Carly Thomas is the epitome of a worldly person: she’s lived everywhere from Argentina and France to Thailand and Canada. Aside from her powerful lyrics, Thomas’ music is characteristic of various sub-genres including modern folk, rock, and country. And it shows. Thomas brings her experience to all of her songs, offering listeners her words of wisdom through heartfelt lyrics and beautiful acoustic guitar lines.
Thomas grabs listeners’ attention with gutsy stories of love and witty onstage banter. Her earthy undertones and honest lyrics, will likely have you wanting more. A welcome change from the typical, but with a voice which is easy to relate to, she has that something which makes folk-ish music interesting and intelligent. Her live performances are known for being dynamic and ever-evolving.
Her strong, clear voice is always thick with emotion, which adds to both the sincerity and beauty of her soft indie folk songs. Her tunes drip with truthfulness, as she isn’t afraid to expose her heart in order to help her listeners mend theirs.
Having played everywhere from street festivals in Paris to the folk circuit in Manhattan, Thomas is a seasoned performer with 3 studio releases under her belt. Her albums to date include Distance (2003), Up This High (2009), and Explode (2014).
Spending almost a decade on Canada’s west coast, Thomas has recently returned to familial roots in London, Ontario where she received the 2015 Jack Richardson Music Award for Contemporary Singer/Songwriter. The return to Ontario’s music scene has been a welcome homecoming. Explode, was nominated for EP of the Year by CHRW radio. She has shared the stage with countless artists such as Matt Barber, Trent Severn, and Jenn Grant, and has also performed at several festivals including Home County and NXNE.
As an independent artist, Carly Thomas continues to enjoy success and creating an impact in the Canadian music scene. She has also gone on to participate in various outreach projects and released a single in 2014 “I Remember You” in support of world suicide prevention day with all sales going directly to The Canadian Mental Health Association.
Check out her sound Here.
You can catch this amazing performance at the Spirits of the Earth Festival on Friday evening.
mit that we all like to sing. We often sing in the car, while having a shower and so on, but the sensation that you are singing in a public place, knowing that everybody is watching you is quite different. Singing takes your troubles away and is relaxing, that’s why so many people get addicted to it.
Weaving a god’s eye. S’mores over a fire on a brisk autumn night. Tara Rice, Toronto-based vocalist, songwriter and guitarist, conjures gothic romanticism between layers of spirited storytelling. Though the majority of Rice’s latest EP, Panorama, was written, recorded and performed in her Bloor Street apartment, the mood of this alternative folk-rock album transcends the concrete city vibe.
Have you felt the change in the air? I have felt its refreshing essence swirling around me over the past few months. Initially this created some feelings of unease, and maybe even some fears, not knowing what exactly was brewing. After frantically searching for a “why” or “what, I chose to embrace grace, and open my heart. I chose to let go and have faith that these changes would carry me where I need to be, and reveal my purpose. Being well connected to Spirit enhances and enriches my life on every level, yet sorting out what exactly the Gods intend for us and SOTEF has been quite a journey. Fox and I have embarked on an adventure of transition. Taking a step back to deeply reflect and dedicate the time to receiving these integral messages.
After much inner reflection and consideration, we collectively reached the decision that Spirits of the Earth must change along with us. It’s not time for Spirits of the Earth to sleep…in fact she is transforming; her energy frequency is elevating and growing. We have always known that “Spirits of the Earth” was not simply an event…but an ideal, a lifestyle, and a community that carries an energy all its own.
It is said that everything we do is imprinted with our energy, which others can feel when they see or touch our work. Keeping this in mind helps us to understand how important our attitude can be when engaged in any activity we pursue. While a neutral mindset might help us create a positive outcome, a joyful mindset is more likely to create an amazing one. Simply by choosing to infuse everything we do with enthusiasm, we can create more beauty, love, abundance, and joy that will radiate out to enhance not only our lives, but the lives of all who encounter our work.
Calling all Like-Minded, Nature Lovers
Need to warm up those hands and drums for the upcoming festival season? Want to learn some new beats, or how you can participate in a drum circle? Have a yearning to be surrounded by a loving and supportive community, where you feel like one of the family? Well…here’s your chance!!!
Sharon Knight and her longtime collaborator Winter are nationally touring musicians in the Mythic-Celtic vein. Their penchant for combining fierce an gutsy bravado with ethereal beauty, a hearty dose of fantastical lyrics, and an obvious love of storytelling has inspired their own style, “Neofolk Romantique”. They often sound less Celtic and more “Folktales that ran away with the Faeries at the turn of the century and took cover in an old trunk bound for the circus, which was then commandeered by pirates.” This suits them fine.