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Concert Series Continues – January 29th, 2010
Great Lakes Brewery
Toronto, ON – January 2010 – Paisley Jura’s innovative concert series Secret Rooms continues with the second installment on Friday January 29th 2010 at Great Lakes Brewery (30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd, Etobicoke). The second concert in the series will feature three distinguished guest artists from the world of dance: Robin McPhail-Dempsey, Gillian McPhail and Sean Ling [Toronto Dance Theatre, Danny Grossman Dance Troupe, Peggy Baker Ensemble].
Each concert on this magical series pairs Paisley Jura and her stellar band with featured guest artists in unique, unexplored venues throughout the city of Toronto. Paisley’s guests represent the best of their art form, bringing you directly in contact with the music and art that influences her songwriting, and the art that she in turn inspires.
In developing the theme for Secret Rooms Paisley says, "I was thinking about the notion of "secret rooms" or forbidden places that also act as metaphors for the secret places within ourselves. When we gain access to a "secret room" it gives us freedom, or permission to act in a way we might not be able to otherwise.”
The Secret Rooms Series:
Friday, January 29, 2010 8:00 pm
with dancers Robin McPhail-Dempsey, Gillian McPhail and Sean Ling
Great Lakes Brewery, 30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd (Royal York and The Queensway) MAP
Tickets: $20
Please email paisley@paisleyjura.com to make your reservation.
Tuesday January 12, 2010
New show!
Secret Rooms Sneak Preview
Wed. Jan. 27 11 pm
Cadillac Lounge
www.cadillaclounge.com
New video - live footage from Secret Rooms Premiere
http://www.youtube.com/watch...
Secret Rooms dances @ Great Lakes Brewery
Friday, January 29, 2010
Click here to reserve your tickets now
A great big thank-you to everyone who made the Secret Rooms Premiere featuring Alejandra Ribera at the Officers’ Mess such a success. It was a truly magical evening in a hidden gem of a space that few of us ever see. The chance to share some musical moments with the Officers who work to preserve peace and allow people to live in safety around the world was truly special and I hope to do it again in the future.
Over the next few weeks all of us behind the scenes at Secret Rooms are hard at work putting the next show together for you. The January 29 concert takes place at a working craft-brewery in western Toronto (Great Lakes Brewery) and features the graceful and evocative dance of Robin McPhail-Dempsey, Gillian McPhail and Sean Ling. This trio of veteran Toronto dancers has appeared with the Toronto Dance Theatre, the Danny Grossman Dance Troupe and the Canadian Opera Company, performing works by Peggy Baker, Veronica Tennant and Christopher House, among others. You are in for a real treat, as they transform this industrial space into a wonderland of possibility.
Stay warm and close to those you love over this holiday season, and see you in 2010!
xo,
~ paisley
Concert Series Premiere – November 27th 2009
Canadian Forces College Officers' Mess
Toronto, ON – November 2, 2009 – Paisley Jura’s innovative concert series Secret Rooms throws her brainy pop into the fire with classical, jazz, dance and film shattering your notion of concert tradition by presenting it all not in a bar, concert hall, church or art gallery, but in something else. What? A Secret Room. Actually, several. The exciting series will premiere on November 27th 2009 at the Canadian Forces College Officers‘ Mess with special guest singer Alejandra Ribera (further details below).
You may not even know it, but there is an advanced military college at Yonge and Wilson in Toronto. The Canadian Forces College is situated on acres of beautiful greenspace and gardens, and in the centre of it all lies the Officers' Mess: the hub of formal activities for Officers from all branches of the armed forces from across Canada and around the world. The building itself features cut-glass windows, stone archways, wood-panelled rooms, and expansive fireplaces.
The fast-rising indie newcomer is morphing once again, this time drawing on her experience as a professional orchestral musician to become impressario and artist: creating a unique concert series that partners phenomenal artists of other genres with her own classical and jazz-influenced pop music.
Each concert on this magical series pairs Paisley Jura and her stellar band with featured guest artists in unique, unexplored venues throughout the city of Toronto. Paisley’s guests represent the best of their art form, bringing you directly in contact with the music and art that influences her songwriting, and the art that she in turn inspires.
