Leah Stokes

Most guitarists play with a pick and stick to arrangements centered around the tried and true basic chords. Although Leah's music contains elements of this, her style is more eclectic, having studied with Kevin Cardamore, a great fingerstyle guitarist based out of Ottawa, Ontario.

Leah Stokes has performed with everyone from Matthew Barber, Emm Gryner and Peter Katz, to David Porteous and Cory McCallum of the Haymakers. Currently, a project is underway with local hip-hop artist Belladonna.

Leah Stokes sets her self apart from other artists in her genre through her songwriting skills. Her careful attention to narrative that leaves itself open to interpretation, allows her to form a personal connection with the listener.

Her poetic lyrics often express a sense of searching or yearning similar to Julie Doiron. Leah Stokes' songs trace stories of urban disconnection and the flux of nature. She is profoundly influenced by Buddhist philosophy, which she studies at the University of Toronto, and this knowledge is evident in much of her work.

If nothing else, it is Leah's voice which captures the audience at every performance. She is consistently compared to Sarah Harmer and Ani Difranco and often praised for the strength and sincerity in her voice.

Ultimately, Leah cannot take all the credit for her work - she plays a beautiful, handmade Yamaha guitar with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. Her third guitar, she has appropriately named her "Mahogany". She continues to play in and around Toronto and is in the process of recording an LP with a band in order to expand the possibilities of her sound.

Leah Stokes grew up in Toronto, but has since traveled the world - everywhere from Costa Rica to the Tibetan Plateau. She studies Psychology and Buddhism at U of T and is attempting (in vain!) to master the Tibetan language. She has been performing for just under two years in and around Toronto.