Ladybird Sideshow

Picture this: Four lovely gals. Four-part harmony. Expertly crafted tunes in a variety of genres. Pop, blues, funk, folk, soul - they are all in the mix. Add a dash of biting humour and witty stage antics. This is a talent stew. This is the Ladybird Sideshow.
The Ladybird Sideshow is a collaborative side project composed of four of Canada's finest singer/songwriters: Melissa McClelland, Janine Stoll, Erin Smith & Lisa Winn. In the summer of 2001 four Toronto-based singer/songwriter friends met to pool their contacts, ideas and talents with the intent of playing a few shows of in-the-round entertainment with one another. From this meeting grew an unexpected musical bond and amazing collaboration of four stunning natural forces. Each member respectively fronts her own solo or band endeavor, but decided to begin working with each other on a side project; The Ladybird Sideshow. The intent was not just to support and help further one another's independent music careers, but it was also to learn from one another and bond through the music that they created together with natural ease.
Over the past two years, the Ladybird Sideshow has performed throughout Ontario and across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax and in the US, released a limited edition compilation CD, and recorded together at Hamilton's world-renowned Grant Avenue Studio. The Ladybird Sideshow now have a full-length CD available for public consumption. Live at the Orange Lounge was recorded at Toronto's swankiest studio ' The Orange Lounge ' under the guidance and expertise of producer/engineer Daryn Barry. This record truly captures a sense of what you'd expect to hear at a live perfromance from the 'birds. Each of these achievements has brought these four talented women closer as friends and musical peers. These exploits have not gone unnoticed by the public, as word is quickly spreading about their dynamic and charismatic live show.
The live show is a fully acoustic collaboration of earth-shaking voices and vast variety of original songwriting and musical styles. Expect to hear beautiful harmonies, heart-wrenching lullabies, driving rock tunes, cabaret oddities, country-tinged warbles, rippin' funk, and everything in between.
Melissa McClelland & Thumbalinas one night stand
Some dream of marrying the girl next door. Others fantasize about one wild night with her in the back of daddys car. At first glance, Melissa is the perfect object of both desires: classically demure in a pink cashmere sweater, until a blood red bra strap suddenly leaps from her shoulder. Shes the type of girl to which youd entrust all of your worldly possessions, giving her the keys to your house, the keys to your car, only to discover later that she tore the roof off one and disappeared for days in the other. Fairy tales are made of girls like these; or in Melissas case, re-written by them.
Thumbalinas one night stand is the first of its kind. This album is a collection of dark fables for the soul, where love haunts solitude and fantasy trumps reality. By unflinchingly internalizing pop music sensibilities, Melissa carefully maps out the landscape within us. She explores the rules on the inside, for it is there where most rules are broken.
Never begrudging us our bearings or herself tradition, Melissas music and lyrics both sooth and comfort us. She has the utmost respect for the forms of expression she has chosen, and lovingly buckles us in for the ride. Nevertheless, we are mysteriously transported someplace entirely unexpected, yet always a sacred place we were somehow meant to go.
Thumbalina is not entirely Melissas tale. It belongs to all those who have flirted with would be disaster, taken a left turn instead of a right, inhaled so deeply that cracks become roads and slipping becomes strutting. It also belongs to the visionaries that came together to make it so: her right hand man, producer and guitar extraordinaire Luke Doucet; stellar players, Rick May and Paul Brennan; engineering by Andre Wahl; additional production by Jeff Trott & mixing by Greg Collins; and the icing on the cake, guest appearances by Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo), Justin Rutledge, and Sarah McLachlan.
With this album Melissa McClelland has risen as the avant-garde mistress of inner pop noire. Sometimes purgatorial, other times ephemeral, she is both poet and pioneer. She never flinches at the ugly, never falters at the undone. Instead, she continually rises, one minute the vixen, the next apple pie.
A dark feline beauty in a spotless white summer dress in the deepest of southern romances on the coldest of winter nights, Melissa is a heroine you will not be able to get out of your mind.
For more info see www.melissamcclelland.com .
Gifts as alarming as the talent given to Janine Stoll are rare. She is a painter of melodic lines and a sculptor of words. A self-effacing beauty and modest old soul, Stoll has been crafting songs since she was a child and singing since her tongue had the ability to wrap itself around words. It wasn't until she picked up a guitar at the age of 16 that the legitimacy of her talent could be truly appreciated and celebrated. It's been 10 years since then and Stoll has become a respected and envied musician among her peers. She is prolific without being redundant. She is honest, but not self-involved. She writes with wit, but not abandon. Her songs are fearless without being alienating. Her music is deep without being pretentious. And her voice has the range, lack of inhibition, and raw emotive power that no trained musician could achieve. Yet with all of these gifts, Stoll still maintains an endearing vulnerability.
