Artist Information
Biography
i am a lone wolf
a beauty and a beast
both hunter and hunted
soft tongue and sharp teeth
i'm toned from my travels
yet raw from this road
as i drink from storm puddles
and the stories i'm told
WM (from Such a Common Bird)
BIO
Originally from the Prairies of Canada, Wendy's songs retain her love of wide open space and the longing that such big skies can generate.
She is a fan of underdogs, strange cats and brave hearts. These characters are often the centerpieces of her songs which she creates using looped vocals, accordion, and guitar.
Described as an artist that makes 'dark twisted tales' and 'wise moving music', she has been steadily gaining acclaim for her poignant lyrics and captivating live shows. As she stomps and squeezes her way through off-kilter accordion waltzes, dreamlike folk tales, and cabaret style confessionals, her lush, raw voice, shifts from whisper to howl -taking listeners on an emotional roller coaster with a spirit that is both playful and fierce.
in the beginning...
Mcneill's first musical memories were of her parents folk and old country records being drowned out by her older teenage siblings recordings of Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Black Sabbath.
The first cassette that she fell in love with (around age 5) was a Dolly Parton and Porter Wagner duets album borrowed from her mother's collection. She often lulled herself to sleep with its sad songs. One of her favorites being 'Jeanie's Afraid of the Dark'. A morbid little tale of a girl who dies young.
Her favorite morning music was another of her mothers tapes -- ABBA. To this she enjoyed dancing around in her Wonder Woman costume and playing air guitar while dreaming that she was either a powerful super hero or a pop star.
skip ahead a decade...
By high school she had developed a fondeness for 'Gothic' music and older art rock and punk bands. Sisters of Mercy, Velvet Underground, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Cure, Blondie were among those in high rotation as she experimented with photography, poetry, and contemporary dance.
She continued her dance training at an arts college where she was exposed to avant garde composers, performance artists, jazz, and musical theatre. Inspired-- she began to write sparce piano compositions for her dance pieces and to develop several multi media pieces. She lists Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson and Tom Waits as influences.
During this period Wendy paid for her education by working evenings as a bartender in a live music club. The venue had a strong singer/songwriter culture and many characters well versed in the alt- country and folk traditions. While Woodie Guthrie, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, John Prine were frequently covered there was also a wide range of original material. These surroundings fostered her own fledgling songwriting and guitar playing.
Winning a song writing competition awarded Wendy with the opportunity to record her first album, To Whom It May Concern, as well as her first major folk festival showcase -- The Edmonton Folk Music Festival. The critics enjoyed her percussive and unusual guitar style and she was labeled as, "a captivating performer" and, "talented newcomer".
At another festival in 2001, Wendy crossed paths with a French Canadian accordionist. She promptly fell in love with the accordion and added it to her musical mix. This in combination with years of performance experience has recently led one reporter at the Calgary Folkfest 2005 to comment, "Every festival offers someone to discover, and for me that was Wendy McNeill, an Edmonton musician whose sharp-edged songs with accordion and guitar seem like dispatches from a post rock cabaret." Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail July 22/05
McNeill has recorded 5 albums, contributed her music to indie films, dance and theater productions, been showcased on numerous compilation cds, and toured in North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan.
She no longer dreams of being a super hero or a pop star. She still likes Dolly Parton songs and hopes to dance around in a Wonder Woman costume again someday..
Instrumentation
Erik Nilsson - Percussion & Drums
Andreas Nordell - Double Bass/Vocals
Wendy McNeill - Vocals, Guitar, Accordian
Discography
due for release in 2011- For the Wolf, A Good Meal
° A Dreamers Guide to Hardcore Living 2008/09
° The Wonder Show--March 2006/07
° Such A Common Bird
° What's Your Whiskey Baby?
° To Whom It May Concern
Official Website
Links
Audio
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Stop/ from A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living
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Ask Me No Questions/ from A Dreamer's Guide to Harcore Living
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Crossing Hearts/Cutting Threads
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White Horses/ from A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living
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The Sad Sssad Story of Rosa Rabbit and Sasha Snake
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Building A Castle
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Such A Common Bird/ from The Wondershow
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Park Benches
Listen
Lyrics
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Such A Common Bird
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Black Angus
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Holly O'
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Carnation
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When the Letter Came
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Absolute Beauty
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Beyong Longing(is laughter)
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Restless
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Lutetia/ from A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living
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White Horses/ from Dreamers Guide to Hardcore Living
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Ask Me No Questions/ from A Dreamer's Guide to Harcore Living
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Buikding A Castle
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Crossing Hearts/Cutting Threads
Video
Ask Me No Questions Video/ from the new cd A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living
Photo Gallery
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looking up
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looking up? Photo Lisa Engstrom
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oulala/high res for print/Photo Lisa Engstrom
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Fly/ High Res/ Photo: Stina Gellerstedt
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perched
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still from video/magnus renfors
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still from video/magnus renfors
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live- by robert gils @ les femmes s'ent melent festival Paris
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live-by anders stansgard in Denmark
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live- by claudia hoedemaker @ Paradiso /Amsterdam
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Press
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Hardcore Fairy Tales / Cd review for A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living
[+ Show ]
Hardcore fairy tales By FISH GRIWKOWSKY Wendy McNeill A Dreamer's Guide to Hard...
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Cd Review/ A Dreamer's Guide to Hardcore Living
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This week's quick spins Published August 21, 2008 by See Staff in Music Column Wendy McNeill ...
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Exclaim!
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Wendy McNeill The Wonder Show By Amanda Ash In The Wonder Show, you really do get a wonder s...
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Les Femmes s\'en mêlent, joli lot
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Les Femmes s\'en mêlent, joli lot by Francoise-Marie Santucci Liberation, [Paris, France] Marc...
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Review / Calgary Folk Festival
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Review / Calgary Folk Festival by Robert Everett-Green The Globe And Mail, [Toronto] June 22, ...
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Meaningful Music Still Exists
[+ Show ]
Recent Album Reviews * Mum - Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy Mum Go Go Smear The Poison...
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Spotlight: Wendy McNeill; accordeons zijn hip!
[+ Show ]
Spotlight: Wendy McNeill; accordeons zijn hip! Geplaatst op 30-11-07 om 13:06:31 (Link) Auteur: de...

