Leanne Goose

Inuvik (Aug 19/05) - Like the lyrics sung by one of her favourite bands, AC/DC, singer/songwriter Leanne Goose knows it's a long way to the top if she wants to rock 'n' roll, but with a $6,500 NWT Arts Council grant, she's a lot closer to her dream.
"My goal is to get steady work in music," said the oldest daughter of Louie Goose, already a household name in the music business around the Delta.
Leanne's love of performing began at the age of 12 when she sang Blue Moon of Kentucky from the back of a flatbed truck during Inuvik's Midnight Madness festivities. Since then, the 30-year-old, who is a member of the band Snowblind, has continued singing and occasionally lends her powerful voice to her father's band.
"I still have so much to learn from my dad. He's an excellent showman" she said. Not surprisingly, Goose's other influences include the likes of Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin, both female rockers with amazing pipes.
"There's so much feeling in their delivery and their ability to control the power in their voices," said Goose, adding that their technique is something she'd like to emulate.
"It's one thing to deliver a song well, it's another thing to be able to take the audience to another place."
At the moment, Goose is collaborating with Inuvik guitarist Laurie MacNabb on material for Snowblind's upcoming demo.
The other members of the band are Whitehorse musicians Rob Hunter on guitar, Alex MacKay on bass and Inuvik's Ryan Chalupa on drums.
Snowblind played recently at the Farrago Music Festival in the Yukon - opening for Canadian '70s glam rockers Sweeney Todd of Roxy Roller song fame.
Inuvik will get its first taste of the band at the upcoming End Of The Road Music Festival, Aug. 26-28.
"We're going to hit them with some of our original material then," said Goose. "And we're looking forward to seeing the reaction."
When asked to describe Snowblind's sound, Goose had this to say.
"It's a flavour of the Delta, some ballads, mixed with kick-ass dance songs," she said, taking a look around the Mad Trapper Pub where she has performed on numerous occasions. "It's Trapper music, you know, a little country and a little rock 'n' roll."
- Jason Unrau , Northern News Services

Inuvik (Aug 18/06) -Finding a name for a band can be difficult. Leanne Goose wants your opinions about what her group should be called.
The band was originally dubbed Snowblind last year. Since last summer, the members have been working tirelessly to produce their debut album.

Singer songwriter Leanne Goose is pictured here in the Mad Trapper pub last year. Her band has been working on releasing its debut album and is looking for fan input on its name. - NNSL file photo
Although tracks for the album have been recorded, there is no set list of band members.
"We have been so focused on getting the CD finished, there hasn't been much time to assemble a band," explained Goose.
"We know many talented musicians and when the time is right we'll have a solid line up."
The artists performing on the album are: Leanne Goose for lead vocals, songwriting; Laurie MacNabb as lead guitar, songwriter and co-producer; Roly Mitton playing bass and as producer/engineer and Bob Johnstone with the percussion/harmonies. Marg Tatum is also featured for her skills on the keyboards.
The unnamed band has been working on its songs for the past year, first with unofficial riffs and lyrics.
The group entered the studio in April this year and recorded its songs in seven weeks. The tracks were made in part by Omni Productions and Unitech in Whitehorse.
"We were on a very tight budget and had spent more time than we had anticipated working on the CD in Whitehorse," said Goose. "Both Omni and Unitech were gracious enough to hook us up with equipment and gear."
The band has received funding from the NWT Arts Council, Industry, Tourism & Investment, and the Fort Norman Metis Land Corporation. With three of the 10 final mixes approved, the band is almost near its goal of debuting the album.
"Right now, we are waiting for the full mixes for a few more songs before we send out the completed songs for mastering and CD manufacturing," explained Goose. The original release date has come and gone, but the band stays true to their ambition.
"We hope to have the album ready for sale by the end of September," said Goose. In traditional fashion of releasing a single to hype the disc, Goose said they are holding back for a bit longer.
"Well we haven't had a chance to hear all tracks together in one sitting yet," she said.
"We feel that we need to listen to all tracks to decide which one to release first."
- DezLoreen Northern News Services