In developing the theme for Secret Rooms Paisley says, “I was thinking about our fascination with voyeurism. We are all curious to see what goes on in places we are not allowed to go. I love to walk in the evening and peek in peoples‘ houses before they’ve closed the blinds for the night. Don’t you?“ In Secret Rooms, the audience is given access to romantic and rich spaces normally forbidden to the public, and allowed to immerse themselves in a new dynamic where visual imagery, sound and secrets merge to form deep and meaningful experiences.
The Secret Rooms Series Premiere:
Friday, November 27, 2009 8:00 pm
with Alejandra Ribera (Latin cabaret)
at the Canadian Forces College Officers' Mess, 215 Yonge Blvd
Doors open at 8:00 pm. Tickets ($30) include two complimentary beverages and parking. Details are revealed in your confirmation email. Reservations are required ~ email paisley@paisleyjura.com to make your reservation.
For more information please contact:
Indoor Recess Inc.
Joanne Setterington – ph. 416.703.5217 / e. joanne@indoorrecess.com
Beth Cavanagh – ph. 416.803.7685 / e. beth@indoorrecess.com
October 16, 2009
Hi everyone!
A few years ago, before I even began writing songs, I imagined myself being interviewed by Sheila Rogers on This Morning. I wasn't even sure what she was going to be talking to me about - would I be a famous novelist? Would I be the creator of a pie-making machine? Or would I be (dare I even imagine it?) a singer-songwriter? All I knew was that I listened to her every morning and I was always interested in the people she was talking to. (She was so nice!) Maybe one day she would talk to me...
Well, yesterday, I went down to the CBC building in Toronto, made it through security, was ushered into a studio with nicest group of people and a lovely grand piano, where I had a fascinating discussion with Mary Ito for Fresh Air! I can hardly believe it. These are GOOD TIMES!
You can hear my conversation on Saturday morning (tomorrow) at 7:30 am. (You don't even have to get out of bed!) CBC Radio 1 across Ontario. Or, if you are elsewhere in the country, listen online at www.cbc.ca/listen. I know if you're in Vancouver that's a crazy hour - maybe you should just stay up all night. And those Newfies, you get to sleep in : )
My blessings to you all, hope to see you soon - maybe in Ottawa or Montreal this week, if you're around. Please pass it on to your friends there, if you can. I'm still a newbie in those towns.
peace,
~ paisley
--
Upcoming Dates
10/19 Montreal - Grumpy's Bar
10/20 Ottawa - The Rainbow Room
10/29 London - London Music Hall
October 5, 2009
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, we will come rejoicing, bringing in the the sheaves... Have you put up your stores for winter yet? The squirrels and chipmunks are ready. There was a time in these parts, if you were not prepared for winter by the end of September, you might not make it through. That was before the 24-hour Sobey's, I guess...
For me October brings harvesting of musical ideas and a few short run-outs across the scarlet countryside before the snow flies. Here are the deets - hope to see you soon!
Saturday, October 10 Hugh's Room Toronto
I'm honoured to participate in Jason Fowler's tribute night to Bruce Cockburn (see poster below - and feel free to pass it on!). We will be playing two of my all-time favourites by this incredible Canadian singer-songwriter: All the Diamonds and Wondering Where the Lions Are. The rest of the evening promises to be a hoot with a great line up and more Cockburn gems.
On the same day - listen to hear a couple of tracks and maybe even some chit-chat with Mary Ito on CBC Radio 2's Fresh Air (6-9 am across Ontario).
Monday, October 19 Grumpy's Bar Montreal
I'm very happy to be returning to the cozy and hip joint in the student section of Montreal. Looking forward to post-gig hot bagels!
Tuesday, October 20 The Rainbow Room Ottawa
It's my first time playing in the city of Ottawa - if you're there, or know anyone there, please pass the word...
Wednesday, October 28 London Music Hall London
And my first time appearing in London, too (since university!). Looking forward to this one.
Be well, my friends. Peace and thanksgiving,
~ paisley jura
Home safe and sound. Thank so much to everyone who came out to shows, or sent letters of congratulations, fed me, housed me or drove me around! You are the best!
I am trying to get tour pictures and updates up on the site, but current life has intervened... so check back later. But for now, know that there are some great shows coming up in Ontario.
Saturday, Sepember 26 WINDSOR
@ Phog Lounge, voted the number one live music club in all of Canada by listeners of CBC Radio 3!!!
