Five years ago country singer Danielle Edge was living in Vancouver managing a personal fitness studio that attracted stuntmen from the film industry.
Seems glamorous, right?
“But it was the wrong dream. If I had to do it every day, I wouldn’t do it. If I had to play music on the street every day, I would do it,” said an emphatic Edge.
“I wanted to play country rock and wear cowboy boots.”
And she’s living out her dreams this coming Saturday as she appears with the Road Hounds at LB’s Pub.
Influenced by the likes of Dwight Yoakam, John Mellancamp and Miranda Lambert, Edge shies away from describing her style of singing.
“My only requirement is that it has attitude. I’ve been told my music is rockabilly sounding with very high energy.”
Edge grew up in the 1980s listening to rock, country, pop punk and commercial pop.
“Boy bands were popular back then and I learned to sing and harmonize.”
Today her focus is strictly country.
“A lot of other women in country music try to be tough gunslingers. That’s not my personality. We sing songs that are about having fun. We don’t worry about the drama.”
Music was not a priority for Edge while growing up. First she tried piano, but didn’t enjoy the lessons. Then she dabbled in vocal lessons for a month before quitting.
But at age seven, she enrolled in kung fu lessons. By the time she was 14, she’d earned a black belt and that led to a career in fitness training.
“When you look at music, it’s very much a community. People write songs together and make music together. In the movie business there was only one role and everybody cuts each other down.”
Today Edge writes songs such as Stick on Glass, a song about women’s empowerment; Can’t Get Out, a one-night stand tune, The Devil Drinks Whiskey, a look at drinking alone.
“I’ve played at LB’s jams before. But this is the first time people will hear our original music. Every time I play LB’s it’s a good time.”
