Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Lieben. Winter 2004
Brenda Reid explores her creative soul.
The hairs on the back of my neck do a little dance when I hear Brenda Reid’s singing.
On many occasions I have been in the happy audiences that relish her performances.
The happiest was the CD release party of Brenda and the Blast (with Reid – lead vocals, Tony
Dominelli – vocals, guitar, Teun Schut – vocals, guitar, Rob Bailey – keyboards, Gino Rutigliano – bass, Brian Berry – drums, Wayne Kozak –saxophone), which took place at Cates Hill Chapel on Bowen
Island earlier this year.
Everyone was smiling uncontrollably. Friends, family and community members were all on hand to bear witness to this joyous
event.
Reid has an incredible
presence, which is so beautifully balanced by her modest nature. The spirit she conveys moves everyone through the instrument that is her voice. Singing is her calling.
Although she did not think it
anything special at the time,
Reid grew up in a family that would easily break out the instruments after family dinners. As a child, she was impressed with Barbara
Streisand and thought that, one day, she would like to have a voice like hers. (Fortunately for us, Brenda has a voice like Brenda’s.)
It wasn’t until her participation
in the 1992 Bowen Island production of Godspell (with Allison Nixon, Mark Gothrup and
Colleen O’Neil) that, in her efforts to hear herself above the musicians, she cranked up the volume and became surprisingly aware of her vocal potential.
Following that experience she thought it would be fun to have her own band, but had no idea how one went about forming one. She asked her musician friends and
was very pleased with the easy way in which it all came together.
Reid loves gospel music – she performs a gospel version of Silent Night on the new Snowin’ on Bowen Christmas CD. “For some reason blues/soul/gospel really resonates with me,” she says.
Her renditions of Aretha Franklin
and others’ songs always receive a
very favorable response, but, she
adds, “I want to explore different
areas of my voice and perhaps not
push so hard. I am trying to move
more out of my comfort level. When performing the blues, I’m really putting my heart and soul into it and that is what is moving and driving and satisfying about it, but I’d like to stay open to new styles.
My focus now is on doing original songs. These are so satisfying because I put my own creative
feel into every song; my phrasing,
my vocal expression, my emotions,
my passion, everything I feel for
what the song is about. I want to
get that out there.”
Brenda sees herself as part of something bigger. She is obviously excited when she talks about the experience of the band being ‘in flow’. “When it is a group experience and we are not consciously driving the ship,
we are being driven by something else.”
It’s that ‘something else’ that has my neck hairs dancing!
by Richard Best.
- Bowen Island Arts Council
2. Brenda and the Blast
'Do What ya wanna Do' and 'I want My Freedom'will stand head to head with 'anything' out there in Radioland. Watch for 'em!
Don 06-20-04 15:23
3. Brenda and the Blast
What a fantastic concert. People were shaking to the awesome sounds of Brenda and the Blast. First concert I have been to on Bowen and what a concert I chose to go to. Thank you so much.
Penny 06-20-04 04:58
|BowenOnline is brought to you by Wiltshire House Publishing
- Wiltshire House Publishing
Christmas CD aids BIAC Building Fund
THE RECENTLY RELEASED CD SNOWIN’ ON BOWEN
FEATURES MUCH (THOUGH BY
no means all) of the musical talent on this island and is the product of
hundreds of hours of volunteer work, especially on the part of recording engineers Rob Bailey and Teun Schut and co-producer Matt Maxwell.
It includes songs by such luminaries as Juno Award winning singer/songwriter Shari Ulrich, songsmith/silversmith Christie Grace,
powerful blues singer Brenda Reid,
postnormal cellist Corbin Keep, saxophone virtuoso Wayne Kozac, Nota Bene, smooth crooner Bazil Graham, the beatifully quirky Julie Vik and songstress Pauline LeBel, to name a few.
Seventy percent of the net proceeds are going toward the building fund for the Community Hall and Arts Centre, a project of the Bowen Island Arts Council.
The remaining net proceeds are to benefit Family Place, a non-profit society that connects families and supports family life on Bowen Island.
CDs will be available at a number of stores, including Cates Pharmacy, Pheonix Photo and A Bit of Everything. They can also be ordered from the Bowen Island Arts Council at 947-2454. Two Christmas CD release concerts will take place at Cates Chapel at
7:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4, 2004.
- Bowen Island Arts Council
Discography
Lift Off (2004) - Brenda Lee Reid Productions.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
“The hairs on the back of my neck do a little dance when I hear Brenda Lee Reid’s singing. On many occasions I have been in the audiences that relish her performances.”
Singer Brenda Lee Reid captivates audiences with her unique, powerful and soulful vocals and has been known to “steal the show” with her passionate delivery. Her vocals have been compared to Eva Cassidy, Stevie Nicks and Bonnie Raitt to name a few. Brenda performs in a variety of genres including blues, R&B, jazz, pop, rock, gospel and folk. Her main source of inspiration is Aretha Franklin.
Brenda discovered her passion and talent for singing literally in mid-performance! After landing a principal part in the rock musical Godspell, she discovered abilities not yet realized. From then on she continued living her passion for singing by performing as a guest soloist and lead vocalist at many concerts, clubs, festivals, gigs, corporate functions, musicals and events.
After forming her own band Brenda went on to record her first CD titled Lift Off comprised of 10 original pop/R&B songs.
Brenda's vocals are also sought after for live and studio performances. She has recorded lead and backing vocals on 3 CD’s including her bluesy-gospel rendition of “Silent Night” on It’s Snowin’ on Bowen.
Brenda has shared the stage with some of the music industries top Canadian musicians including Juno Award Winners Shari Ulrich and Valdy.
You can expect to hear Brenda Lee Reid captivating audiences with her bluesy rich textured vocals; giving it her all, at upcoming events.
“Brenda Lee Reid moves everyone through the instrument that is her voice.”
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