Bluebird North - October 6 @ Park Theatre

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FOUR OF MANITOBA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL FEMALE SONGWRITERS @ BLUEBIRD NORTH

To Manitoba’s musical community, they are known on a first name basis: Jaylene, Keri, Alana and Romi. Now, all four will appear on stage together for the first time during the Songwriters Association of Canada’s famed Bluebird North event.

What:  BLUEBIRD NORTH:
            With Jaylene Johnson, Keri Latimer, Alana Levandoski, and Romi Mayes
When: Tuesday October 6, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Park Theatre (698 Osborne Street)


Bluebird North: Where Writers Sing and Tell is a songwriters' showcase presented by the Songwriters Association of Canada (S.A.C.). Every show features a different line-up of talented Canadian songwriters, who take turns sharing songs and stories in an informal, acoustic atmosphere.
 
Veteran radio host, Howard Mandshein (92 CITI FM, 101.5 UMFM) will host the October 6th event, which gives fans a chance to meet and greet the performers.

In Winnipeg, Bluebird North is produced by Chris Burke-Gaffney for the S.A.C. This event also takes place in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and St. John’s. Bluebird North is sanctioned by the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tickets are $12 at the door (or $10 for S.A.C. and Manitoba Music members).

Bluebird North was originally inspired by Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, a well known songwriters showcase venue. It was first produced in 1994 in Toronto by Marc Jordon and Amy Sky, expanding to shows in Vancouver the following year and later touring nationally for seven years.

For more information on the S.A.C.’s mandate, activities and membership programs, please visit www.songwriters.ca.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Jaylene Johnson is an award-winning singer/songwriter who has just released her third record, Happiness. Her soul-nourishing piano-based pop has been placed in numerous television shows and other projects, including Air Canada's in-flight playlist for the fall. She has cowritten songs with people from all over North America, and had cuts with various independent artists including Canada's Sierra Noble (produced by Chris Burke-Gaffney) and US pop-opera artist Leah Danielle (produced by David Foster). Jaylene also works as a teacher and consultant, and is a board member of Manitoba Music.

Keri Latimer is the primary singer songwriter for the Winnipeg based band, Nathan. Her songs emanate from a sensibility that crosses genres, blends disparate styles and confounds description.  Acoustic Guitar Magazine tried to account for it as “infectious alt-country noir, fractured folk-swing and surreal songwriting.” With the group Nathan, Keri garnered much critical acclaim, receiving a Juno Award, multiple Prairie Music Awards, Western Canadian Music Awards, and Canadian Folk Music Awards. Recently, Keri has been sneaking into the basement while her children sleep, to work on a group of new songs which will be released as her first solo endeavor.

Alana Levandoski’s new album Lions & Werewolves was recorded in a 100-year-old church in rural Kelwood, Manitoba, and at the upscale Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, England. The album was produced by British producer Ken Nelson, renowned for his work with Gomez and Coldplay. He has also worked with Badly Drawn Boy, Snow Patrol, Polly Paulusma and Paolo Nutini. Alana has co-written with such leading American songwriters as Quinn Loggins, Sam Ashworth, James LeBlanc, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Rachel Thibodeau, and Gary Nichols. Alana has toured the U.K. and Europe four times, sharing bills with Dar Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo, and Lynn Miles. In Canada, she toured nationally with the Corb Lund Band and did dates with Stephen Fearing, the Arrogant Worms, and Tanya Tucker.

From the centre of Canada, deep in the prairies, comes an unstoppable force that is becoming a household name across the globe: Romi Mayes. Suitably pronounced "Raw Me", Mayes is a straight shooter with heart on your sleeve lyrics, edgy innuendo, and some serious bad ass guitar playing. She writes about sex, drugs, love, and the road. She can be soft and sweet or just down right dirty. Her latest release Achin In Yer Bones is another testament to exactly that. With no filters and no shame, she unravels herself layer by layer baring her being to her listeners from song to song. But honesty is only part of the charm, not the main talent here. Having won a WCMA Songwriter Of The Year award for her previous album "Sweet Somethin Steady" one can really hear where her true gift rests.

The S.A.C. gratefully acknowledges the support of The SOCAN Foundation and the Government of Canada through the Creators' Assistance Component and Support to Sector Associations Program of the Canada Music Fund.

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