Set apart from those seeking superstardom, Stoll has more interest in being uncompromising when it comes to her art. She'd much rather be personally fulfilled and purged than cater to the specific tastes of mass audiences who would prefer to put her in a box or censor her. This defiance and integrity has garnered the respect and esteem of many, and sometimes makes her the object of harsh critique. But music fans would be hard-pressed to walk away from Stoll's music feeling complacent. The stark truth and beauty in Stoll's words and melodies are undeniable and are a welcome relief from the inundation of empty power ballads and the carbon-copy fluff that pollutes Top-40 radio.
Stoll has two solo releases thus far: everything you gave me (2001) and This is where we bury it (2005). everything you gave me is a stripped-down collection of Stoll's earlier, edgy material. Recorded at Chatham Garden Studio in Hamilton, Ontario, the album took form under the guidance of producer/engineer Mike Birthelmer. Just Stoll and her guitar, live off the floor, this collection of 11 varied and beautiful songs displays Stoll's gift for turning stories into poetry and setting those poems to music.
A giant leap from the stark, bare-bones production of everything you gave me is Stoll's most recent endeavour, This is where we bury it. These 13 songs were recorded at World Records Studio near Toronto's High Park in an old-century home warmly known as the Gingerbread House. Musician John MacLean offered up his unconventional approach, acting as producer/engineer for the album, bringing with him the vast talents of his afro-funk outfit Mr. Something Something. This band of world-class players applied their knowledge of afrobeat, funk, and jazz to Stoll's acoustic gems. With guest appearances from other local talents, This is where we bury it is an arresting collection of highly listenable and unconventional music that defies categorization. This record is a journey of unfaltering beauty. Each song in its uniqueness has the ability to achieve 'favourite' status, though the record finds cohesion in the exceptionally strong writing and arrangements. Improvisation and hours of coddling by dedicated folks volunteering their time make this record one that Stoll is very proud of.
The Toronto music scene is incestuous. Artists helping other artists and everyone working on each other's projects is the norm. Stoll is no exception and has several side projects apart from her solo career. In 2002 the Ladybird Sideshow was brought to life by the critically acclaimed talents of singer-songwriters Melissa McClelland, Erin Smith, Lisa Winn, and Janine Stoll. The Ladybirds knew one another and played shows in support of one another for years before deciding to collaborate and tour as a group. Each 'bird writes her own songs that are brilliantly treated with impeccable four-part vocal arrangements. A live show is not to be missed, as these occasions are rare and the performance is stunning. So much love and humour shared between these four ladies is touching and often hilarious to witness. Each Ladybird is a unique and highly talented performer, but the variety of musical styles, the energy, and the skilful collaboration is what makes the Ladybird Sideshow so unique. Available on CD is Live at the Orange Lounge, a live in-studio concert recorded at Toronto's renowned Orange Lounge by acclaimed producer/engineer Daryn Barry. You can also often find Stoll collaborating with Erin Smith as a funkified and super-cute duo ? two powerhouse vocalists with a good deal of bounce, wit, and personality. Their great six-song demo offers proof of their draw.
Stoll is also a sometimes vocalist for Mr. Something Something, often offering tasty backing vocals to this sextet that showcases an addictive onslaught of get-off-your-butt-and-dance afro-funk music. They provide a truly worthwhile night out for anyone who loves afro-beat, funk, or just to 'give 'er' and party like it's going out of style.
Currently Stoll is busy promoting This is where we bury it, playing live, eating raw vegan, knitting, doing graphic and web design, writing new songs, contemplating plans for her next record, and thinking about moving on.
For more info visit www.janinestoll.com .
With tremendous soul and a feisty spark, Erin Smith has earned herself a reputation as one hell of a frontwoman. Blessed with a strong & quirky voice and an enormous stage presence (which is roughly 8 times her size) Erin simply soaks every song she touches with personality and energy. A true entertainer at heart, it's impossible to count exactly how many ants are in her pants when she hits the stage, as her shoulders, hips & feet are always on the move. This is what keeps the fans coming back for more and the word on the street spreading like wildfire.
Smith is a funk singer with a distinct jazzy bent. Though many of Smith's songs are full of swagger and attitude, she can also bring a room to silence with a slow & bluesy tale of loss. She is a fan of tall tales and tends to steer towards fictional murders, small towns, tomboys, disasters and loves, hand-plucked from her imagination and put on display in the form of a tune. An artist in many capacities, Smith's vibrantly coloured paintings can be found on display in and around the city of Toronto, and the vibrantly coloured clothes she has sewn or knit can be found upon her and the people she loves.
