MAGNETA LANE is Lexi Valentine, Nadia King, and French. Since forming in the fall of 2003 in their native North York, the three-piece has steadily evolved according to a musical vision that is mature, modern,and mischievously melodic. From 2004's brilliant debut The Constant Lover, through 2006's Dancing With Daggers, to this year's revelatory Gambling With God, these three young women have always displayed a poise and intuition that defies their age. Theirs is a band that strives for authenticity in an industry that is consistently contrived. Self-assured without being too self-aware, they are an antitode to the trashy tarts who pollute the airwaves with oversexed, under-talented forays into mediocrity.
Since their humble, just-out-of-high-school beginnings, the band's growth has been exponential. The first ill-fated gig happened in 2004 at a blue collar bar in the suburbs, where they were told to cut it short because the factory guys had just got off shift. "They got all pissed off," Lexi says. "Apparently we were too loud."
"But I still remember this one lady who said 'people won't appreciate this around these parts — you have to go downtown."
Refusing to be discouraged, the band went downtown — and worked hard to refine their sound while developing a brash, confident songwriting style.
Accolades and attention soon followed. Gigs sold out. Magneta Lane was soon signed to Paper Bag Records and hit the road. In the ensuing years they've toured Canada , the U.S. , the U.K., and Japan, sharing the stage with Sloan, K-os, Controller Controller, The Silversun Pickups, The Stills, Neverending White Lights, Stellastar, amongst many other established names. Along with videos in rotation on MTV Canada and MuchMusic.
After the wide acclaim garnered by The Constant Lover, it was the band's mix of steely determination and self-deprecation that proved an intoxicating mix for a Pop Matters critic, who referred to Lexi's "tender toughness," in his review of Dancing With Daggers:
"A great deal of Magneta Lane's impact is down to the musical charisma of their lead singer, Lexi Valentine. She takes Chrissie Hynde's sweetly sour alto and wraps it around Debbie Harry's blase romanticism for an emotionally potent vocal style that conveys the same tender toughness as those two peerless women who came a generation before."
And now driven, passionate and focused as ever, Magneta Lane is preparing for the release of their third album, Gambling With God, recorded by Jon Drew.
"It's about finding out exactly where you want to go and getting there without stopping at nothing — but taking those things that matter along the way," Lexi says, describing the new record. "It's also about power, strength and heart. And being honest with yourself. The sound is hopeful, bright, and at peace with life's twists and turns."
- Written by : Brett Clarkson
(read less)MAGNETA LANE is Lexi Valentine, Nadia King, and French. Since forming in the fall of 2003 in their native North York, the three-piece has steadily evolved according to a musical vision that is mature, modern,and mischievously melodic. From 2004's brilliant debut The Constant Lover, through 2006's Dancing With Daggers, to this year's revelatory Gambling With God, these three young women have always displayed a poise and intuition that defies their age. Theirs is a band that strives for...
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