Wednesday, October 28 LONDON
@ London Music Hall - come on all you Western grads, come and say hello!
And - Saturday, October 10 TORONTO
@ Hugh's Room: Bruce Cockburn Tribute Night with Jason Fowler PageText=Paisley Jura’s innovative concert series Secret Rooms throws her brainy pop into the fire with classical, jazz, dance and film shattering your notion of concert tradition by presenting it all not in a bar, concert hall, church or art gallery, but in something else. What? A Secret Room. Actually, several. The fast-rising indie newcomer is morphing once again, this time drawing on her experience as a professional orchestral musician to become impressario and artist: creating a unique concert series that partners phenomenal artists of other genres with her own classical- and jazz-influenced pop music.
In developing the theme for Secret Rooms Paisley says, “I was thinking about our fascination with voyeurism. We are all curious to see what goes on in places we are not allowed to go. I love to walk in the evening and peek in peoples‘ houses before they’ve closed the blinds for the night. Don’t you?“ In Secret Rooms, the audience is given access to romantic and rich spaces normally forbidden to the public, and allowed to immerse themselves in a new dynamic where visual imagery, sound and secrets merge to form deep and meaningful experiences.
The lure of secrets, to have them, and to know others’ secrets, is irresistible. The aim for this series is to build on that fascination while bringing together audiences of various kinds, exposing them to a variety of art forms and artists, and presenting them all in a beautiful, exciting and accessible way. While this synergy has tremendous benefits for the creative result, it also recognizes that in Canada, artists must work together, share resources and continually find new ways to develop audiences. Secret Rooms will expand to include additional series‘ partnering with local artists in Vancouver in 2010-11, Calgary and Halifax in 2011-12.
Each concert on this magical series pairs Paisley Jura and her stellar band with featured guest artists in unique, unexplored venues throughout the city of Toronto. Paisley’s guests represent the best of their art form, bringing you directly in contact with the music and art that influences her songwriting, and the art that she in turn inspires. Doors open at 8:00 pm. Tickets ($30) include two complimentary beverages and for some shows also include parking. Details are revealed in your confirmation email. Reservations are required ~ email paisley@paisleyjura.com to make your reservation.
Friday, November 27, 2009 8:00 pm
with Alejandra Ribera (world and cabaret inflected jazz)
at the Canadian Forces College Officers‘ Mess, 215 Yonge Blvd
You may not even know it, but there is an advanced military college at Yonge and Wilson in Toronto. The Canadian Forces College is situated on acres of beautiful greenspace and gardens, and in the centre of it all lies the Officers' Mess: the hub of formal activities for Officers from all branches of the armed forces from across Canada and around the world. The building itself features cut-glass windows, stone archways, wood-panelled rooms, and expansive fireplaces. Fresh from performances with the Art of Time Ensemble and her regular Tuesday night showcase at the Cameron House Alejandra Ribera is an exotic beauty: a smoky voiced wonder that you may not have heard of yet, but you will never forget. Heard most recently on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning and Big City Small World, Alejandra’s star is rising quickly – see her in this intimate setting before it’s too late!
www.myspace.com/alejandraribera
www.alejandraribera.com
Friday, January 29, 2010 8:00 pm
with Robin McPhail, Gillian McPhail and Sean Ling (dance)
at Great Lakes Brewery, 30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd.
Situated in south Etobicoke, Great Lakes Brewery is the oldest independent craft-brewery in Ontario. Dancers and audience will weave in and around the giant copper kettles in this seldom-glimpsed space. Robin McPhail, Gillian McPhail and Sean Ling began dancing together as members of the Toronto Dance Theatre. Alumni of the Alberta Ballet and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance (New York), their individual careers have seen them appear in works by Peggy Baker, Veronica Tennant, Christopher House and the Danny Grossman Dance Troupe for presenters including Nuit Blanche and the Canadian Opera Company. Robin McPhail appeared with Paisley Jura at Hugh’s Room in June 2009 and is delighted to return for the premiere of this work for dance trio.
