Danielle French

Artist Information

Biography

In titling her fourth CD DRIVE (a collection of driving, freedom and heartache songs inspired from her years on the road touring throughout North America) it seems appropriate that Danielle embarked on a road trip, driving 1300 miles from Calgary, AB to Reno, NV to record this project with co-producer Tom Gordon at Imirage Sound Labs.

Danielle was first introduced to the Reno music scene when she toured through the area in 1998. She was quickly welcomed into the local music community and over the years Reno has become somewhat of a second home. Tom Gordon has been an integral member of the Reno music scene since 1991, working as a staff engineer at the bed and breakfast studio Granny’s House alongside head engineer Bjorn Thorsrud (Smashing Pumpkins, Shania Twain, Whitesnake). In his time at Granny’s Tom worked with a wide range of major label recording artists including Dr. Dre, Whitesnake, Boys 2 Men, Collective Soul, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Nelson, and producer Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. In his time at Imirage Sound Labs, Tom Gordon has engineered Creedence Clearwater Revisited, The Beach Boys, G Love and Special Sauce as well as producing countless local Reno artists. As a long-time friend and occasional drummer for Danielle when she performs in Reno, Danielle has always been eager to work collaboratively with Tom in a studio environment and is thrilled to have co-produced the songs on DRIVE with him.

On her 2007 CD release Shadows, Danielle grouped together a collection of quirky songs and chose to explore the sonic potential of this material through layering, editing and using creative production elements in the studio environment. Working with her favorite Canadian guitarist Martin Tielli (Rheostatics), who also leant his signature voice to two tracks, the material on Shadows has been described as “beautiful strangeness” and was embraced by national media, campus radio, and CBC as well as being named among CKUA Radio’s Top 100 CD’s of 2007.

When contemplating the material to record on DRIVE, Danielle felt a yearning to take a more organic approach to her music and return to her roots as a singer/songwriter. Although tracks such as the upbeat opener, Drive, the torch-y Life is Too Short, and the catchy Long Drive feature full-band arrangements, the production approach was to focus on the essence and foundation of the songs and how she typically writes and performs solo on acoustic guitar and vocal. Means to and End is primarily acoustic with some melancholy strings and harmonies added for support. And Danielle’s version of Tom Waits song Time was recorded live-off-the-floor with minimal rehearsal in order to capture the spontaneity and authenticity of the band learning and exploring the song for the first time. Tom Gordon connected Danielle with Reno band The Novelists to back her up in the studio, along with stellar studio musicians Tony Savage (of Englebert Humperdink’s band) on drums and electric guitarist David Grantham on the almost jazzy track Harsh Reality. One anomaly on DRIVE is the track Not My Lover which was recorded in Calgary at The Audities Foundation with producer David Kean in 2009- it felt like a good fit on this project, so was included on the CD in the final mastering.

Danielle is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music has been featured in film and TV. In her 15+ years as a recording artist and performer, she has worked with an impressive list of musicians and producers that reads like a who’s who of the Canadian music industry. Artists such as Burton Cummings, Matthew Good, as well as members of Spirit of the West, Rheostatics, Blue Rodeo, Veal and Sarah McLachlan, Barney Bentall and Mae Moore’s bands have leant their talents to Danielle’s various projects. She has co-written with Matthew Good, Jenny Allen and Annette Ducharme and her songs have been covered by Jenny Allen, Shelley Lennox and the Plaid Tongued Devils. Career highlights include being invited onto Rita MacNeil’s hit CBC show Rita and Friends, and being welcomed onto the Calgary leg of Lilith Fair.

Danielle has coupled her well-spent studio time with a relentless work ethic. She has toured extensively across Canada and the United States and has opened for (surprise!) another who’s who list of performers including Burton Cummings, Holly Cole, The Barenaked Ladies, Spirit of the West, Bob Wiseman, and Mae Moore, to name a few. She has also been spotted touring with a project called Grrrls with Guitars, a female singer/songwriter showcase and compilation CD series based out of Vancouver.

Danielle’s undying allegiance to film, theatre and the arts culminates in a myriad of ambitious undertakings. She is also an award-winning filmmaker who has produced/directed three short films to her songs which have been broadcast on the Bravo! Channel and have screened at film festivals around the world. She has co-written music for several theatre productions and has had her artwork and photography featured in several gallery shows.

It’s obvious that music, for one who oozes creativity from every pore, is just part of the overall tapestry of expression that is Danielle's life.

