Bella White/Lyrique/Hermitess
Bella White
Just Like Leaving // Independent
“I can’t stay put,” Bella White says as she laughs and sets down her tea. “I just keep running away from my shit - which is sometimes unproductive or counter productive but other times it takes me places.” The Nashville based singer and songwriter has just released her debut full length album Just Like Leaving and after hearing her discuss the twists and turns in the road that led to its release, you get the sense that she knows exactly what leaving is like. Born in Alberta to a banjo picking father from Virgina and a Calgarian mother, White grew up a northern soul steeped in songs of the American south. “He was always playing bluegrass when I was a baby” she says of her father, “and it’s just kind of been bred into me.” With her dad performing in a Jimmy Martin tribute band called Widowmaker, White spent her summers as a child attending bluegrass festivals throughout Alberta and British Columbia, taking workshops during the day and picking and singing by the fire at night.
Growing from a student enamoured with the mythology of the genre into a bluegrass veteran herself, White began crafting songs that paid respect to a rich tradition while at the same time incorporating her modern style and sensibility. But striking the balance between a reverence for the past and the next generation’s need to turn the tide is something White has been acutely aware of since highschool, where she often found herself converting her classmates into fans of a genre not stereotypically known for its teen spirit. Reminiscing on her attempts to turn her friends into fans White says, “I would be like, ‘listen to molly tuttle, she’s cool, she’s young, she’s making it accessible - you will like this,’ and they always did. I feel like I was very driven by [turning people on to bluegrass] and keeping the tradition alive is really important to me.”
After baptizing her social circle in the waters of the Stanley Brothers and Molly Tuttle, White took her bluegrass revival on the road, touring extensively throughout Canada and the US. Before long she fell into the lesser-known but nonetheless flourishing folk music scene in Boston, thriving in large part due to Berklee’s Roots music program. It was there in Boston that she made connections with many of her bandmates and her soon-to-be producer, Patrick McGonigle. After a casual conversation between McGonigle and White over her need for recorded music to sell on tour, White, McGonigle, and a murderer’s row of hired bluegrass guns (Robert Alan Mackie on bass, Julian Pinelli on fiddle, and Reed Stutz on mandolin) took off to the secluded Guilford Sound studio in Vermont. There, in a self imposed isolation that would soon become government mandated, the group laid down Just Like Leaving. What sets Just Like Leaving apart is that despite being a record with a flag planted firmly in bluegrass territory, it maintains the accessibility of more mainstream modern folk, appealing as equally to fans of the genre as to those whose bluegrass exposure is limited to the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. In other words, it’s the perfect bluegrass record for people who don’t listen to bluegrass...yet. Her band does what truly skilled players do, weaving tasteful instrumentation in between the lyrics in a way that elevates the themes of the songs without distracting from the focal point of the record, White’s solemn vocals and earnest storytelling. One minute the fiddle strains a mournful line, as if played on the taught heartstrings of the persona in Hand of Your Raising, while the next the mandolin meanders like the rivers White sings about crossing over in her travels throughout the south. From childhood innocence to adult heartbreak and confusion, the record chronicles White’s experience in a gently nostalgic way, avoiding any stereotypical longing for non-existent good ol’ days in favour of viewing memories through a heartworn and hard won perspective. If this impressively thorough and nuanced debut from Bella White has made anything clear, it’s that when it comes to converting listeners to fans of bluegrass, she is just getting started.
- Mark Coughlan
Lyrique
P.I.M.P (Poetry is my Pleasure) // Independent
You know when you hear an album for the first time and you just get that feeling like “hey, ok – I think we’re on to something here.” That’s the feeling you’ll get from the first spin of Calgary-based rapper Lyrique’s debut album, P.I.M.P (Poetry is my Pleasure). If you haven’t listened to this album yet, I would like you to put whatever you’re reading this on down, give it a listen, then come back. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.
All done? Great. So what do you think?
P.I.M.P is more than just your typical come-up story; laced with the intricacies and stress of a young immigrant chasing the Canadian dream, Lyrique sets the stage for his tale of struggle and perseverance through smooth melodies and clever rhymes. Like a fine wine, P.I.M.P is a mature and standout piece of work from the artist, highlighting not only his abilities as a unique voice but also the strengths of feature artists that help spin the tale of self-induced and societal pressure, roadblocks, and eventually - contentment.
Having been released only a few weeks ago, P.I.M.P is already getting notable attention country wide through campus radio stations. And it’s easy to understand why. While P.I.M.P is full of gems, each listen shows you a different angle - each track a unique shape from the last. If you’re looking for stand-outs – well, it’s really hard to pick just a few. Towards the end of the album is when the depth of P.I.M.P really comes full-circle. “Varsity Dreams”, featuring Winnipeg’s Dill the Giant turns the album on its head through a tempo you can feel deep within, and reminiscent of A$AP Rocky’s “Holy Ghost” (right? right.). “East Bonavista”, as the coincidental following track, brings out the humbling feeling of knowing you’re just simply overwhelmed, wondering how much more it will take. But don’t worry – the final track of the album will bring it all around to that ending you wanted for our hero.
Sometimes we have to go through challenges to finally see our potential and self-worth, and Lyrique has proven time and again that his potential is limitless, cementing his spot in the hip-hop world as someone to keep your eye on.
P.I.M.P Pairings – A Synopsis
Perfect to listen to while: self-reflecting
Best enjoyed while eating: your recent DoorDash order (note: not sponsored. But like, hello DoorDash?)
Pairs well with: fine wine
Next Steps: if you’re now on the Lyrique band wagon, 2019 EP Blank is just simply the next thing you have to listen to.
- Carly Weiler
Hermitess
Celestial // Independent
Celestial by Hermitess... oooooh it sounds so cool and spacey. Look at those northern lights! I was immediately drawn in by this cover art, then the first moment I heard the harp being plucked I knew I had found the right album for me. I have such a fascination with the night sky, and a curiosity of what is beyond. I am also drawn to things of the medieval era. A time of kingdoms, castles, magical lands and creatures. I have a big imagination. This is so fulfilling!! So now did I find this album or did it find me?
Calgary’s Jennifer Crighton is Hermitess, a fairy goddess of song, and she gives us a glorious four song EP which is the second in a series. It’s old world meets new world psychedelic freak-folk. Heavenly lullabies recorded during the pandemic. It features background vocals by Laura Leif and saxophone by Nate Waters, with production help from Chris Dadge and Danny Vescarelli. This album allows me to leave this dimension....at least for a little while.
The first song, "Phone Call" has me asking who is on the other end of the line. I know they say in October the veil between this world and the other begins to thin until Halloween. This is prime time to communicate with the dead. I get signs through music, feathers, and coins... like feeling a big hug from the other side.
"Artificial Stats" has an introspective, dark side. Jennifer reflects on technologies developed within her lifespan. How looking up at the night isn’t just stars and planets. The amount of space junk accumulating in our atmosphere. You're looking up as the satellites are looking down at you. Am I being watched outside right now?!! Big Brother. The constant surveillance. Not a new concept. How did George Orwell come up with 1984 anyhow?
"Space Walk" is an instrumental delight to drift further off to. First steps on a new planet. Just the idea of space travel blows my mind and they’ve been doing it for sometime now. Wouldn’t that be something. Would you go to the moon if you had the chance?
Celestial by Hermitess is not about knowing what the future holds but finding solace in the moment. After listening I felt peaceful, enlightened, and content in the moment. I hope you take a moment and enjoy this journey through time and space. I can’t wait to get transported again.
Love Always,
Green Noreen
