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12 * WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, August 29, 2007 ew Dundee‘s Tony and N\lesna Nuic are sharing the thrill of watching their multiâ€"talented daughter get discovâ€" ered by audiences across Canada this summer. Earlier this month, recording artist Lori Nuic was back in New Dundee, enjoying the comforts of her parents‘ home, at least for a day or two, before resuming a schedule that has had her rushing to gigs across Canada from her home base in Toronto. Since launching her debut CD Red Book Chronicles in February, Lori has appeared across the counâ€" try, from Toronto‘s Winter City hesâ€" tival to the Calgary Stampede. She‘ll continue next week with a Wa wunru- M iCO S [ XC EVERYON f(,% re2cefaere Seties * piue o ET OA L k 1 £_ d i fam T i V I }\ i L CN d * & n A | N EspSy ie Welcome to a new era. Our worldâ€"class orchestra / playing the music you love to hear! c s zy , Yor hok l , R t M e , & Ap 6 > ‘ ‘ Ww i We Sn C /:?,Yfir\ _\ _ Magnificent music, worldâ€"class musicians, RECk â€"~ 1877 â€"â€" Folk â€" Aiferature e % d , T M 5 7‘“".:*«‘_17 : dynamic new music directorâ€"all coming Dynamic stlists create a hrites hetween . â€" * | N \EEAIRCF _‘ _ together in an acoustically superior hall. classical m on en /s § ho ues These are the irresistible ingredients of Expetience this exciting NEW series & our Signature Series. M www.kwsymphony. on .ca 519.578.1570 | 1.800.265.8977 DON‘T DELAY. ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY! L Singer got her start in a musical at St. David‘s school JTAL SKIN & BODY NIC & LAY SPA For the Chronicle COME IN FOR A FREE CONSULTATIONI! frosh week performance at Hum ber College. â€" This week, though, Lori is joinâ€" ing her parents on a family vacaâ€" tion in Europe where she‘ll enjoy some muchâ€"needed down time. Lori moved to New Dundee from Waterloo with her parents seven years ago, but it wasn‘t long before she left to attend Ryerson University‘s dance program. From there she went on to graduate from the prestigious Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. Theatre companies, including Stage West and the Shaw Festival, were soon courting the talented performer whose look and voice lent itself to everything from soulful pop ballads to a British Invasion review. She calls her musical style alterâ€" native soul and describes it as a fusion of soul, funk, rock and R&B. Fusion is the right word. Her influâ€" ences are all over the map. As a teen Lori listened to everyâ€" one from Etta James to Lauren Hill. Then there was her brother Anthoâ€" ny‘s rock and heavy metal records. And she can‘t ignore the fact that her parents played a lot of Beatles and other ‘60s bands. Lori‘s interest in dance blosâ€" somed when she auditioned and won a part in a highâ€"school musiâ€" cal at St. David‘s in Waterloo. She‘d taken dance instruction from Stuâ€" dio D in Kitchener since she was four years old, earning encourageâ€" ment from instructor, mentor and friend Deardra Leslie. After seeing their daughter sing in high school the Nuics knew where her passion lied. "She has such a powerful voice," says Vesna, admitting she‘s mmmems _ a little biased. "It juSt Overâ€" takes you. There are some SW 4 â€" beautiful tones in there." Described in her press bio as a blond bombshell, it‘s obvious after meeting Lori that her appeal isn‘t based on looks alone. She not only sings on her debut album, on which she wrote or collaborated on 10 of the 12 tracks, she plays guiâ€" tar on the song Maybe You Could Be the One. Her brother Anthony, who plays lead guitar in about three local bands, is Local singer Lori Nuic is taking some time to relax before she begins touring across Canada R C music dire acoustica irresistibl Series. also featured prominently in her CD and has stepped away from his heavy metal roots to tour alongside his younger sister. Things really began to take off for Lori when Kitchener radio staâ€" tion the Beat held a contest in search of new singing talent. She won the contest that included stuâ€" dio recording time, That same year Lori turned down a role at the Shaw Festival to dedicate time to singing and song writing, so the timing was perfect, she says. "My first passion is recording." Next up was the Honey Jam Hook Up, an annual showcase for urban music talent organized by Flow FM in Toronto. The event, made famous for discovering Canadian superstar Nelly Furtado, welcomed Lori and three other hopefuls. She brought along her fiveâ€"piece band and hit the stage at the Guvernment to perform a 12â€" minute medley of songs. She became an instant crowd favourite and took home the top prize â€" a production package that included a chance to work with Canadian hip hop producer Saukrates. > The Beat began playing her lead single Rear View last summer and it peaked just shy of the station‘s top 10 before the album‘s release in February. The collaboration led to several songs on the new record. _ Lori says the touring that folâ€" lowed has been both gruelling and eye opening. _ _ _ _ "The response has been great, especially for the live shows," she says. â€" Lori opened for Simply Red at the Hummingbird Centre and toured with Canadian artists Shawn Desmon, Keshia Chante, George and U.S. guitarist Raul Midon. "It‘s just such a warm response from people who have never seen or heard you before," she says. _ As an independent artist, Lori says she enjoys a certain amount of freedom, but marketing and busiâ€" ness savvy is critical. "At first I thought being an indie artist would be easy." "I‘ve learned so much doing this CD. It‘s been quite the learning experience," she laughs. "Like when to hire a publicist â€" before you go on tour." In order to land a distribution deal, she had to create her own record label. _ Gaining national exposure has been anything but easy. â€" Grant programs like VideoFACT give artists cash to create a music video but Lori says the chance of landing one is like winning the lotâ€" tery. Television exposure has come from appearances on Canada AM and Breakfast Television shows across the country. And her official website lorâ€" inuic.com has been critical to her success. SUBMITTED PAOTO