Saturday, April 3, 2010 8:00 pm
with the Madawaska Quartet (classical string quartet)
at The National Ballet School
The ever-eclectic and stunningly beautiful ladies of the Madawaska Quartet perform repertoire ranging from mainstream classical to performance art, from film score to the avant garde, and from Baroque to the present day. Their numerous acheivements include performances with Measha Brueggergosman, a feature on CBC Radio’s “The Music Around Us“ series, and a performance piece by Yoko Ono captured in Barbara Willis Sweete’s film“Sky Piece for Jesus Christ” (Rhombus Media).
www.myspace.com/madawaskastringquartet
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 8:00 pm (to be confirmed)
with Jamie Kastner (documentary filmmaker), Paul Day (cinema editor), and Robert Carli (film composer)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 8:00 pm (to be confirmed)
with Jamie Kastner (documentary filmmaker), Paul Day (cinema editor), and Robert Carli (film composer)
Venue tba
The magical mixture of music and film will be unveiled as Toronto filmand TV mainstays reveal the wizard behind the curtain. Documentarist Jamie Kastner (Kike Like Me; Django!; Free Trade Is Killing My Mother), editor Paul Day (Copper; The Line; This Is Wonderland; Dead Like Me), and composer Robert Carli (Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures; Murdoch Mysteries; Wild Roses) screen reel highlights and participate in an audience Q and A.
www.cave7productions.com
www.cceditors.ca
www.robertcarli.com
These days Paisley and her bass hop from plane to train and automobile (as well as the occasional canoe) as they traverse Canada. She takes her bass with her almost everywhere, but it’s not to play in a classical orchestra this time around. Now she calls the tune – and the tunes are her own collection of sophisticated pop songs delivered with a voice as clear as a bell.
Paisley grew up as the lone artist among a pack of health professionals where it was assumed she would follow suit in the family business. After taking up the double bass at age 12 (because girls did not play bass!), her squeamishness for the grittier side of medicine prevailed and she found herself in an occupation where her hands are always squeaky clean - music: playing, teaching and managing. Her resume includes degrees in music and education, training at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO) and the Banff Centre for Fine Arts, management positions at both the NYO and the Royal Conservatory of Music, and years of experience performing in professional orchestras, chamber groups and pit bands.
Even as she reached the top of her game in the classical world, Paisley envied those pop and jazz musicians who could play anything they heard. Though she was still firmly glued to the notes on the page, she began writing short stories and poems, and the start of a novel. It was time to drop the feather – why couldn’t she play by ear, too? Once the question was asked, the answer (why not?) arrived, and so did the songs.
Paisley’s songs are hooky vignettes with twists of sophisticated harmony and subtle orchestration that steadfastly refuse categorization. She flips easily between Canadian folk, cabaret, jazz, Celtic, country and pop, tying it all together with her compelling lyrics and ethereal voice. You can hear the wide palette of Brahms, Sibelius, Bach, Stravinsky, Mahler, and Kurt Weill contrasted with the simple stories of Johnny Cash or Emmylou Harris. Her voice has the innocent quality of a young Ella Fitzgerald; her songs can mimic the open acoustic jangle of Pat Metheny Group; the rawness of Tom Waits; or the directness and later experimentation of Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell and Bjork. She is, according to The Globe %26amp; Mail, "an old-soul chanteuse with savvy pop sensibilities."
Released in January 2009, Time In Between has received extensive radio play on CBC and college stations, reaching Number One at Toronto’s CIUT and breaking the Top 10 at CFBX in her hometown of Halifax. Produced by four-time Gemini-winning film composer Robert Carli, Time In Between features an all-star cast of Toronto musicians including Kurt Swinghammer, Davide Direnzo and Andrew Downing. The critics loved it, calling the record “a sweet respite in this brief restless life” (The Globe and Mail) and “a folksy collection of starry melodies” (Vancouver Courier), with Toronto’s NOW Magazine praising Paisley’s “voice that rings clear and true”, and the Edmonton Vue Weekly advising “bring a box of Kleenex.” Invitations to perform at festival stages across Canada soon followed, including the East Coast Music Awards in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, North By North East and Yonge-Dundas Square.
Two music videos from Time In Between (‘Sweetness’ and ‘Timing’), produced and directed by Gemini-nominated film editor Paul Day, are in rotation on Bravo and Paisley has recently been featured on CBC Radio’s Fresh Air, City TV Calgary’s Breakfast Television and Bravo’s Arts %26amp; Minds series.
