By Robin Tarnowetzki
Journal Staff Writer
[email protected]
It's the end of summer and with it, the Sounds of Summer showcase concluded with Melfort-based country singer Darlene Tuleta performing in the Humboldt Gallery on Aug. 28.
Accompanied by guitarist Terry Lasko, Tuleta clearly had fun performing in the small venue, telling the audience the stories behind her songs and at one point bantering with an audience member whose cell phone went off.
"I love this venue," she said. "It's intimate, everyone was interacting, and it's gorgeous in here. It's a little gem for Humboldt."
Tuleta didn't always like country music; she was a rock fan, due to the influence of her brother. She said that in the car, she would always switch to a rock station. However, whenever there was a country band at a dance or a wedding,"I just couldn't get enough of it," she said. "I do remember I just fell in love with it; I was probably 10 or 11."
She always took music lessons growing up, and she eventually started performing at music festivals, rodeos, and fairs. The venues eventually got bigger, and now she's releasing an album in the fall.
"My favourite part of performing is interacting with people," she said. "People coming up to me after and telling me they relate to the song. One lady came up to me after and said I was writing her life. That's really rewarding as a singer/songwriter to have people come up and say they can relate."
Tuleta's got a busy few months ahead: she is performing at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Edmonton and then embarking on a radio tour around Ontario.
"We're booking stuff into next year now ... we're doing a lot of promoting and marketing right now," she said.
She said that she's gotten a lot of support, despite being from a smaller center.
"Everyone's very supportive," she said. "Even more so now that I've got a couple of singles under my belt; everyone's really jumped onboard."
Her Sounds of Summer performance was laid-back and Tuleta laughed off any mistakes that occurred during the performance. At one point she even had to restart a song to put it in a different key, but that didn't make any difference to the audience's enjoyment - they laughed, clapped, sang along and gave her a standing ovation at the end.
Though she has a day job "to fund (her) music habit," she tries to tour as much as she can.
"I'll play for whoever will have me," she said. "Anywhere in Canada. Anywhere anybody would like me to perform, I'll go there."
