From an early musical education on the East Coast to her role in the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus to fronting her own act, it’s been a road well travelled for singer/songwriter Jacquie Drew.
Drew will be bringing her rockin’ country four-piece to the BullHorn Saloon for a one-night stop Dec. 28.
“I hope people come out in a mood to dance,” said Drew, a multi-instrumentalist whose mainstay is guitar with her ‘Jacquie Drew and the Crew’, but won’t let her fans get through the evening without busting out her harmonicas and even an accordion.
Tailoring their set list to the tone of whatever event they are at, Drew enjoys the occasional late-night gig, which is a rare treat for ‘Drew and the Crew’ — who mainly keep busy with corporate events, mixing Drew’s originals with crowd favourites.
When she’s not diggin’ in her heels with ‘the Crew’, Drew is gearing up for her third album — still beaming from her 2011 album, Red Hot Candy Heart, made possible with the help of a Rawlco Radio grant.
As she gets ready to ride back into the recording studio, Drew said she is approaching this album from a more eclectic perspective.
“I’ve written a lot more rootsy-rock-pop kind of stuff for this album…it’s a lot less traditional country,” said the songwriter. “For every songwriter, you have to evolve so you’re not writing songs that sound like your previous songs.”
“Because of having to learn a lot of different pop and rock songs for audience requests over the years, that’s kind of influenced me…why should I sock myself into one genre?”
Reaching number four on the national folk charts in January 2011, Drew hopes that her anticipated 2014 release will garner new fans and new stops on the tour route.
A marketing mama by day, musician by night, Drew injects humour and the musings on the juggling act of the busy working mother into her songwriting.
Her inspirations can stem from a rough day at her home office to the angst of financial stress.
The former solo female member of popular Calgary country band, ‘Tom Phillips and the Men of Constant Sorrow’ – turned-front woman of her own band (again, the only woman) Drew is no stranger to evening out the playing field.
“You always feel like you’re pushing the boundary a little when you’re a woman,” said Drew, commenting on her role as a leader in her stage business and day job.
“When you’re on stage, it’s kind of like you need a little team behind you…the guys in my band are fantastic.
The ‘Drew Crew’ features Steve Bridgett (guitar, keyboard, vocals), Scott Muirhead (drums, vocals) and Richard Erickson (bass, vocals).
Learn more at jacquiedrew.com.
