Nadine is a wonderful walking example of not judging a book by it's cover. No, really. She has this look about her that is so warm and inviting and what really stands out to me about that is the amazing tattoos she has do not take anything away at all from the softness. And then you hear her sing. She's got this voice that can cut through all the bullshit, she can be really aggressive and loud and then she's more whimsical and soft. A decent example of her vocal range on the high end is her fantastic cover of Alanis Morissette's Uninvited. Nadine did an email interview with me in mid-April.
Based in Calgary, Nadine is part of the breed of musicians that blend so many different influences together, they've created a different feel within the music. The same breed of musicians that are rejoicing Calgary garnering attention as more than a province full of country acts. 'Right now, Calgary is really coming forward in the heavy metal scene for sure,' explains Nadine. 'There are so many great bands developing. It's about time we prove that Calgary is more than a mass orgy of country music lovers. The only thing is, it's hard to get to the masses because there aren't many solid places to play where people just come because they know they're going to see something good.'
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Nadine
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Nadine's role in all of this is more about fun than anything else, and isn't it nice to not be so damn serious all the time? 'I like the idea of helping out other bands with vocals or keyboard, something like that since I have quite a range of vocal styles. I love Calgary because everyone helps each other out. There's no competitions or asshole egos for the most part. It's just about playing and having a blast!' Sounds like a massive orgy of indie hookups. I love it.
Nadine is on the roster at Cyclone, though she came to it in a slightly different way than her labelmates. Brad, founder of Cyclone Records, and Nadine were friends before Cyclone was born. Says Nadine, 'right now I try to help Brad with whatever I can. He's a really good friend of mine and has helped me so much with everything. We compliment each other's abilities and strengths quite well. We're a pretty good team!' Brad seems to agree, when I asked him in another interview his thoughts on working with Nadine, he responded, 'She is just such an awesome person that I can't say enough good things about her.'
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Nadine on recording for the comp...
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'I had no idea what it was going to turn out like or what was going to happen. My song actually started out with a simple piano base, but it needed to be harder. The guitar, bass, and drums were written in the studio. Everything turned out pretty good.'
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So when they joined forces to get one of her tracks, Just Break Me, on Cyclone's On the Verge comp disc, it was a good experience all around. 'It was quite exciting actually,' says Nadine. 'I had no idea what it was going to turn out like or what was going to happen. My song actually started out with a simple piano base, but it needed to be harder. The guitar, bass, and drums were written in the studio. Everything turned out pretty good. There were a few things I wanted changed but Brad recently mastered it to perfection! I can't wait to do some more recording!' Brad has similar feelings about how the track came together, 'we worked hard on getting her track recorded. After one failed attempt with a colleague of mine because we just couldn't find the right structure, I brought her into Alchemy Studio. Again Jeff plied his talent and laid down tracks on the spot with no prior rehearsal. I have since done a remix and remaster of the track with some additional sound effects in the background to strengthen the song and give it a more polished sound.'
With her enthusiasm for recording again, it wont be long until she’s back in the studio, 'I'm currently working on writing material that I plan to develop further with a full-time band, get into the studio, record a CD and do some touring wherever. If anyone is interested, give me a shout!' Approaching the writing/recording/touring in this way, this very laid back but still very hands on fashion is what will keep her music the way she wants it, while chasing her dreams. And touring isn’t the only aspect outside of the music she’s thinking about, 'to me I find that the extras are just as important as music in the industry. You could be an excellent band but if you don't have it together with your promotion gear, it'll reflect on how viewers and possible fans perceive the band's quality,' she says. 'You should look as good as you are.' And hands down, Nadine certainly does.
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The Playlist
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Nadine's Playlist
1. Nightwish - Wish I had an Angel
2. Silverchair - Ana's Song
3. Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name
4. Arch Enemy - Burning Angel
5. Fear Factory - Archetype
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