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Indigenous in the News Featured Artist Review
Leanne Goose - Anywhere
By Jamison Mahto
Today I ride for Dave, Pam and Jerry. Mitakuye wyasin! Ah-ho. I jump on my Marin hybrid and whip a short quick turn to go north on 18th Ave. When I ride I ride for flow, for jazz and r n b, for poetry and sex. When I ride, I am irie in the moment and tears of joy in the eyes of Buddha, Zen and universe, caught up in a torrent of improvisational bike riding.
I see the looks in people’s eyes and I certainly would not condone street wolf style riding as something that everyone should take to heart. I would never condone riding in traffic at speed without a helmet unless you know a thing or two about magic and timing. They do work together you know? When I ride, I ride outside the lines. That is who I am. To me bike riding is like any other creative pursuit and on the level of making music in that I use it to express myself. That’s why writing a review becomes less like work and more like just a piece of the tapestry of my life and another ripple in the flow of existence.
Leanne Goose from Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Canada some times billed as rock and roll but is actually an astonishingly talented and versatile singer of wide and various influences. And who is that masked guitar wizard working magic behind the effortless and soulful vocals of Ms. Goose? Why that’s a little taste of Pink Floyd, some Skynyrd and a little Atlanta Rhythm Section for good measure and those sultry alto phrasings riding low and slow over top it all with a cool that burns with soulful blues fire.
Ms Goose has assembled a skilled crew composed of Laurie McNabb (Lead & Rhythm Guitars/Bass), Roly Mitton (Bass), Bob Johnstone (Percussion/Harmonies) & Meg Tatum (Keyboards) with additional instrumentation of all sorts provided by Phil Deschambault & Jack Shapiro in the assistance of creating a wonderful CD with some very strong material on it. She starts right out with the title song Anywhere a country rockin’ road song. Leanne sings, “no road map, no complication, only the dream of an open road and an endless highway” Why darlin’ that’s pure poetry to me because I’ve hung with the road warriors in my past. Freedom of everything is one of my highest priorities to myself.
I don’t know, call me old fashioned but there’s something a little Pink Floyd about the intro guitar riff to the second trac, Black Door and the lyric speaks to addiction.
The song Burns is straight ahead rock and roll about how music makes you feel. The intro to the next trac Come Down sounds like the intro to the song Simple Man by Skynyrd. I love a guitar player that is saavy enough to include impressions of his mentors as he has moved along the road to get just what that is that happens in the magical distance between finger and string.
Leanne and band throw us a curve with some spoken word over top that awesome Pink F. Guitar thing. Talent skill and creativity all in the same package. WOW!
The song Look Inside reminds me of the Atlanta Rhythm Section with an R n B influence coming from the absolute cool soulfulness of Leanne’s vocal. It sends me back in time to that time when I drank my share of Southern Comfort and dug all of those Southern Rock Bands and which in retrospect respresents America’s answer to the “British” invasion.
With more straight ahead rock and roll in the song Out Of My Mind Leanne sings, “Where’s my lover, where’s my rye, gotta get somethin’ goin’ outta my mind!” Now who’s out there that can’t relate. This lyric really nails it.
Ms. Goose and band finish the CD with the song Warrior once again nice meaty rock and roll that speaks to the need for all of us to conquer those things inside us that continue to hold us hostage. To not remain subjugated by anything or anyone is the only true freedom that there is next to good health. It’s a good strong finish to the CD Anywhere.
This is a CD full of the lyricism created and written by Mr. McNabb and Ms. Goose and for which we are thankful. Sometimes magic happens and there’s just no tellin’ who its going to be with. I look forward to more. Right now, I’m pushin’ the envelope on the notion of epic and legendary bike riding. Maybe you don’t think so but why would I care? | 