Instrumentation

Although Danielle's recordings are fully produced, she usually tours as a solo acoustic act. However, she has been expanding her recent performances to additional band members. She has been spotted with a full band, but is very fond of performing as a trio including Danielle on guitar/vocals and an accordion and a tuba player! Danielle has toured extensively throughout North Amercia over the past 10 years ~ three of which she lived out of her mint-green, flowery-curtained, Dodge maxivan!

Discography

Drive (2012)
Drive was recorded in Reno, Nevada with co-producer Tom Gordon at Imirage Sound Labs. Local Reno group The Novelists (along with Englebert Humperdink's drummer Tony Savage) supported Danielle in the studio to create a lush organic sound to her music.

Shadows (2006/07)
Danielle's third full-length release features guest musicians such as Martin Tielli (the Rheostatics), Diego Medina (Chad Van Gaalen), Jonathan Lewis (the Plaid Tongued Devils) and Peter Moller and Diane Kooch (both of Kris Demeanor's Crack band).

Piece (2003)
Danielle's second full-length CD was mixed at Alberta’s prestigious Banff Centre by John Sorensen (The Rolling Stones, Beck, the Red Hot Chili Peppers…) and features guest musicians Burton Cummings (the Guess Who), Don Kerr (ex-Rheostatics, Ron Sexsmith), Paul MacLeod (The Skydiggers), Spider Sineaeve (Tom Cochrane's Band) and Luke Doucet (Veal).

foreshadow (2000)
Danielle relased this 4 song, minimally produced experimental CD that literally foreshadowed the material that would evolve into her third full-length CD 'Shadows'.

me, myself & i (1995)
Danielle's debut full-length independent CD features guest musicians from Blue Rodeo and Spirit of the West as well as members of the Sarah McLachlan and Barney Bentall bands.

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter

Audio

• Drive (radio edit)
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• Life is Too Short
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• Long Drive
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• Means to an End
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• Not My Lover
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• Harsh Reality
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• Time to Kill
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• Sincere
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• Descending
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• Time to Kill (LIVE)
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Lyrics

• Drive
• Life Is Too Short
• Long Drive
• Means to an End
• Harsh Reality
• Time to Kill
• Sincere
• Descending
• Not My Lover

Video

Time to Kill

Photo Gallery

Press

• CKUA Letter of Reference [+ Show ]
  

  To Music Programmers, Festival Producers and Other Interested Persons, As the programmer/presen...To Music Programmers, Festival Producers and Other Interested Persons,
  
  
  As the programmer/presenter/host of close to 15 hours of mixed music radio per week, I’m always on the lookout for something a little different. Yes, there is something comforting about the ubiquitous “guy with a guitar singing about broken hearts,” but variety IS the spice of life and we need a mixture of voices to properly reflect the complexity of the world around us.
  
  Enter Danielle French. Her world begins in the same place ours does; Canada in the 21st century. But on “Shadows”, her latest offering, she chooses to look at that world a little bit sideways, to squint into the sun, so to speak. Sometimes it’s a fun-house mirror image – it’s both familiar and odd. “Beautiful strangeness” has been used to describe her material. It’s an apt description.
  
  That said, it would mean very little if audiences didn’t respond. But they do. Her voice is charming, appealing, compelling. The arrangements fit and the listener can’t help but sit up and take notice.
  
  Danielle is a hard working, Canadian, independent musician who has been honing her craft for more than a decade. She is deserving of a broader audience and the audience for independent Canadian music has never been stronger.
  
  Long live diversity in music!
  
  
  Monica Miller
  Host/Producer, “How I Hear It”
  CKUA Radio Network
  www.ckua.com

• Herizons Magazine Shadows Review [+ Show ]
  

  October 16, 2007 Having been kicking around since her 1995 debut with me, myself & i, singer-song...October 16, 2007
  
  Having been kicking around since her 1995 debut with me, myself & i, singer-songwriter Danielle French has never quite hit, desipte having strong similarities to Sarah McLachlan and Tara McLean.
  
  Now an independent, French has released one of the most interesting Canadian albums of the year, Shadows. The disc is an incredibly theatrical venture- the 11 songs that make up this CD all have a cabaret feel, employing rising and falling crescendos, concertinas and lyrics that evoke Brecht. Moody and intense, Shadows has a slightly sinister feeling that draws the listen in, demanding full and absolute attention. Songs like "Alive", "Sincere", "Descending" and "Drowning" have titles that reflect their emotional content- a thick, rich mixture atypical of most pop music. On these tracks French has more in common with fellow westerner Veda Hille than the aforementioned scarf-dancing duo.
  
