University of Lethbridge voice graduate Danielle Braund is looking forward to playing a couple of December shows in her home town.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played here other than with choirs when I was in university,” said Braund, busily rehearsing for a solo show at the Mocha Cabana on Boxing Day and a New Year’s Eve show at the Onion Bar and Grill.
She took a short break after graduating in 2001 before hitting the road and trying to make it as a pop/ soul singer.
She recorded two Cds while in New York and eventually settled in Vancouver where she recorded her new EP “Sunday Mornining” with producer Ryan Stewart, who has worked with Carly Rae Jepson and numeorus other up and coming Vancouver musicians.
She has opened for acts like Boyz II Men, Sean Kingston and even classic rocker Kim Mitchell.
“Vancouver is where my mailing address is, but I don’t play a lot of shows there. I’m usually on the road. I’ve been gone for seven months,” she said.
“I’ll be playing a songs from the EP and the CDs and some covers. I’ll be mixing it up. The Onion will be the same thing except I don’t think James will be playing,” she said.
James Oldenburg will be playing a set with her at the Mocha Cabana, but probaby won’t be playing at the Onion.
She just returned from touring as well as a songwriting session in Nashville.
“ I love it. I get bored staying in one place,” she continued.
While Braund, who was born and raised in Lethbridge tries to get back home for the holidays each year, most of that time is spent visiting family, so she doesn’t book shows while she is back home.
While her degree is in classical voice, pop and soul music is where her heart is.
“ In pop and soul music, there is so much happening in the lyrics,” she observed.
“ And I find the audience is a lot broader for pop and soul music than classical music where the audiences are pretty narrow,” she said.
In the new year she plans to go to Mexico to play and possibly Brazil to learn about percussion and how to play hand drums.
“We had an exchange student from brazil in high school and she’s working in the music business down there, so I want to go and hang out with her. And I’ve always wanted to learn how to play percussion. But it all depends on money,” she said.
She hopes to release another full length CD in 2012, though it may come out closer to 2013.
