Every artist rides the switchbacks of direct comparison before they earn the right to step into their own musical shoes and leave a customized footprint. At first, Canadian singer-songwriter Oh Susanna might have been Dylanesque with her stark intense narratives. As she developed, she was sometimes called (Gillian) Welchesque for her mountain-air monologues. The time for the lazy likening of Suzie Ungerleider to anyone else has passed — the only description now can be Oh Susanna-esque. Suzie's 5th studio album Short Stories was released in 2007 to critical acclaim on Outside Music in Canada, Rounder Europe, and Croxton Records in Australia. Oh Susanna is currently in the recording studio and will be releasing an album in late 2010 or early 2011.

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For more information and tour dates, please visit
www.ohsusanna.com
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Biography

**** An “Essential Americana Album” Pick
~ MOJO magazine - July 2003 issue

“Her narrative force, incisive and amazingly detailed lyrics, and simple musical approach mark her as an artist to watch.”
~ Billboard

“Not to take away from neo-hayseed Gillian Welch, but Canadian singer Oh Susanna is on the frontlines of the real alt-country revolution.”
~ L.A. Weekly
 

Every artist rides the switchbacks of direct comparison before they earn the right to step into their own musical shoes and leave a customized footprint.  At first, Canadian singer-songwriter Oh Susanna might have been Dylanesque with her stark intense narratives.  As she developed, she was sometimes called (Gillian) Welchesque for her mountain-air monologues.  Now, the time for the lazy likening of Suzie Ungerleider to anyone else has passed.  With the depth of accomplishment to delight everybody that hears her, the only description for Suzie’s music can be Oh Susanna-esque.

Her songwriting is immense, ghostly tales from the dark end of the street, about things not working out too well, and places you can never go back to. Her songs sound like they were lifted from old Folkways records, field recordings from back in the hills sung by a woman who has spent more than her share of time alone. She grew up a Vancouverite, not too far away from Jericho, staring at the ocean, mountains and railroad tracks through sheets of rain. She sought refuge with song under burnt-out warehouses and in darkened clubs.

This singular artist stood out from the crowd from the moment she released an eponymous seven-song EP in 1997  Over the next 10 years, Oh Susanna continued to garner critical acclaim and loyal audiences around the world with Johnstown (1999), Sleepy Little Sailor (2001) and Oh Susanna (2003).  Her latest album, Short Stories (2007) is a dramatic collection of songs inspired by both the lives of the people in Oh Susanna's family, and by those recorded in 20th century American writing. It shares personal fables of heroes and antiheroes as if through the lens of a documentary film. Keeping the folk, rock, and country vibes alive through her music and words, Suzie brings a special and warm presence to her live element and captures her audience with her all-knowing and feeling abilities. One feels drawn to listen to this one-woman storyteller with her simple subtleties that call out much louder than expected. "I want to communicate some kind of eerie beauty. The kind of beauty you find in folk music, in spirituals, blues and in mountain ballads. Intense and terrifying music that evokes mystery."
 

Press

Assorted Highlights - 2007-08-15

****– August 2007
It opens with a sweet, joyous love song, beautifully sung, folky, with judicious use of strings – a warm, full mood that the Canadian singer-songwriter returns to a few more times on her fine fourth album. For fans of her darker side there’s Three Shots and Greyhound Bus, plus a fine slow cowboy/border song, Filled With Gold.
MOJO

**** – August 2007
Fourth from Vancouver songbird
Fitting between spectral folk and downbeat blues, 2003’s eponymous last LP earned Oh Susanna several rave notices over here.  This time around, Suzie Ungerleider’s intention was to make more of a “band” record.  But the pianos, steel and strings are so artfully understated that she still sounds as lost and wind-bitten as before.  There’s a Southern soul feel to much of this lovely music, particularly “Schoolyard” and clear standout “Greyhound Bus”.  And while there are hints of Appalachia, the other gilded moment is “Holy Roller”, a spare, folksy beauty set to equally lonesome piano. 
UNCUT magazine
 

Oh Susanna has become a musician to be reckoned with.... The strength and intensity of her voice has an edge that conveys the evil of country blues.
No Depression

That voice really is a marvel, a haunting, expressive instrument that can proudly stand alongside those of Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch in the roots elite.  This album [Short Stories] stresses mood and narrative over melody to stunning effect.
Exclaim!

