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Aug 31- Sept 7,2003 |
Spirited Voice from West
Vancouver's Linda McRae emerges as a honkytonk heroine
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2003-08-17
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Linda McCrae
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She may be a late bloomer as a solo artist, but Vancouver singer/songwriter Linda McRae has established herself as a premier talent in the roots music field. She enjoys plenty of peer respect, as will be shown at The Horseshoe Tavern on August 27. That is when Linda returns to Toronto as organizer of a high-calibre songwriters' evening.
She told Tandem in a recent interview that "I ran the series in Vancouver for a couple of years and this will be the third show I've done in Toronto." This edition features some notable talent from south of the border. McRae will be joined by ace producer Gurf Morlix, acclaimed Texan singer/songwriter Slaid Cleaves (look for him to do his appropriate tune, "Horseshoe Lounge"), Buffalo's Jim Whitford, and Rex Hobart.
Setting this evening apart from similar series is the fact that these artists have worked extensively with each other. Linda explains that "Everybody is friends and familiar with each others material. I am familiar with Gurf's material, as is Jim, and Gurf is familiar with mine, and Slaid's and Jim's, and then Jim plays with Rex. Because of that, there will be quite a bit more interaction here than with most songwriter events."
As Linda notes, the concept of singer/songwriters playing their songs acoustically in an intimate setting is not a new one. "That has always been a part of folk festival workshops, as they call them. Now a lot of other people, including pop and rock artists, have adopted the format. It does work very well. I believe that people are coming around to live music again. I think there's always a resurgence of people going to hear live music in reaction to all the "mechanized" music that is thrown at us."
Gurf Morlix is a central figure in the grouping of Linda's line-up. A fine singer/songwriter, he is best known as a producer and virtuoso guitarist for such roots music artists as Lucinda Williams and Robert Earl Keen. He has produced two albums for Slaid Cleaves, and he produced, mixed and mastered Linda McRae's second solo record, Cryin' Out Loud.
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