[Bcma-l] Melisa Devost plays AGSO Penticton June 9

Wed, 30 May 2007 09:46:02 -0700

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NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release

May 30, 2007

Contact: Paul Crawford, Director/Curator
The Art Gallery of the South Okanagan
199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC
Phone:  (250) 493-2928
E-mail: agso_curator@shawbiz.ca

Melisa Devost Plays AGSO, Penticton, on June 9th

Melisa Devost brings her unique songs and musical talents to the Art 
Gallery of the South Okanagan, 199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC, at 7 pm, 
Saturday, June 9th.

Energized by new projects, new songs and a new homebase, Canadian roots 
singer-songwriter Melisa Devost is hitting the road again this summer, 
visiting all points north before jetting across the Atlantic to seduce 
crowds in the UK and Ireland with her powerful, soulful solo show.

Melisa's most recent CD is Capacity. Expertly produced by celebrated 
Toronto musician, Ken Whiteley, the album draws on gritty blues and soaring 
gospel to ground Devost's telling and insightful lyrics. Her impressive 
stylistic diversity is never achieved at the expense of emotional impact, 
but rather betrays the rich background of musical training and experience 
that informs her work. This results in songs and live sets possessed of a 
unique personal flair capable of captivating any audience.

Melisa grew up in the small, rural community of Hornby Island. She composed 
her first song around the age of seven while meandering on the dirt and 
gravel roads to and from school. Although she continued to compose tunes 
and stories throughout her childhood, the first song she played for anyone 
was written for her heartbroken friend. Melisa lugged her guitar through 
the woods to play it for her, and they both cried.

It was shortly afterwards that Melisa left Hornby Island for the bigger 
world. She spent the subsequent years traveling, living in Ireland where 
she frequented the local trad music sessions and wailed songs acapella, 
falling in and out of love, moving around a lot, living in decrepit shacks 
in the woods and throwing herself into all that good life stuff songwriters 
tend to write about. It was after a particularly rough go that she started 
writing blues and gospel songs; when asked one day, "how do you write a 
blues song?" She replied, " I think you really have to have the blues."

Her first recording, Click, which was recorded in the Green cabin and mixed 
in the Brown cabin on Hornby Island, was released in 2002.

Melisa continues to tour with her band, The Responders (bassist Ken Clark, 
drummer/percussionist Dave Pady and guitarist Tony Wilson), while carving 
out her own niche as a strong solo artist.  Her music runs the gamut of 
roots styles, from blues-tinged heaviness and heartfelt non-denominational 
gospel, to pop-informed folk, all the while handily defying any casual 
attempt at categorization. She writes introspective, observant songs about 
life patterns and choices, love and the lack thereof, and 
carefully-sketched insights on what it means to be a human being inhabiting 
planet earth in the 21st century.

Ultimately drawing primarily on country blues and and folk music, Melisa's 
finger-style guitar compositions feature tales of woe and whoa!, delivered 
by a "powerful, beautiful, dynamic" voice to result in a show as thoughtful 
and engaging as it is emotionally stirring.

Until recently, Melisa had continued to reside on Hornby Island.  By late 
2006, however, the desire for a larger music community and collaborative 
projects prompted Melisa to make the jump to nearby Vancouver, where she 
quickly assumed bass duties in loud new rock band, Propolis, alongside 
Craig McCaul and Shawn Kilally, members of well-respected local outfits The 
Cape May, The Joel Kroeker Collective and The Kent McAlister Band. This new 
endeavour by no means signals any weakening of Devost's commitment to her 
own music, of course, and she continues to write material for her third 
album, which she plans on showcasing and working on while on the road. The 
new album is to be recorded this winter and is slated for 2008 release.

