Press Release: "What’s the Rush?" Global Release Date September 30 2016 Tracy K is a name familiar to Winnipeg Blues fans and many others around the world. Known for her Joplinesque vocals and accomplished Harmonica skills, Tracy K is also a songwriter of note. Looking at her history as an award winning performer, her new album "What's the Rush" is no exception to the rule. It's a refreshing collection of eight great songs, no filler, utilizing some of Winnipeg's best talent. If you like your Blues danceable, sincere, witty, introspective and fun, then this album will please on all levels. You can hear the experience this well travelled and seasoned performer has achieved, especially recent forays into the American south, the Delta region, where Tracy K could have been born if we didn't know any better. Recorded at Bedside Studios with owner/engineer Len Milne co-producing with Tracy K, he has captured the essence of the songs, showcasing Tracy K's vocal and harmonica talents. With guitarists Terry Barnett and Jason Nowicki, there is no room for mediocrity. 'Guess Who' alumni and 'Ministers of Cool' Leonard Shaw adds perfect piano, organ and horns. Tight rhythm sections of Ty Rogers and Nenad 'Keza" Zdjelar as well as George Demeduk and Vaughan Poyser lay down the right grooves and feel. Jamie "Snakeman" Steinhoff, Tracy K's duo partner, lends his dobro and fingerstyle expertise and Tony Desmarteau steps in to do Lenny Breau proud on "Time Machine". There is a nice balance of dance floor rhythms and moving ballads. If you are not getting enough of good old fashioned blues with rhythm and lots and lots of soul, here is your treasure.Like everybody else, Tracy K has a full plate, busy schedule, and a great deal she wants to accomplish. Yet, she remains as cool as the blues that colour her world; laidback like the tranquil countryside that stirs her spirit. She approaches life – and making music – in a go-with-the-flow kind of way. And for those who find themselves caught up in today’s hurried world, you might hear her ask this question: what’s the rush?? BIO If there’s something Tracy K has learned in 50+ years of living, and 30+ years of making music, it’s that things don’t always go as planned. Life happens. Kids happen. Marriage and divorce happens. Serious sickness happens – not once, but twice, in Tracy K’s case – that can really take a toll and set you back. Amid all this, fortunately, music continues to happen. Fittingly, What’s the Rush? is the title of Tracy K’s brand new blues album, recorded at Winnipeg’s award-winning Bedside Studios, and being released in September 2016. Her fourth studio album contains eight tracks that truly reflect her depth of talent, uninhibited soulful passion, and appetite for storytelling. With vocals reminiscent of songstresses like Bonnie Raitt and Koko Taylor, Tracy K effortlessly delivers moodful melodies laced with that unmistakable bluesy groove. What’s the Rush? pays homage to the genre that helped mold and shape Tracy K into the resilient woman she is today. Like most blues recordings you’ll hear smooth slide guitar riffs, haunting harmonica, toe-tapping percussion, and musical scales sensually strummed on acoustic. But listen closely, and you’ll also discover an honesty and authenticity in musicianship and lyricism that can be acquired only from a lifetime of living. Proving that for Tracy K, there is still a lot of life-after-life waiting to happen. Tracy K possesses a fun and engaging energy that turns everyday gigs into compelling performances. She knows how to capture your attention, making you feel like you’re the only one in the room, and she’s there playing just for you. She began indelibly stamping her versatility on the Canadian music scene in the late 1980s in Toronto, when her outstanding vocal harmonizing skills lead to her being sought out for live and session work. Apparently she wasn’t in a rush back then, either, because it took her until 2000 to finally release her own album, Welcome to My Fantasy. Becoming her own recording artist took her to blues, jazz and folk festivals, theatre concerts, tributes, and women-in-blues events, on a touring map spanning Canada, the United States, and as far south as the Caribbean. She was fortunate to hone her craft by sharing the stage with A-list international blues performers. Unknown to locals at the inaugural Thunder Bay Blues Festival in 2002, Tracy K was an instant hit and invited back for an encore in 2003. She moved to Thunder Bay in 2004, where she became a positive force impacting the local music community. She created and hosted a weekly Sunday Night Blues Jam at the local Legion, and also performed as a member of tribute troupe Thunder Bay Legends, posing as Janis Joplin, Ronnie Spector, Bobby Gentry and Brenda Lee. Tracy K’s recording career continued in 2007 with the release of a second album, the award-garnering Old, New, Borrowed & Blues in 2007, and then the five-star rated acoustic duo album Canned Heat in 2011. In 2014, she was the sole Canadian included on Ruf Records Blues Harp Women compilation album, and Mary4Music's Keeping the Blues Alive: Volume Six. Twice she won regional competitions to represent Thunder Bay at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee, and was invited to return to Memphis in 2015 as one of the judges. She also worked at Memphis’ Ardent Studios, arranging harmonies on a song for a fellow bluesman. Having already lived many different lives as a blues artist, Tracy K thrives on the thrill and challenge of reinventing herself. Now an empty-nester who recently returned