Kim Beggs

Kim Beggs \| Bio



KIM BEGGS BIOGRAPHY AND REVIEWS FOR BLUE BONES www.kimbeggs.com BLUE BONES - the newest CD from Yukon singer/songwriter KIM BEGGS and her debut on BLACK HEN MUSIC - delivers on the promise of her first two critically acclaimed albums ‘Wanderer’s Paean’ and ‘Streetcar Heart’. “A voice as cool and as refreshing as the Yukon River, delivers songwriting of the highest order” says MAVERICK MAGAZINE (UK) in a five star review of her latest album, BLUE BONES, while NOW MAGAZINE (CA) says “Kim Beggs is the real deal” (NNNN). KIM BEGGS is a NOMINEE for: 2011 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD: Roots Solo Album of the Year (BLUE BONES) 2011 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD: Multi-Media Award (Longest Dream, BLUE BONES) -this music video that was directed, animated and (co-) edited by Beggs. Sound track for video is from the album Blue Bones. 2011 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION Finalist for (Longest Dream, BLUE BONES) 2007 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD: Roots Solo Album (Wanderer’s Paean) 2007 CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARD: Emerging Artist (Wanderer’s Paean) Sincere and vulnerable, clear eyed and tough, while occasionally “SCUFFING UP THE DIRT”, the familiar themes of love, loss, and hard fought freedom that BEGGS so convincingly explores, have reached a new level this time out. On BLUE BONES, the effortless grace and breezy delivery that has become her vocal trademark are supported by some of North America’s most respected roots musicians to make this the best sounding album of an already impressive career. It’s often been said that all Canadian artists are influenced by geography, and even though the soul informing KIM BEGGS’ music might sound Appalachian, it’s easy to hear how the expansiveness of the Yukon allows her creative imagination to roam. The west was settled long ago and Kim’s frontier heart needed somewhere to inhabit, merge with and make her own. Kim Beggs is an original talent who makes music that transcends style and fashion. Without so much as a backward glance at what others consider ‘hip’, she instead makes music that is true. Bold, brilliant, dark and sincere, with an instantly recognizable “STURDY, TRUSTING, GIRL-WOMAN VOICE” that blends sweetness and grit, has made BLUE BONES one of the most memorable roots releases of 2010. (Canada, US and Europe). So, with all the attention garnered for her first two releases, there’s a lot riding on the release of BLUE BONES. Thankfully, in working with STEVE DAWSON, Kim Beggs has found a collaborator capable of helping her bring her vision to its fullest fruition. Dawson’s masterful string playing graces every song in the album, and it’s a thrill to hear his national steel, electric slide and weissenborn back up Beggs’ increasingly heartfelt guitar playing. With sympathetic support from John Raham (drums), Keith Lowe (bass) and Chris Gestrin (keyboards) the sound of BLUE BONES is as deep, rich and organic as the place the music comes from. By adding vocal harmonies from LAURIE LEWIS, GURF MORLIX, NATALIE EDELSON, BEN ROGALSKY and JEANNE TOLMIE, Beggs and Dawson achieve a high lonesome sound with a distinctively Canadian feel, making BLUE BONES sound like a lost Hazel Dickens album with a bright northern heart. On track after track, the players warm to the themes posed by Beggs’ music to give added resonance and depth to her already powerful vocals and lyrics that explore the intersections of darkness and light. BLUE BONES features nine original tracks as well as four well-chosen cover songs. Beggs offers a stunning version of the old traditional, ‘I’m Thinking of My Blue Eyes’ that will melt the most cynical of hearts as well as interpretations of classics from Bob Dylan, Patty Griffin, and Jack Clement that are sung in such a way that they sound as if she wrote them herself. BEGGS was the ITUNES SPOTLIGHT FEATURE for INDIE SINGER SONGWRITER in August 2010, and #1 most played artist on CBC GALAXIE FOLK ROOTS CHANNEL (Canada) in June 2011. THE GLOBE AND MAIL declared her song MAIDEN HEART (song from Blue Bones) an ESSENTIAL TRACK. This song was inspired by a story written and told by Canadian author, IVAN E. COYOTE. BEGGS has written soundtracks for short films that have be broadcast on CBC TV Canadian Reflections. She is a filmmaker herself as with the latest animation, “Longest Dream” which is a 2011 WCMA nominee and was featured at the Dawson City International Short Film Festival in April 2011. KIM BEGGS has shared the stage with Buffy St Marie, Stephen Fearing, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Chris Jagger to name a few and at festivals like the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Lunenburg Harbour Folk Festival, Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, and Trafalgar Square in London England for Canada Day (2008). AND AS THE REVIEWS FOR BLUE BONES COME BACK, ONE THING IS CLEAR: THESE SONGS HIT HOME. THE GLOBE AND MAIL’S Robert Everett-Green, writing about her original track, ‘Maiden Heart’, says, “her sturdy, trusting, girl-woman voice is perfect for this song about a kind of innocence that never dies.” “she scuffs up the dirt as (in song) she hits the ‘bottle’ blues in fabulous fashion;... her music and ability as a songwriter draw comparisons to Mary Gauthier. Only here there is a considerably more melodious feel to go with the pain obtained by the latter —” - AMERICANA UK “Blue Bones is a collection of thought provoking commentaries (Mama’s Dress,) bittersweet love songs (Maiden Heart), and well chosen covers… It’s an evocative and impressive set” - R2 (ROCK N REEL) MAGAZINE UK “Blue Bones has rarely left my CD player since I first heard the album in the spring.” - NO DEPRESSION “At her best- as she is here, Beggs reminds one of Joni Mitchell and Iris Dement.” - VINTAGE GUITAR “...her marvelously anecdotal songwriting (nine originals are here) authentically captures and comments on various elements of the rustic, laid-back charm of the Canadian north.” - SING OUT! “The sweetly meandering melody, combined with countrified guitar and the gritty harmonies of American musician and producer Gurf Morlix, is the very definition of rootsy charm.” – EXCLAIM “If Kim Beggs was making music when Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were getting their starts, this Yukon-based singer would be huge.” - METRO Link to Blue Bones one sheet