Paisley’s live shows are captivating - it's obvious she is a performer with years of experience in the spotlight. Her concerts surprise and delight with unexpected moments like those her song ‘Winter 1819’, a ballad chronicling the journey of her ancestors from Scotland to the New World, in which she uses the bass and bow to recreate sound of ropes creaking on a wooden ship and the undulating rhythm of the waves. Or the wholesale re-imagining of Bruce Cockburn’s ‘Wondering Where the Lions Are’ in a reggae feel, complete with empty downbeats and a trombone solo!
Paisley Jura’s accomplished and dynamic band-mates include Toronto pros Mark Kelso on drums (Holly Cole, Amanda Marshall), Joel Schwartz on guitar, mandolin and lapsteel (the Outlanders, Great Lake Swimmers) and Jamie Stager on piano and trombone (Shaw Festival, SalsAfrica). Together they play off each other, tossing rhythms and riffs back and forth, singing sweet harmonies and setting down deep grooves.
Paisley’s charming and playful stage manner sets audience and musicians alike at ease, drawing you into the performance as she invites you to travel down the passages of time with her and the instrument in her hands. Her bass survived the drawing and redrawing of the borders of its birthplace (Tyrolia), the creation of a country called Canada, the rise and fall of classical music in society, and now is played by a woman, surely for the first time in two hundred years.
SECRET ROOMS
So, what’s next for Paisley? The fast-rising indie newcomer isn't standing still. In her latest project she dips into her classical orchestral experience to become both impresario and artist: creating a unique concert series that partners artists of other genres with her own music. Calling her series Secret Rooms, Paisley sets aside traditional notions of concert presentation by offering each show not in a bar, concert hall, church or art gallery, but in a Secret Room. The Secret Rooms venues include the Officers' Mess of the Canadian Military College, a working brewery, and a nineteenth-century auction house, among others.
Secret Rooms takes place in Toronto in November, January, March and May and features guests Alejandra Ribera (Latin-cabaret), the Madawaska Quartet (classical), dancers Gillian McPhail, Robin McPhail and Sean Ling, and film personalities Jamie Kastner, Paul Day and Robert Carli.
So, what’s next for Paisley? The fast-rising indie newcomer isn't standing still. In her latest project she dips into her classical orchestral experience to become both impresario and artist: creating a unique concert series that partners artists of other genres with her own music. Calling her series Secret Rooms, Paisley sets aside traditional notions of concert presentation by offering each show not in a bar, concert hall, church or art gallery, but in a Secret Room. The Secret Rooms venues include the Officers' Mess of the Canadian Military College, a working brewery, and a nineteenth-century auction house, among others.
Secret Rooms takes place in Toronto in November, January, March and May and features guests Alejandra Ribera (Latin-cabaret), the Madawaska Quartet (classical), dancers Gillian McPhail, Robin McPhail and Sean Ling, and film personalities Jamie Kastner, Paul Day and Robert Carli.
TOURING
In between Toronto shows Paisley tours across Canada again, heading to the West Coast in January and the East Coast in March. She embarks on her first international tour to the United Kingdom in May.
RECORDINGS
A second album is currently underway, with a 2010 release planned. With this record, Paisley has the rare privilege of doing things in the preferred order - recording road-tested songs with a seasoned band. In addition to full band arrangements, this record will also explore the exquisite clarity in the music of just a girl and her beloved bass.
PageText=
January 27, 2010 WednesdaySecret Rooms Sneak Preview
11:00 pm
Cadillac Lounge
www.cadillaclounge.com
January 29, 2010 Friday
Secret Rooms Series
with Robin McPhail, Gillian McPhail %26amp; Sean Ling (dance)
Great Lakes Brewery
30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd Toronto, ON
email paisley@paisleyjura.com
March 6, 2010
Hugh's Room
2261 Dundas St. W.
Joni Mitchell Tribute Night
April 3, 2010 Saturday
Secret Rooms Series
with the Madawaska Quartet (classical)
The National Ballet School
April 23, 2010
George Weston Recital Hall (Toronto Centre for the Arts)
