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Gena Perala – “Good Girl” – A Review

  • Received the following press release for a new single by Gena Perala.  A good tune, reminiscent of a more electronic Lana Del Rey.  And Canadian out of Vancouver.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Visual Single Release: Good Girl FEB 20th, by Vancouver based Singer Songwriter Gena Perala (pronounced Jenna).

Gena Perala releases a haunting new single Good Girl on the 20th of February. Reuniting with long-time producer Chris Gestrin, the two have a powerful connection, moving seamlessly through genres and sounds, creating dark melodies enhanced by Perala’s sultry vocals and intensely honest lyrics.

Good Girl opens with beautiful yet ominous “ooohs” and “ahhhs” setting the tone before getting straight to the point: “She’s too good for you and you know it’s true. I think it’s killing you, instead you’re killing her, murderer, murderer, murderer.”

With a voice that is both warm and chilling, Perala creates a style all her own – soft yet strong. “The song is about an abusive relationship and ultimately how every day my friend stayed in this relationship, it was killing her,” Perala explains. “But it’s important to understand how complicated and wrapped up in our past these situations are, so the song is also about the enabling that went on with the abuse and then my own helplessness and anger around men fucking with women, especially when those women are my best friends.”

The visual single premier is an eerie depiction of the artist floating in water surrounded by darkness and at times drowning. Dancers writhing underneath fabric represent the relationship eliciting visuals as unnerving as they are interesting. “Sometimes we know something isn’t good for us and we know we need to get away but we just can’t. Like there’s a force outside ourselves, the fabric drawing us together or the water drowning us and no matter how hard we try, we just can’t get out, Perala says, shedding light on some of the unsettling yet stunning imagery in the video.

Good Girl is the first of a string of releases Perala plans for 2018. It is bit of a departure from her last album (Exactly Nowhere, 2014): Perala trades in her piano for a synthesizer and her drummer for a drum machine. Good Girl is a minimal down-tempo electronic synth song that flirts with pop elements.

Perala’s upcoming releases will feature more of this electronic sound: “Going into the studio I had very specific ideas of what I wanted and co-produced the songs with Chris Gestrin. I love working with Chris anyway but he was the perfect person for this project since his studio is literally packed with synths and drum machines, a lot of them from the 80’s, he loves that stuff so a great fit for the poppy sounds I was going for. He’s also just really good at making my ideas a reality.” Good Girl leans more towards avant-garde pop but then again, Gena Perala is pretty avant-garde herself.

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Taken From My Shazam – Funky President

Listened and shazamed this tune in September 2015.  Great funk from the Godfather Of Soul himself, Mr. James Brown.  Funky President (People It’s Bad) was released as a single in 1974 and appeared on his 1974 album Reality.  Apparently this track is one of his most sampled and the wah wah guitar has been used on dozens of hip hop tracks.  Enjoy!!!

 

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Remembering David Peel

April 6, 2017 saw the passing of David Peel, founder of David Peel and the Lower East Side.  He and the band were early proponents of “street rock” and embraced the hippie/marijuana culture of the 60’s and 70’s.  One could also say that he was an early punk pioneer as well.  His recording career spanned 6 decades, and his last album was released in 2015.  The clip below is notable as it has some special guests, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and is a live performance on the David Frost Show in 1971.

 

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Music From The Mailbag -Jacy Dawn

Jacy Dawn

Received the press release from Jacy Dawn highlighting her latest project, ” A Song For Lois”. Give it a listen and if you like, it is available on iTunes.

Jacy on iTunes

Jacy Dawn Releases “A Song For Lois” Honoring Canadian Children’s Entertainer,
Lois Lilienstein of “Sharon, Lois & Bram”

Nashville, TN (January 13, 2016) – Nashville songwriter Jacy Dawn, has recorded and released “A Song For Lois”, honoring the late Lois Lilienstein, of the famed Canadian children’s trio, Sharon, Lois & Bram. Dawn credits the trio with being the first inspiration behind her decision to pursue a career in the music business. The song features acclaimed musician, and friend of Lilienstein’s, Roy George on piano.

Dawn’s connection with Sharon, Lois & Bram began back in 1988 when their hit television series, “Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show” began airing on Nickelodeon. Dawn had the opportunity to see the trio in concert twice in Boston in the late 80’s and early 90’s when they were at the height of their careers. Dawn says her connection to the eldest of the group, the bubbly, blond, Lilienstein, was instant when she saw her perform on stage. Dawn continued to watch and learn from the Canadian stars through the late 90’s when their television series “Skinnamarink TV” began airing.

In early 2015, Dawn was able to connect with the trio via email, only to learn that Lilienstein had been ill and in the hospital. An email back from the other two members of the group, Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison, reassured Dawn that they had read Lilienstein her letter and that she had been “deeply touched” by Dawn’s sincere message of gratitude. After a few more emails back and forth, Lilienstein passed away in April, from Cancer.

Dawn wrote “A Song For Lois” to honor her earliest musical hero’s memory. She recorded a video of herself performing the song, which has been featured on www.sharonloisbram.com and on a Facebook page honoring Lilienstein. After seeing the video, a pianist and a friend of Lilienstein’s, Roy George, reached out to Dawn with the idea of recording the song. The two have collaborated on this newly released piece and are donating all of the proceeds from the download of the song to Mariposa In The Schools, a program which Lilienstein spent much of her life building and contributing to. Mariposa In The Schools helps to bring musical instruments and music education into the schools in Canada.

Dawn continues to keep in touch with the other two members of the group, Hampson & Morrison via email, and during her recent visit to Toronto last month, Dawn met with Hampson who took her to see the official “Sharon, Lois & Bram” playground, which was dedicated to the trio in 2014. “A Song For Lois” is available for download on all major digital distribution sites.

Originally from Massachusetts, Jacy Dawn has had more than 20 of her songs recorded by both National and International artists. As a performer, Dawn has shared the stage with artists such as Wynonna, LeAnn Rimes, Willie Nelson, Lorrie Morgan, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Martina McBride among others. Her work as an actress has garnered her roles on the hit ABC tv series “Nashville” and she is also the president and CEO of her own marketing and graphic design company.

Best known for their hit song “Skinnamarink”, Sharon, Lois & Bram are multi award winning artists who have sold over 3 million albums in their 36 year career. For their significant contribution to the development of children’s music, the trio were awarded the Order of Canada in 2002. Sharon & Bram continue to perform and tour throughout Canada and the United States.

For more on Jacy Dawn visit: www.jacydawn.com
For more on Sharon & Bram visit www.sharonandbram.com
For more on Sharon Lois & Bram visit: www.sharonloisbram.com
For more on Roy George visit: www.roygeorge.net

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