home to Manitoba, today she still enjoys the support of top-notch players utilising her many talents. Tracy K is often featured as a solo performer with her own impressive roster of supporting casts that includes the like of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. Among her personal reinventions is her own contemporary blues band, wherein she likes to kick it up notch with her trademark amplified harmonica, and test the limits of her vocal prowess. She also performs in an acoustic blues duo with partner Jamie “Snakeman” Steinhoff, whose mastery of acoustic, Dobro and lap steel guitar is derived from a well-informed history of early blues and folk. When not performing, you might find Jamie and Tracy K selling 'Snakeman's Canned Heat Salsa' and 'Tracy K's Stolen Apple Jelly' alongside her CDs at farmer’s markets near their quiet country home in Beausejour, Manitoba. And, if you find yourself at the right market at the right time, you just might be lucky enough to hear them belt out a blues tune or two. Because, well, that’s just the way Tracy K rolls these days, same way she always has: going with the flow, seizing the moment, and living every incarnation of life to the fullest. Yes, there’s still a lot of life-after-life waiting for Tracy K. And she’s still not in a rush to get there. AWARDS: International Blues Challenge – Regional Winner, Memphis Quarter Finalist, Band 2014 International Blues Challenge – Regional Winner, Memphis Quarter Finalist, Duo 2013 International Songwriting Competition – Blues Award 2007 International Songwriting Competition – Performance Hon. Mention 2007 Ontario Independent Music Award – Best Blues Song 2007 Toronto Blues Society Talent Search – First Runner-Up 2007 Winnipeg Blues.com – Harmonica Player of the Year 2006 Winnipeg Blues.com – Female Vocalist of the Year 2006 Winnipeg Blues.com – Electric Act of the Year – Nomination 2006 PAST PERFORMANCES (SELECT LIST): Winnipeg BBQ & Bluesfest (2012,14,16) Winnipeg Jazz Festival (1999 - 2005 inclusive) Saskatchewan Mid-Winter Blues Festival, Regina/Saskatoon, (2005,08,15) Women’s Blues Fest Minneapolis (2003) Live from the Rock Music Festival, Red Rock, Ont. (2003,06,09,12,14) Thunder Bay Blues Festival (2002, 03, 05, 08, 11, 13, 14) Great Woods Music Festival, Beausejour, MB (1998-2003 inclusive) Toronto Blues Society's Harmonica Workshop (2003) Women's Blues Revue – Toronto ON (2002) Women In Blues International Showcase - Memphis Tennessee (2013,14,15) Fed Ex International Showcase - International Blues Challenge, Memphis Tennessee (2014) ALBUM RELEASES: What’s the Rush (2016) Canned Heat (2011) Old, New, Borrowed & Blues (2007) Welcome to my Fantasy (2000) COMPILATIONS: Blues Harp Women – Ruf Records (2015) Keeping the Blues Alive Vol.6 – Mary4Music (2014) SINGLES: Science of Being Distant – CBC Radio One Bandwidth 3 Singles for Prairie Fire Project – Canadian Diabetes Foundation (2003) Rock This House – licensed to Zernick Von-Sertner Films, L.A. (2002) TESTIMONIALS (SELECT LIST): “Tracy K’s set at the 2013 IBC not only kept my foot tapping but brought many smiles to my face. Her talent matches her energy on stage, and both are substantial. Great vocals, great harp and she genuinely has a ball sharing her talent. That's a tough combination to beat!” --IBC Judge Mick Kolassa, Oxford, MS "Tracy's blessed with a magnificent voice, raw power and passion tempered by a tender fragility. If there's emotional depth to the material she plumbs it; and given the chance to reveal something of herself, she's mesmerizing; there are moments here approaching the sublime." --John Taylor, MN Blues "Thunder Bay's Tracy K wowed the crowd at the Blues Summit with her engaging stage presence and a killer band." --Maple Blues Magazine "I’ll be shocked if you don’t fall head over heels in love with Canned Heat – it’s a charming, likeable album that makes friends instantly. Canned Heat sounds like a Saturday night on the back porch- absolutely beautiful." ***** --John Kereiff, Rossland Radio "Canned Heat with an honest realism does a very fine job of taking us back to the simpler times of the Blues, and masterfully so from these immensely talented artists. For old time Blues and Beyond, done right, I give Canned Heat my highest rating of 5 Stars." --John Vermilyea, Blues Underground Network "Throughout this release, Steinhoff displays a masterful style of fingerpicking, Tracy K's vocals are confident and solid while she displays a mean capability on harp.” --Merv Osborne, Blues Matters magazine "Tracy K and Jamie Steinhoff's easy rapport with the audience, amazing harmonica playing and terrific gutsy renditions of blues classics as well as their own compositions captivated the audience and made for a great evening out." --Katherine Myers, THEOP, Deep River ON "...a million voices seem to be trapped in that tiny little instrument and Tracy K seems to know how to exorcise them in front of wowed crowds every time. It was my pleasure to invite Tracy K to the 2007 'Canada Reads, Ontario Rocks' event where she composed a song that had some in tears! It was again my pleasure to record Tracy for Canada Live, as I hope the rest of the country discovers her talent LIVE on stage." --Alan Neal, Host of Bandwidth (CBC Radio One), Canada Live (CBC Radio Two) For MEDIA COVERAGE and ALBUM REVIEWS, please go to www.tracyk.ca TRACY K ONLINE: Website www.tracyk.ca Facebook www.facebook.com/tracykmusic Soundcloud www.soundcloud.com/tracykmusic Youtube www.youtube.com/tracykmusic CONTACT INFO: Email tracyk@tracyk.ca Mail: Tracy K Box 396 Beausejour, Man. Canada R0E 0C0