Indie Week 2009 - Irish Showcase - Vancouver's Folk Soul Songtress Elaine Ryan - Oct 9 - Hideout

Sept. 30, 2009 - PRLog -- Folk-Soul Songstress Elaine Ryan will make her debut performance at Toronto’s Indie Week, which runs October 7th to 10th. Ms. Ryan, who was born in Waterford, Ireland will be showcasing at the Hideout at 484 Queen Street West, on Friday October 9th, from 9:45 to 10:15 p.m. as part of the Irish Showcase. She will also be playing a set on Thursday October 8th, from 8-11pm at Slacks lounge at 562 Church Street.

Ms. Ryan, who hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, has performed at festivals from Austin, Texas to Mont-Trembant, Quebec, has mesmerized audiences in Maui and Montreal and has sung her heart out on the streets and trams of Spain and Switzerland. Elaine Ryan’s award-winning song Dream of Peace was included in this year’s Dream On! Compilation album dedicated to the memory and work of Martin Luther King Jr. (www.thedreamcontinued.org.)

As a poignant writer of love songs, political love songs and songs that are just plain political, Elaine creates lyrics that strike a chord, blending poetry with precision, humility with honesty. The simplicity and soulfulness of her music call to mind the music of Tracy Chapman, while her rhythmic sensibilities evoke influences as diverse as Paul Simon and Ani Difranco.

“For me, the lyrics are essential. I love to sing and make music, but I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have a passion for writing,” she explains.

Ms. Ryan is in the process of mixing and mastering her first full-length album. She recorded the album using studio time that she won at a songwriting contest in March. Her first short recording, the Sisters EP was released in 2007.

Tickets for the October 9th show are $10 at the door. Doors open at 9pm. Ticketing and schedule for Toronto Indie Week are available at www.indieweek.com. To contact Elaine Ryan, please send an email to mselaineryan@gmail.com or phone (514) 831-0844.

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About Elaine Ryan

Self-taught in voice and guitar, Elaine started singing the moment she could speak. Born in Ireland—a country referred to as “the land of poets and playwrights”—Elaine was surrounded by its music and a European culture that she still carries with her today. She picked up a guitar as a teen after seeing Ani Difranco perform in a tiny venue in Galway.  Elaine found inspiration through this New York musician’s feminist lyrics and captivating presence.

This 27-year-old from Vancouver, Canada has now written a solid collection of political love songs. With a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations, Elaine walks the walk to back up the talk with intellectually stimulating lyrics. She cares about social justice and it comes out in her songs.

An old soul, Elaine also draws from her experiences traveling—from working in a Guatemalan orphanage to busking her way through Switzerland and Spain, with her guitar case open and the world as her stage.

This “folk soul songstress” has played in various venues while living in Vancouver and Maui and recorded her debut EP, Sisters, in 2007 in Vancouver’s Ogre studios.

Her song, Dream of Peace, off the Sisters EP, can be found on a charity compilation honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. called Dream On, which was released in January (www.thedreamcontinued.org).

Elaine is in the process of releasing a full-length album, which includes the intoxicating “Simple Love Song.”  “This sweet ballad becomes one of those songs you can’t get out of your head—and don’t want it to," remarks Trish Smith of the Maui Weekly newspaper.

For more information including show dates, contact info, or booking Elaine Ryan, please contact mselaineryan@gmail.com or visit Elaine’s website at

www.elaineryan.ca

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