Her narrative force, incisive and amazingly detailed lyrics, and simple musical approach mark her as an artist to watch.
Billboard

On Oh Susanna’s aptly titled Short Stories, the singer (whose real name is Suzie Ungerleider) uses her clear and lonesome country voice to tell sweetly poignant tales about people who are damaged by love or bullies, take off on a Greyhound bus to look for their long-lost daughter or fall in a heap on the floor, shot dead.
Elle

Suddenly, the stark acoustic blues of her debut EP, the dreamy pop, and the band-driven rock that followed all seem to have been heading toward this point: a lightly burnished naturalness that perfectly reflects the material rather than underplaying it or tugging too hard at its corners.
The Toronto Star

Her tales of love, loss and yearning are utterly engrossing and sung with a delivery that gives them weight beyond the words.  Like those in a good book, Ungerleider’s characters linger long after the last notes of each song fade, putting her in a class above your typical troubadour.  This woman is a writer – she just happens to sing her stories rather than type them out.
FFWD

“Oh Susanna”  -  Critics’ Top Albums of  2003  -  Rolling Stone.com

“Sleepy Little Sailor”  -  Critics’ Top Albums of 2001  -  Rolling Stone.com

Oh Susanna
Short Stories

On Oh Susanna’s aptly titled Short Stories (Outside Music), the singer (whose real name is Suzie Ungerleider) uses her clear and lonesome country voice – sparsely accompanied by members of Blue Rodeo – to tell sweetly poignant tales about people who are damaged by love or bullies, take off on a Greyhound bus to look for their long-lost daughter or fall in a heap on the floor, shot dead.

MARY DICKIE
 

Oh Susanna
Short Stories

On her 2003 self-titled disc, Suzie Ungerleider added decidedly rock elements to her troubadour template to oft-bracing effect. She returns to her roots here by emphasizing her voice and lyrics, and rises to the challenge with graceful ease. That voice really is a marvel, a haunting, expressive instrument that can proudly stand alongside those of Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch in the roots elite. Sparse and subtle accompaniment comes from her A-list players, including Luke Doucet, David Baxter, Blue Rodeo’s Bazil Donovan and Bob Packwood, Justin Rutledge (who harmonies beautifully on “Pretty Penny”) and drummer/hubby Cam Giroux. Strings are used judiciously and effectively on “Miss Liberty” and powerful closer “Filled With Gold.” Lyrically, Suzie presents a rich, colourful cast of characters, telling their stories with real empathy. There’s the “beauty queen strapped to a Coke machine” and the teenager who gave up her baby then ran off to “hang my heart on a hitching post where they got clean air to breathe” on “Greyhound Bus.” Even Billy The Kid makes an appearance, via her fine cover of Dylan’s “Billy 4.” This album stresses mood and narrative over melody to stunning effect.

With the last record, you said you felt like a singer in a band. This one seems more like a singer/songwriter record. Agree?
Completely. It was just the nature of the songs I wrote this time, where I had a quiet thing going on. With Oh Susanna, I thought it’d be fun to make more of a rock’n’roll record. Here, it was like, “I’m sick of those boys. I just want to be by myself,” and I was happy to do it that way.

Does the album title reflect the way you approach the songs?
I’m always attempting to make the songs like short stories. These ones in particular emphasise that, though I probably could’ve called every record I’ve made Short Stories. The title is a simple way of having someone pick it up and listen to it in that context.

This is clearly not a confessional style singer/songwriter record. I feel like what I do has a confessional aspect to it, though it’s not necessarily me that is confessing. I find pretending I’m someone else that much more intriguing. I don’t think my life is all that worthy of writing into songs in a literal sense. If I were to write about my life, I’d still be manipulating it in such a way as to fictionalise it.

By Kerry Doole
(Stella/Outside)

April 21, 2007

The Anti-Hit List for April 21

1. OH SUSANNA
Like the rest of her fourth full-length, this moving lead-off [“Pretty Face”] track serves the larger function of bringing the stylistic wanderings of her previous releases sharply into focus. Suddenly, the stark acoustic blues of her debut EP, the dreamy pop, and the band-driven rock that followed all seem to have been heading toward this point: a lightly burnished naturalness that perfectly reflects the material rather than underplaying it or tugging too hard at its corners. Part of that can be chalked up to the co-production by Blue Rodeo's Bazil Donovan. A bigger part is Suzie Ungerleider's willingness to have taken the winding journey to get from there to here.

(From Short Stories, out May 1, info only: outside-music.ca)

JOHN SAKAMOTO
 

Discography

Contacts

Management

Worldwide
Starfish Entertainment
Susan de Cartier / Judith Coombe
416-588-3329
susan@starfishentertainment.com
jude@starfishentertainment.com

Record Company

Canada
Outside Music
Kevin Lynn – Marketing Manager
416-461-0655 x335
kevin@outside-music.com

UK/Europe
Rounder Europe
Bert Pijpers
+31 (0) 317497654
bertp@roundereurope.com

Australia
Croxton Records
Michael Thomas
officialmickthomas@yahoo.com.au

Agent

Canada
The Agency Group
Rob Zifarelli
416-368-5599
robzifarelli@theagencygroup.com

Publicist

Canada
Stage Fright Publicity
Darryl Weeks
705-728-7077
darryl@stagefrightpublicity.com

UK
Ark PR
Del Day
+44 (0) 1273 696355
Arkpr@aol.com

Europe
Rounder Europe
Bert Pijpers
+31 (0) 317497654
bertp@roundereurope.com

Australia
Happy Girl Music
Ms Sam Wareing
happygirlmusic@gmail.com

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