Emilie Steele previews upcoming Toucan, Grad Club shows

Emilie Steele is feeling pretty inspired these days. While she counts Julie Doiron, Lucinda Williams, and Neil Young amongst her influences, it’s more than music that gets her going.

“People, bands, good conversations, and stories,” says Steele. “I have a lot of extra energy that’s running around trying to get out. I get up and try to work [on my music] every day. It gives me purpose.”

This Friday and next, the fruits her labour can be heard as Steele and her band The Deal play a pair of triple bills at two Kingston venues.

First up this Friday is a show at The Toucan with Infotourist and Redwoods & Birch.

They all met at the Homegrown Live Music Festival this past May where they shared a bill at Blu Martini, and Steele knew immediately that she wanted to work with these fellow Kingston bands soon.

“It’s great that this spawned from a good charity event like Homegrown Live,” says Steele. “Someone shouted out to Redwoods & Birch that they were ‘better than heroin,’ so we’re gonna have a fun show together.”

The following Friday, July 13, Emilie Steele & The Deal will open for two other Kingston acts: Michael C Duguay (who is also a manager at The Grad Club, where Steele works a couple of shifts a week) and indie-rockers Deux Trois, which features PS I Love You’s Benjamin Nelson.

“Michael just put together a great four-piece band, and is recording and playing around Ontario all summer,” says Steele. “And I saw Deux Trois at their very first show in October. It’s been awesome watching them develop over the last nine months. I’m really looking forward to seeing both these bands”

Steele is putting in time this summer working on an EP with producer Greg Dawson, whom Steele met when she opened for Julie Doiron at The Mansion in December. Outside of recording and performing, she continues to work on her live show and the sound of her three-piece band.
“My umbrella term is probably indie rock,” explains Steele. “But I like to say I have a little something for everyone in there. There’s some heavier stuff, a bit of country, a bit of rockabilly, a bit of punk. I really like to play with genre. Whenever I go out to see a live gig, I’m just infused with energy.”

Catch the energy of Emilie Steele & The Deal this Friday, July 6 at The Toucan, and next Friday, July 13, at The Grad Club.