Tickets for the Melisa Devost June 9th concert are available at the Art 
Gallery of the South Okanagan; $10 for Gallery members and students, or $15 
for non-members. Tickets are limited to 50, so please reserve yours in 
advance. To arrange a media interview, reserve tickets, or for more 
information, please contact Paul Crawford at the Art Gallery of the South 
Okanagan, (250) 493-2928.

http://www.melisadevost.com

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NEWS RELEASE 
For immediate release 
May 30, 2007 
Contact: Paul Crawford, Director/Curator 
The Art Gallery of the South Okanagan 
199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC 
Phone:&nbsp; (250) 493-2928 
E-mail: agso_curator@shawbiz.ca 
Melisa Devost Plays AGSO, Penticton, on June 9th 
Melisa Devost brings her unique songs and musical talents to the Art
Gallery of the South Okanagan, 199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC, at 7 pm,
Saturday, June 9th. 
Energized by new projects, new songs and a new homebase, Canadian roots
singer-songwriter Melisa Devost is hitting the road again this summer,
visiting all points north before jetting across the Atlantic to seduce
crowds in the UK and Ireland with her powerful, soulful solo show.&nbsp;
 
Melisa’s most recent CD is Capacity. Expertly produced by
celebrated Toronto musician, Ken Whiteley, the album draws on gritty
blues and soaring gospel to ground Devost’s telling and insightful
lyrics. Her impressive stylistic diversity is never achieved at the
expense of emotional impact, but rather betrays the rich background of
musical training and experience that informs her work. This results in
songs and live sets possessed of a unique personal flair capable of
captivating any audience. 
Melisa grew up in the small, rural community of Hornby Island. She
composed her first song around the age of seven while meandering on the
dirt and gravel roads to and from school. Although she continued to
compose tunes and stories throughout her childhood, the first song she
played for anyone was written for her heartbroken friend. Melisa lugged
her guitar through the woods to play it for her, and they both
cried. 
It was shortly afterwards that Melisa left Hornby Island for the bigger
world. She spent the subsequent years traveling, living in Ireland where
she frequented the local trad music sessions and wailed songs acapella,
falling in and out of love, moving around a lot, living in decrepit
shacks in the woods and throwing herself into all that good life stuff
songwriters tend to write about. It was after a particularly rough go
that she started writing blues and gospel songs; when asked one day, “how
do you write a blues song?” She replied, “ I think you really have to
have the blues.”&nbsp; 
Her first recording, Click, which was recorded in the Green cabin
and mixed in the Brown cabin on Hornby Island, was released in 
2002. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Melisa continues to tour with her band, The Responders (bassist
Ken Clark, drummer/percussionist Dave Pady and guitarist Tony Wilson),
while carving out her own niche as a strong solo artist.&nbsp; Her music
runs the gamut of roots styles, from blues-tinged heaviness and heartfelt
non-denominational gospel, to pop-informed folk, all the while handily
defying any casual attempt at categorization. She writes introspective,
observant songs about life patterns and choices, love and the lack
thereof, and carefully-sketched insights on what it means to be a human
being inhabiting planet earth in the 21st century. 
Ultimately drawing primarily on country blues and and folk music,
Melisa’s finger-style guitar compositions feature tales of woe and whoa!,
delivered by a “powerful, beautiful, dynamic” voice to result in a show
as thoughtful and engaging as it is emotionally stirring. 
Until recently, Melisa had continued to reside on Hornby Island.&nbsp; By
late 2006, however, the desire for a larger music community and
collaborative projects prompted Melisa to make the jump to nearby
Vancouver, where she quickly assumed bass duties in loud new rock band,
Propolis, alongside Craig McCaul and Shawn Kilally, members of
well-respected local outfits The Cape May, The Joel Kroeker Collective
and The Kent McAlister Band. This new endeavour by no means signals any
weakening of Devost’s commitment to her own music, of course, and she
continues to write material for her third album, which she plans on
showcasing and working on while on the road. The new album is to be
recorded this winter and is slated for 2008 release. 
Tickets for the Melisa Devost June 9th concert are available at the Art
Gallery of the South Okanagan; $10 for Gallery members and students, or
$15 for non-members. Tickets are limited to 50, so please reserve yours
in advance. To arrange a media interview, reserve tickets, or for more
information, please contact Paul Crawford at the Art Gallery of the South
Okanagan, (250) 493-2928. 
<a href="http://www.melisadevost.com/" eudora="autourl">http://</a>www.melisadevost<a href="http://www.melisadevost.com/" eudora="autourl">.com</a>
 
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