“Süss is set to release Myths On My Body, the long-awaited follow-up to 2007′s I Just Ride My Bike. The quirky singer/songwriter will hit the stage at the Gas Station Arts Centre on April 25 with her all-star band — which features familiar faces like Daniel ROA on drums and Gilles Fournier on bass, as well as the EP’s JUNO-nominated co-producer and musician, Dan Donahue – along with openers Eagle Lake Owls. CBC Scene recently caught up with Süss, who also took to one of the Downtown Biz ‘painted pianos for an little acoustic performance of the EP’s lead track, ”The Kracken Song”. And the studio version of the waltz just so happens to be this week’s featured tune. Download it for free and don’t miss Süss live!”

Alternative indie singer/songwriter Süss is releasing a new collection of songs.

It’s called Myths On My Body and it’s being launched at the Gas Station Arts Centre on Friday April 25.

Her songs have a lyrical honesty. Coupled with her quirky musical mind, they can be sad and funny at the same time.

Not many musicians decide to go full throttle into a music career in their 30′s. But for Süss it was a no-brainer.

“I was realizing I didn’t want to have a career in science,” she recalled. “I was coming out; I was learning to live alone in Winnipeg after being married to a man and living in Vancouver; I was leaving the church which was all difficult but important for me to do.”

She acknowledges it takes a lot of drive to have a career in music.

“You have to give up a lot,” she explained. “I was already giving up a whole bunch of things. So I decided to go back to music school when I was 30. And I kept on doing everything.”

Mostly she knew she couldn’t really be happy without music.

“If I could use a biblical reference, it’s kind of like King David or King Saul has to get David the Shepherd to come play his harp to soothe his crazy mind,” she said. “And I had to soothe my own mind.”

One song on the album is called Like a Man and it reflects Süss’ own gender identity.

“I was raised in a very gendered atmosphere, specifically in the Mennonite Brethren church,” she explained. “One of my older brothers recalls the women sitting on one side of the church and the men on the other. That was just ending as I was growing up.”

Süss recorded her EP with musician/producer Dan Donahue.

“He is a very interesting guitar player. And he played five different guitars on this album. Whereas my last album had a lot of piano on it this one is full of guitars,” she pointed out. “So, musically Dan really helped. But I also had the Winnipeg roots scene in mind. I kind of describe this album as Jane Siberry goes to Texas.”

Süss “Myths on my Body”

Eagle Lake Owls

iPhone light painting with Syd the stage manager

Süss, Winnipeg Musician

Eagle Lake Owls sing folk songs about small town life, long winters and endless summers, filtered through a dusty car window. Singer/guitarist Andy Cole, cellist Nathan Krahn and multi-instrumentalist Dominique Lemoine paint vivid pictures of the Canadian prairies with sparse acoustic arrangements.