Star in waiting sings her heart out by night, works at a dépanneur by day
BILL BROWNSTEIN, The Gazette
Published: 7 hours agoIt’s cold and windy and wet. It’s a precursor of the winter nastiness to come. Slipping along St. Jacques St. in St. Henri and seeking immediate escape, we hear a voice call out to us. Nah, not from above. Don’t be confusing this for some Jimmy Stewart religious allegory- certainly not when my sidekick is fun-lovin’ colleague and childhood chum Hubie Bauch. Someone is belting the blues inside what seems to be, from the outside, a fairly nondescript shop.We take the bait. We enter. And - whoa! - we’re in a time warp. Think Greenwich Village, circa 1964. The place is called Pages, a second-hand bookstore-cum-coffeehouse. Books everywhere. Chess sets. Comfy chairs and sofas. Warm primary colours rule - oranges, reds and yellows. Okay, maybe no hooch, but cappuccino will work on this night.At any moment, we expect a young Bobby Zimmerman - Dylan - to saunter in with a young Joan Baez in tow. They, too, would likely be blown away by chanteuse/keyboardist Katie Sevigny. An intriguing cross between Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones, Sevigny is singing her heart out. Mostly her own compositions. Her range is exquisite; her stage presence, stunning. The audience is rapt.The kid is going to be a star. The kid also happens to have a day-job at the dépanneur next door. This is the stuff of which dreams are made.The kid also happens not to be a kid. In her jeans and sneakers, she may look 16, but she is actually 26.After her set, Sevigny reveals that she’s been singing and playing the last eight years. She’s never had any singing or piano lessons. She doesn’t have an agent or manager. She doesn’t have any impending record deal. Yet. So in the interim, she will continue working at the dépanneur next door. And she will continue writing more songs - she has 75 already in her repertoire.NOTE ( I DO TAKE SINGING LESSONS, I WAS MISUNDERSTOOD, SORRY MARCIN ;) )"All I can do is sing wherever I can. Hopefully I’ll get the ear of a producer ready to take a chance on me," says a no-nonsense Sevigny. "I have no illusions. This is a tough business. And there are lots of great singers out there."Perhaps, but as one spectator tells her, Sevigny beats all to heck anyone she’s ever heard on Canadian Idol. Sevigny smiles.Also smiling is Pages manager Whitney Ellie. The place is as packed as it can be. "The seating capacity here is as many seats as I can find," she jokes. She found at least two dozen. Others find standing room where they can.Since its opening six months ago, Pages has served as a sort of cultural hub in St. Henri. In addition to stocking close to 10,000 second-hand books - on all manner of subjects in English and in French - Pages also provides a showcase for local writers and performers in the evenings.© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
Katie Sevigny***
Listen up. 26 year old Montrealer, Katie Sevigny, just exudes emotion on stage. This singer/songwriter/pianist soon to be star, not only writes beautiful songs, but she captures her audience in a way that keeps them coming back for more.
Unlike most pianists who start to learn piano at a young age,
Katie began teaching herself to play by ear at the late age of
18 and has proved herself a real talent. Katie Studied Classical
singing at Vanier college but she started singing professionally in Choir
at the age of 14.
Over the Last 7 years, Katie has collaborated with many musicians and
has played over 300 shows in and Around Montreal and Toronto. Katie
gained the attention of many fellow musicians and media, played on Global
Television morning show and had a Launching at the Place des ARTS for her latest c.d.with band "The Silver Web". More recently lent her talents to be a spokes person/performer at this year’s Fearless Tiger (Women’s self defense seminar) to 300 young women.
http://www.myspace.com/whitetigergroup
Now only to focus on her solo career. Katie released a single "Oh Eddie" with the producing help of Sari Dajani. Is now home recording and looking for representation.br
Here’s what some people are saying:
"The extent of her ability puts her in a wide writing comfort zone that
ranges from the McLachlan-esque to much darker,
exotically touched and impassioned places."-Jamie O’meara (Hour Magazine)
"With soaring vocals and plucky piano stylings, Katie Sevigny is Canada’s latest contribution to the estrogen club. And what a fine contribution indeed!" -Cameron Gordon
"she teases the listener with the playful intro to "The Bottle" only to
turn things back around into her torch song furor, you realize this lady’s
on to something and that you’d be well advised to steer clear." - Cameron Gordon (SoulShine Magazine)
"she will lift you up into her mystical musical journey." - Lex - (Montrealmusicscene.com)
For more info write to
[email protected]
www.katiesevigny.com coming soon!
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