Kim Beggs | Bio

KIM BEGGS BIOGRAPHY AND REVIEWS FOR BLUE BONES
www.kimbeggs.com

BLUE BONES - the newest CD from Yukon singer/songwriter KIM BEGGS and her debut on BLACK HEN MUSIC - delivers on the promise of her first two critically acclaimed albums ‘Wanderer’s Paean’ and ‘Streetcar Heart’.

“A voice as cool and as refreshing as the Yukon River, delivers songwriting of the highest order” says MAVERICK MAGAZINE (UK) in a five star review of her latest album, BLUE BONES, while NOW MAGAZINE (CA) says “Kim Beggs is the real deal” (NNNN).

KIM BEGGS is a NOMINEE for:
2011 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD: Roots Solo Album of the Year (BLUE BONES)
2011 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD: Multi-Media Award (Longest Dream, BLUE BONES)
-this music video that was directed, animated and (co-) edited by Beggs. Sound track for video is from the album Blue Bones.
2011 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION Finalist for (Longest Dream, BLUE BONES)
2007 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD: Roots Solo Album (Wanderer’s Paean)
2007 CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARD: Emerging Artist (Wanderer’s Paean)

Sincere and vulnerable, clear eyed and tough, while occasionally “SCUFFING UP THE DIRT”, the familiar themes of love, loss, and hard fought freedom that BEGGS so convincingly explores, have reached a new level this time out. On BLUE BONES, the effortless grace and breezy delivery that has become her vocal trademark are supported by some of North America’s most respected roots musicians to make this the best sounding album of an already impressive career.

It’s often been said that all Canadian artists are influenced by geography, and even though the soul informing KIM BEGGS’ music might sound Appalachian, it’s easy to hear how the expansiveness of the Yukon allows her creative imagination to roam. The west was settled long ago and Kim’s frontier heart needed somewhere to inhabit, merge with and make her own.

