| TREASA LEVASSEUR |
| 2007 MainStage KEW Gardens |
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Photo courtesy of Denise Grant
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| Treasa Levasseur means every word she sings. |
Broken-heart ballads, barroom blues, gospel style inspirationals, raunchy rock... Treasa plays whatever shakes her soul. Her lyrics are smart, poetic, and socially conscious. She has a whole lot to say, and she says it with sincerity and sass, with a powerhouse voice that cannot be ignored or denied.
Influenced by the whole sisterhood of soulful sirens, from Joni Mitchell to Etta James, Carole King to Dusty Springfield and all the way back to Bessie Smith, Treasa's roots spread far and dig deep. She plays piano, accordion, guitar, mandolin, and anything else she can get her hands on.
As a backing musician and harmony vocalist, Treasa has rocked out with The Robber who Robbed the Town, created freestyle hip-hop vibes with the Rhymestone crew, and delivered the old-school funk with huge bands like Pan Con Queso, House of Velvet, Lab Cap and the Monkey Mob. In 2002 she released Me and the Boys under the moniker Slim, a booty-shaking socially-conscious soul album of original songs. These days, she can be found fronting local roots hootenanny Lil Jimmy's Chicken Pickers, as well as playing in Corin Raymond's band, The Sundowners.
Treasa's unique and powerful voice has silenced rowdy bars from Whitehorse to St.John's, Nfld, and all points between. She's been seen at the Shelter Valley, Hillside, Trout Forest, Live from the Rock and Om festivals, among others. Her voice has appeared on dozens of independent recording projects, and she has worked in studios such as Umbrella Music, Tattoo, and The Millstream. Her original songs, as well as collaborations, have been seen and heard on Breakfast Television, MuchMusic, CBC Radio, and college radio stations across the country.
Treasa is a well-connected member of the roots music scene in Canada, and has shared the bill with artists as varied as Terra Hazelton, Fred Eaglesmith, the D. Rangers, Dan Whiteley, Justin Rutledge, Fefe Dobson, Peaches, Danny Marks, Shakura S'aida, Divine Brown, The Hidden Cameras, Bob Wiseman, Kurt Swinghammer, Valdy, Mia Sheard, Claire Jenkins, The Supers, Julie Crochetiere, The Undesirables, Serena Ryder and the Cameron Family Singers.
Her first full length album, Not A Straight Line, an eclectic collection of carefully crafted and thought-provoking songs, was released in 2006. Produced by David Baxter, the cd has earned Treasa well deserved airplay as well as a 2007 Maple Blues Award nomination for “Best New Artist”.
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