5040 Yonge St.
Kids in Camp Benefit hosted by Andy Barrie and Stuart McLean
May 26, 2010 Wednesday
Secret Rooms Series
with Jamie Kastner, Paul Day %26amp; Robert Carli (film)
venue tba
PageText=November 27, 2009 Fridaywith Robin McPhail, Gillian McPhail %26amp; Sean Ling (dance)
Great Lakes Brewery
30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd Toronto, ON
email paisley@paisleyjura.com
March 6, 2010
Hugh's Room
2261 Dundas St. W.
Joni Mitchell Tribute Night
April 3, 2010 Saturday
Secret Rooms Series
with the Madawaska Quartet (classical)
The National Ballet School
April 23, 2010
George Weston Recital Hall (Toronto Centre for the Arts)
5040 Yonge St.
Kids in Camp Benefit hosted by Andy Barrie and Stuart McLean
May 26, 2010 Wednesday
Secret Rooms Series
with Jamie Kastner, Paul Day %26amp; Robert Carli (film)
venue tba
Secret Rooms Series Premiere with Alejandra Ribera
(Latin-cabaret)
Canadian Forces College Officers' Mess
215 Yonge Blvd Toronto, ON
October 28, 2009 Wednesday
London Music Club
London, ON
www.londonmusicclub.com
October 10, 2009 Saturday
Hugh's Room Toronto, ON
Bruce Cockburn Tribute Night, host Jason Fowler
www.hughsroom.com
October 19. 2009 Monday
Grumpy's Bar
Montreal, ON
www.grumpysbar.ca
October 20, 2009 Tuesday
The Rainbow
Ottawa, ON
www.therainbow.ca
September 26, 2009 Saturday
Phog Lounge
Windsor, ON
www.phoglounge.com
with Arctic
August 29, 2009 Saturday
Spiral Cafe Victoria, BC
418 Craigflower Rd.
www.goforlunch.com/spiral
with Lena Birtwhistle
August 28, 2009 Friday
Duncan Garage Showcase Duncan, BC
330 Duncan St.
www.duncangarageshowroom.ca
with David Blair
August 27, 2009 Thursday
The Greedy Pig Vancouver, BC
www.thegreedypig.ca
9:00 PM
August 26, 2009 Wednesday
Westcoast Wednesdays @
The Backstage Lounge Vancouver, BC
www.thebackstagelounge.com
9:00 PM
August 24, 2009 Monday
The Tipper East Vancouver, BC
(604) 873-1010
9:00 PM
August 23, 2009 Sunday
The Leisure Loft Kamploops, BC
203-255 Victoria St.
