Belle Plaine

“If Patsy Cline and Blossom Dearie had a love child she would sing like Belle Plaine. Belleʼs voice is old timey and jazzy. It has twang, crystal bells and swing. You listen to this voice, and all of a sudden your cheatinʼ heart has a very dry martini in hand, and youʼre hearing something both timeless and brand new.” - Kelley Jo Burke, host of CBCʼs SoundXchange Saskatchewan songstress and Reginaʼs ʻBest Singerʼ and ʻBest Solo Actʼ, Belle Plaine, will release her first full-length album Notes From A Waitress Jan 29 2012. Her own brand of jazz fusion unites swing with vintage country and feminine pop. Belle will tour Saskatchewan and Alberta in January and February 2012 with her band: Elizabeth Curry on stand-up bass and Jeremy Sauer on piano. Belle grew up on a farm near the village of Fosston SK, population 57. Though raised on AM country radio, she was always drawn to Motown and the unforgettable voice of Ella Fitzgerald. Belle studied jazz at Edmontonʼs Grant MacEwan University. Adventure soon drew her to Victoria and then love pulled her Australia. Music brought her home to Canada where she has since performed over 100 shows. The title track and theme for Belle Plaineʼs first full-length album Notes From A Waitress blossomed from one of Belleʼs more memorable jobs in Sydney, Australia. She was making a living as a waitress in a dodgy restaurant, complete with cockroaches, overly friendly cooks and the nocturnal visits of rodents. What else would a songwriter need for inspiration? Belle describes the album: “I wanted the songs to read as a travelogue from the other side of the world and back. Theyʼre like souvenirs from each journey. Itʼs my throwback to the vocal jazz of the 1960s. Think of Peggy Lee and Julie London. I created Notes From A Waitress in the spirit of these artists.”