supersonic
Artist Information
Biography
Jen Lane earned her first Prairie Music Award nomination at just 17 years old. She got her first Western Canadian Music Awards nod at age 24, but just as she was getting ready to capitalize on her burgeoning momentum, she was sidelined by an accident that left her with a badly broken foot.
Now, with the release of For the Night, Lane is finally claiming her rightful place among the elite of Canadian roots country singer songwriters. After touring Canada last fall/winter, and showcases at CMW, SXSW, Prairie Scene, and NXNE in 2011, the album has earned Jen Lane a Western Canadian Music Award nomination for "Roots Solo Recording of the Year".
Since the release of the album, Jen has had the fortune to share the stage with some of the best musicians Canada has to offer. Lucas Goetz and Burke Barlow (the Deep Dark Woods), Johnny Fay (the Tragically Hip) and album alumni Kevin Kane and John Ellis joined Jen as the For the Night Tour hit the road.
It takes a lot to stand out in the crowded world of Americana female vocalists, but Lane pulls it off with aplomb on For the Night, proving that her two previous award-nominations were no fluke. The album combines some seriously catchy songs with a laid-back cool that evokes Lucinda Williams and a pure, wistful voice that at times recalls Edie Brickell. The arrangements are classic country, and the production—courtesy of The Odds’ Steven Drake—has a vintage feel, thanks, in part, to a near-analogue recording process. The sound is enhanced by special guests Kevin Kane (The Grapes of Wrath) on electric guitar, John Ellis (Ridley Bent) on pedal steel, Simon Kendall (Stellar Band, Wyckham Porteous) on keys, Sam Cartwright (Stellar Band) on drums, and Drake on bass, acoustic and electric guitars, glockenspiel, autoharp, and vocals. It’s impossible to pick stand-out tracks from such a consistently strong album, but its more unique cuts include “the Lonely Cricket,” which possesses an unusual metaphorical lyric, and “Election Day,” whose simple yet profound musings and nod to Elizabeth May sum up many Canadians’ sentiments about the 2008 election.
Lane recorded a debut album, Sleepless, at 16 and earned a Prairie Music Award nomination the following year. Perhaps most impressively, Lane sold enough copies of that first record to fund a second one, Injection, released in 2002. Her “grown-up debut” was 2006’s Jen Lane, which was funded by a grant from the Rawlco Radio Group. It earned a Western Canadian Music Award nomination for "Outstanding Independent Album". Lane was all set to build on the momentum with a showcase at SXSW when the aforementioned accident broke her foot so badly it took several medical procedures and countless hours of physio to repair the damage. She still hobbled, multiple times, to CMW, SXSW and NXNE to hobnob, but she was unable to maintain any kind of touring schedule.
With the 2011 WCMA nomination of “Roots Recording of the Year” for the album For the Night, Lane is finally back on her feet—literally!—and heading out on tour to promote her outstanding new album. At last, the rest of the country’s music fans can discover the voice Western music awards juries have been onto for several years.
Publicity
Contact John Antoniuk: 306-477-7079
jenlanemusic@gmail.com
Jen Lane's new album "For The Night" was Produced and mixed by Steven Drake (the Odds), and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York. The album was released on September 14th, 2010 to iTunes and CdBaby. Kevin Kane (Grapes of Wrath) played electric guitar on the recording, and live with Jen recently at the Railway Club in Vancouver, described the album as "imagine Sarah Harmer going back in time and making an album in the '70s"
"a strong talent. Jen has hit a depth in her songwriting that people twice her age struggle to find. Her many talents also include a truly lovely voice. One day, we in Saskatchewan will be saying, "I knew her when...."
Sheila Coles, CBC Radio 1, The Morning Edition
An old soul with a young heart, and demons to purge, she is jen Lane. With Two Western Canadian Music Award nominations, showcases at SXSW in Austin Texas, NXNE in Toronto, Canadian Music Week, The OCFF and the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad, things seem to be taking a stride into the ears of eager music lovers across Canada. With a new album out in September 2010 Jen Lane will delve deeper into life on the road and share the music every way she can. Her latest release was quoted "For the Night continues to take Lane on a journey to … well, somewhere or other. She’s probably the perfect embodiment of what CBC Radio 2 wants in an artist: someone with enough backbone in her to avoid being a Joni Mitchell clone, someone with the song writing chops and guitar skills to make her a couple steps above your usual folk festival performer...." The new album is beginning to chart at college radio across the country.
"Jen Lane and Smokekiller are two of the happy finds of SXSW" William Kates,billsmusicblog
"...her self-titled release really is the perfect accompaniment for summer drives, back porches or early morning coffees. It's enjoyable, uplifting and Lane really sets a great tone on this record. Her stories are emotional and engaging, but the music never drags you down. The freedom and enjoyment of extended, foot stomping solos and sing-along harmonies (like on Hold on Strong or Broken Down Train) adds a nice spark."
"You can picture your friends playing her songs and you start to think her stories could be yours and that's why you will listen to this record over and over again."
"Among the real standouts here are offerings from the intense acoustic balladry of jen lane..." chuck molgat, planet s magazine, october 2005
shared the stage with
tegan and sera
randy bachman
wide mouth mason
smokekiller
megan lane
jason plumb and the willing
leeroy stagger
nq arbuckle
notable showcases
SXSW 2011
CMW 2011
BREAKOUT WEST 2010
NESS CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010
NXNE 2009
CMW 2009
SXSW 2009
CULTURAL OLYMPIAD 2009
OCFF 2008
REGINA FOLK FESTIVAL 2008
NXNE 2008
SXSW 2008
WCMA 2007
OCFF 2007
WCMA 2006
Instrumentation
Johnny Fay - Drums
John Ellis - Pedal Steel
Kevin Kane - Electric Guitar
Del Cowsill - Bass
Discography
Jen Lane 2010 "For The Night"
Jen Lane 2006 "Jen Lane"
(2007 WCMA Nominee - Outstanding Independent Album)
Jen Lane 2005 "JenLaneLive" (4 song EP)
Jen Lane 2004 "JenLaneDemos" (5 song EP)
Jen Lane 2002 "Injection"
Jen Lane 1999 "Sleepless"
(2000 PMA Nominee - Outstanding Independent Album)
Links
Press
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among the standouts....
"among the real standouts here are offerings from the intense acoustic balladry of jen lane...,
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happy find at sxsw
"Jen Lane and Smokekiller are two of the happy finds of SXSW" William Kates, billsmusicblog
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a real depth to her songwriting
[+ Show ]
"a strong talent. Jen has hit a depth in her songwriting that people twice her age struggle to find...
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you will listen to this record over and over again
[+ Show ]
"...her self-titled release really is the perfect accompaniment for summer drives, back porches or e...
