Wake Up Winnipeg: Wake Up Winnipeg - Review - Carmen Townsend - MTS Centre

Wake Up Winnipeg Review - CARMEN TOWNSEND - MTS CENTRE- Winnipeg MB. Canada - 2/17/2011

By: Andru Valpy.

In 2005 Carmen Townsend set out on a musical adventure not realizing that she would one day be touring with rock and roll queens Ann and Nancy Wilson.

But getting there took time, energy and sacrifice. Like any other adventure in life, Carmen had her challenges to face and obstacles to overcome to get where she never dreamed she’d be.

Carmen’s story goes back to her humble child-hood in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where she grew up listening to her parent’s record collections while playing guitar and singing along with her sister. Carmen would also sneak up to her bedroom and secretly record herself on a tape player only to destroy the evidence after hearing it back.

Though she knew that she had a talent and calling to live the life of a musician, Carmen was shy and un-easy about public performing.

In a recent interview with Andru Valpy of CJUM’s Wake Up Winnipeg, Carmen admits that it wasn’t until her teen years when she finally felt ready to play for the world.

“I was a teenager in the 90’s when Nirvana exploded onto the scene, and I felt like I was really connected to the world when I heard that record. It’s pretty funny, it just kind of took over everyone at that time, it was kind of like our Beetle mania, and I was like that’s it, I’m going to play electric guitar and I’m going to be in a band”.

After years of playing guitar and quietly recording herself in the safety of her own bedroom, Carmen's secret talent was unexpectedly shared while at a friend’s house party.

“I was at a party, and I think it was a boyfriend at the time that recorded me singing a blind melon song and he took this tape to a party and played it and OF COURSE I almost had a heart attack and ran out of the room! But everyone was like, ‘Is That You? No Way, That’s not you!’ and I said ‘yes that’s me’.
So I kind of got that re-assurance from my friends I guess, and then I just started playing anywhere I could. I played at all ages shows, high schools, skate park fund raisers and just kept going and I loved it.”

Photo by Andru Valpy

Shortly after making the decision to go big, Carmen’s journey took her away from her Cape Breton home and carried her onto cities like Toronto and Vancouver where she was fortunate to meet a lot of supporters, like Mike Fraser of Vancouver who had produced bands like AC/DC, and brought her all sorts of “crazy situations” that ultimately lead to her success.

In 2005 Carmen brought her talent back to the East Coast and took them by surprise during the 2005 East Coast Music Awards in which she had preformed. In 2006, she was once again invited back to the ECMA’s where her performances created a sensationalized hype with local fans and media outlets.

In 2008, Carmen teamed up with band mates Tohmas Allen and Shane O’Handley (who have now become known as “The Shakey Deals”) and with the help of Mike Fraser set to work on her first studio recording.

“We wanted it to be as good as it could be…we just wanted to take our time, and make sure we made the right decisions, and make sure we had the right people on board to help us along”.

After 3 long years of work and suspense, Carmen Townsend released album her album ‘Waitin And Seein’ in January of this year.

The album features 10 beautifully produced tracks that instantly brings the listener into Carmen’s world.

The first track entitled River Rat can simply be described as dark and powerful rock ballad that highlights the emotion captured in Townsend's Lyrics and is beautifully delivered by her intense and ear capturing vocal talents.

While performing at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre on February 17^th, Townsend sang the song acoustically with clarity and passion while adding a rock and roll edge that over 5,000 fans seemed to enjoy.

Though Winnipeg fell under blizzard conditions on the night of her stop, fans still went out of their way to get to the arena early to watch Carmen with a majority of the seating filled for her opening performance.

“She’s awesome!” stated Winnipeger Corrine when asked about hearing Carmen’s performance at the MTS Centre.

“She certainly has a lot of energy more so with the way she was kicking her legs and jumping around. I really enjoyed it.”

While listening to the album, I found that though the album has mainly been labeled a rock recording, Carmen’s folk roots have a tendency to appear in selected tracks such as the melodically pleasing ‘Sweet Little Bird’. Appropriately titled, as the song seems to flow in ways similar to birds singing beautifully in the morning hours.

Photo by Andru Valpy

Carmen states that when writing her music it is a challenge to juggle her folk abilities with her rock and roll blood, but when listening to Waitin’ and Seein, the two influences work well together.

“It’s something that just happens really. I guess it kind of depends on what I’m saying, like what I’m singing about.
If it tends to be a song that has a lot of frustration and anger in it, sometimes it’s going to be louder, but then again there’s Sweet Little Bird that is kind of like a sad Song. It’s about hope, but it’s a broken hearted song too. It’s got a lot of good energy, and it’s got good rhythm to it.
So I don’t know really, I’m all over the board!”

Waitin’ and Seein’ is certainly a nice listen. The 3 years that it took to produce the album were well worth all 37 minutes of listening to it.

I was actually disappointed that there were no further tracks past ‘Til The Morning as Townsend has a way of pulling the listener in with her high energy levels.

The album itself has been receiving positive reviews, in fact, 3 days after Waitin’ and Seein’s release Carmen was informed that she would have the opportunity to perform it live as a opener for classic rock band “Heart’s” cross Canada 2010 tour.

“…Company House Records and EMI Canada pitched the idea to Heart’s team, and I had to live with that on my brain for a little while wondering ‘is it going to happen, is it going to happen’, thinking positively, and then trying NOT to think about it.
..But then I got word that Ann and Nancy were going to make the decision, and lo and behold they picked me!
So it’s still surreal, like ‘OH MY GOSH’, because 3 weeks ago I was touring in a Toyota Corolla like, trying to get to New Brunswick in two snow storms and now I’m in a mega tour bus and it’s totally comfortable and awesome, and it’s so easy to tour in a mega tour bus!”

Townsend started her tour with Heart in Newfoundland and will be the entire way across the country, including a stop over in Toronto’s Famous Massy Hall.

“We’re halfway through the tour now and I kind of want time to slow down a little bit because this has really just been a treat. Touring with (Heart) is amazing and surreal, you know it’s amazing, after 35 years of performing they don’t miss a beat and they’re Wonderful.
They’re really sweet ladies too, very supportive and encouraging and the shows have been killer! I didn’t realize that I actually over the years had ripped off Nancy Wilson’s poses and stuff so I was like oh S***!"

Carmen Townsend’s tour with Heart will rap up February 26^th at Vancouvers Queen Elizabeth Theater. Shortly thereafter, she will make a brief stop over at Texas’s famous South By South West music festival for the Halifax Pop Explosion Party.

Her new album Waitin’ and Seein’ is available in stores and online now through EMI Music Canada.

Hopefully, it won’t take another 3 years of waiting to see another album from Carmen Townsend.

-Av