on tuesday night, filled to the brim with homemade dinner, jeff and i headed out to the piston at bloor and ossington, where his university friend - alanna gurr - was playing a set prior to a couple of other bands (how awful of me - i didn't even stick around for them). i met her briefly when we arrived... she was a sweet little thing. quiet and soft spoken... but most of all, lovely. i could tell by her boots, i would like her.
we found a spot in the small area in the back, with the stage in front of us, and there were likely only about 20 people sitting around... and she began to sing with her 4 bandmates with her (bassist, back up vocals, guitar, drummer and pedal steel - I LOVE PEDAL STEEL). her voice is totally unassuming - soft and warm, and totally suiting to their style of music.
having just come off of 15 shows in 15 days (in halifax - she said to us prior to getting on stage), their energy was great - though maybe they were all just a bit delirious! i would likely not be standing after that. and you'd never know from alanna's voice - she was strong and unwavering... hard for someone with such a soft gentle voice.
unfortunately, the sound wasn't great, and she could have been turned up, or the instruments turned down, as I could hardly hear the lyrics... but when i did, they were amazing. i'd love to see her alone (no offense guys!).
they sang about 7 or 8 songs, then had one of the guys from the next band on, avec banjo to join in. it was a GREAT mix... and i'm a sucker for a banjo, so really... it was a win win. (and check out that vest!!)
alanna has a great sound... the band (wish i knew the guys names better) is extremely talented, and they could do purely instrumental and be entertaining they obviously enjoy playing together and there's a ton of fun going on, on stage.
by the end of the show, the room was full. people were dancing and clearly enjoying themselves... which is something to be said for a band fronted by a singer with a soft voice like alanna's... so often bands fall short when their front person is too soft... this band as a whole really shows a lot of depth.
she's great. they're great. musically? wonderful. so, i highly advise you check her out on facebook. she posts where she'll be playing, and updates. you know - the usual bandy facebooky things. you can also listen to her e-p here, or her full album from 2011 - 'oh, horsefeathers' - here. you can also hear a lot more on the CBC website. also. alanna's website where you can buy her album, 'oh, horsefeathers'. it's an awesome album - particularly good for roadtrips, if you like that sort of thing*.
*note: if you don't like that sort of thing, i'm not sure we should be friends.
photo by andra zommers, via myboytheriotgirl
we found a spot in the small area in the back, with the stage in front of us, and there were likely only about 20 people sitting around... and she began to sing with her 4 bandmates with her (bassist, back up vocals, guitar, drummer and pedal steel - I LOVE PEDAL STEEL). her voice is totally unassuming - soft and warm, and totally suiting to their style of music.
having just come off of 15 shows in 15 days (in halifax - she said to us prior to getting on stage), their energy was great - though maybe they were all just a bit delirious! i would likely not be standing after that. and you'd never know from alanna's voice - she was strong and unwavering... hard for someone with such a soft gentle voice.
photo from jeff kalman
unfortunately, the sound wasn't great, and she could have been turned up, or the instruments turned down, as I could hardly hear the lyrics... but when i did, they were amazing. i'd love to see her alone (no offense guys!).
they sang about 7 or 8 songs, then had one of the guys from the next band on, avec banjo to join in. it was a GREAT mix... and i'm a sucker for a banjo, so really... it was a win win. (and check out that vest!!)
photo from jeff kalman
alanna has a great sound... the band (wish i knew the guys names better) is extremely talented, and they could do purely instrumental and be entertaining they obviously enjoy playing together and there's a ton of fun going on, on stage.
by the end of the show, the room was full. people were dancing and clearly enjoying themselves... which is something to be said for a band fronted by a singer with a soft voice like alanna's... so often bands fall short when their front person is too soft... this band as a whole really shows a lot of depth.
she's great. they're great. musically? wonderful. so, i highly advise you check her out on facebook. she posts where she'll be playing, and updates. you know - the usual bandy facebooky things. you can also listen to her e-p here, or her full album from 2011 - 'oh, horsefeathers' - here. you can also hear a lot more on the CBC website. also. alanna's website where you can buy her album, 'oh, horsefeathers'. it's an awesome album - particularly good for roadtrips, if you like that sort of thing*.
*note: if you don't like that sort of thing, i'm not sure we should be friends.
thanks alanna for the show!