Following her recent Juno nominee press conference performance, Regina’s best singer, Belle Plaine, is touring Western Canada, and will perform at the Snoring Sasquatch on March 27.
Plaine is an acoustic-guitar playing, storytelling vocalist whose debut full-length album, Notes From A Waitress, reached #3 on the Earshot national jazz chart.
She describes the album she recorded at Edmontone Studios along with several fellow Grant MacEwan alumni, “I wanted the songs to read as a travelogue from the other side of the world and back. They’re like souvenirs from each journey. It’s my throwback to the vocal jazz of the 1960s. Think of Peggy Lee and Julie London. I created Notes From A Waitress in the spirit of these artists.”
The success of this album, combined with an assertive touring scheduling has caught the attention of Canadian fans and music industry alike. Plaine was selected by the 2013 Juno host committee as the artist performer and representative to perform and scrum with media at both the local announcement and the national nominee announcement. She was also recently offered official showcases at BreakOut West and the Folk Alliance International conference.
Plaine’s own brand of jazz fusion unites swing with vintage country and feminine pop. Audiences experience a genre-crossing set list that includes her original music, sensual jazz standards such as Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out by Nina Simone, folk anthems such as Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released, and country classics such as Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.
Plaine is touring Western Canada in March and April with the Fifteen Two Band: Elizabeth Curry (best bassist and former Regina Symphony Orchestra member) on stand-up bass and harmony vocals, and Jeremy Sauer (best keyboardist) on piano, banjo, accordion and harmony vocals. Plaine and her band have a penchant for cribbage and welcome any members of the media to join them in a game if scheduling allows.
She has attracted the favourable attention of CBC Radio 3 host Grant Lawrence, a spot at the Regina folk and Ness Creek festivals and earned the titles of best singer, best solo act and best local album by readers of Regina’s Prairie Dog magazine. Plaine released her first EP, Hello from Belle Plaine, in May 2011 and continues to tour and receive regular airplay on CBC and community radio across Canada.
The concert at the Snoring Sasquatch starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance at Black Bear Books and Kingfisher Used Books, and $13 at the door.
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