Jun. 20, 2012 - Issue #870: Food Trucks
Rebecca Lappa
/ Alexis McKeown
At only 15, local folk up-and-comer Rebecca Lappa already boasts an impressive musical resumé.
Lappa, who is also an accomplished pianist, began writing songs at age nine and since then she has gone on to receive a Young Performer of the Year nomination at the 2011 Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Songwriting Boot Camp prize in the Sonic Youth category at the Calgary Folk Music Festival and landed herself a spot in the Galaxie Young Performers Program at this year's Winnipeg Folk Festival, to name a few.
The young artist's talents can be heard on her latest album Myths and Monsters, a collection of fantasy-laiden songs that bring a plethora of characters to life through her story-telling-based songwriting. Lappa says she draws her inspiration from history and literature to craft her intricate lyrics, which delve a little deeper than some of her mainstream contemporaries.
"I've always liked fairy tales," Lappa adds of her inspiration. "I also like history because there's a story to that, too."
In addition to literary inspiration, Lappa cites musical influences such as Pat Benatar, Sarah McLachlan and Anaïs Mitchell for their vocal, instrumental and songwriting abilities. To refine her own craft on her new album, Lappa teamed up with producer and songwriter Alana Levandoski.
"She really had lots of ideas for where my songs could go and how to make them better, and how to get things precisely right," she adds of the experience. "You just have to keep trying and you have to be patient ... not everything works out the first time, or you might have to try a couple of different ideas before you figure out how it's going to work ... keep trying and persevere."
Wed, Jun 27 (3:45 pm)
The Works Art and Design Festival
Churchill Square
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