Alberta’s Top Music Artist
Alternative Trends is proud to profile Alberta’s rising young singer/songwriter talent.
Jeff Morris
Who is Jeff Morris?
Jeff Morris is your friendly neighbourhood singer-songwriter. He enjoys a cold pint of Guinness, family, friends, Oilers hockey, and writing music. He’s the guy next door, if the guy next door had CDs for sale.
How would you best describe your style of music?
I usually describe it as Acoustic Pop-Folk, although I like to think there’s more to it than that. I don’t play with a pick so there’s a percussive element to my guitar style that is not common for folk musicians.
Who or what inspired you?
Starting out, I was definitely influenced by guys like Jack Johnson and John Mayer, but recently I have become more and more inspired by the music of people like Andy Shauf or Aidan Knight. Any singer-songwriter who creates engaging music using his or her own unique sound inspires me.
Do you have a mentor?
I am still relatively new to the music scene, so the position of mentor is still open.
How long have you been performing?
I started learning how to play the guitar in 2001 but it took a while before I had the confidence to play in front of an audience. My first few performances were in front of my friends at about 5am over some pizza and a few empty beer bottles, but nothing in public until last year. In fact, it was January 11, 2009 at an open mic on Whyte Ave.
How did you get into music?
I was surrounded by a lot of music growing up. My family is Irish so anytime we hosted a party it was not unusual for there to be five or six guitars, fiddles, mandolins or accordions in the room. I took piano and drum lessons growing up, but I didn’t pick up a guitar until I was 18. My brother and father both play the guitar though, so I think it was only a matter of time before I caught up.
What do you want others to know about you?
I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there as to why musicians do what they do. I write, record and play music because I love it. I love the process: taking an idea for a song, trying to turn that into something worth listening to, and then performing it in front of family and friends. It’s creating something from nothing. That’s what is most rewarding for me.
What were some of the challenges you faced?
Gaining exposure seems to be the toughest part for me. As an independent musician, it’s difficult to get people to notice you. It’s like I’m running an all-Pakistani restaurant in New York City (did I mention I love watching Seinfeld?). It’s true though; music is similar to politics in that sense. No matter how hard you try, you can’t make people care about it.
Where have you performed? What is your favourite type of performance?
I play somewhat regularly at venues like Axis Café or On the Rocks. I also played at SOSFest, the Heart of the City Festival and the 2010 Open Sky Music Festival at Hawrelak Park. I love playing at outdoor music festivals. You meet tons of cool people and everyone always seems to be in a great mood.
What are your other interests?
Well first of all, I love watching Seinfeld. I am also currently splitting Edmonton Oilers season seats with five friends. If I’m not watching Seinfeld or the Oil, I’m probably going to a show at one of the many live music venues in the city.
Any advice you would like to share with performers that are just starting out?
Well I am just starting out, so I can’t offer a lot of wisdom. However, I adopted a rule to never turn down a gig and it seems to have served me well so far. I think it is a mistake to turn down absolutely any level of exposure, and the truth is some of the shows that I was most worried about turned out to be the most rewarding.
Alee
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: New Country/Pop/Rock
Seventeen-year-old singer-songwriter Alee is an ‘all or nothing kinda girl’, as she sings in her song “Dream Come True”. With a great love of all genres of music, Alexandra, is able to transcend her musicality across several of them successfully. However with a passion for ‘modern country’, her sound is a rich unique blend that comes to her naturally.
Alee’s ultimate goal as a singer-songwriter is simply to communicate. “The biggest aspect of it is just being able to give a song to people that they may relate to in their own lives.”
She is a young artist on the rise with over 100 performance dates in the past two years, such as: Canadian Finals Rodeo, WPCA Dodge Chuck Wagon Championships, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, Canadian College Rodeo, Tootsies (Nashville TN), CBC, CTV, Kids Help Phone, Kids Kottage, World FM, CASA for Kids, Miss Rodeo Canada, and high profile events, including fourth year at Big Valley Jamboree, opening act for Six West at Carlton Trail Jamboree, performing on the Winspear stage with celebrity David Foster’s band, Nashville showcases and 5-time award winner at NACMAI (North American Country Music Association International) awards in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Carrie Day
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: Folk/Pop
If you combine classical components with acoustic roots, well-crafted lyrics with melodies that soar; you describe the sounds of Carrie Day.
The Edmonton-based performing songwriter is about to embark on an exciting new journey with the release of her third full length album, Immaculate Night. In 2009 Carrie was a recipient of the RAWLCO 10K20 grant which enabled her to record, mix and master Immaculate Night at Sound Extractor Studio with Stew Kirkwood.
The album contains all the elements that make a record both commercially appealing and artistically enchanting.
It opens with the catchy, get-up-and-dance number called, Good Day, and takes the listener on a musical journey of stories that evoke smiles and toe taps, tears and sways. Wrapping up the album is the final track, Divine Immaculate Night; a haunting composition that narrates the story of a homeless man in Mumbai.
As a pianist and guitarist, Carrie has spent a great deal of time perfecting her craft. Attention to dynamics and organic sounds has become her trademark. With a style of her own, Carrie’s sound may be described as a cross between Joni Mitchell and Cat Power. She is an emotionally charged artist with an exuberant stage presence, and a keen ability to capture listeners, make them chuckle, and warm their hearts.
