#ArtistAtHome is a series of portraits and profiles of local artists by Christopher Edmonstone. Read all about it and see the archive HERE.
The talent of this #ArtistAtHome never fails to amaze me, as she is one of the finest fiddle players in Canada. Please meet Kendel Carson.
She picked up the violin at age three and hasn't looked back, from performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada to being a featured soloist with the Victoria Symphony. Despite being classically trained, Kendel's musical passion has since expanded into folk, country and rock flavours. Her first album with Rearview Mirror Tears was named by Q Magazine as one of the five best roots albums of 2007. XM Radio declared it one of the top ten country albums of the year.
She played for a time with Juno Award-winning Vancouver band The Paperboys, and that is where she really learned what life on the road was like. For a good chunk of the last year Kendel toured across North America with Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea, she is currently doing a February tour of selected Canadian and US cities with her all-female trio Belle Starr.
Kendel Carson at home.
One thing is for sure - if you are lucky to see her perform you will know that she can easily steal the show with her outstanding performance. Her instrument is an extension of her body. The last time I photographed her live was at the English Bay stage for SHOREFest /Celebration of Light with her longtime boyfriend Dustin Bentall (who has also been featured in #ArtistAtHome), and it is always a treat.
I was lucky to get together with her during a brief break in her touring schedule (which can be very intense at times), and it is not unheard of for her to only get to spend 12 nights at home in 6 months. She is such a nice and thoughtful person, and I had a most memorable time spending the afternoon chatting with her in her home while she played the occasional tune. Interestingly, as much as Kendel loves the fiddle, she really enjoys playing the guitar to relax.
We had a lot fun with this session, as she mentioned she loves to buy vintage style cocktail dresses but rarely gets a chance to wear them. The photoshoot presented a great excuse to dig out a couple of her rarely-worn favourites. Everything just seemed to come together in this room in her house, we even pulled out some of her vintage suitcases to include in the shot to pay homage to the life of a traveling musician.
So glad to have Kendel in my #ArtistAtHome series!
You can see Kendel perform with Belle Star tonight (Feb 12) in Coquitlam at the Evergreen Cultural Centre.
For all things Kendel Carson check out www.kendelcarson.com and bellestarr.ca [caption id="attachment_216391" align="alignnone" width="700"]
