Lindi Ortega is one of the many performers on this year’s Burnaby Blues + Roots bill.
Her voice has been described as a blend of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris. Last August, she released her fourth full-length album, Faded Gloryville, under the label Last Gang Records.
“It features everything from barn-burner songs and the good ol’ foot-stomping, toe-tapping numbers to the ballads that Lindi has made her calling card, all delivered with an energy and emotional investment that makes them utterly her own,” reads her online bio.
In 2014 and 2015, she won the title of Roots Artist of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards and has been nominated again this year.
Her gig in Burnaby on Aug. 6 promises to be a “fun, rip-roaring show.”
Before she hits the stage, the NOW reached her by phone at her home in Nashville, Tennessee.
Were you always musical?
My dad was a bass player in a Latin band when I was very, very young, so I always remember there being musical instruments and music around me.
What was the first instrument you picked up?
It was the guitar. It was a nylon-stringed guitar that my dad had bought for my mom that she wasn’t really interested in playing. He ended up hanging it on the wall of our basement, and I think because it was hanging on the wall, I thought it was like a piece of art or something. He taught me how to play a couple chords on it.
How would you describe your music?
There’s definitely a thread of country, like old classic country, in what we do. There’s blues and soul and rockabilly all tied up in there, too.
Who were some of your musical influences growing up?
I think something that’s been a constant is Leonard Cohen. My mom had a huge appreciation for Leonard Cohen. Every time I hear his songs, it’s like so much nostalgia. It reminds me of my childhood, and I’ve just become such a fan of his poetry as well as his musical work. Johnny Cash has been a big influence. When I was really young, I used to really like Mazzy Star.
You grew up in Toronto and spent a decade as an independent artist there, where you released two albums and an EP. Was it hard making a name for yourself?
I always feel like it’s difficult to make a name for yourself. Even now, it’s kind of a constant sort of struggle to be recognized. I always sort of knew that it was what I wanted to do, so every little job that I took was just kind of like a stepping stone to do what I really wanted to do. I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to make it my career; I just knew that I wanted to. I worked a bunch of odd jobs. Sometimes I had three jobs at the same time and I’d work weekends as well. There was a point when I was hard gunning it. I would work one eight-hour job and I’d work a night job and then I’d work on the weekend (laughs). It was pretty busy. I thought that was busy, but nothing compares to heavy, gruelling tour schedules, that’s for sure.
You moved to Nashville roughly five years ago. What’s your life been like?
It’s good. People, I think, have this idea that I have a residency or some sort of weekly gig here, and I’m always playing around Nashville, but I’m not. It’s a hub for me that I tour out of and then I come back here and I write and sort of hang out and watch Netflix and stuff like that. It’s not really how people might envision it.
What can people expect of your Burnaby show?
I have a really great band. It’s a high-energy show and we like to have fun. I like to be a bit goofy sometimes on stage. I crack the odd joke that sometimes goes over really well; sometimes it doesn’t (laughs).
You released your last album last year. Any plans to record another one in the future?
Yeah, for sure. I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to. I just love making music and I love playing music. I’ve been writing a lot. I don’t know when exactly it would come out. Hopefully next year sometime.
What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
I am a geek for weather and I wish I was a meteorologist.
