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Amelie Patterson retroducing herself Live at Maclab in Banff

"I started to realize that music is, for most people, their emotional vocabulary, and it certainly is for me."

BANFF – A sure sign of any great songwriter and performer is an uncanny way of persuading the mood of their audience in any direction.

Amelie Patterson, alt-pop auteur and Banff's own, always has arts and creativity humming on her mind, which, in recent years, has given the gifted songwriter and performer a new way to speak to her audience.

This Friday (May 12) when Patterson performs live in Banff, she'll reintroduce herself as a more mature artist and the new stages of life she's felt through song and lyrics.

"I started to realize that music is, for most people, their emotional vocabulary, and it certainly is for me," said Patterson.  "That came to a totally different head when I was going through some of those incredible human experiences, such as grief, and how immensely overwhelming it is at first and how pervasive it is."

Banff National Park's first-ever poet laureate, Patterson is the inaugural headlining act of Live at Maclab, a new intimate concert series inside Maclab Bistro at The Banff Centre, Friday (May 12). Doors open at 8 p.m. General admission is $25.

Joining her on-stage are Benjamin Longman (guitar, vocals) and Brayden Bell (vocals), who is Patterson’s fiancé.

A long time has past since Patterson's 2016 debut album Roll Honey Roll, which won best alternative recording of the year at the YYC Music Awards.

Although, the artist has kept busy, and is currently working on her sophomore album, scheduled to be released in 2024.

In a lot of ways, she says the songwriting will be much more authentic in her upcoming album, which has samples being released, like in her latest single "The War", which offers support in the fight of mental health and wellness. The music video for "The War" drops June 9, which will be uploaded to Patterson's social media channels.

Two new singles will also be out in July.

"When I first got into songwriting, I was very concerned about how people would consume me and see me," said Patterson. "As time has gone on, my job is to walk hand-on-hand with people through the human condition that I've experienced, but also their journeys that I don't know. It's not about me and how they see me and it's not just about me and my stories, it's about where the music sits with other people as it goes on."

Although it's been a while since she's put out a new body of work, Patterson's artistic itch has been scratched with hers and fiancé Bell's sync licensing business, We Are Crickets, which has produced music for Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, McDonald's, Dos Primos Tequila, Sherwood Hockey, and Lazada. 

Plus, a snippet of Patterson’s tune "Let Your Trouble Go" was played on MTV's popular reality series Teen Mom. As a lifelong musician, Patterson said it was quite cool to receive a pay cheque from a pop culture giant like MTV.

"I think anytime you are kind of long game in the arts as a career you want to develop lots of different revenue streams and also lots of different ways where you can sharpen your craft," said Patterson. "So one of the nice things about working In sync licensing is there's songwriting and inspiration."

A Banff Centre alum, Patterson is pleased to return to where some of the "most pivotal and trans-formative things I've ever done" for the inaugural Live at Maclab.

"I do feel like I'm reintroducing myself as a more mature artist and as as someone who's just been in the career for longer and it just inevitably changes you," said Patterson.


Jordan Small

About the Author: Jordan Small

An award-winning reporter, Jordan Small has covered sports, the arts, and news in the Bow Valley since 2014. Originally from Barrie, Ont., Jordan has lived in Alberta since 2013.
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