She is a poet, a singer, a songwriter and a storyteller. As audience member and music writer, Fraser Wareham has said: “when you get the chance to hear Carrie sing live, you truly appreciate the power and depth of this voice. Carrie belongs in large concert halls.”
Kessler Douglas
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: Blues rock
Singer/songwriter Kessler Douglas, 12, has been playing guitar for over five years and performing his own songs with U22 for over two years. Armed with a guitar and microphone, he enjoys singing, playing, and talking with his audiences, engaging them with the stories behind his songs and the music that inspired them.
He writes about themes that seem well beyond his years and has stolen the hearts of audiences at cafes and halls alike, not missing a beat as they clap along to the catchy beats and contemplative blues riffs. Kessler began experimenting with songwriting when he was 10, which is fast becoming a strong habit. He is building a repertoire of songs he has performed on his own or with his band. He doesn’t really know what made him start writing lyrics and tunes, but thinks it has something to do with his love for music, ideas, and history. And it might have something to do with the many concerts and festivals he has attended since he was born, the musicians he’s talked to (ranging from Ron Rault to Ruthie Foster and the whole gang in the Big Rubber Band), and the countless hours of music his parents have subjected him to on CKUA and lots of other places.
Kessler’s songs are about many different ideas and often tell a story about someone’s life - past or present. His music incorporates a number of genres including folk, blues, rock, and punk. He plays acoustic and electric guitar and sings both his own music and covers of the likes of John Lee Hooker, the Beatles, and the Ramones with influences such as Johnny Cash, BB King, the Lost Dogs, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Marley.
Lauren Adamoski
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: Pop/R&B/New Country
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Lauren Adamoski is the 12 year old girl next door.
A talented performer with impressive vocal range, agility, and musicianship beyond her young years. Lauren plays piano, drums and guitar, effortlessly. Vocal harmonies are second nature to her. A natural born entertainer, Lauren has been commended for her engaging stage performance.
Her genre is a unique blend of pop and R&B with modern country undertones. Currently her music has felt the influence or as she puts it, “recent obsession”, with pop sensation Justin Bieber! Quoted as a “preteen prodigy” (Metro Magazine), as well as “a gifted songwriter and a young lady who has a good chance of becoming a professional artist/entertainer” (Hicks on 6) in October 2008, it is not surprising that she has already enjoyed many musical accomplishments with her original songs as the junior winner of Country Vocal Spotlight, Northern Star Talent Search and 5 awards at the 2009 North American Country Music Association International awards in Tennessee.
Lauren has also enjoyed and been honoured to be a part of numerous charity and gala events including her performance at the Winspear Theatre, backed by the famed David Foster band, performances at Big Valley Jamboree 2007-2010, Carlton Trail Jamboree 2010.
Also the 2010 songwriter finalist with the Calgary FolkFest. She did a very special performance of her original song in front of 17,000 rodeo fans for the Canadian Finals Rodeo at Rexall Place. Her acclaim in 2009 as a Top 16 finalist in YTV’s NEXT STAR, selected from 700 auditions in Edmonton and over 3,000 across Canada, provided her with an exciting and eye opening experience to the world of music and film as well with a spot in several episodes of the Next Star national television series in Toronto, Canada.
Ashley Sacha
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: Pop
I am a 19 year old singer/songwriter from Daysland, Alberta. I have studied Opera and Classical singing since I was 12 years old and have only recently been involved with writing/recording my own music. I have enjoyed and learned a lot about music while recording my first EP, “Pretty Words.”
Marissa Rae
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: Country
Marissa entered the world at the tender age of zero on the sixth of May, 1987. The second child of entrepreneurial parents, she grew up in Westlock with two sisters and one brother. She started taking guitar lessons from a buddy at eighteen. Always a singer, she began taking it seriously in grade twelve, studying opera for one year. She started taking professional vocal lessons in 2006 through a local college, and continued her guitar lessons there in a more formal manner. She developed a flair for singing and playing country music. She teamed up with a pro for songwriting coaching in 2008. Since then she’s truly found her voice.
In spring 2010, she received a mark of gold in the country category at Futures Fest with her original song, Broken Hearted and won the preliminary round of St. Albert Idol.
Her original song Boy Vacation took her to the top 10 of 91.7 The Bounce’s “Bounce to the Junos” radio competition in 2009, and to Big Valley Jamboree 2009 where she had the opportunity to sing it twice, opening for Johnny Reid, and missing out on the opportunity to open for Tim McGraw after the festival was cancelled. With her family and best friends as her biggest word-of-mouth promoters, many people expect the declarations of her talent to be somewhat exaggerated. These people are quickly silenced after just a few notes of any of Marissa’s songs!
Matthew Robertson
City/Province: Calgary, Alberta
Genre: Folk
Hailing from the beautiful foothills of Alberta with small town pride and a firm understanding of being rooted, grounded and molded by a landscape and it’s inhabitance, emerges Matthew Robertson. Growing up in a house surrounded by music has stamped melodies and lyrics onto his soul. His music is an expression of his identity and allows him to create beauty and meaning from a chord progression. Writing songs based on a small-town Albertan pride and an understanding of life lessons learned on the farm, Matthew’s songs reflect his experience and the beautiful landscape of the Rocky Mountains outside his doorstep.
Sarah Michelin
City/Province: Edmonton, Alberta
Genre: Folk/Pop
Sarah is a 25 year old Optician from Edmonton. She plays the piano, and writes songs relevant to her life. She loves to create new and exciting melodies to complement the lyrics she writes.