Back to Previous PageSwamperella Press Kithttp://www.swamperella.comSWAMPERELLA plays traditional and contemporary Cajun music. Cajun music comes to us from rural Louisiana where Acadian music mingled with other traditions of the south. Here the locals like to waltz and two-step the night away to the sounds of fiddle, button accordion, guitar and triangle. The music is high energy, uplifting, easy to dance to and has a mournful bluesy sound. SWAMPERELLA has been playing in the Toronto area for the past four years and has built up a faithful audience of dance enthusiasts of all ages. The band hosts successful monthly dances in Toronto to a regular crowd of 200 dancers. Performances include Doors Open, the City of Toronto’s Heritage Celebration held at the Royal Ontario Museum, Hillside in Guelph, Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, International Milk Festival at Toronto’s Harbourfront, Mariposa in the City, the twentieth anniversary of Nightwood Theatre’s annual Fem Cabaret in Toronto, and Peter Gzowski’s invitational golf tournament and cabaret. SWAMPERELLA was shortlisted from 400 applicants and went on to win the acoustic talent search for a performance slot at Lilith Fair, Toronto 1998. SWAMPERELLA is devoted to an authentic Cajun sound and is currently exploring original material in the genre. The band has just completed a debut CD, produced by David Travers-Smith in Toronto. It will be released in May 2001. The new release will be available from Festival Distribution and from Swamperella; also watch the CD page for updates on distributors. To enquire about bookings, please email us at swamp@swamperella.com or mail us at: SWAMPERELLA
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Press Quotes: What the critics say about SwamperellaTHE TORONTO STAR, Arts & Entertainment Guide, March 22, 2001
"The femme quotient makes for fascinating two-part harmonies on the CD -- Cajun country isn’t exactly a haven for female singers -- and the group has no problem incorporating languorous country licks, Celt-style fiddling and a touch of the blues, with most lyrics sung in Louisiana French. "This is the music of western Louisiana, authentic old style with a smattering of original material tossed into the southern stew. It’s sentimental to be sure, but pumps with life" THE TORONTO STAR, Club Notes, February 18, 1999
" ...despite the purist aesthetic, Swamperella is hardly an exercise in dry musicology. This is, above all, a party band, and a spirit of wry fun cuts through even its most mournful material" EYE MUSIC August 13, 1998
"There’s five of ‘em but singer / fiddle player Soozi Schlanger is the singular embodiment of Swamperella, a name that brings to mind a brassy dame tramping through the bayou with gators in tow, ball-gown covered in mud." TORONTO WEST JOURNAL, February 1998
"If you like to dance or enjoy country music check out the Cajun Dance nights at the Gladstone hosted by Swamperella. This is real country...." |
Swamperella - Past Performance HighlightsMarch 2001, Harbourfront, Toronto May 2000, Doors Open Toronto. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto August 2000, Oakwood Festival of the Arts, Toronto March 2000, 20th anniversary Fem Cabaret, Bluma Apel Theatre, Toronto July 1999, Memoire et Racines, Joliette, Quebec June 1999, Mariposa in the City, Toronto May 1999, Milk Festival International, Harbourfront, Toronto February 1999, Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg, Manitoba October 1998, Ontario School Teacher's rally, Queens Park, Toronto (playing for 40000 people) July 1998, Lilith Fair, Molson Place, Toronto July 1998 Metro Hall, Toronto June 1998 Goron Best Theatre Peterborough, Ontario December 1997 First Night Harbourfront, Toronto December 1997 Greenbank Folk Society, Greenbank, Ontario September 1997, monthly dances start at the Gladstone Hotel, Toronto August 1997 Music of the Americas, Harbourfront, Toronto July 1997 Hillside Festival, Guelph Ontario June 1997, Ontario Science Center, Toronto, Ontario Thank you for your interest in SWAMPERELLA! |