MARIN PATENAUDE
From cabin to studio
Marin Patenaude released her debut album in 2016 after years in the wilderness, so to speak. The singer returned to rural Horsefly, B.C., where she grew up in a musical family (her older sister is Juno Award-winning Pharis Romero) after attending music school in Vancouver over a decade ago.
Patenaude followed up that debut, a well-received album of atmospheric and intimate country-folk recorded with her band Follow Through, with a collaboration with local indie jazz/folk/ rock act Pugs and Crows, last year’s Uncle.
We talked to the singer, now based in east Vancouver, about her upcoming show. It features Cole Schmidt on guitar, Pete Schmitt on bass, Skye Brooks on drums and Scott Smith on pedal steel.
Q: There was a 15-year period when you weren’t pursuing music at all. Why?
A: It was a time of being unsure of what I was doing with my life and where I was trying out different things. Music was never something I though of as a possibility or career, it was just something we had in our family and something we did as kids. It’s not that I stopped doing music, I was constantly singing and writing music, but just as a hobby.
Q: What convinced you to make a record?
A: My friends. They were like, “Hey, we want a CD of your
music.” And I met someone who was interested in helping me form a band and produce the record. So I thought, “OK, I’ll make a record.” Then you kind of have to follow through with the rest of it.
Q : Was that person Cole Schmidt?
A: Well, I’d always played with Cole Schmidt out of a deep love of one another’s styles and personalities. We met at jazz school and continued playing after that. Once I left, I moved back to the Kootenays, then back to the Cariboo for awhile. While I was up there I met Kenton Loewen, who co-produced my first record and drummed with me for a while. That motivated me to move forward. I had no idea of how to approach making a record. He really helped with that side of things.
Q: You’ll be releasing a second record next year. How would you describe it?
A: It’s a doozy. It’s a little more political, I’ve added more stories, it’s less me being sad in a cabin in the woods by myself. But it has a similar feel. I really like the production on the first record, and I love the players, everyone that we worked with. It’s a collection of new and old songs I thought worked well together and are appropriate to a winter release.
Q: How would you describe the differences between your record and the Pugs and Crows record?
A: It’s very different. I didn’t write
any of the music (on Uncle), it’s all Cole’s writing. It was such a treat to be able to sing someone else’s material and just focus on the singing element and not the guitar playing or piano or the writing. It was a wonderful challenge. Cole has a different ear for melody than I do, and I really enjoyed that side of that process.
Q: What can you tell us about
your upcoming show?
A: I’m so excited for that. It’s my favourite room in Vancouver to play. It sounds great, there’s a beautiful piano, and (presenter/ promoter) Rogue Folk has done such great things for the music community in Vancouver. I’m honoured to be part of that community. And I don’t have a lot of opportunities to play with a full band, so it’s a treat.