About Berna-Dean
Berna-Dean Holland (nee Gaudry), released her debut CD "Fledgling" on April 8th 2010. Her songs are rich and honest in a fusion of Canadiana / Folk / Roots and Bluegrass styles. A calming and effortless voice compliments her "hand crafted" songs in which she expresses a deep love of nature and her observations of the human condition.
Berna-Dean's journey to becoming a songwriter and performer has been unusual, beginning with a rather unique childhood. Born, in Red Deer Alberta to a Metis father and Scottish descent Saskatchewan farm raised mother, she grew up in small prairie towns and rural areas across Western Canada, Calgary and also a few years in Great Britain. By the time Berna-Dean graduated from high school, her family had moved some 18 times. Although this transient lifestyle (primarily due to her father's main line of work in the Oil Patch), did not allow for music lessons, Berna-Dean always sang. She also began expressing her creativity as a visual artist and writer of poetry at an early age. When she was about 13 years old and her family was living in England, Berna-Dean's father noticed she had an ear for music and so purchased a guitar of her choosing , so that she might learn to play an instrument. It was a Fender F35 steel string acoustic and within days of owning it, Berna-Dean had taught herself enough to start making up songs. By grade 11 and now back in Canada, a friend convinced her to perform at their high school variety show. She found the experience terrifying, but received many encouraging compliments about her singing and songwriting. Ironically, not long after that it was her father who discouraged Berna-Dean from pursuing music with any kind of serious notion or ambition. Undoubtedly as a father will, he was only thinking of the risks of a young girl going off to pursue something so unpredictable.
Over the next few years, other than a few house parties and later performances at early "South Country Faire" music festivals and as a campfire guest at the "Oldman River Expedition" (a gathering of well known Canadian Visual Artists), Berna-Dean did not play in public or even much at home. Instead, she was focusing on her other passions in life; studying nature and creating art. During this time Berna-Dean completed of a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Lethbridge and post graduation began her career path in the natural sciences. This began with seasonal jobs a a Natural History Interpreter (first in the Alberta Badlands and then at the Calgary Zoo) and then as Zoo Keeper for about 9 years. While working at the Zoo, she began having many ideas for Animal Behaviour research projects and so later took a position as a Research Assistant for a study of the critically endangered Vancouver Island Marmot. During these years, music had begun to creep back into Berna-Dean's life, for as a Natural History Interpreter, Berna-Dean used it as a teaching tool; writing and performing songs about animal facts and Wildlife Conservation. Later, when off doing the marmot field work, she found her old friend the guitar to be good evening company and not surprisingly songwriting began to visit now and then too.
After leaving her position at the zoo to complete the marmot research project, Berna-Dean was out of work except for a part time work as a dog grooming assistant and soon found herself with a lot more time for writing songs and jamming with other musicians she had met through the Foothills Acoustic Music Institute and Foothills Bluegrass Society. Currently music is taking a front seat in Berna-Dean's life , but she has remained involved in caring for animals, through her volunteer commitment to the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife and then returns them to the wild upon recovery.
In 2008 Berna-Dean began to consider recording a CD of some of her original songs and it was fortuitous that she met Jack Loree at a backyard jam in Calgary. She was very impressed with his beautiful dobro playing and later contacted him to see if he was interested in doing studio work. Jack responded by suggesting they get together weekly to do home recordings of her original songs so that they could figure out pre-studio arrangements. Soon Berna-Dean was hearing Jack's beautiful dobro, lead guitar, banjo and keyboard skills bringing her simple songs to a whole new level. A few months later, good fate also resulted in Berna-Dean being approached by upright bass player Norm Rooke, who had heard her perform and subsequently asked if she was looking for bass accompaniment. Berna-Dean recruited this fine player immediately and "Wheelhouse" was formed. The Trio debuted at the Back Yard Music Fest in Calgary in June 2009. At the end of July 2009 with Jack at the helm as producer, Berna-Dean and the fellas got to recording her first CD at Rocky Mountain Recording Studio in Calgary. Recently Berna-Dean has added two more stellar musicians to her performance mix, Sarah Dillman on Fiddle and Jim McLennan on Finger Style Acoustic Guitar. The five most often now perform as Berna-Dean Holland and Friends.
So far Berna-Dean's fledgling album has been well received. One of the tracks in particular, "Black Gold" has gained both National and International attention through its arrival on David Suzuki's Playlist for the Planet, a digital download compilation album available on iTunes. Berna-Dean's songs are honest and genuine; her voice is clear, strong and full of raw emotion. When you see Berna-Dean perform it is obvious that she was meant to glide from the home nest to the open stage.
