Biography
Meredith Luce’s old soul vocals, masterful guitar playing and her songs “with an edge like no other” evoke the lives, loves and landscapes of both her Canadian upbringing and her family’s Appalachian roots.
Recently called “a singer and writer of sublime songs” in an Ottawa Sun review of her CD Neck of the Woods, Meredith brings amusing banter and sparkling songs to her shows featuring her contemporary folk, roots and alt-country tunes. Shows with her band the Mandates feature what the Ottawa Citizen has called “finely crafted folk rock.”
Her two critically acclaimed CDs, October, released in 2007, and Neck of the Woods in 2008, are getting regional air play across Canada thank thanks in part to guest spots on CBC’s Vinyl Café, Go! and Canada Live, and a featured performance on Good Morning Canada on CTV. CBC recorded Meredith for their national program Canada Live in March at an Ottawa Folk Festival Acoustic Waves concert.
This summer Meredith played the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Ottawa Bluesfest, the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Clayton (NY) Opera House and the Arts Center in Old Forge, NY, along with a number of other festivals and venues in the Canada and the US.
The now twenty year old Ottawa native was sixteen when she first played three eastern Ontario festivals: the Stewart Park Festival by winning an audition; the Ottawa Folk Festival by winning a major song-writing prize; and Westfest after the producer heard her busking and offered her an opener for Lynn Miles.
Meredith, a dual US/Canadian citizen is also building US audiences. She toured New England and New York in support of her album, October, in 2007. This was also the year she came to the attention of US National Public Radio’s New York affiliate, North Country Public Radio. They recorded her music for their compilation CD, Music Heard UpNorth, and featured her in 2008, on their 40th anniversary live concert broadcast. NCPR’s Joel Hurd has enthusiastically predicted that Meredith “will be a big star, and soon.” He recalled their recording session:
"The thing I like is that she sounds like Meredith Luce and no one else. Her songwriting and guitar work in particular, reflect a maturity way beyond her years…. [There] was a sort of awkward, stunned silence after the first song because we were so taken aback at how good she sounded. We look forward to her becoming a big deal in music so we can shamelessly drop her name and tell people that we knew Meredith way back in 2007." NCPR continues to promote and play Meredith’s music and in February did a lengthy follow up interview with her on her new album.
When Meredith is not writing and performing music, she is a full student in graphic design at Algonquin College.
Meredith wishes to thank the city of Ottawa for its support in 2008 with an emerging artist music grant and North Country Public Radio for its 2009 recording grant.
Contact information:
Management and publicity: Sally Luce
email: contact (at) meredithluce.com
Instrumentation
SOLO
Meredith Luce: vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, tenor guitar, baritone ukulele
BAND
Meredith Luce: vocals, acoustic, electric, tenor guitar
Dean Watson: bass
Tim Watson: drums
Eric Viewig: guitar, back up vocals
Discography
"Neck of the Woods", full album, Nov. 2008
"October" full album, released, July 2007
"Big City Girl" in "Music Heard UpNorth", a compilation CD of the best picks of North Country Public Radio's UpNorth Music project
"Meredith Luce" (3 song demo, 2005)
Podcasts:
UpNorth Music, North Country Public Radio, two of Meredith's songs and an interview: www.upnorthmusic.org/performers/meredithluce.html
In German: http://barkanada.podbean.com/2009/01/03/barkanada2-dec-08-part-aerster-teil/
Links
| http://www.myspace.com/meredithluce |