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The story’s not necessarily new but the music is. Two veteran songwriters, who have logged 20 1 singles and a Songwriter of the Year award between them, began writing songs they loved but which weren’t great for pitching to artists hunting for commercially-popular material. St. Lola in the Fields was born to give those songs a stage.
In late 2007 Cindy Brouwer and Jeremy Bose, who have been writing together for nearly nine years, started work on their EP Little Breaks/Little Bends and began performing live as St. Lola when schedules allowed. Brouwer spends half the year in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, courtesy of her Canadian husband. The rest of the year she’s in Nashville where Bose plies his songwriting and producing trade year-round.
“For the first time in my life,” enthuses Bose, “I’m writing songs I really, really love and not giving them away.” Both writers appreciate the break St. Lola gives them from all the voices who weigh in on the creation of music industry songs. They love the freedom of being a song’s first and last word.
Of St. Lola’s birth, Brouwer explains, “For us radio wasn’t even a concern. Every time we got together to write it was like dessert. It didn’t feel like work at all.” Though Brouwer has also had a long career as a performing artist, including six globe-spanning tours, performing St. Lola’s songs provides a full circle: creating a song that has meaning for her and then personally presenting it to an audience and watching it become their song too as they connect with it.
When playing live, St. Lola is joined by a guitar player, a trombone player and a string trio composed of two violins and a cello. Bose adds trumpet and piano, and Brouwer brings the voice and an occasional dulcimer. As suggested by this line-up, the result isn’t your usual pop sound. Instead, quirky is the word that comes to mind. St. Lola’s music is infused by the story and lyric elements of folk, but also draws inspiration from both classical and electronic music.
Bose and Brouwer’s songs have appeared on MTV’s Real World, Everwood, and even on Days of Our Lives! Two of St. Lola’s songs have already been selected for an episode of One Tree Hill.
“Songs often shed a light on how you wish things were,” says Brouwer, “but our songs are about how things really are.” Many of the songs are also ironic with sweet, beautiful music paired with darker lyrics. For example, “Sunny” is about a girl who’s gone down a bad path, one that doesn’t match her name though the song’s music does.
St. Lola will release a full-length album in late January 2009, adding another chapter to the story of seasoned industry songwriters who find their best voice in their independent creations.
St. Lola in the Fields bio
November 2008
By Kami Rice
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