A little bit country...
Becker

IT’S RARE to stumble
upon 2 debut disc that
comes across like the
complex and honest
work of a veteran

musician.”

It's a particular pleasure
and‘doubly so when you
know that the artist lives in
your back yard.

Given the consistent
. Strength of the CD Love Is

An Outlaw, North
Vancouver’s Megan
~ Metcalfe i is a star on the rise.
“The 32-year-old is the
- daughter of Vancouver
broadcaster Joy Metcalfe.
“The youngest of six chil-
: ‘dren, Megan traces her vocal
‘, gift to her mother and a
‘-great-grandmother.
“My mother has the most
‘beautiful voice. When she
“ was’ growing up she wanted
to. be an opera singer. I just
“recently found out that my
. great-grandmother on my
-mom’s side was a profes-
_ Sional singer,” she said.
Metcalfe is'blessed with a
supple voice. | :
Critics across the land
. were already tripping over
_ their superlatives when -
. Metcalfe and partner Robbie
Steininger released the disc
_ independently last year.
_\-, ‘The material lives some-
where near.the country, but
. it’s not deep Nashville:

Rather, she dabbles in bits of
this and that. Folk-reck is
intrinsic to the mix.

She's sometimes labeled
“kind-of-country.”

Explains Metcalfe, “I can
live with kind-of-country,
kind-of-folk, kind-of-rock.
It's a bit of everything. It’s a
stew. I don’t reject anything
I hear that is musical. I like
Peart Jam and yet I also like
Jennifer Warnes.”

Record label giant EMI is
bringing its machinery to
bear upon the project. The
disc has got a spiffy new
cover, great distribution and

the’promotional backing that

will give Metcalfe a solid

_ Shot at the success her cali-

bre of talent deserves.

EMi representative Steve
Young is uncomfortable with
the notion of categorizing
artists. “What would happen
if Megan in a year from now

NEWS photo Mike Wakelleic¢

would do a dif-
ferent record
that would be
screaming rock
or whatever?
“You never
know how an
artist's career is
going to evolve.
At the end of the
day, record com-
panies look for
good songs in
whatever genre,”
he said.
Starbird
Road, the first
single from the
disc, has found
its legs in video
form cn New
Country
Network, an all-
country televi-
sion channel.
The song is a fixture on
country radio stations and
placed 34th on the Canadian
Adult Contemporary chart

NORTH VANCOUVER’S Megar

“There is no division. it
makes for a challenge to
work things out on occasion.
It also makes things very

Saf cagdietey — poe

Pe wren

Sunday, April 7, 1996 — North Shore. News - "43

in Metcalfe released her first album, Love Is:
An Outlaw, independently last year. it has been picked up by recording
industry biggie EMi.

Metcalfe gives much of the
credit to Steininger.

“He commands a lot of
respect in the Canadian

* Jocal R&B artist
Oliver Conway, '
of Oliver and the
Elements. He's

‘also mixing Paul
Hyde’s latest
record.

Love fs An
Outlaw is lyrical-
f ly thick with ©
_ hard-won wis-
dom. “I guess that
stuff is formed
“through a whole
+ lot of living. And
it’s not necessari-
ly dramatic
events. It’s day-
‘to-day routine life
“things. If you -
allow them to get
under your skin
they become fod- .
der for your mate-
rial.”

~ ‘Although the EMI ver-

sion of her debut is fresh to

- the record stores, she’s been
dancing with EMI for the |

Photo eubmitied °

this week.

As songwriters Metcalfe
and Steininger wear their
hearts on her sleeves. The
pair met four years ago dur-
ing a demo session.

Said Metcalfe,
“Everything that exists in
our relationship finds its way
into the music aad every- _
thing we work on together ir
the music finds its way into
the relationship.

emotionally rich,” she said.
The couple brought
together a talented group to
tap into their musical spirit.
The band includes
Loverboy drummer Matt
Frenette, North Vancouver
harmonica ace Keith
Bennett, Rob Becker, Linda
McRae of Spirit of the West
farne, Sue Leonard, bassist

Miles Hill and Vince Ditrich.
The musicians mesh well.

industry as a musician. He’s
a phenomenal guitarist and
he’s just made his first for-
ays into producing.”
Steininger was active on

‘the production front last

year. He’s been working
with a West Coast “Leonard
Cohen,” Ed Bak. He's.

