While pop/ folk chanteuse Cindy Doire grew up in Timmins, Ontario, she is best known as a French artist.
That’s because she recorded two French language CDs before her recently released English debut ’Sticks and Mud.’
“I grew up speaking French, because my parents spoke French, but living in Timmins, in Northern Ontario, I was pretty much assimilated,” said Doire, vintage shopping in Toronto “for a kick ass pair of boots to bring on tour.”
She and dobro player Rob Fenton make their first visit to Lethbridge, April 10 at the Slice, which will be part of a massive six month Canadian tour before she returns to Europe.
“I’m a bit of a city hopper. I lived in Timmins, then Montreal for a bit and now Toronto,” said Doire, who doesn’t spend much time anywhere anymore as she spends most of the year on the road.
“It’s not like I come home for two months at a time. It feels like it’s been an endless tour for the past three years,” she continued.
“I’ve been touring around Quebec and New Brunswick, exploring that side of my soul for the past few years. Now I’ve got the English CD, I can explore that side of my soul,” she continued adding she has toured out west as bassist with Sarah Burton’s band, but never made it to Lethbridge.
She accidentally fell into the French gig after being booked at a literary festival a few years ago.
“I was booked to do the festival, then phoned them and found out it was a Francophone festival, and I said ‘oh fuck,’ but instead of bailing on the gig, I thought I could write French songs, so I decided to write some. I wanted to challenge myself,” she said.
“I was nervous, surrounded by French speaking intellectuals and you can hear it on the first CD,” she said.
“The French songs are a little more lighthearted than the English. The English songs are a little darker and more disturbing. I’m inspired by all sorts of things. I write about all kinds of things not I’m in love, I got up this morning, I’m feeling great. I like to find characters or tell stories that have been lost,” she continued.
Luckily she studied languages at university in Sudbury and grew up with French speaking parents.
“I studied languages at university in Sudbury, Spanish and Italian. I actually spoke better Spanish than my home tongue,” she said adding while her French language skills were almost lost to lack of use, she picked them up again.
Colin Linden produced one of the French CDs, however Colin Cripps produced her first , English speaking CD.
“It’s very organic. We tried to capture it live off the floor. It’s very honest and real. It’s not fake,” she said of the CD, which is very reminiscent of Twilight Hotel especially due to the accordion on several tracks, with a touch of Sheryl Crow and a dab of Hannah Georgas.
She may bring the accordion on this tour, but hasn’t decided yet.
“The French songs are what gave me an in over there. I’m a bilingual artist, so it is pretty awesome to be able to do both. And I’m not as nervous over there as ” she said adding the French CDs are what helped her break into the European market.
“I’m going to juggle both now. So I am looking forward to it,” she continued adding her Lethbridge show will include selections from both French CD and ‘Sticks and Mud.’
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