first gig was a group of Prince dancers that wanted a voice to add to their music.From that point on, I was hooked.I didn’t know if I could write my own songs, but I kept receiving music from friends and friends of friends that I would then remix and add my creative insights.
IVB: Who are your influences?
EV: Sade is my #1 favorite because she is so unique and her arrangements are very special.I think that she is loyal to her band members and works with them to create heartfelt authentic music.She is a true lady who doesn’t grind but dances elegantly. I also like Nine Inch Nails, Portishead and Cher – my tastes are all over the board.
IVB: So, what is a groovalution?
EV: A Groovalution is a creative revolution, composed of a group of groovalutionaries, which are the individual people engaged in creative revolution.There is a groovalutionary within us all. I think you will see that all of my projects are truly connected. I want to demonstrate that it’s not just music but all parts of our lives that provide balance.Everybody has a talent and needs an outlet that allows them to contribute to the overall balance. I specifically want to thank my parents for being the role models that enabled me to take my talent and share it with the world.
IVB: What made you decide to DIY?
EV: A couple of reasons.First off, I didn’t know I could get someone else to do it for me or would pay me to do it.My family was always a creative force for me, and believed that it was a personal choice to visualize your own artistic endeavor.Who better to do it than the one with the vision?As I moved along my career, I realized that this is the way to do it.I can do it my own way with full artistic freedom.Very grateful that I can redo my entire catalog if I want to and am responsible for creating content that moves my fans. I’ve gotten better at marketing but wouldn’t mind getting the machine behind me to further my reach.
IVB: Are you seeking to be a mainstream artist?
EV: Not really.I don’t care enough about being mainstream that I would sacrifice my own artistic vision.I don’t want to have to dress a certain way, or have a certain look to fit in.I understand their reasons for wanted to package artists in a certain way, but I want mine to be unique.There is too much music today that seems to be copies of what’s already there so that they sound the same.I don’t believe that music can be authentic that way.
IVB: What are your future plans?
EV: I recently spent some time in Southeast Asia and want to continue that. I want to make my music available to more and more people and have spent a lot of time improving my YouTube channel.Love my new video for Underwater.
I am planning to do a webcast at Kulak’s Woodshed in Los Angeles on November 9, which will be part of my annual 11-11 party.I have a large collection of fans from around the world who will be able to tune in and see me perform. Since I can’t take my whole band to places like Bali, this is a way for me to meet my fans digitally.
Give into the Groove in Lexington is another event that I have been involved with, but am taking this year off for personal reasons.We have so much going on with my band right now that has taken priority and besides, I need a breather!
IVB: Any good stories from touring/recording/performing?
EV: I recently did a show in LA that brought together some of the people I worked with a decade ago.Getting the chance to talk to you (IVB) today is also special since it has been a while since we connected. I really love the community that this music has grown, and that’s the reason why I can’t stop doing what I’m doing.
One of the joys in working as a music critic over the past 20 years is the chance to become friends with some of the artists that I have come across, and to get the chance to watch their career progress. One of those artists who has become a special friend is none other than Iowa’s Midwestern songbird, aka Sara Routh, who we profiled in our Women in Entertainment series.
I have had the privilege of booking Routh at several venues in Los Angeles, including the Viper Room, the Derby, Genghis Cohen and the Burbank Film Festival. She has always delivered, and her recent stop at Missoula’s Stage 112 as part of her Black Sheep Tour was no different.
On the road since March 17, Routh arrived in Missoula on day 15 of her tour, the next to last leg of her journey. We had the privilege of hosting her, her tour mate Rae Davis, and Chad Taylor, a local Iowa blogger who was documenting the tour. You can check out that blog here.
After getting them settled at our apartment, we headed downtown to grab some dinner, opting for MacKenzie River Pizza on Front Street, where we all grubbed out on some very delicious food before heading over to the venue for sound check. Upon arriving at the venue, we found out that they would not be performing on the stage, but on a small riser in the lounge.
After sound check, we took Routh out for a walk around Missoula, ending up at Grizzly Liquor so that she could take home a bottle of our local whiskey from Montgomery Distillery. Once back at the venue, we learned that Davis had met a female comic named Sara Reynolds and had invited her to open the show.
It being “First Friday,” the venue convinced them to postpone their show until 9 p.m. so that more people would be available, and as the appointed time arrived, that advice proved sound. Reynolds turned in a good set with a few great laughs, and then it was time for Davis to perform. Davis definitely has a way with words, and her music reflected her musical journey. She has a great voice that comes from deep within, and her skills on her baby Martin were likewise good. She turned in a set of about an hour that kept the locals listening and buying drinks, which was a good thing since they were being paid a cut of the bar.
