Roxanne
The latest addition to the thriving Toronto blues scene is Roxanne Potvin. Her new album The Way It Feels will be officially launched at the Rivoli (334 Queen St. W. Toronto) on March 9th, and on the 10th at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec. Photo Andrew McNaughton/Alert Records
With a recent Maple Blues nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, a new CD to be released this month and media attention from across North America, Roxanne Potvin is quickly on her way to becoming a household name. Being described as a 'buzz act' and someone to keep an eye and ear open for is an understatement.
Storming onto the blues scene in 2003, young Ms. Potvin has proven herself as a talented a guitar slinger, songwriter and blues chanteuse. The spotlight is on the Ottawa native, and it does not seem to be dimming anytime soon. She is in demand for club shows, blues festivals and special events. She was also featured twice at the esteemed Toronto Blues Society Women's Blues Revue.
Roxanne Potvin grew up around music, as many of her counterparts have. There was always pop or jazz music playing in the Potvin household. She was introduced to some of the standard stuff that many young people listen to; Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles et al. However a chance glimpse at a handsome young blues guitarist by the name of Jonny Lang set the wheels in motion. Roxanne began to dig deeper into the blues and discovered the greats such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Freddy King and many, many more. Soon after this musical epiphany, Ms. Potvin went out and got herself a guitar. She learned the basics easily and started to check out some local jams in Ottawa. At once she was welcomed into the world of jamming and playing for an audience in a club setting.
2003 would prove to be the turning point for Roxanne. Having decided, naturally, to take her career to the next level she wrote a plethora of songs and released her self produced, self financed and self promoted debut recording Careless Loving. The disc garnered plenty of media attention and radio play across the nation. Currently with the help of promoter and public relations authority Richard Flohil and new manager Tom Barry (Holly Cole, Kim Mitchell, Gino Vannelli), Roxanne has everything in place for a long a prosperous music career. The fully bilingual Gatineau based Blues queen has her work cut out for her. When I asked her for thoughts on having such powerful people backing her, Roxanne said "I feel very lucky to have good people around me, and support what I do." Ms. Potvin certainly does have good people on her side; her new recording, The Way It Feels, was produced by the esteemed Colin Linden, who also plays guitar on the CD, and features a stunning duet with John Hiatt. Canadian music icons Bruce Cockburn and Daniel Lanois also make appearances on the disc. What is it like for Roxanne to be playing with the big boys? When the question was posed the answer was simple "The men in the blues scene have always been very protective of me, and looking out for me." As for any obstacle that a young woman entering the cut-throat world of the music industry might endure, the usual fare of riff-raff that one encounters in a bar is about the worst that has happened. "There has been no resistance from the blues community, everyone is very welcoming and supportive and I am grateful for that" she says.
For those of us lucky enough to be in the GTA, Ottawa or the Quebec area, the CD launch parties for the new album The Way It Feels will be held this month at the Rivoli (334 Queen St. W. Toronto) on the 9th, and on the 10th at the Black Sheep Inn (753 Riverside Drive, Wakefield) respectively. There is also a heavy touring schedule set for the spring and summer with dates in St. John, New Brunswick, London, and Oakville, Ontario. Roxanne Potvin is certainly someone to tune into and keep an eye out for. She has all the determination, talent and gusto needed to make a name for herself, and for Canadian Blues. Check out her new website www.roxannepotvin.com for info and tour dates near you.
- Sarah French