Donita Large Returns with the Blues in “Too Much of Anything”: Anticipated Single Follows #1 Single on Indigenous Music Countdown
There’s no such thing as too much of singer/songwriter Donita Large, and thankfully, she is back with her highly anticipated blues single, “Too Much of Anything.” After reaching the #1 spot on the Indigenous Music Countdown with her debut single, “Going To Walk That Line,” fans have been wanting more.
Donita Large brought her bluesy charm when she emerged on the music scene in the summer of 2021. She quickly became a sought-after artist, performing at local festivals and shows, including the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, RavenWood Music Festival, K-Days Indigenous Experience, and a ‘Songs of Reconciliation’ concert at Leduc’s MacLab Centre for Performing Arts. During her early days on the scene, Donita collaborated with lead and bass guitarist Anthony King, which led to the formation of ‘Donita Large & The Small Band,’ alongside bandmates Alan Tymofichuk and Barry Martin.
The idea for “Too Much of Anything” came to life one evening when Donita and Anthony decided to make music during a break from rehearsal. Donita wanted to write a new blues song, and Anthony, who loves the blues, started playing a bluesy 12-bar tune. This inspired Donita to begin writing the lyrics for “Too Much of Anything.”
The song’s message is simple, but the feelings are complicated: it’s about the idea that “too much of anything is bad for you.” It’s like when you have too much of something, and it causes problems. Donita’s song captures the mixed emotions of overdoing something and dealing with the results. That’s why she sings the blues, to connect with those emotions and share them with others.
As the song’s producer, Anthony King sought the best musicians in Edmonton for a live-off-the-floor recording. This effort led to a lineup that included Rooster Davis on the keys, Jamie Cooper on drums, Harry Gregg on bass, and Anthony himself on lead guitar. The recording process was a celebratory experience, resulting in a track that captures the spirit of the blues.
Donita Large will release this new single at Edmonton’s Blues on Whyte – Commercial Hotel as a guest of Secondhand Dreamcar, where Harry, Rooster, and Jamie are all band members, and Anthony will join as a guest guitarist.
Welcome back – tell us what’s been going on with you since we last spoke!
Thanks, it is great to be back! Since we last spoke, I’ve been doing songwriting, singing with my Indigenous women’s group Nîpisîy, and doing shows with my band, “Donita Large & The Small Band”. In September, I was able to do a show with my band at The MacLab Centre for the Performing Arts in Leduc, Alberta that was personally special to me. I did a “Songs of Reconciliation” concert that interwove Indigenous history, my own story, and original music. That was one for the memory books for sure. I’m not one to get emotional too easy and that one brought a tear to my eye. Don’t worry I scared it away, but I sang from raw emotion all night. I hope to have more shows like that one, it felt intimate and beautiful with the audience. In addition to the band, I also do some shows as a duo with my bass player Anthony King, who not only plays bass but is a stellar lead guitar player. Anthony and I were hanging out one night taking a break from rehearsing, when I told him I had been itching to write a new blues song. Anthony was game and by the end of the evening we had a melody and I had partial lyrics. By the next time we met, I had finished writing a song about “Too Much of Anything” is bad for you. We started to play the song at a few shows and decided we had to get into the studio to record it. I’m so happy we did and now here we are, I have a new single, and Anthony produced and played a killer solo on lead guitar. On another interesting side note, Anthony and I recently just completed the musical score for an Indigenous Art documentary called “Waking Spirits Up” which will air on Telus Optik at a future date.
Tell us about the process of recording “Too Much Of Anything”?
As the song’s producer, Anthony King sought the best musicians in Edmonton for a live-off-the-floor recording. This effort led to a lineup that included Rooster Davis on the keys, Jamie Cooper on drums, Harry Gregg on bass, and Anthony on lead guitar. Harry Gregg was also on double duty as sound engineer as we recorded at his Riverdale Recorders Studio in downtown Edmonton. During the day, I actually really loved listening to the conversations during playback as I value each person’s professional insight and ideas. Like Jamie rolling us into the song, that was a sweet addition. Sometimes the conversations between musicians can be so technical, I just smile and nod. No seriously, it is great to be in a studio with everyone happy to be there to create great music. The recording process can be best described as a celebratory experience, resulting in a track that captures the spirit of the blues.
Plans for the rest of 2023 and into 2024?
I am just getting used to saying this out loud, I am thrilled to say I just signed with Hitmakerz Label! The plan now is to record a world-rock album in 2024. I will be working again with award-winning Producer Chris Birkett and recording this album in Toronto. Chris produced two of my singles, “Ancestors in my Bones” and “Reconciliation Sky”. Now moving forward, so great to have a label behind me on this next journey. I think any indie artist knows it is a ton of work to try to get their music out in the world and I’m excited to see what having a team will help me do. It is great to have people to share my LARGE plans with, as these dreams just started with “Wouldn’t it be cool if…”. Now I see a tour in my future.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
The members of a local Edmonton band called Secondhand Dreamcar recently performed in a concert storytelling show called “Leonard and Joni: The Untold Love Story”.This show was about Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell’s brief but intense romantic relationship and was full of Leonard and Joni songs. The band blew me away and the vocals of Dana Wylie as Joni were exceptional. The show reminded me how much I appreciated Leonard’s songwriting style and music. I also had no idea of all that Joni Mitchell had persevered through in her life. Readers may not know who Secondhand Dreamcar is yet, but they are currently recording their own album, so I am sure you will soon enough!
You’ve been making music for a bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
You might have moments of self-doubt, push through them. If you are a humble person, it can be super weird to have to talk about yourself in interviews or market yourself, but it gets easier. I assure you that audiences do want to get to know you. Believe in yourself, work hard, learn shit you don’t know, take risks, but don’t have a big ego – treat people well.