Born in Massachusetts and raised in Vancouver, Suzie Ungerleider began performing as Oh Susanna in the mid-1990s, crafting a persona that matched the timeless qualities of her music, sounds that drew from the deep well of early 20th Century folk, country and blues, yet rooted in her finely-honed storytelling skills. This Canadian songstress has a voice that can pierce a heart of stone. Her superbly crafted songs often tell stories of troubled souls who rebel against their circumstances to attain a quiet dignity. These are tales of longing and love, of small town joys and pains, of our simple feelings and strong passions. These are tales that look into our beautifully flawed human hearts. Notes from Suzie……………. "One day my sister came home with her hair shorn and spiked and with a record under her arm called Never Mind the Bullocks Here's the Sex Pistols. We dropped the needle on the record, turned up the volume and sat on our front steps. I handed her the scissors and my hair blew away in the wind. Though we dreamed about living some place cool and edgy like London or New York, we lived in a sleepy port town that we thought no one had ever heard of called Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a place of big trees, salmon and totem poles. Then in the early 80s, some politicians and businessmen decided that Vancouver should host a world's fair. Then suddenly, Vancouver, the little colonial seaside town, was trying its best to act like a grown-up world class city. Even the Expo 86 theme song declared, "Something's happening here!" To most of us, all that bravado seemed a little much for our little logging and fishing port. We all knew that bravado was just to cover up that Vancouver was still a little kid of a city. So in a way, the city I lived in was just like me: a teenager trying to grow up fast, be something she is not, yearning to be something or someplace else. All the while not realizing the richness of what she is or has. Thankfully, some of that old Vancouver is forever lost and thankfully some of that old Vancouver is still there; Just like that teenage girl I used to be." Girl in Teen City was recorded and produced by Jim Bryson.
March 2017
