The New Women Of Canadiana

Canada has had a long history of genre and gender defying female singers and singer-songwriters who've elevated their craft to global success. From the First Ladies of Canadian song Anne Murray and Ginette Reno to the folk legendry of Joni Mitchell, Sylvia Tyson and Edith Butler to the power rocking Lee Aaron, Darby Mills, Alannah Myles and Sass Jordan to the angst-in-your-pants Grrrrl Power of Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne and Bif Naked to the soulful R & B stylings of Shawne Jackson, Jackie Richardson, Jully Black and Deborah Cox. Every pop permutation has been explored and celebrated to international success.

So, who are the current women on the horizon to push the boundaries and borders of music in Canada and beyond its shores? Take a look...

Dawn Langstroth
Photo: Marc Lostracco

Let's get this out of the way right now: Dawn is the daughter of Anne Murray. But she's never used that as a weapon or a tool for manipulating the industry. Dawn's taking her time developing her own style and approach to a fragile industry Anne never imagined.


Langstroth has been demoing and unveiling tracks for years -- a self-titled release in 2005 and "No Mercy" in 2008; each EP a snapshot of where she is along the path to her own identity.
http://www.myspace.com/dawnlangstroth
http://www.dawnlangstroth.com

Dala
Canadian audiences have been mesmerized by these young ladies after being introduced as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider's opening act on a coast-to-coast tour three years ago. Described effectively as The Everly Sisters, the unrelated Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine have revived a passion for folk music with harmonies. Recent visitors to the Newport Folk Festival caught the duo in action to great applause -- earning them a photo in LIFE Magazine.

http://dalagirls.com
Dala singing "Levi Blues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byVpihpSR5o


Shelly Rastin
If Nashville North were to ever truly exist, Shelly Rastin would lead the charge. Veteran Canadian pop music icon Bob Segarini recently said this of Rastin, "Every time I have seen Shelly play live I am impressed with her presence. She is fearless on stage...has a killer smile, a great voice, (is) a fine songwriter, and owns any stage I’ve ever seen her on."

Shelly Rastin Band claimed the titled of 2009 COUNTRY ARTIST OF THE YEAR at the Jack Richardson Music Awards in London, Ontario. Her new CD, which contains the radio hit "Born In A Barn", is called "Hard To Say No".
http://www.shellyrastin.com
http://www.myspace.com/shellyrastin


Shobha
Born of Indian descent, her interest in musical "flavors" drew her to diverse sounds from Jamaica to the Bronx. This deep "world view" laid the groundwork for what would become her sound. With the help of Dammien Alexander and Howard Beye of Live Village Records, Shobha sought to realize a debut album that captures the vision of who she is and who she will be. The debut, "Work In Progress", is named after an album track whose mix of R&B, Soul and Ska perfectly encapsulates her diversity.

Just check out her cover version of the Lighthouse classic "Sunny Days"
http://www.myspace.com/shobhamusic


Marisa Lindsay
Marisa Lindsay was born in Barbados and prior to starting her recording career, she was quietly honing her skills, taking time out to study music and receive vocal training in Cuba. Her first cd, "Submit2love" was launched during Marisa’s return to her hometown at the Barbados Jazz Festival in 2007. Lindsay has toured the world to cities such as London, Ireland, Scotland and New York.


She has twice performed on the prestigious Barbados Jazz Festival stage and opened for many international acts like Air Supply, Brian Mcknight, Peabo Bryson and others. Her 2009 CD is called "Deeper Love".
http://www.marisalindsay.com
http://www.myspace.com/marisalindsaymusic
Marisa Lindsay singing "Deeper Love"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_VUdRza1U


Laurie Biagini
Vancouver's Laurie Biagini started playing piano by ear at age 5. It was on a train ride in 2006 where a song complete with music and lyrics in her head. This inspiration became the song "Away On A Cloud"; that weekend she decided that the song really should be recorded, so she went out and bought some recording equipment and software. Radio airplay of the song on over 100 stations around the world convinced her to continue writing and recording.

With support from the Power Pop community (especially David Bash's International Pop Overthrow Festival), Laurie finally completed her debut CD: "Ridin' The Wave". As a multi-instrumentalist, her music can be described as melodic harmony pop with a heavy 60's influence - especially Surf music.
http://www.myspace.com/lauriebiaginimusic
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauriebiagini


PATRIZIA
Going to the opera was NEVER like this! Rock Soprano PATRIZIA is a fascinating hybrid of OPERATIC DIVA and rocker. Born in Abruzzo, Italy, raised in Thunder Bay and now residing in Toronto, PATRIZIA grew up loving rock music before seeking the bright lights and big city of Toronto to pursue her musical dreams. While writing and performing with a local rock band the unthinkable happened – she heard a recording of the great operatic soprano MARIA CALLAS and her life took a turn.

Driven by this newfound passion PATRIZIA studied and trained under some of the best in the business. Patrizia's 4-octave voice takes the listener into an emotional and impassioned journey by fusing opera, rock, metal, classical and techno dance elements together. Though these types of hybrids are becoming more common place with metal bands in Eastern Europe, Patrizia single-handedly owns this musically diverse mosaic of styles in Canada. Check out her new release "My Beloved" with Grammy Award winning mega producer Steve Thomson (Metallica, Madonna, Guns N' Roses. Korn, Jet, Wu Tang etc).
http://www.patriziamusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/patriziamusic


Darrelle London
Picked as a dark horse to perform at the 2nd annual International Pop Overthrow Festival in Toronto in November of 2008, Darrelle London's (pronounced Darryl) performance snuck up on the crowd at The Rivoli during her short 22 minute set with just a voice and piano as weapons.




At times Tori Amos playful and other times sassy and coquettish, London has a wry wit and quirky, almost Vaudevillian, pop sensibility with her tunes. And she's not afraid to hop in a car and drive from coast-to-coast to sell copies of her debut CD "Edible Word Parade".
http://darrellelondon.com/
http://www.myspace.com/darrellelondon


Julia Dales
In May, a Grade 12 student from an Ottawa Ashbury College private school won the wild-card spot at the Berlin 'Beatbox Battle World Championship' that took place in June of this year.

Julia Dales' online video submission on YouTube was her ticket in. At 1:54 in length the video was filmed in the back seat of a car in a parking lot and has since been viewed more than 440,000 times.

Dales didn't win the final showdown but has generated quite a buzz in the media. Whether she pursues a career in the music business is to be seen as she considers this one of her hobbies along with running, studying and maintaining a 95 per cent grade average.

Julia Dales' "Human Beatbox" Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U66tYpzQTE


Diana Catherine (And The Thrusty Tweeters)
It all began in the summer of 2008. Diana Catherine teamed up with her boys, the Thrusty Tweeters, to play  live and soon they were gracing the stages of summer festivals such as Come Together, the Mariposa after party, and WAM in Saskatoon. This led to successful tours across Canada, the southern United States and where they continue to grow their fan base, and call home, Toronto.


In their most recent venture Diana and the Tweeters traveled down to Sarasota, Florida to record their new album, "The Spirit Ranch Sessions", with Bud Snyder, studio experienced engineer/ producer who has worked with such legendary greats as Tom Dowd. Producer/Engineer credits Include The Allman Brothers, Greg Allman, Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes, Gov’t Mule, Jeff Buckley, Derek Trucks and the list goes on.

The album takes you through a barrage of rock, blues, country and soul. You can't quite put your finger on their sound but it feels familiar. Neko Case may need to look in the rear-view mirror because there's a new Alt Country Queen on the horizon.
http://www.dianacatherine.com
http://www.myspace.com/dianassound