Not So Blue Although Not So Blue quickly went out of print, the album remains one of Dana's most eclectic and experimental song collections - touching on progressive rock, soul, dance, new wave, and Ewe drumming. "Big Things Like This" was subsequently covered by Dan Bryk, appearing on his Lovers Leap album (2000, Scratchie Records).
Track Listing:
(P) 1996 twisteeBOY records |
Flower Arguably Dana's most commercial release, Flower is an ambitious album featuring over 30 guest musicians, engineers and other artists (including string quartet, jazz trio, harpsichord, and more). While many tracks were recorded at Toronto's innovative Music Gallery, the album is rock-oriented. Energetic live shows supporting this album were carried out by the core musicians on the album - a trio of drums (Dyniss), bass (King Kong Girio) and piano.
Dana's use of this piano on this album is both aesthetically and politically motivated. With piano frequently understood as a "feminine" instrument (in contrast to the "masculine" guitar), Dana sought to raise the profile of the piano to that of a lead instrument, with a strong energy and direct manner. Her playing at this time became highly percussive, incorporating a "hand over hand" technique which explores the "drumming" potential of piano-playing [transcription 1 | transcription 2]. Promotional material at the time stated: "Flower is a smart, tuff, innocent and fun. It's about being yourself in a fierce way. The playing is aggressive and the attitude is very positive, combining rock production and energy with rare classical instrumentation." "Peace y'Know" was subsequently made into a short animated video, receiving multiple CBC broadcasts at the time. Other songs from the album were later featured in the soundtrack to the feature documentary, The Believers (Todd Holland 2006, Frameline Distribution).
Track Listing:
(P) 1998 Twistee Records |
Estrofemme Promoted as "a near-techno adventure," Estrofemme is a très glam and unique part of Dana's repertoire. Estrofemme contains no sung vocals, and instead mixes dialogue from three films (The Women, Little Women, and Paris is Burning) to present various perspectives on femininity and strength. The experiences of trans and nontrans women are combined here. Musically, Dana veers away from her previous foregrounding of the piano. While virtuostic piano still appears here, it is presented abstractly by sampling and processing pre-recorded piano excerpts. Track Listing:
(P) 1999 Twistee Records |
Untitled EP This limited-edition EP consists of 6 songs in demo form. Beginning with a tongue-in-cheek cover version of Depeche Mode's 1981 hit, "Just Can't Get Enough," the EP continues with material more brash and eccentric than on Dana's previous release. "Birthsong" appears in the soundtrack to the feature documentary, The Believers (Todd Holland 2006, Frameline Distribution). Track Listing:
(P) 1999 Twistee Records |
Pretty Little Shape-Shifter This LP contains some of Dana's most direct and poignant expressions of social and personal issues. In particular, sexual alterity is represented in humanistic and multifaceted ways. Rather than prioritizing innovative piano technique, Dana relies on the reassuring presence of steady drum-loops, soulful bass, and poetic lyrics. "Lola," a re-write of the 1970s hit by The Kinks, retells the story of an encounter with a trans woman from the woman's perspective. "Ave Maria" samples a rendition of this piece recorded in 1902 onto wax cylinder by Alessandro Moreschi, the "last castrato" - presenting a compelling relationship between the singers' identities and physicalities. The voice of Sylvia Rivera, late trans activist, is featured on "Freak of Nature," while a real-life observation of a lone trans woman on the streets of Toronto forms the basis of a gritty and sensual "Verité." Dana's early deliberations around parenting are presented on "Pre," while "Ashes" has since been featured at various Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremonies. A wonderful, soulful album. Track Listing:
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A 2003 out-take from Pretty Little Shape-Shifter is a good-natured parody of electroclash, popular at the Michigan Women's Music Festival at the time. Dana recorded "Out of Bounds" in support of the inclusion of transsexual and transgendered people at this music festival.
