The Players [full bios below]
BIOS:
Cindy Emch (vocals / guitar / accordion) sings foot-stompin' heart-breakin' songs about good friends and hard times. She wrote all of the songs on this record - except the one where Ed suggested a chord, and the two that came from her other bands. But all that info is on the one sheet. Read more about the other musicians! They're amazing.
Carolyn Mark (vocals / piano) is a Juno-nominated Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. She has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the duo The Corn Sisters with American colleague Neko Case, as well as with the bands the Vinaigrettes, Jr. Gone Wild, Showbusiness Giants, the Fixin's and the Metronome Cowboys. She has also provided backing vocals on recordings by The Buttless Chaps, Greenfield Main, Neko Case, Frog Eyes, NQ Arbuckle, Rhubarb Whiskey, and Blackout Beach. In 2009 she co-released Let's Just Stay Here with Toronto's NQ Arbuckle. The album was nominated for a 2010 Juno Award, in the Roots & Traditional Album category and was also one of PopMatters' top 10 album in their Best Country Music of 2009 list. In September 2016, Mark released her eighth solo album, Come! Back! Special! Www.carolynmark.com
Tolan McNeil (vocals / guitar / producer) is glad to be lending his ear to Cindy’s record. He’s recorded records for such known and lesser known Canadian royalty as Pink Mountaintops, Destroyer, Neko Case, Frog Eyes, Daddy’s Hands, Fine Options, Chet, Himalayan Bear, Carolyn Mark, Black Valley Gospel, David P. Smith, Trembler’s of Seven, Lonesome Valley Singers, Clay George, Dan Weisenburger, and MD Wren and the Sick Kids. Currently Tolan is making his third solo record, to be released as soon as it’s finished…
Dennis Siemens (upright bass / backing vocals / musician wrangler) played bass on this album, having previously recorded/played with (as the) Crow Flies, Himalayan Bear, MD Wren, Hearse, and many others. This is his first crack at helping to produce songs, but his proudest moments have been recording Carolyn Mark in California, igniting rockets as a Sick Kids encore in southern Alberta, and mounting the only known nomeansno tribute concert last year.
Joel Fernandes (guitar / drums) is happy to be both revisiting the drums, and playing lead guitar on this record. Joel is in high demand in Victoria, playing guitar with locals Tower of Dudes, and Hearse, touring with Carolyn Mark, and playing shows with the likes of Damo Suzuki and Steve Barrie. Joel’s working on his first solo record with Tolan, an album about heartbreak and boredom, written, sung, and played in a way that will surprise you.
Grayson Walker (accordion / piano) grew up on the Canadian Prairies in the seventies and eighties. Early influences included the movie recording of Jesus Christ Superstar and Shaun Cassidy. Forced into music due to lacking the temperment or ambition necessary for a successful hockey career, Grayson has had the pleasure of working with miles of talented artists including the delightful Ms Emch
J. McLaughlin (backing vocals) is a musician, songwriter, performer, & burlesque MC. She has been entertaining, enthralling (& occasionally terrorizing) audiences for over twenty years. Her band Hearse released their first album “Pot Calling Kettle” in 2014. She lives with her mother in Canada.
Olivier Clements (brass) is trumpet royalty in Victoria, coming from a second generation musical family, and choosing, as so much royalty does, to work with children in the woods- in a much less creepy way than [REDACTED] Olivier is a lovely man who works for friend rate, provided [REDACTED] and he gets to use his flugelhorn. www.olivierclements.com
Cindy Emch (vocals / guitar / accordion) sings foot-stompin' heart-breakin' songs about good friends and hard times. She wrote all of the songs on this record - except the one where Ed suggested a chord, and the two that came from her other bands. But all that info is on the one sheet. Read more about the other musicians! They're amazing.
Carolyn Mark (vocals / piano) is a Juno-nominated Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. She has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of the duo The Corn Sisters with American colleague Neko Case, as well as with the bands the Vinaigrettes, Jr. Gone Wild, Showbusiness Giants, the Fixin's and the Metronome Cowboys. She has also provided backing vocals on recordings by The Buttless Chaps, Greenfield Main, Neko Case, Frog Eyes, NQ Arbuckle, Rhubarb Whiskey, and Blackout Beach. In 2009 she co-released Let's Just Stay Here with Toronto's NQ Arbuckle. The album was nominated for a 2010 Juno Award, in the Roots & Traditional Album category and was also one of PopMatters' top 10 album in their Best Country Music of 2009 list. In September 2016, Mark released her eighth solo album, Come! Back! Special! Www.carolynmark.com
Tolan McNeil (vocals / guitar / producer) is glad to be lending his ear to Cindy’s record. He’s recorded records for such known and lesser known Canadian royalty as Pink Mountaintops, Destroyer, Neko Case, Frog Eyes, Daddy’s Hands, Fine Options, Chet, Himalayan Bear, Carolyn Mark, Black Valley Gospel, David P. Smith, Trembler’s of Seven, Lonesome Valley Singers, Clay George, Dan Weisenburger, and MD Wren and the Sick Kids. Currently Tolan is making his third solo record, to be released as soon as it’s finished…
Dennis Siemens (upright bass / backing vocals / musician wrangler) played bass on this album, having previously recorded/played with (as the) Crow Flies, Himalayan Bear, MD Wren, Hearse, and many others. This is his first crack at helping to produce songs, but his proudest moments have been recording Carolyn Mark in California, igniting rockets as a Sick Kids encore in southern Alberta, and mounting the only known nomeansno tribute concert last year.
Joel Fernandes (guitar / drums) is happy to be both revisiting the drums, and playing lead guitar on this record. Joel is in high demand in Victoria, playing guitar with locals Tower of Dudes, and Hearse, touring with Carolyn Mark, and playing shows with the likes of Damo Suzuki and Steve Barrie. Joel’s working on his first solo record with Tolan, an album about heartbreak and boredom, written, sung, and played in a way that will surprise you.
Grayson Walker (accordion / piano) grew up on the Canadian Prairies in the seventies and eighties. Early influences included the movie recording of Jesus Christ Superstar and Shaun Cassidy. Forced into music due to lacking the temperment or ambition necessary for a successful hockey career, Grayson has had the pleasure of working with miles of talented artists including the delightful Ms Emch
J. McLaughlin (backing vocals) is a musician, songwriter, performer, & burlesque MC. She has been entertaining, enthralling (& occasionally terrorizing) audiences for over twenty years. Her band Hearse released their first album “Pot Calling Kettle” in 2014. She lives with her mother in Canada.
Olivier Clements (brass) is trumpet royalty in Victoria, coming from a second generation musical family, and choosing, as so much royalty does, to work with children in the woods- in a much less creepy way than [REDACTED] Olivier is a lovely man who works for friend rate, provided [REDACTED] and he gets to use his flugelhorn. www.olivierclements.com
