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NORTH SHORE NEWS LYRICS, and the messages they convey, are extremely important in Lisa Patterson's scheme of things. Her new album Roam is full of a global esthetic that brings together many different sources. While she wants her songs to be heard by as many people as possible she says there is much more at stake. "The philosophy that I'm trying to spread is 'let's take the time to try and understand each other. Let's try to connect with each other because our world is a really funny place.' I just want to bring the sound of many cultures together. This can work - we can all understand each other." Roam puts her theory into practice with 14 tracks that effortlessly show how different systems can operate together harmoniously. East meets West in a seamless stream of music with a polyglot of influences informing Patterson's roots/pop material. The B.C.-born musician was given a taste of cultural nuances at a young age. Her mother's parents emigrated to Canada from Romania and brought their love of gypsy tunes with them. "At every family gathering there was always music and dancing," she says. "It was when I went to York University and I was studying different world musics, including south Indian music, that I got turned on to the movement of all the Roma people up the Balkan strip. I saw the path and realized why I'm so attracted to Middle Eastern music and those rhythms and modes - I'd heard them as a kid. I just vibrated with the sound so much and then I traveled and got to see first hand a lot of Egyptian and Indian music I realized that there is a big connection - we can trace it all back." Her experiences can be heard filtered through the musical process. The album was recorded last year in Toronto with a core of musicians that also performed with her on her debut CD 1999's This Is What It Sounds Like: Alex McMaster (cello and voice); Rakesh Tewari (percussion) and Adam Messinger (bass, piano and voice). Patterson plays keyboards and alto sax on Roam and also handles lead vocals on all the tracks. Although she and partner Tewari operate their own studio in Toronto they decided to record the album at Adam Messinger's studio. "We ended up doing all the live off the floor stuff at Adam's which is just up the road from our place. I wanted to marry two worlds, it was really important for me to get a human, organic vibe but yet I wanted to use technology without it masking the real expressive playing." Improvisation plays a large role in what Patterson is trying to do with her music. "Because it's song format there is definitely structure, and I like that too, but most of us as players live for the freedom and excitement of improv." In January she got a chance to perform in Chennai, India (formerly Madras) with a six-piece band that she put together on the spot. "I made some quick charts and we jammed a bit and we had this totally magical experience. It was primarily an Indian audience and we got a standing ovation. It was amazing." |
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NOW MAGAZINE Roots pop artist Lisa Patterson has been around the world working with musicians from many cultures, but right now her most treasured collaborators are Toronto youth. Her latest project is her June 29 Youth Express benefit show for Sketch, a local arts organization offering visual arts workshops and studio access to street-involved and homeless kids. MORE
EYE MAGAZINE "Why don't we save the Earth?" sings precocious 12-year-old Mitchell Allen, sounding like the next Randy Newman, albeit a less cynical one. Mitchell is one of five songwriters aged 16 and under sharing the stage at Hugh's Room on the evening of June 29 as part of a Youth Express! event organized by singer-songwriter Lisa Patterson. MORE
VANCOUVER PROVINCE This is all mixed up but Patterson makes it all make sense. Originally from Vancouver, now living in Toronto, her bio stresses a family upbringing with Scottish and Romanian roots. Sure enough, Patterson's second album has gypsy and celtic elements but there also is jazz and the faint influence of drums 'n' bass. MORE
GEORGIA STRAIGHT, VANCOUVER Former B.C. resident Lisa Patterson relates her globetrotting experiences via fluid production, sultry grooves and exotic musical influences on ROAM. The Toronto-based musician celebrates the release of the disc, her second, this Tuesday (July 13) at the Media Club. MORE PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER Toronto musician Lisa Patterson is creating a pattern of great music. Roam is evidence of an artist who clearly wants to create a sound all her own. In the mind of Lisa Patterson, there are no musical boundaries. MORE
INK 19 MAGAZINE Everyone has heard the saying, "think globally, act locally." Canadian singer Lisa Patterson's latest CD, Roam, is infused with that kind of thinking. Patterson's songs are focused on personal concerns like romance, life, death and how it all fits together. MORE GUELPH UNIVERSITY ONTARIAN The first impression that comes from this album is its uniqueness. This almost seamless blend of jazz and what seems like Indian or Eastern European music is very intriguing. I couldn't help but tap my foot and sing along upon my first listen. The melodies are interesting and intricate and are well balanced by the lively percussion and fluid instrumental backgrounds. MORE
NORTH SHORE NEWS LYRICS, and the messages they convey, are extremely important in Lisa Patterson's scheme of things. Her new album Roam is full of a global esthetic that brings together many different sources. While she wants her songs to be heard by as many people as possible she says there is much more at stake. "The philosophy that I'm trying to spread is 'let's take the time to try and understand each other. Let's try to connect with each other because our world is a really funny place.' MORE |
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