(250) 372-2870
with David Blair
August 22, 2009 Saturday
Streaming Cafe Kelowna, BC
www.streamingcafe.net
8:00 PM
with David Blair
August 21, 2009 Friday
Wild Flour Courtyard Banff, BC
(403) 760-5074
8:00 pm
August 20, 2009 Thursday
Communitea Cafe Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6818
8:30 PM
with Richard Doerksen
August 18, 2009 Tuesday
Ironwood Stage and Grill Calgary, AB
www.ironwoodstage.ca
9:00 PM
with Oliver Swain and Jeremy Penner
August 17, 2009 Monday
Liberty Bistro Toronto, ON
25 Liberty St.
(416) 533-8828
8:30 PM
June 24, 2009 Wednesday
Hugh's Room Toronto, ON
www.hughsroom.com
8:30 PM
May 27, 2009 Wednesday
Yonge-Dundas Square Toronto, ON
www.yd-square.ca
12:30 - 1:30 PM
June 18, 2009 Thursday
NXNE Showcase
The Painted Lady Toronto, ON
218 Ossington Ave.
www.nxne.com
midnight
Apr 18, 2009 Saturday
Mitzi's Sister Toronto, ON
www.mitzissister.com
with Joseph Blood (myspace)
10:00 PM
Mar 3, 2009 Tuesday
Casbah Lounge Hamilton, ON
www.casbahlounge.ca
9:30 PM
Mar 1, 2009 Sunday
East Coast Music Awards
Royal Canadian Legion, 7 West St
Cornerbrook, NF
www.ecma.ca
2:00PM
Feb 6, 2009 Friday
Grumpy's Bar Montreal, Q
www.grumpysbar.ca
with Kit Soden www.kitsmusic.com
10:30 PM
Feb 1, 2009 Sunday
The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, QC
www.theblacksheepinn.com
with Marc Berube and the Patriotic Few www.marcberube.com
12:00 PM
Jan 27, 2009 Tuesday
Supermarket Toronto, ON
www.supermarkettoronto.com
9:00 PM
Jan 6, 2009 Tuesday
The Cameron House Toronto, ON
9:00 PM
Dec 6, 2008 Saturday
Toronto Chamber Choir Toronto, ON
8:00 PM
Nov 6, 2008 Thursday
Free Times Cafe Toronto, ON
9:00 PM
Oct 3, 2008 Friday
Mitzi's Sister Toronto, ON
10:00 PM
Sep 25, 2008 Thursday
Liberty Bistro Toronto, ON
8:00 PM
Aug 15, 2008 Friday
Liberty Bistro Toronto, ON
8:00 PM
PageText=Vancouver Courier August 21, 2009
Paisley's pop adventure: from concert halls to Greedy PigPsychedelic name part of Toronto-based singer-songwriter's rebirth
Shawn Conner, Vancouver Courier
Published: Friday, August 21, 2009
When her Vancouver itinerary includes places with names like the Bottle Tipper and the Greedy Pig, you're inclined to think a cruel booking agent is having a joke at Paisley Jura's expense. Not so, says the Toronto-based singer. In fact, she booked the shows herself--and both places, though not exactly the first live-music venues that come to mind, are real. And both host Jura Aug. 24 and 27, at Kingsway and Victoria and in Gastown respectively. She also plays the somewhat better-known Backstage Lounge Aug. 26.
"It was just sort of word-of-mouth," says Jura, reached on a day off from gigs in Canmore, Alta. "If you go on the Greedy Pig's website, it looks like they have pretty good food." Vancouver singer/songwriter Joseph Blood, with whom she played a Toronto show, recommended the venue, when a gig at the Oasis fell through at the last minute.
That still leaves one night in Vancouver off. On that evening, Jura plans on checking out Bard on the Beach with her Vancouver-based sister, a "genetic counsellor"--which sounds like a job description right out of a paranoid science-fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. In fact, most of Jura's family is scientifically inclined, though her first name might lead one to believe most of the science was inspired by Albert Hoffman, inventor of LSD.
"You would think that, except it's a stage name," says Jura. "I had a bit of a rebirth. I've only been writing songs for two years. At the time, when I decided to make a record, I decided my new life needed a new name."
So how did she avoid a life in a lab coat or scrubs, especially since her father's a doctor? "It's funny, the discussion around the dinner table was always what cases my dad had done that day, and what went wrong, blood on the floor and what not. I was always very squeamish about that sort of thing. I was more interested in the story--what happened to the patient, did they live? What was going on with the rest of the family? And he'd be like, 'I don't know. I was just in the operating room.'"
That curiosity about people led her to try writing short stories and even a novel and, a few years ago, songwriting. Having classically trained in piano and double-bass, she already had a musical background, including playing in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and freelancing in regional and pickup orchestras around Toronto. So it was just a matter of learning to put words and music together.
"I played a lot of Messiahs and choral shows, which I love, I really really love it," says Jura, who'll play piano and some guitar at her shows here. "But I was always a fan of pop music, my dad was a big country music lover, my partner was a big jazz lover. So these kind of crept into my consciousness."
Eventually she played her songs for Robert Carli, a friend of hers who was a film composer. He approved.
"He said, 'Those are really good, you should record those,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, right. How am I going to record them?'" she says with a laugh. Carli offered to help. "This guy's got like four Gemini Awards and this studio in his house that's amazing."
So Carli recorded the songs that would eventually become Jura's debut, Time In Between, inviting Toronto musicians like Kurt Swinghammer to help out. Released earlier this year, the eight-song record is a folky collection of starry melodies, with assured playing and occasionally offbeat arrangements, as in the showtune feel of "Looking for Something." Jura's vocals are intimate and guileless.
Relatively new to the pop music scene, she still feels like an outsider.
"I'm really still getting my bearings, for sure," she says. "I found that people have been very warm and helpful though. Other musicians especially--I go to a gig and I'll have to ask, 'What's that form you've got there?' And they're like, 'Oh, that's from SoundScan. If you want a grant, you have to fill this out.' It's a huge learning curve for me, but people have been so helpful. Like when that show got cancelled in Vancouver, Joseph Blood was on tour in Germany or somewhere and he's like, 'Oh, call this person, tell them I called you, and then there you go.'"
