Five Questions With Carmanah

Victoria, BC-based band, Carmanah has released a new single from their upcoming album, Iris. The single, “Stand Up” is a kind of lullaby for anyone who sometimes feels like the world is weighing them down.

The track was intended to be a little cheeky, but the song was also written as a simple wish for love to prevail and for all the haters to just sit down and listen.

Check out “Stand Up” below and find out more about Carmanah via our Five Questions With segment.

Care to introduce yourself?

Hey! I’m Laura Mina Mitic, lead singer/fiddler/guitarist in the band Carmanah. Victoria, BC (Lekwungen/Songhees territory) is my home. I am proud to have deep roots in Atlantic Canada as well. My favourite ice cream flavour is chocolate chip-mint. I believe in system change over climate change and am learning about how our planet could thrive if we nurture empathy, if we tread lightly and if we support and uplift each other regardless of our differences.

Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.

I love that the ocean, the forests and the mountains are in my backyard and I sing about them often in the music I write and perform. Carmanah dabbles within a few different genres to create a soulful sound influenced by the energy of the west coast. I write best in the mornings with a coffee in hand. And if it is foggy or rainy outside that nurtures my creative soul even more.

Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live how would you explain your live performance?

Our band is a six-piece, with guitars and harmonizing vocals at the helm and a groovy rhythm and keys section keeping us afloat. We flow between sweeter folky-rootsy tunes and heavier danceable songs. We have a lot of fun on stage together. I think our love for music and for each other and the audience is emitted from the stage and I hope people leave our concerts feeling energized and peaceful.

If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?

Our newest tune, Stand Up. We just released this a few weeks ago and I’m really proud of the song. Originally Stand Up was going to be recorded as a solo tune with me with my guitar, but in the studio, we (with producers Gus Van Go and Werner F.) kept layering on unique instrumental parts. The song became more intricately strange and I fell more in love with it. Stand Up is about choosing love over hate and tackles the state of the world as we know it.  Also, check out the claymation music video that goes along with it…

Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian band/artists?

To name a few: Daniel Romano, Patrick Watson, Feist, Current Swell, Zinnia, Copperhead, Bahamas and Hannah Georgas.

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