Musically, her influences include G. Love & Special Sauce, Kinnie Starr, Ella Fitzgerald, Fiona Apple, Stevie Wonder and many Toronto-area musicians (with a great emphasis on four of her favourites: Janine Stoll, Melissa McClelland, Lisa Winn and Liam Smith).
Three independently released albums to date with her funk-pop quartet, the Erin Smith Band, extensive touring in Canada, the United States and Ireland, showcases at major festivals such as North by Northeast, Winterfolk & Canadian Music Week and shows and jams with other great Canadian artists (The Constantines, Sarah Slean, Tegan & Sara, Luke Doucet & Ember Swift) have set the ball rolling. Start running, dear reader, as this ball is moving fast. For more info see www.erinsmith.ca .
Lisa Winn was born and raised in the enchanted land of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where her life has been intertwined with the brilliant musicians who happen to exist there in the dozens. "The Hammer" seems to be a breeding ground for true songwriters who, while partaking in each other's lives and music, hold incredible commitment to the development of their craft. The birth of Lisa's career was signified by her heavy involvement in the Hamilton music scene as one of the most coveted backup singers around. She has the ability to blend with anyone's voice perfectly while maintaining her very distinct and powerful sound. She has instant chemistry with whomever she sings with and the aptitude to instinctively follow her partner through a range of moods and dynamics. Some of her backup credits include Gordon Lightfoot, Shannon Lyon, Jacob Moon, Mike Trebilcock (Killjoys), Rob Lamothe, and Jamie Oakes.
The most impressive part of Lisa's career begins with her emergence as a solo artist. Not only as a vocalist, but as a burgeoning songwriter. After tentatively picking up a guitar for the first time she made a brave attempt at bearing her soul through words and melody. The result was a small but beautiful and honest collection of songs. She then co-wrote a handful of songs with producer/songwriter Rob Lamothe, chose covers penned by local musicians Ray Materick and Mike Daley and released in 2000 her stunning debut Mother Earth. This record expresses the true contradiction that is Lisa Winn. There is a lightness that exudes from her being, a beautiful earthy quality, her love of animals and nature visible right from the albums artwork and her enormous capacity to love, which her songs further convey. But then we are exposed to her darkness which digs a little deeper into who she is; it shows us a more private and vulnerable aspect of her being. It's where her passion is fiery and violent and unabashedly honest. It is what reveals her as a true artist.
The release of Mother Earth brought with it a flurry of praise and heightened respect among her musical peers. Lisa began performing her own music for the first time and gradually broke away from her title as 'backup singer'. Taking her album throughout the Canadian festival scene and even all the way to Europe, Lisa found herself sharing the stage with such notable musicians as Holly McNarland, Emm Gryner, Damhnait Doyle, Oh Susanna, John Mann (Spirit of the West), Danny Michel, The Rheostatics, Martina Sorbara, Luke Doucet, David Francey, Tom Wilson (Junkhouse), Jackie Washington, Katherine Wheatley, and Lynn Miles.
Back home Lisa became part of a Canadian collective called The Ladybird Sideshow including fellow songwriters Erin Smith, Melissa McClelland and Janine Stoll. The collaboration of talent only helped to solidify Lisa as a songwriter among songwriters and once again showcased her talent as a stellar harmonizer. The Ladybird Sideshow is an in-the-round format featuring each of the girls original material layered with three and four part harmonies. The group has traveled to the far ends of Canada and an album is currently in the works.
Continuing with her solo effort Lisa headed to Hamilton's Grant Avenue Studio to begin recording her sophomore cd, Out From Under. Once again Lisa had her wonderful musical companions join her, and elicited the help of producer Bob Doidge to embellish on her sparse arrangements. But she wisely chose to keep production to a minimum in order for the listener to be struck by the bare reality of her confessions and the raw emotion of her experience. Out From Under is a personal narrative of the hardships of love and loss. The songs describe a potent and virile time in her life and are seeped in melancholy, but there is also humor, hope and happiness weaved into her moving tales of heartbreak. With her unforgettable 2003 follow up, Lisa has proven herself as an established and confident songwriter willing to tell the hard truth with a breathtaking and unwavering grace.
From her debut release Mother Earth to Out from Under Lisa's haunting voice gives us no choice but to feel every single sentiment she delivers right down to our core. What lies ahead is surely another long road lined with new visuals of a stunning musical landscape. Her travels will take her from one rich experience to the next and we, the listener, have the fortunate opportunity to follow alongside her and feel secondhand the power of her abundant emotional life. The ups and downs. The highs and lows. The light and dark. And all the beautiful contradictions that make life worth exploring. For more visit www.lisawinn.com .