***Original published in South Mountain Press, Sept 7, 2018***
Talented Folk Artist at Home in Lake Audy
Recently while in between concert venues, I was able to catch up with the talented singer/song writer, Carly Dow. This poised, self-confident, young woman who uses her wooded Lake Audy property as her inspirational center point, is quickly making her mark on the Canadian Folk music scene.
Carly performs a self-described music genre called ‘wildcrafted folk’ using her haunting tones, potent lyrics, and the twang of a clawhammer banjo. She began her singing career in earnest back in 2013 by entertaining audiences literally coast to coast while riding the rails as an onboard Via Rail entertainer. Her career propelled forward in 2015 with her debut album Ingrained which received critical world-wide acclaim and placed on Top 10 Canadian charts in the folk/roots/blues category. Carly’s singing will undoubtedly continue its upward trajectory with the launching of her Kickstarter funded second album, Comet, with a debut concert at the Winnipeg West End Cultural Centre on October 19. This will kick off a promotion tour which will continue with a stop in Onanole then more shows out in BC.
The young artist candidly shared her story of being a young teenager dabbling in poetry writing who underwent a metamorphosis to develop her skills and natural singing talent into a burgeoning singing career. Although she is from ‘The City’ and majored in Environmental Studies at the University of Manitoba, she and her family frequented Wasagaming for the summers and the wildness of the region was always her true home. The landscape, natural beauty, and concentration of artists that populate the region became the inspiration of her songs, so four years ago, she bought a Lake Audy property to come home to.
According to Carly, her audience is comprised of an even split of the genders in the 25 to 55 year old age range. Her fans generally identify with her music due to their connection with the land and nature. She has really clicked with audiences in Alberta, BC and up north in the Yukon. She had a superb experience while on her 2017 European tour that included venues in the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, and Scotland. The connection in Europe was different because she was the crazy Canuck who hung out with the moose and bears and then sang folk songs.
Any messages in her artistry stem from her experiences in the untamed wilderness and the majestic imagery offered by backwoods Canada. Check out a few of Carly’s powerful music videos available on YouTube and you will see her deep connection to Nature and the world that she surrounds herself with. While attending a 2016 Canadian Wilderness Artists Residency in the Yukon, she recorded Something Lost while canoeing the Yukon River. The beginning of Constellations starts with shots of her home bric-à-brac featuring skulls, bits of crustaceans, and pebbles that she has probably randomly gathered during her adventures. Anyone familiar with the Park will recognize the atypical Manitoba parkland region featured in clips interspersed within So Long/Goodbye.
‘I don’t make any political statements. I just put things out into the world and people will either hear what is relevant to them or hear what they need to hear at the moment. Because of my background, I sing and write from a woman’s narrative, ecological sustainability and about personal stuff related to my life or that of the people I know. I sing so that people can connect with themselves from their own perspective. My audience will figure out what they want to take from my music for themselves.’
Taking advantage of technology, Carly’s newest album will be available first to her Kickstarter backers and then on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and Google Play for the general public on October 19. Keep track of her upcoming tour dates at www.carlydowmusic.com.
Blair is a personification of a ‘Jack of All Trades and Master of None’. He has held several careers and has all the T-shirts. Time to add the title Blogger to the list.