May. 19, 2010 - Issue #761: Public Enemy

Prevue

Down the Straight Line

Christina Maria's latest a work filled with challenge

Before Christina Maria's days as a musician, she says she was angry; she got into fights and was, as she describes it, off the hook. It was only after going into a visual arts program that her anger ebbed and she found her niche. Today, she's a successful musician with a diverse and unique sound, slowly rising on the charts.

Born in Vancouver, Maria released her second album Straight Line back in February, which was more focused on personal stories than the outward observations of her first album. Each of the seven songs are either a character portrait or representation of a relationship, such as "Kind Friend," written after she learned that an acquaintance had spent time in prison after being convicted of murder, and "What You Make It," inspired by a neighbour's attitude towards being evicted.

Maria says that spending three months in Berlin inspired the current trend in her music. She notes that when she first went down to Berlin, she knew no one, but after some time she met other talented artists who wanted to work with her, and through these collaborations, her music evolved.
"Compared to the past music I've worked on, my current style has a little more of a rock texture, I guess," she says. "I like what the city has done to my music ... I would go back there, definitely."

However Maria says that pursuing her dream hasn't been easy.

"A lot of the songs I had a problem with and I solved them as I wrote out the song," she says. "During the process I really came to realize what music meant to me, especially on a personal level. Either way, it ended well."

Looking back, Maria says that she also learned quite a bit about herself when she worked with five different producers—such as Ryan Dahle and Russell Broom—in five studios across the country. She explains that working with five producers put her into different situations that required further problem solving.

But just working with the different producers wasn't the only thing that tested her. Maria also took the opportunity to produce her own song, "BreakMaker," which was the last single on the album. She added that slipping herself into a producer's shoes tested her.

"It tested me by always putting me into different situations. It really allowed me to find what I wanted as a producer," she explains. "[Producing] is kind of like being in love. You have to be OK with yourself before you love someone else." V

Wed, May 26 (6 pm)
Christina Maria
Haven Social Club, $10
 

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