Valery Gore is not a pseudonym. At 26, the Fort Erie native
strives for creative purity and truth. But it wasn’t always this
way.
“Coming from where I was at when I went to school, I was classically
trained and I didn’t know anything about jazz,” she says, calling from
her home in Toronto. “Maybe there was a little bit of a bent in my
personality. I had little confidence at first; I was just up against
all of these heavy players. I was still trying to find my niche. I
wasn’t going to be a professional.”
Her sophomore, self-produced album, Avalanche to Wandering
Bear, was released this past year and won critics’ hearts across
the country, a surprise, even to Gore herself. She brings her unique
jazz-infused pop songs to Halifax for the first time on July 17.
“I guess overall the one theme of the record was me overcoming
confidence issues. I was kind of terrified about what I was going to do
with my life and having this inner self-doubt,” she says.
Instead of allowing fear to control her, Gore took to the
metaphorical wilds. In the process of creating this record she mustered
up her courage and harnessed her inner animal.
“I always thought of myself as one of those people who have a strong
personality. Your friends always tell you that, but I felt so weak and
so beaten down by myself. I thought there was a lot of that on the
record. I do see myself as this strong animal, but also just a reminder
that you are affected by chance, fate and nature.”
Before she lands in Halifax, Gore is making an appearance at the
Evolve Festival in Antigonish. “I’m looking forward to spending some
time at the beach, camping and eating lobster.”
Daily Picks
Kenny Garrett Hold onto your horn for the legendary
saxophonist. Friday, July 10, Festival Tent (Spring Garden and
Queen), 8pm, $40-$45
Free shows at the Festival Tent Take advantage
of daily free shows, including Zumbini Circus (July 11, 2pm), Verbal
Warnin’ (July 11, 4pm) and the Deep River Boys (July 12, 4pm).
Joe Louis Walker w/Garrett Mason Your personal misery will
vanish when exposed to case of authentic blues. Saturday, July 11 at
the Festival Tent, 8pm, $30-$35
Marinda + Solari w/Shauntay Grant Take that, Cadence Weapon:
the spoken word and music series pairs up an acoustic musical duo with
Halifax’s new poet laureate. Sunday, July 12, Company House, 9pm,
$10-$15
Alex Conde Carrasco w/Maria Osende Flamenco Company John, I’m only dancing.
Tuesday, July 14, Festival Tent, 8pm, $20-$25
Gypsophilia w/Krasnogorsk and the Moscow Country Club Dreamy gypsy-jazz from your neighbours and friends. Wednesday, July 15, The Seahorse Tavern, 10pm, $15-$20
The Bad Plus Pixies, Black Sabbath and Nirvana
covers get squeezed through the jazz machine and come out sounding
rad. Thursday, July 16, Delta Halifax Baronet Ballroom, 9pm,
$25-$30
Shuffle Demons w/The Idlers That Spadina bus costs $2.75 now,
but these groovy guys are still a great deal. Friday, July 17,
Festival Tent, 8pm, $20-$25
Fred w/Prospector’s Union, The Stance Those who
were anticipating the Irish band at last year’s Pop Explosion are
granted a second wish. Maybe not trad jazz, but we like it.
Saturday, July 18, The Seahorse Tavern, 10:30pm, $8
This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2009.