By: Tyler Wade

You’re a small town girl from Belleville, living and playing in the big city.� Can you talk a little about the differences between the cities, and how they affect your passion and product?

I became involved in a music scene for the first time when I moved to Toronto. There are only a few live music venues in Belleville, most of which cater to cover bands or famous touring acts. I only knew a couple of local musicians when I lived there, but since I moved away, I’ve discovered that there are lots of bands in Belleville.� There are tons of younger groups, but they don’t have many options for performing. Getting involved in the vibrant Toronto music scene has changed my focus from playing sports to playing music, which are similar in a number of ways.

A friend in Belleville told me about open stage events and when I moved to Toronto, I decided to try it out, since I had only been writing songs alone in my basement. There are tons of open stages in Toronto, a few almost every night of the week. Getting involved in that scene inspired me to write a lot of songs, improve my writing and playing, find a band and make new friends with common interests. I was writing a song a day for at least a month. It was exciting to discover how passionate I was about music and to have a place to share that.

Browsing through your website, it looks like you have a few projects on the go including your solo career and its recent release, Love Wins.� You front your own band, Signe Miranda’s Veranda, and you play drums with The Pickups. It seems like you love being involved in anything to do with music.� What inspires you to be in so many acts?� Does it help or hinder your music and why?

Music is my passion and my career. It’s my main focus in life. I love being the lead singer/guitarist/songwriter in my own band, but I also like having a bit of variety. Playing solo is logistically easier and allows me to perform songs that don’t fit the band, as well as having guest musicians play along at some shows or on recordings. However, it’s often more fun playing with a band. This variety allows me to play with a set-up that suits a variety of venues. I also love playing drums with The Pickups, because it’s more about enjoying playing, without having to deal with all of the administrative aspects of the music business.

It mostly helps my music, allowing me to meet more people and let them know about the other projects I’m involved in. The variety keeps me excited about the music. The only downside is that sometimes one project distracts me from the others. Last summer, while I was promoting my new EP, The Pickups were recording a new EP, Country Houses, City Streets, which we’re releasing March 1st.

You also run Concrete City Records and sell your music through it.� It’s always nice to see an artist with a strong DIY attitude.� Why did you do it this way?� What have your learned from it? Would you like to add new artists to the roster?

It’s all about DIY in music now. You have to build your own audience, record and release your own CDs and promote yourself. It’s not necessary to have a label to get your music out there, and labels usually only sign an act if they’ve already proven that they can achieve some degree of success on their own. There are so many websites out there now where you can promote your music for free and companies that help with promotional efforts for a minimal fee. So, I did it this way, because the music wouldn’t be out there otherwise. I’ve learned a lot about how to run a business and how to lead a band, organize shows, release CDs and promote music, but there’s always more to learn. I don’t plan on adding any new artists to the roster any time soon. It’s enough work promoting my solo career and my band, but sometimes I work with other artists to organize shows, discuss promotional ideas, and so on. For example, I’ve just started doing some promotional work with Brian Allossery & The Lazy Poets, who are on their own label. I sang backup vocals on one song on their new CD, Everybody All Together.

You have some kudos from around the world on your website.� What country would you like to tour through the most and why?

That’s a tough question. I would love to tour Canada, the UK, the US, Australia and many other countries. Above all though, I’d say Norway, particularly in the summertime. My mom is from Norway and it’s one of my favourite places to visit. I miss it if I don’t go there every few years. I’ve played a couple of shows in the far north, but I’ve never done a tour there. I have a lot of relatives all over the country and it would be fun to drive from the south to the north, playing in cities along the way.

You have a link to on your website to The Hunger Site, a worthy cause for the eradication of world hunger.� What intrigues you specifically about this charity?

It’s a really easy way to help get food to those in need. All you have to do is click on a button on the website. For every click, money from advertisers on the site goes to charities that provide food for people around the world who are in need.
http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=1

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 9:51 pm.