Jamie Rumley

Jamie Rumley

Biography:

For as long as she can remember, Jamie Rumley heard her parents playing the music of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and The Rolling Stones around their home in the small community of West St. Paul, MB. Before long she was singing in Church and School choirs and later playing the bass guitar, piano and alto saxophone (which earned her several awards at a young age). But her inspiration to pick up the guitar and begin penning her own music came from listening to artists like Sheryl Crow, Janis Joplin and The Cranberries.

She has come a long way since those choir days. After completing an Audio Engineering Program in 2002, Rumley wrote, recorded and produced her debut album Out of the Ordinary. The first single, "Anywhere But Here," is still a fan favourite and ended up being featured on her next project, which did not arrive until several years later.

After a long hiatus from music making, she found her way back to her roots in 2008 and recorded her follow-up album: an EP entitled Renovations. Produced by Adam Halstrom (Pollution Lake Sound) and featuring six songs which could all be categorized in different genres, the project ties together surprisingly well and was received with open arms in Canada and all over Europe. After the release of Renovations came a spring “Compilation Tour” of Western Canada with fellow Winnipegger, Lindsey White, who also contributed lead guitar to the project.

Three years later Rumley has written yet another entirely new collection of songs. Her latest offering, What are You Waiting For, was recently released in Canada and sees her moving in a fresh direction with the help of long time producer Adam Halstrom. Rumley collaborates again with White (piano/vocals), as well as a Toronto based artist who cowrote the single “Back to You,” with the multi-talented Halstrom contributing bass, drums, vocals, guitar and some piano. Clearly her most polished effort to date, What are You Waiting For contains ten well crafted and neatly produced songs spanning several musical genres; all distinctly ‘Jamie Rumley.’ Ranging from straight forward rock to dreamy folk-pop to suped up versions of classic folk, the album combines elements of all her influences painted on an edgier indie rock backdrop that demands an attentive ear through and through.

Jamie Rumley’s bittersweet lyrics and diverse music might remind you of her favorite artists but her uniqueness makes her a genre all her own.