Kim Beggs is an original talent who makes music that transcends style and fashion. Without so much as a backward glance at what others consider ‘hip’, she instead makes music that is true. Bold, brilliant, dark and sincere, with an instantly recognizable “STURDY, TRUSTING, GIRL-WOMAN VOICE” that blends sweetness and grit, has made BLUE BONES one of the most memorable roots releases of 2010. (Canada, US and Europe).
So, with all the attention garnered for her first two releases, there’s a lot riding on the release of BLUE BONES. Thankfully, in working with STEVE DAWSON, Kim Beggs has found a collaborator capable of helping her bring her vision to its fullest fruition.

Dawson’s masterful string playing graces every song in the album, and it’s a thrill to hear his national steel, electric slide and weissenborn back up Beggs’ increasingly heartfelt guitar playing. With sympathetic support from John Raham (drums), Keith Lowe (bass) and Chris Gestrin (keyboards) the sound of BLUE BONES is as deep, rich and organic as the place the music comes from. By adding vocal harmonies from LAURIE LEWIS, GURF MORLIX, NATALIE EDELSON, BEN ROGALSKY and JEANNE TOLMIE, Beggs and Dawson achieve a high lonesome sound with a distinctively Canadian feel, making BLUE BONES sound like a lost Hazel Dickens album with a bright northern heart. On track after track, the players warm to the themes posed by Beggs’ music to give added resonance and depth to her already powerful vocals and lyrics that explore the intersections of darkness and light.
BLUE BONES features nine original tracks as well as four well-chosen cover songs. Beggs offers a stunning version of the old traditional, ‘I’m Thinking of My Blue Eyes’ that will melt the most cynical of hearts as well as interpretations of classics from Bob Dylan, Patty Griffin, and Jack Clement that are sung in such a way that they sound as if she wrote them herself.

BEGGS was the ITUNES SPOTLIGHT FEATURE for INDIE SINGER SONGWRITER in August 2010, and #1 most played artist on CBC GALAXIE FOLK ROOTS CHANNEL (Canada) in June 2011. THE GLOBE AND MAIL declared her song MAIDEN HEART (song from Blue Bones) an ESSENTIAL TRACK. This song was inspired by a story written and told by Canadian author, IVAN E. COYOTE.

BEGGS has written soundtracks for short films that have be broadcast on CBC TV Canadian Reflections. She is a filmmaker herself as with the latest animation, “Longest Dream” which is a 2011 WCMA nominee and was featured at the Dawson City International Short Film Festival in April 2011.

KIM BEGGS has shared the stage with Buffy St Marie, Stephen Fearing, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Chris Jagger to name a few and at festivals like the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival, Lunenburg Harbour Folk Festival, Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, and Trafalgar Square in London England for Canada Day (2008).

AND AS THE REVIEWS FOR BLUE BONES COME BACK, ONE THING IS CLEAR: THESE SONGS HIT HOME.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL’S Robert Everett-Green, writing about her original track, ‘Maiden Heart’, says, “her sturdy, trusting, girl-woman voice is perfect for this song about a kind of innocence that never dies.”

“she scuffs up the dirt as (in song) she hits the ‘bottle’ blues in fabulous fashion;... her music and ability as a songwriter draw comparisons to Mary Gauthier. Only here there is a considerably more melodious feel to go with the pain obtained by the latter —” - AMERICANA UK

“Blue Bones is a collection of thought provoking commentaries (Mama’s Dress,) bittersweet love songs (Maiden Heart), and well chosen covers… It’s an evocative and impressive set” - R2 (ROCK N REEL) MAGAZINE UK

“Blue Bones has rarely left my CD player since I first heard the album in the spring.” - NO DEPRESSION

“At her best- as she is here, Beggs reminds one of Joni Mitchell and Iris Dement.” - VINTAGE GUITAR

“...her marvelously anecdotal songwriting (nine originals are here) authentically captures and comments on various elements of the rustic, laid-back charm of the Canadian north.” - SING OUT!

“The sweetly meandering melody, combined with countrified guitar and the gritty harmonies of American musician and producer Gurf Morlix, is the very definition of rootsy charm.” – EXCLAIM

“If Kim Beggs was making music when Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were getting their starts, this Yukon-based singer would be huge.” - METRO

Link to Blue Bones one sheet