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Full name: Isabeau Novak
Birthday: June 20
Hometown: Toronto, ON, Canada
Notable influences: Little Steven, Alice Cooper,
Public Image Limited, Blondie,
Siouxsie & The Banshees, The
Troggs, Kate Bush, The Doors,
The Ramones, The Cult,
Jefferson Airplane, Mike
Oldfield
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Isabeau Novak (Izzy, as
she'll
introduce herself) wants to be where the bands are. A talented, though
as yet unsigned Toronto musician, she has been in and out of bands
since
the age of 14. Raised amongst three music-obsessed brothers with
eclectic musical tastes, Izzy first became fascinated with music when
given
a
Kate Bush album. "Listening to Kate Bush, I realized that I could do that too. I think that's
when I first got really interested in being a singer." Izzy soon became
a regular fixture at her brother Nathan's recording space, Flat Rat
Studios, lending her distinctive vocals to bands for live acts and
recording projects. By age 17, Izzy was an experienced performer, absorbing everything she possibly
could about her new-found passion.
Izzy spent the next few years
studying music and taking voice lessons. "I would be listening to bands
most people my age had never even heard of: I was into Public Image
Limited and the Ramones, Walter Carlos (back when he was Walter Carlos) and Mike
Oldfield...just the weirdest collection of people, but it was just
incredible music for me to tap into. I was always encouraged to
discover music that turned me on."
In the last few years, Izzy
has been making a name for herself on the Toronto music scene. The
first step in this process was Devil May Cry (DMC), a partnership she
formed with a high-school friend. Of that collaboration, Izzy explains:
" It was a sound I'd never heard before. I was given a blank slate to
work with, and I was given free license to come up with lyrics,
melodies, vocals- anything I wanted." The music, best described as
industrial/goth, was made available on mp3.com, and DMC received
enthusiastic feedback from the international online music community,
gaining over 20,000 plays before the popular forum was shut down. "To
this day, I get e-mails about Devil May Cry," she says. "It's
gratifying. Fans are the only reason to do this: to know you're
reaching somebody, to know you're giving them some form of escape, is
the greatest feeling in the world."
Izzy explains that she soon began
to feel limited by her DMC collaborations, however. "I could never feel
the same passion for industrial music as I do for rock and roll. Most
of the music in that genre (Electronica) is created primarily out of
loops and samples. It doesn't need live contact, or actual instruments.
I need those things: the live interaction. Ultimately, I need the old
school camaraderie- I need the live performance aspect."
Izzy began looking for other
projects, and soon found Tony Rabaolo, of Joy Drop fame. Rabaolo,
wanting to expand musically himself, was looking for a singer to
collaborate with. After a lengthy search, Rabaolo chose Izzy for his
project. "It was a big deal for me because it allowed me to work with
some really seasoned, signed, musicians on the current scene. It taught
me a lot of things about working in studios, spending hours perfecting
my craft: it taught me discipline, and, overall, the experience was a
great stepping stone." This was her first experience representing and
performing another artist's music, and Izzy saw it as a great
opportunity to
expand. After 3 years of performing live and in the studio with Rabaolo
and his band, however, Izzy increasingly felt the need to continue on
in her own search for creativity, and put the Rabaolo project to rest.
These
days, Izzy is still looking for the perfect band while working on
projects around town. Inspired by the garage rock revolution, her
current inspirations range from Little Steven and Kate Bush to the
unique vocal stylings of Crispin Glover. In her spare time, she enjoys
studying rock and roll and it's history. "This is definitely what I
need to be doing," she says. "It's frustrating and unpredictable, but
there's no better feeling than standing up on that stage, and seeing
that people appreciate what you're doing. I want to be part of a scene
that's bringing back what is real and genuine about music, and live
performance."
In August 2004, three new original
tracks were recorded in collaboration with former December band-mate,
Michael Kessler. The sound can be described as a mix of classical,
melody driven vocals over spacey guitars, melodic bass-lines, strings
and live drums. These tracks have become the basis for Izzy's new band,
and together they are continuing to write original tracks to be
recorded early in the New Year.
In the meantime, Izzy is content
to build her audience, one member at a time. Starting in early
2005, she will be performing regularly around town with her band, and
hopes to use her music to generate positivity and awareness of various
humanitarian causes. "It's important for me to contribute where I can,"
she explains. "I'm happiest when I get to help out doing what I love." |
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All images and content are property
of www.izzynovak.com, 2004
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