Originally from Baltimore and now based in sunny Oakland, songbird and solo uke-slinger/guitarist, Tippy Canoe (Michele Kappel-Stone), made the switch from a 5-piece drum kit with the garage-pop princesses The Kirby Grips (Sympathy For The Record Industry), to a 4-stringed ukulele in 2003. In 2009 she upped the string count and added guitarist to her resume. She’s on a mission to bring sincere uplift in a severely down-slanted era by spreading her hook-laden pop-meets-roots music.
On her debut full-length album, “Parasols & Pekingese,” released in 2008 on Late Bloomers Works and recorded with her full band the Paddlemen, Tippy Canoe shows off her enchanting and dynamic sound. Her voice is a mixture of the 60's girl group sound and classic country with its own quirky nature shining through. Her songwriting highlights a variety of influences ranging from 20's and 30's acts like The Boswell Sisters and Jack Teagarden, to 50's and 60's performers like Brenda Lee and The Chiffons, and catchy post-punk bands like Squeeze and Blondie.
Tippy Canoe has shared the stage or completed coastal tours with artists including Martha Wainwright, Barbara Manning, Big Sandy & his Fly-Rite Boys, Mad Tea Party, and others. San Francisco shows Tippy Canoe a lot of love; she was included in an exhibition on the ukulele at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art, featured in the first annual San Francisco Ukulele Festival, and aired on a segment of PBS’s Bay Area Arts program SPARK TV. Tippy Canoe also contributed original music to the animated children’s DVD “Music Time.”
You won’t want to miss Tippy Canoe as she continues to stomp the pavement and charm audiences with her solo act.
---who conjure up a tight-knit mesh of rhythm to compliment her old-timey pop melodies. Additional assistance is provided at times by Yanos Lustig (sax/keys - Johnny Bones and the Palace of Jazz), and Christopher Fisher (drums - 77 el Deora/The Country Squires).
Quotes from the Press: "From the rollicking rootsy country of "Mass Transmissions" to the dark sensuality of "Sleep, Sleep My Dear" and everything in between, Tippy Canoe and the Paddlemen prove that theirs is more than a passing interest in the treasure trove of the past. Tippy's voice can tap both Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday and the Paddlemen themselves are so good they're easy to miss in a sense. There isn't a self-serving note played with all focus on the songs and not the players." Bob Lange, Rock and Roll and Meandering Nonsense.
"Kappel’s switch from mainstream music to a more independent sound was a brave move that sets her apart from a lot of female musicians, Silva said. 'I think it’s more difficult, especially for a female, to do something different and still gain respect,' she said. Silva’s favorite female musicians include Joan Jett and Kathleen Hanna, who used to sing for punk group Bikini Kill. Women such as Jett, Hanna and Kappel are inspiring to young girls, Silva said." Angela Perez, The Orion (Chico, CA)
"Quirky country, sensual lounge music, call it what you will: Tippy Canoe & The Paddlemen's Parasols & Pekingese is an alternative to popular country acts and a challenger to alternative sensations such as Neko Case." Barrett King, SEN Baltimore (Any Given Tuesday Podcast/Blog)
“Reel after Reel sees Kappel sound as lovely as Erin McKeown and Champs-Elysee is another fine moment, a somewhat poppy song with Kappel echoing Debbie Harry. This is a lovely record all told.” Anna Maria Stjärnell, Collected Sounds.com
"I do not fear ukuleles, I fear lack of them." Isaac Asimov, author.
$15 plus shipping.
Sizes MED/LRG/XL presently available.
Please specify size and be sure to use the secret handshake when ordering. LBW 0002-Mens' beefy-tee 1
LBW0004-Ladies' sassy-tee 1
One single dollar (free shipping). Parasols and Pekingese Sticker by renaissance man Brian Mello LBW 0003-Pekingese sticker
Late Bloomers Works began in 1998 as Late Bloomers Records.
The label was created by The Kirby Grips to release their debut EP The Celery Stalks At Night and was laid to rest when the mighty Sympathy For the Record Industry lured them into the world of the Anti-Mogul.
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