Joanna Chapman-Smith

What is this, the dawning of the new age of the accordion? Where are they coming from, all of these delightful squeeze boxers? The heart of East Vancouver, in the case of Joanna Chapman-Smith. It's not surprising, really, that klezmer would emerge from East Van. The Eastern European ghetto folk music is well suited to the spirit of Canada's grittiest, most soulful neighbourhood. Tracks like "Arbitrary Lines" and "Klezbian Mother" pair sultry vocals with robust clarinet and accordion lines that fling up their arms and leap about with wild abandon. But it's not all fun and games - the delicate jazziness of tracks like "Between the Minds" tempers all of the hoopla with delicious melancholy. After her acoustic folk debut, 2007's Eyre Corvidae, Chapman-Smith has produced a gutsier sophomore album that reveals her as an intriguing new addition to Vancouver's songwriting community.