  The production is solid, but if there are any singles here, they don't leap off the disc. However, French may be the kind of artist that other musicians look to when considering featuring the work of others on their own projects.
  
  Well worth a listen.

• calgarysongwriter.com Shadows Review [+ Show ]
  

  A captivating experience. A technically top notch piece of work rich in musical texture, lyrical ima...A captivating experience. A technically top notch piece of work rich in musical texture, lyrical imagery and constantly shifting musical style.
  At times bordering on world stylings, at times contemporary, at times simply being. This cd is to be played for the pure pleasure of artist as muse. I found myself spinning it time and time again just for the escape. In a nut shell, this is a very refined outing by a group of superb players and a lady with a very interesting imagination. One of the best outings of the year and a must hear. All the best health and happiness to Danielle and friends for the future and good times.

• Reno Gazette Journal [+ Show ]
  

  November 17, 2006 Danielle French, a longtime visitor to Reno... had been paying her dues for mor...November 17, 2006
  
  Danielle French, a longtime visitor to Reno... had been paying her dues for more than a decade in a career that's teamed her with some key artists there and even earned her a date with the Lilith Fair. "Shadows," French's third disc, demonstrates why she's been compared with the likes of Tori Amos and Tom Waits. Like those two, French has no fear of the bizarre. This disc is often one woozy stagger after another, tumbling between a fairytale and a funfair-turned-nightmare. It can be downright freaky, but it's also pretty and brimming with charm. French's voice is clear and luxuriant, and she often layers her own harmonies as she sings her fanciful yet palpable tales. Behind her, the music pulses, swirls and clatters with sounds that include viola, accordion, synthesizer and tuba as well as bells and jarring chuckles. This is definitely one of the year's most eccentric and inventive... albums.

• Reno News and Shadows Review [+ Show ]
  

  Danielle French ~ Shadows June 15, 2006 OUT OF THE SHADOWS Album covers don't always say much...Danielle French ~ Shadows
  June 15, 2006
  
  OUT OF THE SHADOWS
  
  Album covers don't always say much about the music inside. But Danielle French, who moved to Reno from Canada this month, was very deliberate in everything she chose for Shadows, her newly released album. A black-and-white pinhole photograph of French standing before a whirling disc covers the front. It looks like a UFO, but the shot is actually of an amusement park swing ride, taken with a very slow exposure. Smudges lurk around the corner where people were walking by--shadows and ghosts. A negative of the same image is on the back. So there you have it, black and white, positive and negative, spirit world and human one--all elements of the lyrics and music inside.
  
  Just a few days after her arrival in town, the 34-year-old singer-songwriter sits in a bright floral polyester dress and sips iced coffee. "The album deals with the shadow self, or the psyche, and the higher self, that's your spirit," she says. "Those things both kept coming out."
  
  French describes her music as "Tori Amos meets Tom Waits." Her soft, soothing voice has nothing to do with the latter. But the freak show carnival world so often inhabited by Waits has a strong presence here, as does Waits' proclivity to throw a microphone on things like the sound of a creaking chair. But French's music is her own, and with Shadows, her ethereal voice mixes with the grungy, confusing elements of earthly living. The album seems to be about someone lost in an unknown land, where madness lurks around each corner, tugging at her, yet she's still being led to her own path, where things will begin to make sense. It's like a story--one in which the characters dance drunken waltzes and play drinking glasses, singing saws, musette accordions and violas.
  
  French actually made a short film to the music of one of the album's best tracks, "Avalon," and she hopes to do the same with all the songs. "Avalon" opens with an almost industrial sound, like she's singing inside a clock that's ticking with stomps and handclaps. "Time to Kill" is also a lot of fun. With its pumping tuba, accordion and "drunken babbling" (listed as such on the liner notes), it's like something you'd hear in a Tim Burton film. French bemoans the fact that she can't boast much to Americans about the addition of guitarist Martin Tielli of the Rheostatics on her album, but she assures us he's one of the most highly respected musicians in Canada.
  
  While several musicians play on Shadows, French's live shows are generally just her and her guitar. It will be interesting to hear how these layered songs sound in their simpler form. "I wish I could have a band more often," says French. "It's nice to have that energy flow. But there's something to be said about stripping it down to the bone."
  