| Piano Style (1997-2000) In the late 1990s, Dana adopted a "percussive" approach to the piano, for aesthetic and political reasons. Dana noted that the piano was described as a "feminine" instrument by some musicologists (as opposed to the male gendering of guitars). Accordingly, Dana brought the piano out of its textural, accompaniment role and featured it as a powerful lead instrument. The distortion of electric guitars was replicated through harmonic dissonance (and sometime an array of effects stomp-boxes) on the piano. A visually and sonically impressive "hand over hand" technique was also developed (see intro to "Beautiful Mixture" and break in "Hide and Seek") to maximize the piano's percussive potention while minimizing harmonic implications. Dana's 1998 Flower CD, and particularly the live performances surround it, reflects this goal. Representative songs from that period include "She Said," "Push," "Flower," and "Beautiful Mixture". These songs were also among the first in which Dana began to describe trans experiences. Dana's live band at the time (drums, piano/vocals, and sometimes bass) helped reinforce the aggressive and percussive rock piano style Dana was becoming known for. Her distinctive playing elicited invitations to perform with various other artists. |
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Musical RetrospectiveInitial RecordingsDana's debut album, Not So Blue (1995/96), reveals an eclectic and experimental approach to popular music. Featured guest musicians including drummer Andy Stochansky, Joseph Ashong and other extremely talented musicians, Not So Blue spans a wide range of musical genres. After the release of her debut album, Dana incorporated a stronger feminist orientation into her music. Her 1998 Flower CD reflects this approach. Songs from this album were broadcast multiple times on various television programmes; one viewer of CBC's Zed Television created a short animation featuring "Peace y'Know", frequently aired on Zed. The Flower songs were also among the first in which Dana began to openly describe trans experiences. Performing at this time with an energetic trio (drums, piano/vocals, and bass) helped fuel the percussive and assertive rock piano style Dana was becoming known for. Middle Years: Transition Following the release of Flower, Dana’s music returned to an experimental and adventurous approach, as heard in "Estrofemme" (1999) – an electronic collage of powerful female film characters. That same year, Dana released her Untitled EP; the compilation featured previously unreleased demos, as well as one song ("Little Black Echo") from her debut album. At this time, Dana started to collaborate with other songwriters, including Ember Swift and Dan Bryk. Dana made guest appearances on various artists' albums at this time, partly due to her unique style of piano playing. In 2000, Dana spent a year in Liverpool England recording new material and begining graduate studies in musicology. Upon her return to Toronto, Dana contributed piano tracks and wrote songs on albums by Dan Bryk, Slav Simanic, and Dyniss. With a growing number of album credits and performing experience, Dana received a "TransPlanet" award for "Eminent Artist" from SOY Toronto. Dana began doctoral studies on Prince’s music, at York University. Recent Activities: Soul Grooves and Beyond In the following years, Dana began to move away from aggressive rock, towards soul music. As she began performing on bass guitar and incorporating steadier, more laid-back grooves, Dana's focus became less political and more personal in nature. She continued to appear on rock albums including Skarlet O’Hara’s Picket White Fences (2003). Also at this time, Dana contributed musical scores to various independent movies, including Alec Butler’s second installment of The Misadventures of Pussy Boy (2003), and later – Girl on Girl (2004; a recipient of multiple awards) by Vancouver’s "Miss Nomer" collective. Dana’s own independent short video, Flat Simple Girls, appeared at queer film festivals including the Inside/Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival of Toronto. This explored analogies between Dana’s musical activities and the artistic activities of the late Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Dana's musical output has received increased support since the early-2000s. Significant attention was given to her fifth album (third LP), Pretty Little Shape Shifter, which features a rewrite of The Kinks’ 1970 hit "Lola". Here, Dana retells the story of a man attracted to a trans woman in a bar, from the woman’s perspective. Also on this album, Dana's adapts a vocal recording of "Ave Maria" made in 1902 by Alessandro Moreschi, the "last castrato," to create a duet relating the experiences of modern trans people to those of a turn-of-the-century castrato. At this time, The National Library and Archives of Canada incorporated Dana's recordings into their holdings, and Dana's music was prominently featured in a film documentary on San Francisco's Transcendence Gospel Choir, entitled The Believers. Performances by Dana took place largely outside of Toronto, in cities including New York City, Baltimore, Chicago, Michigan, and Philadelphia. In May 2006, Dana married Shauna Lancit, a Toronto-based poet and English scholar. In that same year, she released Pretty Little Shape Shifter. Since then, Dana has focused her efforts on musicology, rather than the public production of music. Current Work Dana is currently completing a PhD at York University on the music of Prince. Her musical activities are centred on piano improvisation, yet are now less focused on popular music. Instead, Dana's work now explores traditional genres (including Hungarian/Roma/Gypsy, klezmer, and traditional American genres) and mediates individual experience with historical and community sensibilities. This musical approach reflects a social and political concern with integrating unique experiences of selfhood with shared senses of history, intelligibility and cohesion. Dana and Shauna are expecting their first child in February 2009.
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Albums: Not So Blue (1995)
Flower (1998) 
Estrofemme (1999) 
Untitled EP (1999)
Pretty Little Shape-Shifter (2005) |
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