Carmen Townsend - Guitars, Vox, Songwriter Thomas Allen - Drums Shane O'Handley - Bass
Influences
Blind Melon, Neil Young,The Rheostatics, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Doors Joni, Janis,Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Weezer, Rock Ranger, Slowcoaster, Tool, Sufjan Stevens, Cyndi Lauper, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes, The Beatles, all timeless classic rock, old school country, a zillion other bands. .anything that stretches my ears, fills my soul with inspiration,gets my mojo workin' and sets my feet on fire....the ocean , the woods, the beach, summertime.....Every band I have ever played with..my mom.
"The three-piece band is exploding in the rock scene with a Zeppelin sound and Townsend’s Joplin-inspired vocals." Magen Powell; Dalhousie Gazette, Halifax, NS (Feb. 2007)
"ECMA 2006: highlights from the party of the year: any show by Carmen Townsend..." Todd MacLean; The Guardian, Charlottetown, PEI (Feb. 2006)
"Carmen Townsend and the Shakey Deals hit the stage at 1 a.m. I saw her recently at Tribeca, and was blown away by her soaring Jeff Buckley-like vocals and 70s rock-inspired songs." Craig Pinhey; www.herenb.com
Regional winner (PEI & NS) for the 2006 Canadian Songwriting Competition
Rock and Roll power trios aren’t dead.
Like the long forgotten secret ingredient of authentic rock and roll, Carmen Townsend is reanimating rock fans town by town across Canada with an intensely unforgettable live show. At once an homage to canonical rock monsters of yesteryears, Carmen’s music hits on something a little more raw and primal. With an eerily unique and powerful wail, and a guitar sound that resonates like a 1975 GTO, it’s not unusual to find yourself shaking and soaked when the lights come on after her show.
After fifteen years earning her keep in rock bands across Canada, Carmen came back to Cape Breton and hooked up with a long time (thirteen tight, sweaty years) bass and drum combo Thomas Allen and Shane O’Handley—affectionately dubbed “the Shakey Deals” (yeah, we know the “e” is there, that's how Neil Young spelled it!). In their downtime, Carmen and the boys back up Sydney’s Tom Fun Orchestra with as an aggressively searing, beautifully harmonic rhythm section.
Carmen has been touring Canada relentlessly for the last three years sharing stages with acts like Matt Mays, The Trews, The Rheostatics, Blue Rodeo, Hey Rosetta!, Joel Plaskett,Wintersleep, Sloan and Slowcoaster, tightening up licks in preparation for the release of her long anticipated debut record. The record, tracked at Carriage House Studio in Connecticut and Soundpark Studios in Cape Breton , is raw, melodic, at times abrasive and heartbreakingly gorgeous.
As well as the new record, Carmen’s rendition of Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows (this is nowhere)” was featured on an all female Neil Young tribute compilation in 2008 released on Laundromat Records. In 2008, Carmen’s vocal talent was featured in the darkly comic indie film soundtrack from “Just Buried”.
It’s rock music. Carmen Townsend doesn’t mind tearing a strip off your tight indie t-shirt. The five-year old Carmen that locked herself in her dad’s Chevy to sing along to The Doors definitely didn’t care about what was considered hip music— that hasn’t changed.
Press
[Carmen’s backing band] do well to create a jittery, animated backdrop for Townsend's monster of a voice, cradling and propelling her melodic wail instead of sedating or overpowering it. Scott Reid “Cokemachine Glow” 2006.
Townsend is a fiery redhead with a huge voice and great guitar chops. Her soaring vocals evoke comparisons to Joplin or Stevie Nicks and Townsend’s band, The Shaky Deals, support her with tight retro-rock grooves. The crowd, made up of mostly Plaskett fans and Wintersleepies greeted her with open ears and saw her off with feverish applause. Fraser MacCallym, CJLO, 2008.
Carmen Townsend and her band the Shakey Deals will rock your world. “newhalifax.ca”, 2008
Hi Carmen !! Thanks to you for accepting my friend request!! What's going on on your side of the world? Here, in Montreal, winter is coming quite fast, it’s not even 5 pm and the sun’s already sleeping and it is getting pretty cold !! I'm a musician and it would be really cool if you'd take 10 sec of your life to hear my songs on my page. I work really hard in the process of creating songs, they're like my babies;) If you don't have time, it's ok, you're still cool! :P lol Don't hesitate to write back!
Hi Carmen Townsend, I just wanted to thank you for Adding me into your circle of friends. I Really do appreciate the Consideration! I hope you have an Awesome Week My New Friend! You be safe and don't get into too much Bad Trouble! :) Now Good Trouble on the other Hand.......:o) Mike
The man of wisdom is never of two minds;the man of benevolence never worries;the man of courage is never afraid. New Track up "Crazy Wid It check it out
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