Now, all she has to do is find a booking agent.
© Vancouver Courier 2009
Kamloops Daily News, August 20, 2009
ARTS %26amp; ENTERTAINMENT
Classical artist arrives as songwriter, pop chanteuse
BY MIKE YOUDS DAILY NEWS STAFF REPORTER
August 20, 2009 Kamloops – If the name Paisley Jura doesn’t ring familiar, it’s likely because the Toronto-based singer with the silken voice only began writing songs two years ago. “I’ve had so much fun working on these songs,” Jura said from Canmore, Alta., en route to B.C. “People come up to me at the end of the show and say, ‘You really said everything that was in my heart.’ ”
Considering the critical acclaim given Time In Between, her six-song debut recording released in January, Jura is one of the most promising lights above the Canadian music scene horizon. She is on a Western Canadian debut tour that includes a Sunday evening performance with David Blair at The Loft, 203—255 Victoria St.
Mike Turner’s second-floor venue offers limited seating, which might make it an ideal setting to take in what a Globe %26amp; Mail reviewer described as an “old-soul chanteuse with savvy pop sensibilities.”
Trained as a classical pianist and bass player (she regularly plays a 200-year-old Italian double bass but didn’t bring it along on the road tour), Jura entered pop through a side door. She was writing short stories and a novel a couple of years ago when a professor remarked on her good settings but lack of plot substance.
That must of have triggered something in her imagination because a series of musical vignettes began to emerge.
“I had these unusual voices that came to me. Really short songs started coming out. That was two years ago. Then a friend said, ‘You should record these.’ ”
In the studio, producer Robert Carli conjured some audio magic with Jura’s compositions, infusing them with a spectrum of colours. The result is both elegant and poignant.
“He just did some incredible things. I’m really, really happy with it.”
A small venue here doesn’t deter her in the least.
“I don’t care if I’m playing on street corners,” she said.
An upcoming series of performances in Toronto is called The Secret Rooms, set in a variety of unconventional musical venues including a brewery and an auction house, where she’ll play alongside artists representing different genres.
“I’m really trying to reach across the genres and bring in new audience.”
Bravo! Arts %26amp; Minds, July 20, 2009
http://watch.bravo.ca/#
The Globe %26amp; Mail, January 27, 2009
“Jura's flowing ruminations on the turning of years and … satisfying Sarah Harmer-meets-Sarah Slean music carrying them … make impressions. Frills like the glad clarinet on Looking for Something and the tiny-dancer music-box twinkle of Timing dress things up even nicer. Time is short, and so is this six-song debut - a sweet respite in this brief, restless life.”
Now Magazine, January 21-28, 2009
“Toronto-via-Halifax singer/songwriter Paisley Jura plays a 200-year-old Italian double bass. She's also a classically trained pianist and has an unadorned voice that rings clear and true. Her debut seven-song EP, Time In Between, fuses jazz, country, classical and cabaret, and it all comes together in a pleasantly mellow way... it proves Jura knows her way around a song.”
Edmonton Vue Weekly, Haiku Review, January 23, 2009
“Hot young chanteuse
Emotional pop, you'll need
A box of Kleenex”
Raise the Hammer (Blog), January 16, 2009
“… Jura has created a subtle, melodic, detailed collection of poignant vignettes that grows steadily with each listen, revealing its deep intricacy layer by layer… Time In Between deserves a careful listen in a quiet setting to appreciate its charms… It grows more rewarding with each listen.”
CIUT, 89.5 MHz, University of Toronto Radio
Time In Between #1 on Top 30 Chart, week ending Feb. 3, 2009
CKDU, 88.1 Mhz, Dalhousie University Radio (Halifax)
Time In Between #10 on Top 30 Chart, week ending Feb. 17, 2009
CFBX, 92.5 MHz, Kamloops Radio
Time In Between #26 on Top 30 Chart, week ending Mar. 31, 2009
East Coast Music Awards, Corner Brook, NF, March 1, 2009
Discovery Stage showcase
NXNE Showcase, Toronto, ON, June 18, 2009