Music
Press
By: Laurie Fuhr
Evoking the yellow paper flowers that decorated the stage for the album's release, Juanita Brandt's carefully crafted voice on her debut, Prairie Girl, seems fragile at first but soon reveals a study backbone and good posture. Like those flowers, Juanita's voice is well worth taking home to enjoy (although the latter fits better in a CD player). Juanita has come along way since the Karma open stage. On that journey to amazing-ness, she has not only made friends with Calgary's best country talent, she had them play on her album and join her band (Jay Metheral, Pete Christian, Spider Bishop and Charlie Hase, to name a few). Prairie Girl is a fresh batch of tunes that won't wither when the sun goes away... Juanita Brandt's talent is sure to prove perennial. - Beatroute (October 2008)
By: Rick Overwater
Digging up the origins of Juanita Brandt's refreshing brand of traditional country music is pretty much as easy as looking into the past of Brandt herself.
"My dad comes from a line of farmers and my mom's kind of a city girl so that pretty much sums me up," says the Calgary-based singer over the phone from her home in Ramsey.
Brandt originally hails from Saskatchewan. And while the bulk of her years were spent living in Regina it's a brief stint, lasting a few years, spent on a farm outside the town of Earl Grey that continues to resonate with her to this very day. The fact she resides in a major city today has made those years even more relevant.
“It certainly makes me appreciate it, and makes me dream about it. It’s like anything you love that you’re away from.”
Those sentiments are spread are spread consistently through-out Prairie Girl, Brandt’s new album she’ll be releasing at the Ironwood Stage and Grill on Sunday night.
Tunes such as the track, Little Houses, and Cowboys Don’t, are filled with rural imagery and feelings that would simply have to be seen and lived to make it into a lyric such as the ones fashioned by Brandt.
“I don’t sing about just the country, “ says Brandt. “But that’s a big part of what’s in there.”
Indeed, she does tackle plenty of other subject matter and it all fits hand in glove with the kind of traditional-feeling honky tonk that Brandt nails so convincingly. But there’s also plenty of disenchanted lovers speaking out in her songs.
It’s exactly what you’d expect from a girl raised to sing along with the pickup truck radio as they made the commute to Regina down Saskatchewan’s country roads.
“The songs have always come out because they had to and everything has fallen into place to make a career of this – as a pastime anyway,” she laughs.
“I’m not a fancy girl, I don’t need a lot of things. But I do like to eat once in a while.”
- Calgary Sun, Friday September 12, 2008
The Junos are done, but Calgary has a lot of musical talent to share with the rest of Canada. Meet Juanita Brandt, local singer/songwriter and a hopeful musician recording her first album. The music industry is a fickle and capricious way to make a living, but Brandt is one of hundreds of Canadians trying to get their name and music out there.
For the full story, check out this video clip at:
www.citytv.com/calgary/yourcity_55728.aspx
- City TV Calgary
Juanita Brandt – ‘Prairie Girl’
While working in the Canadian Country Radio Industry I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting many talented artists who have brought their own unique style to Canadian Country and Roots music. Some of these artists have had great commercial success and others have chosen the route of an independent artist.
Listening to Juanita Brandt’s debut CD ‘Prairie Girl’ it is obvious that Juanita has boldly chosen the right path…music.
Nowadays the music industry consists of all sorts of people. Unfortunately it is becoming quite rare that true artists emerge and thankfully Juanita is here to bring you a collection of music that makes you feel very satisfied, but at the same time makes you think (it certainly does for me) how do the songs that didn’t make it on to ‘Prairie Girl’ sound and what will the future songs sounds like?
There are a few special CD’s that go with me everywhere…in the car, at work and home, so whenever I have the opportunity I can put one in and just escape.
Juanita Brandt’s debut ‘Prairie Girl’ is now one of these CD’s.
It seems that the way to consume music now is to buy singles online. I highly recommend you take a different approach to Juanita’s music because although each song alone definitely makes an impact the entire CD will leave you with an appreciation of a wide variety of things including imagery (her songwriting will paint picture’s in your mind), a true voice (no special effects needed here) and talent, not only of Juanita, but of the extremely talented musicians who have her back on each track of ‘Prairie Girl’.
Jen Kuhlwein
Afternoon/Drive
Mountain Radio/Q14
Blairmore/Stettler, Alberta
(403) 562-2806
- Jen Kehlwein - Mountain Radio
Discography
Juanita Brandt: Prairie Girl
Release Date: September 15, 2008
Independent
Photos
Bio
N*E*W*S... About (me) Juanita Brandt
Born in Regina Saskatchewan, but spent a few years were spent on a small farm outside the rural community of Earl Grey Saskatchewan. Leading a pretty simple life, a lot of time was spent riding horses and playing outside. The desire to write music didn’t come until I was about 16 years old. (Although, I remember wanting to play the fiddle when I was about 5!) I think I unconsciously knew at very young age that music was going to be a big art of my life.
I started writing songs because I really wanted to sing. I couldn’t seem to remember all the lyrics to songs on the radio, and sometimes I'd just want to ‘belt it’ but I had no words! So, I started making up my own. Later, song writing would and has become a conduit for artistic expression, analogy, inspiration and somehow deciphering or speculating on how or what "it's" all about.
I am a self-taught singer and guitar player, taking leads from forth grade ukulele training! My style can best be described as: expressive, organic, honky-tonky, bluesy, singer-song writer-ish.
For the most part, 15 years passed with scarce a live or public performance. Picking up guitar in the living-room would happen on occasion, but very rarely on stage untill... my Calgary debut the first week of January of 2007, at a Bar Named Sue, at which point the gears shifted and it has been full steam ahead since!
Highlights: Mountain View Music Festival, 2009, Carstairs AB • Spaghetti Western Festival, 2009, Calgary AB • TransCanada Alberta Music Series, 2009, Calgary • The 4th Street Lilac Festival, 2008, Calgary AB • The Forget Summer Arts Festival, 2007, Forget SK
Past Shows:Bar Named Sue, Calgary AB • The Ironwood Stage and Grill, Calgary AB • Mikeys Juke Joint, Calgary • Palomino Smoke House and Social Club, Calgary AB • Ship & Anchor, Calgary AB • Broken Jug, Calgary AB • General Store, Twin Butte AB • Blackbird Coffee House, Coleman/Cross Nest Pass AB • The Legion, Pincher Creek AB • Gitters, High River AB • The Stop, Black Diamond AB • Auditorium, Nanton AB • The Club, Regina SK • Lady of the Lake, Brandon MB • Various Living-rooms, AB/SK/MB • ...and others...
Recordings: Prairie Girl: started recording in March 2008, released September 2008. Engineered by Rob Smith at Rocky Mountain Recording Studio.
Her next recording is just waiting to be recorded! Lots of new material, ideas and melodies. Plans are for a scaled back, sparse intimate sounding album. Stay tuned!
How lucky am I?In September 2008 I joined the Alberta band the "The Culls". As their newest (and most female) member, you could find me on lead and support vocals, guitar and mandolin! (and hopefully not on the floor after too many whiskeys) Just kidding, I'm not that kind of girl. But the band does like to have a good time!
Another reason to sing! Through the spring and summer of 2009, I was thrilled to collaborate with Will White from the fabulous bluegrass band Widow Maker. We shared stages around Alberta, sang pretty and played nice.
Saddley, I have bowed out of both projects for the time being, due to moving out of the province.
Juanita Brandt: Singer • Songwriter • Prairie Girl
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