www.myspace.com/elizabethshepherd
Elizabeth Shepherd’s music is less about following a particular tradition than it is about expressing a creative spirit; she is an artist looking to share her take
on the world. Which is not surprising coming from someone who grew up
in a highly musical family, living all over Canada and France, played
tenor horn in the Salvation Army brass band where her parents were
ministers, had an early love-affair with hip-hop music, only to wind up
studying French poetry, and eventually, classical and jazz piano at
McGill University.
Her multiple industry accolades have landed her 2 Juno nominations (Canada’s Grammy equivalent), tours in Europe and across and North America,
Japan, and most recently, a show at the legendary Hollywood Bowl with
Jamie Cullum & Count Basie Orchestra. Fans and critics have drawn
comparisons to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, and Rickie Lee
Jones. And what these names all share is both an accessibility and a
distinctness – that quality people can’t quite pin down.
Depending on what the song calls for, Shepherd always draws upon her roots – be it Salvation Army origins, poetic singer-songwriter lyricism, the modal
inflections of world music, simple and sassy pop, infectiously deep
hip-hop grooves, or the harmonic complexities of jazz. Her tunes are
always a departure from convention; yet one never has the sense of
leaving the home she weaves on stage and invites us to be part of.
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