Finally it was time for the star of the show. I was impressed with the maturity in Routh since the last time we had seen her perform, more than three years ago. Her new material, while different from some of her earlier stuff, still reflects the small town Midwestern girl who has spent some time in the big city and in another land, and the lessons she has learned along the way. She honored us by singing one of the first songs she wrote in LA, “Hills of Gold,” the very song that made us fall in love with her music. She continued with her calvacade of hits spanning the whole time we have known her, including one of our favorites, “Drinking with the Devil.” The time went by far too fast, and once again we knew that we had been in the presence of greatness, even if the world does not yet know it.
We got up early the next morning and took them to Paul’s Pancake Parlor for a hearty breakfast before they headed off to Denver for the last show of the tour. All too soon our brief visit was over, leaving behind more great memories of time spent with one of our favorite indie artists. Thanks for your friendship and your music. We love and appreciate both gifts.
Our second women in entertainment feature of 2016 focuses on Boca Gambale, Canadian born singer and songwriter, wife of jazz legend Frank Gambale and lead vocalist of the smooth jazz fusion band Soulmine.
I first met this amazing artist almost 20 years ago when I was writing for my first major publication, Music Connection Magazine. I received an assignment to review a show at The Temple Bar, a legendary LA music venue in Santa Monica. At the time she was performing with a trio called Boca. I immediately fell in love with her music and had this to say about the performance: “Boca has the whole package that includes solid songwriting, looks, voice and killer arrangements. This rising artist has a promising future.”
Boca is the youngest of four children and had a deep desire to play the piano at an early age. Her father recognized his daughter’s innate talent and found her a private teacher, setting her career path into motion. From the time she was 10, Boca composed songs that gave voice to her inner-most thoughts and allowed her to explore her innate sense of rhythm.
Life’s negative circumstances fueled Boca’s artistry and her need to escape into the world of music and expression, and she began to sing. Her strong, confident voice suggested a singer who was much older than 13 and she began to perform professionally at both corporate and public functions like the Young Teens Woman’s Awareness Conference and the CHIN Radio Benefit for the Homeless. She continued to perform and write with original groups in the Toronto are all through her high school years. “It gave me the opportunity for self expression and helped me determine my own sound,” explained Boca.
She attended the highly acclaimed Jazz Program at Humber College School of Creative and Performing Arts in Toronto, graduating with high honors. Although she was initially accepted to study voice and classical theory background, she thrived on studying composition and arrangement and spent her free time performing and recording with the school’s premier 13-piece R&B funk ensemble. She also began to sing and dance with various authentic Latin jazz groups, performing in many summer festivals, including the Harbourfront Latin Jazz Series in Toronto, the Concert of Colors in Detroit and the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles, where she displayed her chops comfortably in three to four languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and African dialects.
Boca feels that songwriting is a direct channel to the heart, that to enter the realm of musical creation is to tap an endless flow of inspiration. Boca’s songs provide her with an intense experience of catharsis and release. “It’s a process of osmosis” she explains, “I deal with raw emotion. That’s where the strength and power is.” Her creative strength lies in her intuitive approach. When she writes, she allows an emotional propulsion to lead her to the final result. Each song is imbued with her fiery, yet subtle energy. “The best compliment someone can give me about my music, is that they feel it,” she says. Boca blends elements of blues and jazz into an organic , soulful mix. The sound is accessible and passionate, what she likes to call “a little bit a this, a little bit a that, mixed with a lotta somethin’ somethin’, and then you get me!”
She released her first CD, Edge of the Night in 2005, joining forces with long time friend and Juno Award winning producer Marco Luciani, who co-wrote the song “Overdrive” on the multi-platinum Dirty Dancing. The CD received rave reviews from both the press and fans, and her single “Morning, Noon and Night” received steady airplay on smooth jazz stations. The title track was also chosen as the featured theme song for the documentary Unsung Heroes, and was produced by Antonio Soave (Capistrano Films) and Doug Deluca ( Producer- Jimmy Kimmel Live), with instrumental score by Bruce Miller (composer of the theme song from TV’s Frasier. She also performed on Canada AM, the Canadian version of Good Morning America.
It was shortly after this that Boca first met Gambale at the renowned Baked Potato jazz venue in Los Angeles. She began touring with his band in the summer of 2010 throughout Europe, performing to large audiences and delivering memorable shows. Their first CD together, Frank Gambale Soulmine feat. Boca was released in 2012.
When asked about her work on Soulmine, Boca replied,” Soulmine is a reflection of all the best parts of me. It is always an enormous pleasure for me to record an album. To write and record an album with such a phenomenal talent as Frank, and write about life, love and hope . . . is exceeding my expectations of ‘love in action.’ My present life is nothing short of being ‘in dreams awake’”
Boca is currently working on her sophomore solo release, as well as the next Soulmine album with Frank Gambale, set to be released in the summer of 2016. Upcoming shows include appearances at The Baked Potato and Catalina Bar and Grill in Los Angeles, as well as concerts in Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and China.
For more info about this amazing artist, check her out on Facebook and her soon to be updated website.