  French grew up in Calgary but has been touring in Reno since 1998. She says people were incredibly welcoming to her here, and Reno became the "home in her heart." Going mostly on faith and intuition, she decided to move here. Recently, she's been having dreams about death and birth, closing one part of her life and opening another. "But I feel like I'm doing my purpose," she says. "I can't say where I'm supposed to go; that's up to the universe. But life's too short not to do what your heart wants to do."

• Carson Times (Carson City, Nevada) [+ Show ]
  

  Canadian singer finds pleasant venues in Northern Nevada November 17, 2006 Some people have a ...Canadian singer finds pleasant venues in Northern Nevada
  
  November 17, 2006
  
  Some people have a home away from home, but in this case we have our very own "bi-local" musician. That's Danielle French's way of describing herself.
  
  Although French is a Canadian citizen, she loves the area so much she works hard at trying to maintain a dual residence whenever possible. She said she considers our area to be her "adopted home."
  
  French found Carson City and Reno gigs when she was searching for venues to perform her music. In Calgary, the distance was vast between gigs, with "several hours of travel time between every show," French explained. So she came up with a sensible solution. "I decided to do a tour in the states," she said.
  
  But what started out as a practical decision became an event that found French her newly adopted home.
  "People supported me and we made a connection," she said. Since that time, she said she has considered herself "bi-local" -- even to the point of setting up a home in the area whenever she's able.
  
  One of the venues she found, and continues to return to, is Comma Coffee in Carson City.
  
  The coffee house is known for concerts, art shows, and events, in addition to its food and drinks. The location touts being, "the comma"» the pause... the breath... the break between two thoughts," on its Web site, seems to match well with French's desire to, "go with the flow of the universe."
  
  French describes her music as "Sarah McLachlan meets Tom Waits."
  
  Searching for words to further explain the sound, she said she'd once heard that her music has a "beautiful strangeness, but it's accessible."
  
  She writes and performs her own songs, and occasionally does covers when they fit.
  
  "I only cover songs I wish I'd written," French said.
  
  French says she'd "love to make enough money to live off of music," and she hopes to create a situation where she can live here full time.

• Nanton News [+ Show ]
  

  October 27, 2006 You know you’re in for a good show when those who heard only the sound check pic...October 27, 2006
  
  You know you’re in for a good show when those who heard only the sound check picked up all three of the artists CD’s before it even started.
  
  Danielle French performed at the Main Street Café Thursday night in promotion of her third independent CD, Shadows. She performed a collection of her own music from her last three albums as well as a few riveting covers.
  
  The modest crowd of 10 made for a comfortable, connected and intimated show. All eyes were constantly on Danielle as her musical performance seemingly enchanted the listeners. Her music was not confined to her lips, voice, fingers or guitar as her toes tapped, hips swayed, head bopped, neck thrust and feet stomped. It was her entire being that performed that night and the audience took every last drop of it in.
  The material on Shadows has been described as “beautiful strangeness” by some of her listeners, but whatever you like to call it, each song from the album was rewarded with a warm round of applause.
  
  French said that she wanted to maintain the realness of the recording process while creating Shadows.“ I wanted to put something real into it. Mainstream music is so perfect. I included the counting in of songs, amplified the sounds of a creaky chair and kept the off elements of recording in the tracks. This is the shadows side of the industry,” French said. “People feel like (the music) is familiar, like from a dream. You have to embrace the shadows to create light. It’s about exploring,” French said.
  
  She has worked with artists such as Matthew Good, Burton Cummings, Don Kerr and members of Sarah McLachlan’s band to name a few. And French is proud to announce that one of her songs from Shadows will be featured on the upcoming season of the TV show Falcon Beach.
  
  French grew up in Okotoks and currently lives in Calgary. She has performed in Nanton before and was encouraged to come down and do another show. Although French’s recordings are fully produced, she prefers to tour as a solo act. She will be heading south this week to do a US tour and is excited to stop in Reno, which she describes as “my place; they really love me there,” French said.
  

