Sharon Van Etten at SXSW sings Don't Do It, and her Vancouver Show

Sharon Van Etten has just had a great SXSW experience and she will be appearing at the Media Club here in Vancouver on March 29th. It is just one night of a huge tour promoting her new CD, Epic.  Doors 8 pm, show 9:30 pm

Sharon is a Brooklyn indie guitarist and singer-songwriter ("One Day", "Much More Than That") and is appearing with guests Little Scream.
Tix are $14 (plus service charges and fees) at Red Cat, Zulu Records, and www.ticketweb.ca/

Media Club ( 695 Cambie, Phone: 604-608-2871 )

As found on Sharon's website:
"Epic, Van Etten’s second album, lays a romantic melancholy lining over the gravel and dirt of heartbreak, without one honest thought or feeling spared. She sings of betrayal, obsession, egotism and all the other emotions we hate in others and recognize in ourselves. Yet, Van Etten’s grounded and clenched vocals convey the sense of hope – the notion that beauty can come out of the worst of circumstances. Epic is indeed that beauty.
The album was recorded at Miner Street Studios in Philadelphia with Brian McTear. Where Van Etten’s first record, Because I Was In Love, explored her thoughts on love through minimalism and sparseness, Epic embellishes her music to grandiose luminosity. Guitar and singing are joined by drums, piano, lap steel, and a trio of backing vocalists: Meg Baird (Espers), Cat Martino and Jessica Larrabee (She Keeps Bees). The result is a fully realized album that astounds as it elucidates, disturbs as it soothes. The final track, “Love More,” has already been covered live in a collaborative effort between Sharon fans Bon Iver and The National.
A few things need to be made clear about SVE’s music. She’s not the type of “female singer/songwriter” who champions women-centric perspectives and denies personal accountability. Nor is she a strident provocateur. Rather, Van Etten is a performer who fully embraces her femininity while confidently expressing it through intelligent and mature perspectives on relationships. Those turned off by the provincialism of other performers will be pleased that you can identify with Van Etten’s incisive and universal observations about love and loss.

Lydia Salnikova - "Now That It's Here" (live)

Lydia Salnikova came to my attention via reverbnation. Here is the info on her taken from her facebook page.
Born and raised in Russia, Lydia originally made her stand in the U.S. music scene as a lead vocalist and keyboard player for the Grammy-nominated band Bering Strait, which released 2 albums on Universal South Records and was featured in a "60 Minutes" episode, as well as a full-length documentary, "The Ballad Of Bering Strait". The band toured throughout the U.S., sharing the stage with such artists as Trisha Yearwood, Diamond Rio, Steve Azar, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Collin Raye, Wynonna, Phil Vassar, B-52s, Ricky Skaggs, Kenny Rogers, Kathy Mattea and Bela Fleck.

Being both a skilled singer and a classically trained pianist, Lydia also generously lent her musical talents to other acts, in the studio and on the road; the most notable contributions were her appearances on “We Are The Same” by Kenny Rogers and on "Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross" by Christopher Lee.

While having developed an appreciation and love for both classical and country music, Lydia eventually found that when it came down to just her and her piano and her writing, she was tapping into quite a different musical place, its flavor being soulful, emotional and highly introspective. She was compelled to leave Bering Strait in 2006 to start searching for her own voice, not that of a singer or a player in a band but that of a solo artist. Between experimenting in the studio and playing live in a trio setting, she began finding it.

Lydia has recently teamed up with Paula Kay at Paula Kay Artist Management, and together they approached Alain Mallet (most known for his production work on Jonatha Brooke’s “Plumb” and “10 Cent Wings”), to produce a project on Lydia. While the details of that collaboration are still being worked out, Lydia has released a self-produced album titled “Hallway”, which she recorded in her home studio.

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