A powerful performer with smoky vocals and an undeniable stage presence, Kim Wempe has been tearing up highways and stomping her way across every stage in the country for the past three years. On the heels of her 2010 ECMA win and a 2011 ECMA nomination, her new album ‘Coalition’ (due Sept. 3) is a big, bold, unapologetic leap into a whole new sound.
Born in Humboldt, a small Saskatchewan farming town, Wempe lived in Alberta before finding her true home in Nova Scotia in 2007 where she dove full force into the east coast music scene. Off the strength of her ECMA and Music Nova Scotia award-winning 2009 debut “Where I Need To Be,” Wempe caught the attention of Joel Plaskett, Old Man Luedecke, Thom Swift, and Geoff Hilhorst of Deep Dark Woods – all of whom appear on her subsequent release “Painting With Tides.” With producer Charles Austin (Buck 65, Jenn Grant, Tanya Davis) at the helm, it was released in 2010 on GroundSwell Music/Warner Canada and nominated for an ECMA and two Music Nova Scotia Awards.
Touring consistently in Canada for the past four years, Wempe has performed alongside Canadian favourites Royal Wood, Jill Barber, David Myles, Jenn Grant, Rose Cousins, Matt Andersen, and Madison Violet. She has showcased at JUNOFest, the Vancouver Olympics, Canadian Music Week and festivals across the East Coast including the Stan Rogers Folk Festival and Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival.
Her new album “Coalition” is roots-tinged pop/blues influenced by Americana storytelling and gospel melodies. Produced by Newfoundland soul artist Chris Kirby, the album showcases Wempe’s powerful vocals like never before. Supported by an insistent kick drum, alternative percussion, layered guitars, blues organ, and a gospel choir, Wempe’s voice pulls the weight of every song like an unstoppable train.
