When you listen to the trio of musicians lead by singer-songwriter Maddie Storvold at the March 9 Music in the Forest show at Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park in Lac La Biche County, it’s OK to lean in. It shows you’re part of the conversation.
“I really like to look people in the eye and hear their stories and interact with people ... A show should feel like an energetic conversation,” Storvold told Lakeland This Week.
The talented Edmonton singer leaned into her music career more than a decade ago, swerving suddenly from what was likely to be a legal profession, into the life of an independent musician.
“I was studying to be a lawyer — and then I spent one summer in Banff, busking, and I joined a band with these two Australians — and I just didn’t consider going back to law school,” she said, explaining that she did finish university studies, earning degrees in English and Philosophy. She also explains that what may seem like a big jump for some, was something her heart had to do.
Storvold has been singing since childhood, learning to play her grandpa’s 1960s Gibson guitar when she was 12 helped her to get heard around campfires of a large and loud family with lots of storytellers. It’s from those same family roots where she gets her unique sound. Calling her style “a soundscape in the realm of indie-folk-Americana-roots,” Storvold’s voice has some familiar traces reminiscent of Patty Smyth and Sarah McLachlan — but she also carries her own, distinctive sound.
Her soft, but crystal-clear voice is melody-strong, taking her songs down storytelling pathways — like the music she grew up with.
“I grew up listening to the bands my parents love, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Diamond, Bob Seger … and it’s very melodically-driven music from that era,” she said, explaining that she draws on her original song lyrics from life experiences and shared stories from family, friends and the world around her.
Combine that with years spent in musical theatre and choir, and Storvold has found her place. She has been rewarded in her career with a satisfaction of being her own boss, growing her fan-base, enjoying the people and the places she sees … oh — and that first-place win in 2019 on the CTV television series The Launch, where she recorded a song written by Canadian music icon Bryan Adams that went Top 40 on the Canadian country-music charts. That was pretty rewarding too.
While the win helped her career, Storvold remains grounded, and is comfortable charting her own path, booking her own tour dates and telling her own stories.
She’s proud to be a full-time musician, and loves the work she does.
“It feels really empowering as a young artist that I can support my own life, she said.
The Lac La Biche show is part of a 30-date tour that will see Storvold’s trio roll through Alberta and BC, wrapping up in early April. Performing with Storvold are her friends and musical partners Aline Deanna on the fiddle and mandolin, and Jill McKenna on the upright bass. The group will be part of the SkirtsAFire Festival in Edmonton this month, highlighting women of the arts. Storvold is also putting the finishing touches on a project where she sings and tells the stories of the women of Canadian song-writing.
“It’s lots of work — an insane amount of work, but a lot of people will do that much work at something they don’t feel passionate about. I feel really lucky,” she said
The local performance will include a combination of Storvold’s own songs, a few covers of favourites like Joni Mitchell and The Tragically Hip that she will put her own interpretation to, and some comedy rolled into the mix.
Storvold likes to make every show a performance, with a range of options for the audiences that come out to support her.
“My main goal is to use my platform to make people feel something,” she said, modestly side-stepping a question about an angelic quality in her singing voice. “It’s one thing to have a pretty voice… but the much more challenging and important part comes from what you decide to do with it, and what you decide to say.”
Tickets
Tickets for the March 9 Music in the Forest event start at just $15, and are available through the Alberta Parks website or by contacting the local Parks office at 780-623-7189 for more information.
The Music in the Forest series began several years ago, bringing independent musicians from across the Prairies to the region for intimate performances during the spring and summer months. Due to the COVID pandemic, the program has been on hold since 2020. Storvold’s opening performance will begin regular visits by artists to the Churchill Park stage. Storvold’s show will be held at the Churchill Community Facility on the causeway. The next Music in the Forest Show is slated for May 20 inside the Big Island Amphitheatre, featuring Calgary folk band Two Late To The Party.
