Atlantic Crossing - Three Canadian Songwriters

Vancouver, British Columbia is home to one of the most vibrant roots music scenes in the world. The city is home to a grassroots folk music revival that
is exploding onto the international stage. It is in this environment that Melisa Devost, Sarah MacDougall, and Corbin Murdoch came to know each other.

These three young artists represent the finest in Canadian songwriting. Unabashedly personal in their writing and fierce in their convictions, they create achingly beautiful lyrics that speak of life in the stunnning, harsh, often contradictory landscape of the North.

Devost, MacDougall, and Murdoch share both a passion for songcraft and a refusal to allow folk music to stagnate. They are songwriters dedicated to pushing the limits of what roots music can be, unrelentlessly pursuing their singular vision. These visions, brought together, represent a cross-section of what the Canadian roots music scene is today, and where it is heading tomorrow.

These three friends, who share a profound respect for each other's artistry, will be banding together this summer to tour Europe as a songwriters' collective.

MELISA DEVOST:

Melisa Devost writes introspective and observant songs about life patterns and choices, love or lack of, and the refinements of what it means to be human on this planet. Her music varies from blues-tinged heaviness to heartfelt non-denominational gospel to quirky folk-pop.

Combining fingerstyle guitar with a voice that has been described as "powerful, beautiful and dynamic," Melisa weaves her tales of woe and whoa! into a show that is engaging and emotionally stirring.

SARAH MACDOUGALL:

Songwriting and storytelling is high on Sarah MacDougall's priority list. It is something she lives. Out comes music, in varying forms, but it is mainly Americana/folk-roots with European influences. Whether it is intricately textured or simple arrangements, Sarah aims to capture emotion and to make her music come alive.

Sarah originates from Sweden but now lives in Vancouver. She has quickly gained a reputation as one of the best emerging songwriters and performers in Vancouver. At her live shows, people are captivated by her voice and stage presence and spontaneity.

"Sarah's music is honest, open, and beautiful - it makes an imediate emotional
connection with the listener."- Steve Bellamy, Juno-winning Music
Producer/Engineer

CORBIN MURDOCH:

Corbin Murdoch was born and raised in East Vancouver. He has released two
records with his band, The Nautical Miles. The most recent, Tell me again how
this place got its name, is “an album of elegiac beauty” (VUE, Edmonton) full
of righly textured narratives steeped in the natural and emotional histories of
the Pacific Northwest. In March 2008, he begins work on his new record, Wartime Lovesong, a collection of songs about intergenerational notions of love, family, war, and revolution.

“His voice like that of a young Ian Tyson, Murdoch is a fine writer. 'Marcos'
Encounter With a Grizzly Bear' is probably the only roots tune to ponder the
existential underpinnings of meeting wildlife. The band slays.”
-The Vancouver Province