. worked with Geoff Gibbons,
. who has a debut out and a

second album pending.
Steininger produced for

past four years..“‘The head of
A&R was extremely sup-. -
portive when.we sent him ‘
the first demo tape. The.’
huge wheel of the major. ,
record label industry turns
very slowly,” Metcalfe said.

The wheel is gathering.
momentum, She's just com-"
pleted a cross-country media
blitz. A tour is in the works:
and she’s getting busy for’. .
the next disc.

. plans to wad?

Welcome Wagon takes its.popular bridal
showcase to the top, top of Grouse
Mountain that is, on Sunday, April 14.

' Demonstrations, door prizes and displays
. complement a show of gowns by Hilda

Fassas of Special Events Designs, starting
at 2 p.m. Admission is free (including

_ Skyride from | p.m.) for the bride-to-be

and her guest but reservations are request-
ed. Phone Sue at 929-1220 or Marge at
275-1558. -

feather for less

Fans of Neto Leather who may still be
mourning the loss of the Park Royal store
can take heart. The designer leather man-
ufacturer is holding a sale of samples and
overstock items at its False Creek facto-
ry showroom. The sale runs Friday, April
12, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, April 13,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, April 14,
noon to 6 p.m. All items are “in season”
says designer and co-owner Deborah
Tissington (also a West Van resident),
who's busy manufacturing for fall so
spring stock must be cleared out. Expect
to find superb quality men’s and
women's leathers for 50% to 70% off the
regular ticket price. For the adventurous,
there are haute hides in white, lilac, yel-
low or red besides the ubicuitous black.

GENEVIEVE WEARS an Italian
satin gown designed by Hilda
Fassas, to be featured at the
Welcome Wagon Bridal Show next
Sunday.

Also at a discount: the French Laundry
line of city-slick denim cigasette pants,
walking shorts, cropped vests and skirts,
availabie in cptic white or double-dyed
dlack, some with leather trim. Neto’s
factory is at 54 E. 4th Ave.

(at Quebec Street) in

Vancouver.

retali detalts

Werner Grzimek, designer
and managing director of
Park Royal's Aperitiv
Design, is i the midst of a
“very amicable divorce”
from the clothing line's
manufacturer. Grzimek cites
late deliveries and repeat
production problems as the
reason for the split. To
ensure tighter control over
quality and timing, Grzimek
is scouting now for a
Canadian manufacturer for
his line of European coordi-
nates, which are currently
produced in Hong Kong.
Grzimek's plan is to form a joint venture
with a new manufacturer, buy out the
current owner and open five to 10 more
stores within the next two to three years. .
In‘ addition to the Park Royal store,
Aperitiv has a location at Oukridge
Centre. A third Aperitiv opens on Howe
Strect, next to Cartier, in May.

looking

industrial revelation
Oil Stick. Ozone. Smog. Mildew and
Asphyxia: these are the colors ef Urban

WERNER

alliance with Park Royal's
Aperitiv boutique.

- Decay, Sandy i Lerrer’s new line of lip-
sticks and nail enamels. Seems the San’
Francisco entrepreueur grew bored of
vacuously named cosmetics - like
Passionate Pink and Raging Red and

decided to take her
inspiration from the

streets, literally. We

dialled up Urban

Decay’s _ toll-free

number = (1-800-

784-URBAN) — to

discover that top-

selling colors are

Bruise, a bluish

purple, and Roach,

a brownish gold.

Nail enamel, US$9,

and lipstick.

US$12, ‘are avail-

able by mail-order.
GRZIMEK... and
to form a new

dine

design
Dundiarave Cafe has
something new and
fashionable on the
menu. The popular West Vancouver
restaurant will be hosting lunch-time
fashion shows on three Tuesdays in
April. The April 16 show will feature
clothing from Destino’s Designer
Boutique, April 23 highlights BJ's of
West Van and April 30 puts Wall Street
Fashion in the spotlight. Dundarave Cafe
is located at 2427 Marine Dr. West Van.
Reservations are sugyested.. Phone 926-
R838. .
~~ Layne Christensen