Live Beat Gig Guide

Start: 5 -8 p.m

Cover: none

Dale Ketcheson plays classical music on the guitar.

Start: 8-10 p.m.

 Laurell www.laurell.ca or www.myspace.com/listentolaurell     is a Vancouverite and first generation Canadian whose parents sailed from Liverpool, Laurell found herself singing along to the Beatles as soon as she could talk. Living in the Northwest exposed Laurell to the elements: snowboarding, surfing, wake boarding, hiking, and dirtbiking. It was these elements that shaped her appreciation of acoustic, rock, folk, hip-hop, punk, and pop music.  Her classical background and jazz-based schooling provided a framework for all of these inspirations to take shape, and today, Laurell's music has found its way to a playful, acoustic pop sound, while never losing the honesty she so clearly draws from.

With three albums to boast, hundreds of U.S. and Canadian tour dates under her belt, a cluttered shelf of accolades, and a growing grassroots following, singer/songwriter Laurell is finding herself on new ground and jumping in with both feet.

After being named "Vancouver Idol" in 2001 on TV's popular reality show Canadian Idol, Laurell took fate into her own hands and independently released her first full-length album, Into Your Love. The spiritually-reflective recording had 500 CD's snatched up the day it dropped, and with band-in-tow, Laurell crossed the country to a hugely warm reception and further success in CD sales.  That year, the album's single, "Great 'I AM'" won Song of the Year at the Canadian People's Choice Gospel Music Awards (Shai).

Eleven months later Laurell released The Fool In Me, and a playful experimentation of instruments, grooves, and subjects emerged. Once again, the CD sales exploded at her release, and Laurell went on to tour the west coast of Canada and the U.S. multiple times, sharing bills with numerous bands and songwriters.

In November 2007, Laurell dropped Fears Aside - a beautiful collection of five more self-penned songs - into the hands of her waiting fans. The album immediately gained her international recognition, winning the We Are Listening songwriting competition for her title track, landing her the $10,000 grand prize in MSN/Sympatico’s indie artist search, and earning her a Western Canadian Music Awards nomination for Outstanding Pop Album.

Recently, Laurell was invited to Toronto and LA to write with numerous established songwriters. The outcome is a 12-song CD entitled Can't Stop Falling.

Look for Can't Stop Falling in stores on March 2010 and Laurell on tour this fall and coming year.