The Parkland Mall in Yorkton will play host to a young musician April 2, at 10: 00 a.m..
Kerri Senkow, who was born and raised in Regina, is on the road promoting a new CD, and fulfilling a childhood dream in the process.
"I've always wanted to be on a stage and perform since a child, but never started performing until I was 20," she said. "I started out in front of Regina Liquor Stores as a way to make money between jobs and found the response to be encouraging. In September of 2009 I took it beyond a few coffee shops and stores and was booking steadily and since made it my career."
Senkow is somewhat unique in regards to coming to music older than most do.
"I started playing guitar at age 19 with no musical background," she said. "Within two weeks of having no idea what I was doing, I had already begun writing my own songs.
"I've played all across the Prairies with over 150 live shows since September 2009. The most rewarding shows I have had are the schools I visit in Alberta and Saskatchewan where I perform for students Kindergarten to Grade 12. Children are the most amazing audiences.
"My favorite moment so far in my career was helping the School of Granum Alberta write their school song," adding it was a "truly rewarding experience."
Musically Senkow said her influences are varied, and her own work is evolving as she explores here musical interests.
"I've always liked all styles of music, but women songwriters have always been most influential, Sheryl Crow, Michelle Branch, Lisa Loeb, Sarah Maclachlan," she said, and those influences led to the release of a debut five-song EP released in April 2010 which she termed "very folk and acoustic."
However Senko said her next work will have a different sound.
"You can expect the new album to lean very much pop/rock with hints of country, and rock," she said.Senko said her new CD is proving to be an interesting process.
"The upcoming CD is an interesting change from the first ... I wrote the songs for the first album over several years and they are very sombre and almost sad," she said. "I've never been to one to write the most happy songs, but this new CD definitely has a different vibe...a lot more confidence in myself.
"It also gives off emotions of having more control in my feelings. The majority of these songs were written in the last eight months. I'm not one to write a song at a given time. More times than often, my songs are written when I should be focusing on other things, but need to express at that very moment how I feel. So I pick up the guitar, and it just flows."
Senkow said in terms of the new CD, "there will be three songs on the disc that I think have the potential for radio." She added one song is of particular interest. "I chose a cover song to record, a flashback from the '80's and recorded it with my own take on it, yet staying pretty close to the original ... I can't tell you what song though cause it's a surprise!"
Senkow noted she is still working on the album.
"I'm working with Producer Brad Prosko with B-Rad Studios on the eight-song disc. With funding from Rawlco Radio we started working on the album in December 2010 and it should be released in the next couple months."
