Begonia w/ Jen Lane at Winterupption 2018
8:30 PM / Emmanuel Church (Satellite Event)
Begonia w/ Jen Lane
On one end of the spectrum there are varieties of the Begonia which can be a dark, grievous, rough around the edges. And on the other end, a petite and elegant flower. In between, the plant attempts to harmonize its two poles, forming an array of varieties that each borrow from the delicate and the unseemly. It is in this same vein that Begonia (Alexa Dirks) finds herself, trying to find a balance.
Known for her voice in the Juno Award winning harmony driven group Chic Gamine, Dirks has a timbre that recalls the golden age of soul, proud and courageous. And yet it still returns to the ground, finding a quietness, a hesitant intimacy. Joined in studio by producers Matt Schellenberg (Royal Canoe) and Matt Peters (Royal Canoe, Close Talker), the collection of songs that forms Begonia’s Lady In Mind lets the extremes of Dirks’ past and present coalesce into a sound that is both battle hymn and breakbeat body mover, incorporating themes which are confident in and of themselves, and yet sometimes caught in the middle.
Sometimes fate or destiny lets you know when you’re in the right place at the right time, doing what you’re supposed to be doing.
Over the past eight years, Saskatoon-based recording artist Jen Lane has shown that the trials and tribulations she endured during that time have led to the creation of what is thus far her most personal, compelling and powerfully evocative album.
This Life of Mine, her 5th studio album, is the culmination of a time in Lane’s personal and creative life that can truly be described as a roller coaster ride that began after she was sidelined with a foot and ankle injury that took several years and multiple surgeries to repair.
With her first two releases, Sleepless (1999) and Injection (2002) Lane garnered a lot of attention within the Western Canadian music scene. Sleepless was nominated for a Prairie Music Award, when Lane was just 16. Her self-titled 2006 album and the 2010 follow-up, For the Night, were both nominated for Western Canadian Music Awards and Jen received many notable showcases across the country and into the US including 3 trips to SXSW.