• Canadian Musician Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Danielle French ~ Piece July 2003 Cruising through the ether with fellow artists like Jane Siber...Danielle French ~ Piece
  July 2003
  
  Cruising through the ether with fellow artists like Jane Siberry, singer Danielle French is possessed of a diverse and slightly surreal talent. Piece is her second album (her debut, me, myself & I, was released in 1995), written and recorded over the course of four years and finally released in 2003. Produced by French with help from Chris Brett, the album has a wide-open sound, with loose arrangements and soaring vocals, drawing a line amongst all the obvious influences but creating a wholly original work.
  Written between 1993 and 1998 by French, with the exception of a song from Howard Redekopp and a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", Piece features contributions from Burton Cummings (guest vocals on the moody To The Death), ex-Rheostatic Don Kerr on drums and Paul McLeod (the Skydiggers) on vocals. French has played an opening slot at Lillith Fair, appeared on television show Rita And Friends, won awards for her songwriting and even written, directed and danced in her own short film, Avalon. She has also recorded and toured as part of Grrrls with Guitars, and informal group that performs in a "songwriter-in-the-round" format and has released a compilation CD.
  French often shows up for tours in her customized Dodge minivan, which she has converted into a camper. At last year's Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert, NV, she pulled up, dropped green Astroturf, a mailbox and a white picket fence and puttered around in a housecoat all day, much to the delight of the assembled revelers of the ephemeral city. With her sense of humour, French is truly a strange and unique talent.

• Desire Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Danielle French ~ Piece Summer 2003 The long anticipated new release by Canadian artist Danielle...Danielle French ~ Piece
  Summer 2003
  
  The long anticipated new release by Canadian artist Danielle French is amazing. Almost ten years in the making, it is a work rich with emotion and demonstrated with passion. With contributing artists by the likes of Burton Cummings, former Rheostatics percussionist/producer, Don Kerr, and Ontario singer/songwriter Paul Macleod, (to name a few) prove her songs are as varied and versatile as the artists that support her.
  
  From the solid introductory track "As the Crow Flies", and the catchy and uplifting "Till we meet again," she has proven her ability as a strong songwriter. French also expands her creative versatility on the Burton Cummings duet "To the Death", vocal abilities on (my favorite) convincing interpretation of Kate Bushs’ "Running Up that Hill". I enjoyed all 10 of these songs. They kept my interest, and prompted me to press play again, and listen more intently each time.
  
  For those of you in the know of Danielle's former record Me Myself and I, will no doubt be thrilled with Piece. For those not yet, this is an excellent place to start. Watch for show dates, she is as interesting and dynamic live as she is on disc. Impressive…

• The Record [+ Show ]
  

  Danielle French ~ me, myself & i 1995 Canada has produced some remarkably original women singer/s...Danielle French ~ me, myself & i 1995
  
  Canada has produced some remarkably original women singer/songwriters, and this excellent debut - despite its indie status - may well auger the arrival of another. french is a careful, melodic, and thoughtful songwriter - and a closely intimate singer- and some of the material is perfectly radio-ready, especially Passing Time. Other songs, including Don't Cry (My Love), Scarlett Wishes, and Fallen Angel, deserve attention. Production and performance, by a sterling crew of Vancouver players, is up to major label standards. Fans of such differing artists as Jane Siberry, Jann Arden, and Sarah McLachlan would all enjoy this if they had the opportunity to be exposed to it.”
  
  

Setlist

Danielle performs primarly original music (although she often throws in a Kate Bush, or Tom Waits cover for fun!). She performs in a wide variety of venues from folk festivals and opening act slots, to coffee houses, campus events, clubs and theatres. She has toured extensively over the past 15+ years throughout North America ~ three of which she actually lived out of her mint green, flowery-curtained Dodge Maxivan! Set lengths range from one to three 45 minutes.

Most recently, Danielle has been encorporating a full band in her live performances to enhance her perfoming opportunities and provide a rich texture to her material.

Original Material:

from 'Drive':
drive
life is too short
long drive
means to an end
not my lover
harsh reality

From 'Shadows':
alive
descending
cinnamon man
keep
drowning
sincere
the weight of it all
sleepy truck
diplomatic
time to kill
avalon

From 'Piece':
as the crow flies
till we meet again
fade away
to the death
yellow boat
not a moment to late
i will not fall

From 'me, myself & i':
worthy
passing time
don’t cry
scarlett wishes
back in your arms
rain me down
me, myself & i

New Material:
blame it on mercury
all in good time
weightless

Cover Material:
running up that hill ~ Kate Bush
time ~ Tom Waits
in your eyes ~ Peter Gabriel
this flight tonight ~ Joni Mitchell
the tide is high ~ Blondie
luka ~ Suzanne Vega

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