by Malcolm Petch
How many local artists do you know who have recorded and released 14 albums? Yep, that’s what I thought.
But Kelowna’s
Norm Strauss fits that bill. In fact, he’s part of a dual-artist album release this month along with Kim McMechan, showcasing his newest full-length recording,
Twelve-Track Mind.
While Norm is definitely part of the local scene, he’s at least as strongly (if not more so) a part of the global scene, traveling regularly to Germany and other European destinations to do tours and recording. You could just as readily find Strauss in a house-concert setting as you could on a big stage during a huge festival like the annual one that happens in every year in Cologne, Germany.
Strauss’s latest disc was recorded for the most part in his home studio out in West Kelowna, with snippets and pieces being recorded at a few other studios in the region. When it was time to be mixed, however, the data was all sent over to Germany, where it was mixed and mastered in a studio just outside of Dresden. The studio itself is set in a little hamlet called Rhorsdorf in a ‘schloss’, which translates as ‘castle’, although the facility is more like an extremely large manor house or family estate. Strauss went over to oversee the album’s mixing, and then hit the road for a little tour in support of his new project.
Freshly back from that jaunt, Strauss will be marking the Canadian debut of his newest work at Streaming Café on November 19th at 7:00 p.m. C’mon out, hear the new music, and pick up a copy of this new album!
Alongside Norm that evening will be another local artist, singer/songwriter
Kim McMechan, who also has a new album to unveil titled
Paper Sun. McMechan’s album was produced by Canadian heavy-weight
Colin Linden, who (it’s rumoured) also played on a track on Strauss’s new album.
Though she’s only ‘officially’ got one album under her name listed on her website (2006’s Little Grey House), McMechan is no stranger to the world of music and recording. Several of her early songs were popular around the world, being recorded by different artists.
Kim started her musical career on the piano (well, she says it was actually in front of the mirror as a ten-year-old with a hairbrush for a microphone) but has concentrated more on guitar in recent years because her piano was so heavy to lug around. An avid poet and photographer as well as a musical artist, McMechan has been spreading her artistic influence over an ever-widening canvas for quite some time. She is also a writer and editor, so the fact that she receives rave reviews for her ability to craft meaningful and authentic lyrics should come as no surprise.
The chance to record with Colin Linden came as a result of winning a FACTOR grant, and Kim headed into the process with eyes and ears wide open. She reports that the album is now finished, which we sincerely hope is accurate, because her show with Norm Strauss is on November 19, not all that far away!
Come join us for this McMechan / Strauss dual-artist album release event. It promises to be a great evening of music!
Here's a FREE track from Kim's new record.
Norm's new album...
