An Intimate Evening With The Lovelocks by Rochelle Renee

Pure, sweet vocals that emulate those of an angel, enrobed in the blissful marriage of fiddle and mandolin, backed with acoustic guitar, to create a sound all their own. Enter The Lovelocks -- a female alt-country duo from Toronto -- currently on a country-wide tour to promote the launch of their debut CD this Fall.
Ali Raney,  the cute blonde with the soaring pipes, deems their signature sound as "Dixie Chicks go Lumineering." Pretty brunette Zoe Neuman lends her rich, warm tones to the songs that are unmistakably Lovelock. These talented ladies met ten years ago, singing in church and bonding over essential artists like Joni Mitchell, Alison Krauss and Johnny Cash.
On July 28, they brought their pure harmonies to the Brooklin Community Centre for a small, intimate "Midsummer's Cafe" venue. As the heady aroma of coffee lingered in the air, guests    
mingled and savoured chocolate-dipped strawberries and sumptuous desserts, while enjoying the scene.
Ali's sweet vocals lent their charm to Beatles hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and Zoe's killer harmonies wowed the crowd. Beaming with pride, Ali says her decade-long friendship with Zoe struck up a musical partnership that led to performing live eighteen months ago.
They will tour Edmonton this September and a handful of other Canadian cities to promote the album.
During a trip to Nashville, the ladies accidentally walked in on a writing session with a female songwriter who was booked in the same time slot as them. The producer had double-booked by mistake, but Zoe says that became a blessing in disguise. "It was a good thing, because we wouldn't have met the songwriter with whom we sat and wrote a few great songs, " she said.
Renowned producer Mitch Merrett, winner of CCMA record producer of the year and songwriter of the year award, worked with The Lovelocks on their upcoming release.
"We got to work with a dream producer," Ali added with a smile.
The talented ladies share the story of how they raised funds for their recordings, in what they call "crowd-funding," or rather, a community donation to get the ball rolling. As a thank you, Ali and Zoe delivered fresh-baked goods to the many donors who contributed to their musical efforts.
The small crowd got to hear acoustic renditions of U2's "Beautiful Day," as well as Katy Perry's "Part Of Me."
There's something ethereal about Ali's tone on "Landslide," a cover of the Dixie Chicks hit song. Together, the women of the Lovelocks harken to the harmonious, organic sound similar to female duo Dala. When the Lovelocks belt out the Johnny Cash classic "Folsom Prison Blues," the audience immediately gets foot-stomping and clapping. Undeniably, there's a fond camaraderie between the friends, both onstage and off.
Audience member Rachel Boivin enjoyed the small concert with two of her best friends. "They were really good," she said of the performance.
The angelic voices of The Lovelocks can be followed on Twitter @HeyLovelocks or at their website: www.thelovelocksband.com

Set Sail On A Romantic Adventure: 20 Yrs In The Making

Welcome to my blog! These are very exciting times and I am pleased to share my work with readers who enjoy good old fashioned romance and sizzling passion. About 20 yrs ago, I began writing romantic fiction and completed some novels that sat in a box for a number of years. Motherhood, marriage, work and life basically all happened, putting the process on hold and leaving me in denial as an author. There's an old saying: by the age of seven, you've set your mind on what it is you love to do. Many people grow up to believe their childhood dreams and passions were just a fanciful phase, meant to be pushed aside and long forgotten. Lucky for me, that passion kept calling my name, Louder and LOUDER!!! It got so loud, that I was finally forced to deal with it and surrender to the passion. I'm thrilled to say that I have five complete manuscripts and another three in drafts. I have made allowances for a dozen novels in total. Characters, plots, titles just seem to come to me so easy.
What I plan to accomplish with this blog is to encourage other writers to stay strong and keep writing. I will also feature weekly posts of excerpts from my novels. The title for the blog came from my most recent work called PASSION. It's an incredible love story filled with humour, passion, desire, friendships, and smalltown charm. I truly had the most fun writing Passion and its endearing characters Rhiannon Rose and Keane Mitchell. Once an author really connects with his/her characters, it's hard to let them go. I really felt like Keane and Rhiannon were my golden couple. Next on the agenda is WILDHEART, a beautiful story of a broken man and a stubborn woman. When they meet, sparks fly...and there's no denying that their love will be one as wild and passionate as the wind. So come along and set sail on a romantic adventure or two. Fall in love with LOVE. There's no greater feeling in the world.  ~Rochelle Renee