Biography
“ I received this album several months ago and was quite surprised to be so taken with it. Kerri has a unique energy that is compelling without being too ‘in your face.’ The first listen was pleasant enough but I found myself returning to the CD several times over the next weeks - something I don’t often do.
Great voice. Great songs. It’s a terrible thing to compare, but one can certainly here overtones of Patti Griffin and Sarah Harmer in Kerri.
The production is very nicely done - acoustic based, melodic and diverse. Each song grows on you in it’s own time working their way into your consciousness as you find yourself humming bits and pieces throughout the day. Brian James (co-producer and multi-instrumentalist) adds all sorts of nuances and colour reminiscent of the likes of Kevin Briet.
I hope this is the first of many projects.” - Steve Bell
Kerri Woelke is a folk/roots/alt country musician and was born and raised in the Friendly Manitoban city, Winnipeg .
She was born to a fun-loving, social 60’s musician (singer/guitar player) mother, and a poetic, well thought, tone-deaf writer of a father.
She spent a large portion of her life singing, whether to a karaoke machine that was in her room, to school and church plays and wrote her first song as Oak Park High school ’s graduation song, which she will never again sing. Ever.
The year she graduated, she went away to college in SK, where her parents showed up and dropped off a guitar to her stating that “If she wanted to take music seriously, she needed to learn to back herself up.” Kerri learned how to play the guitar mainly in the tiny shared bathroom of her dorm room, as her roommate was not a fan of hearing the horrific noises that come out of a guitar when one does not know how to play.
She started gigging the next year, and played for a few years with her band (Dirty Old Hank) (Name changed to Gretchen) Gretchen had the opportunity to play at places like the Back 40 Music Festival, Morden’s Corn & Apple festival, various fundraisers in Winnipeg & Southern Manitoba, an opening slot for Chiliwack at the Winkler Harvest festival etc.
During this time, Kerri still continued to play solo shows, and had opportunities like the songwriter workshop stage at the Back 40 festival, a “Live at River City brewing company” show played on air on CBC, a live radio show, “Made in Manitoba” and various other places.
She then switched fully to solo music and was given her first opportunity to record a full-length solo album when she entered and won the Manitoba Christian Talent Search, a local vocal competition hosted through Avante Records and CHVN radio.
Kerri’s debut album was released February, 2007 at the West End Cultural center in Winnipeg, and was produced by amazingly talented producers Jordan Jackiew & Brian James.
Kerri toured across Western Canada in January/February ‘07 and has just returned from a tour through the greater Toronto area with Brian James(her producer/co-writer and music partner) (April ‘07)
Her and Brian James will be heading out on the road again in October of this year, returning to Western Canada, please check back as dates begin to fill up regarding this.
Since then, she has played at places like Winnipeg’s West end Cultural center, Winnipeg’s Park Theatre, a post-Manitoba moose game concert at the MTS center, numerous clubs, Brandon Folk Festival, Jesus Manifest in Dauphin, MB, schools and churches between Toronto & Vancouver, and various programs, such as Breakfast Television, CBC, UWFM etc. She has also just come on to Signpost music (Steve Bell′s label) as their new “Artist in Development” for the next year.
She has recently been nominated for 2 covenant awards (Folk/Roots album of the year, and CD design of the year (designed by Cyndi Koshowski) as well as a WCMA (Western Canadian music award) for Outstanding Christian Recording! Awards will be announced in October.
