In the song, Not On You, from her latest record, Life of the Party, Guelph singer-songwriter Alanna Gurr sings, “Praise is just a curse and I have to keep singing when it hurts.”
It is the kind of honest and personal performance her fans have come to expect from the multi-faceted artist, and it lays bare the image artists all too often feel compelled to create to, consistently, meet their fans’ expectations.
“I think a lot of other artists can identify with this too, where sometimes you put on a bit of a mask when you’re a performer,” said Gurr. “You get pumped up for the show and you kind of take on this other identity.”
That process can be physically and emotionally exhausting especially for an artist like Gurr, who has become an influential presence in the Guelph arts community not only for her own music but for her collaborations and work promoting other local musicians and causes.
“I love to be involved and be a part of my community and take part in events,” she said. “So much that sometimes I found that I would be stretching myself a little thin and feeling that burn out from things.”
Gurr’s newest release is both a departure from and a continuation of the musical journey she has been on for the past decade as a songwriter, musician, artist, performer, promoter and producer, and the chorus lyrics from the title track speak volumes. “I’m the life of the party when everyone’s gone home.”
“That song is kind of my own reflection on my two sides of myself,” said Gurr. “The contrasting identities and emotions. I find I am an extravert and an introvert. Sometimes I feel more myself when I get home at the end of the night after a show when I can read a book, make a tea, and get comfy.”
Gurr has built a loyal fan base and earned critical acclaim from local and national media since signing with Missed Connection Records in 2011.
She has released three albums on the Guelph-based label. The first, Late at Night, with her band Alanna Gurr and the Greatest State came out in 2011 followed by five-song e.p., Stand Still, in June 2017.
She took a different approach with her latest digital release, Life of the Party, that came out at the end of October.
“My last record was recorded with an actual band,” said Gurr. “This record does have a full band, but it was recorded with session players. Kind of like a return to my solo act.”
The studio sessions were recorded with celebrated Canadian singer-songwriter and producer, Jim Bryson at his Fixed Hinge Studio in Stittsville, Ontario
“I have been a fan of his for a long time both as a musician and as a producer,” said Gurr. “I reached out to him to see if he would be interested in working with me. I sent him a few demos and he was up for it.”
All eight songs on the record were written three or more years ago, long before COVID 19 became a dominant force in popular culture but there is no denying its unintended influence on Gurr’s creative process.
“I was originally supposed to bring people from Guelph to work with me in the studio, but the pandemic happened,” she said. “So, I went up on my own in June of 2020 and recorded for a week with some really great session players that Jim was able to bring in based on the sound that I wanted.”
Bryson taught her how to use the recording software and as soon as they had the bed tracks down, she returned to Guelph.
“I kind of set up a whole studio at home and we recorded all the vocals here as well as some of the harmonies,” said Gurr. “Charlotte Moore played cello on the record so, we went to her house in Guelph and recorded there.”
Guelph-based, Swiss-Canadian, sound artist, Lisa Conway put down the remaining harmony vocals.
“She recorded those remotely herself in her studio so, it is really more of a blend of different recording styles than what I was used to on previous albums,” said Gurr. “It took me five or six months to get all the vocals done. I would edit them as much as I could then send them to Jim and he would, as an engineer, kind of blend everything together and send it back to me to hear.”
Recording during the pandemic had its challenges, but it also freed up a lot of Gurr’s time because many of the things she had been doing such as The Girls Rock Camp and other commitments had been cancelled or postponed.
“It gave me the opportunity to learn how to do some of my own recording and producing, which is something I really enjoyed,” she said. “It kind of gave me a bit of a bug too where I could see myself wanting to produce other people as well.”
One track she was particularly proud of, Not On You, was more than 10 years in the making.
“It is probably the quieter song on the album but I think it’s my favourite because it develops around a conversation about mental health,” said Gurr. “I lost a dear friend of mine. He took his own life in 2010 and it is something I still think about often. I wrote this song thinking about that person and my life and kind of where I am now. I am really proud of that song, and it took me a long time to want to write about that.”
Gurr was born in Guelph and made her first record, Horse Feathers, in 2010 with producer Dan Beeson at his home studio in Guelph.
She shot the video for Life of the Party with Sara May and choreographer Katie Ewald on the road near her childhood home on the edge of Guelph.
Where her career takes her next, fate only knows but her experience making this record has given her an opportunity to reflect on her journey so far and the people she encountered along the way.
“As for a lot of people, the pandemic has given us time to have some reflection on the life we had before this happened,” said Gurr. “How things have changed and how we want to structure our lives moving forward. What is important to us. Music isn’t my main career, but it is definitely my main love and creative outlet and I’m lucky I have the help from Tyler Belluz and Missed Connection Records. I don’t think I’d be making music as much as I do and be as confident in my musicianship if I didn’t have the support of so many people in Guelph over the last decade.”
To learn more about Alanna Gurr and Missed Connection Records visit: here.
