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Music

Joyful Julie

JULIE DOIRON with $100 and RICK WHITE at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), tonight (Thursday, March 26). $10. 416-870-8000.


Inspired. Confident. Energetic. Blissful. Rockin’. That sums up Julie Doiron’s eighth album, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day (Endearing), making it a change of pace for the 36-year-old mother of three who used to perform under the name Broken Girl, softly sing about loneliness and motherhood and apologize profusely for the slightest of chord slip-ups.

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Turns out her kids had something to do with her transition into rock ‘n’ roll mama.

“One reason I was writing really quiet songs when the kids were little was because I was always afraid to wake them up,” says Doiron over the phone from Austin, where she’s playing SXSW before returning to launch the new disc at the Horseshoe. “But now that they’re older, that’s not a problem at all.”

I Can Wonder successfully marries Doiron’s tender-hearted solo work with the distorted-guitar prowess she displayed as bassist for seminal Moncton lo-fi rockers Eric’s Trip. With producer Rick White – her former Eric’s Trip bandmate and ex-boyfriend – at the helm, the goal was to capture the loose, spirited energy of her live show, something she’d also attempted on 2007’s much darker Woke Myself Up, which earned her new fans thanks to a Polaris Prize nomination.

Doiron, also a 2000 Juno Award winner, currently lives out of a suitcase, splitting her time between Montreal, where her ex-husband and kids live, Sackville, New Brunswick, where her boyfriend lives, and constant touring. But she’s happier than ever before.

“I found myself writing songs when I was coming back from a swim or feeling glad to be alive or thinking about how beautiful the light looked when I was walking home on snowy evenings. The record really came out of those places.

“Things were hard for a while when my husband and I broke up. It was an awkward phase and I didn’t really know what to do next. Over the last couple of years, I kind of grew up and learned how to do things on my own and play with people who really have fun playing music.

“I’ve figured out what I want in life and learned to embrace everything and be grateful for everyone. It’s a culmination of learning how to live.”

Interview Clips

On working with Rick White again:

Download associated audio clip.

On how the Polaris nomination expanded her audience:

Download associated audio clip.

On the new album’s artwork, a painting by Doiron’s ex-husband, Jon Claytor:

Download associated audio clip.

music@nowtoronto.com

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