Dara is a Canadian folksinger that uses touches of jazz, gospel, roots, and traditional folk within her original tunes and travels across the prairies doing solo shows as well as small ensemble work. Schindelka has garnered nominations as keyboardist of the year by the Saskatchewan Country Music Association, music video of the year by the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards, and has won awards for her debut EP “Thou Art Loosed” and other singles from the American Tracks Music Awards, the Love Wins Festival, and from the Women’s Freedom Song International Song writing Awards as well as gained radio and streaming play across Canada and into a number of other countries in the past two years.
“Saturn Returns” was conceived as an album in 2021 as Dara read a biography by the great singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile. In it, Brandi shares that Saturn returns to integral positions again at ages 30 and 44. This gave Dara the creative impetus to go through the ages and stages of life, looking back from her current age and reflecting on those pivotal moments. Dara’s album, released this May 2022, contains 10 original songs all written by Dara. She was awarded a SOCAN independent Artist Grant to work on the album as well as a grant from Creative Saskatchewan in the producing of the album. All keyboard, harmonium and vocals are by Dara, banjo, acoustic guitar, and background vocals on Feeling Never Dies are by Joel Schindelka, violin is by Karley Parovsky, cello is by Catherine Folstad, percussion is by Brent Jefferson, bass is by Artie Shaw and lead guitar is by Kristopher Craig. The tracks were recorded at Ever Rising Recording with Colin Hubick except percussion which was recorded at Blue Door Studio. All mixing and mastering by Walter Jeworski. Album artwork, graphics, and promotional photography is by Colin Hubick.
The album also helped create a partnership with Indigenous owned and operated company Boreal Heartland in northern Saskatchewan. Together Dara and Boreal Heartland created a tea that mixes locally sourced ingredients. The tea was created by listening to Dara’s title track and then using fermented birch, rose hip, and other key ingredients that match the contemplative nature of the music. You can purchase both the tea and the music from both Dara and Boreal Heartland!
Dara will be touring across Saskatchewan throughout the summer of 2022 and across Canada in the fall as she shares her unique blend of stories and songs that infuse a touch of the north with the pull of the prairies.
Listen and purchase the album at: https://linktr.ee/daraschindelkamusic
More from Dara at: https://daraschindelka.com/
