Stephanie's World - Mandi Perkins
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Mood:
 calm This week's feature is a double-treat for me. Not only do I get to showcase a kick-ass singer / songwriter, but I get to help promote a fellow Canadian. Mandi Perkins is a Toronto native who cut her teeth on singing and songwriting from an early age. Working locally in children's musical theatre, Mandi always knew what her career had to be. By sixteen she was singing the National Anthem at the Skydome, and winning a Canada-wide talent competition, and when high school ended she headed out to hone her craft.  That started with a degree in English Literature at UC Berkeley, and I think that all will listen to her music will appreciate the lyrical structures that this background has helped her create, and in her ability to convey the material. Singing from personal emotion, she is also extremely varied in the subject matter that she tackles in her songs. And she approaches the subjects from different angles that add surprising nuance to them. Then, of course, there is that voice. I have been wracking my brain to try and come up with someone to compare it to, but I can't. And that is a good thing in my book as it stands out as something uniquely hers. Able to present herself to you with soft, warm strains like Jewel or Joni Mitchell, and then digging deep and ripping it out like Alanis. But always definitely herself.  Now, a great voice needs great accompaniment, and she has found a talented group of musicians to surround herself with to present her songs. They play well off of each other and provide a stable, lively, rocking backdrop for featuring her voice and her sheer personal energy. And the music is as impossible to simply pigeonhole as her voice. It is strong and melodic, and it has all the right sharp edges in all the right places. And when you package it all together, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Some of the music you can immediately picture tearing up the charts on popular radio, and other songs are definitely less commercial but equally captivating to enjoy.  Asked to describe her music in her own words, Mandi had this to say: "I like to convey my thoughts as sincerely as I possibly can because I want people to relate to my songs. The music and lyrics combine to form a powerful combination of stability with an ever present contradictory notion of change. The music is familiar on many levels and I hope that my music reminds people of a familiar place. But I also want to be able to introduce new ideas into this comfortable atmosphere. The subject matter and mood of the music is sometimes intrusive on this comfort zone and I like how it constantly surprises the listener." Mandi more than delivers on what she is trying to do with her music. And I hope that everyone enjoys this week's feature as much as I do.  Mandi also has a really professional flash website with all the bells and whistles. I encourage you to check it out.  I wanted to thank Mandi for being my feature this week! Thanks Mandi!  | ||||||||||
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