Up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriter Steph Macpherson, who made an appearance at the 2010 Lilith Fair and has opened concerts for such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Tom Cochrane, Sugarland, Erykah Badu and Sheryl Crow, performs Jan. 9 at Seattle’s High Dive. It’s the opening show on her West Coast tour.

BC Musician magazine said this about Macpherson: “(Her) voice is clear, well-trained and hauntingly beautiful, and her vocal melodies are deadly infectious.”

“My parents once told me that as a small child, I would yell and squeal for no other reason than just the sheer joy of using my voice,” Macpherson says. “I loved creating sounds. Nothing has changed (well, not nothing), but I have learned a more pleasant way of expressing myself using the same tools.”

Macpherson, who blends folk, pop, rock and country, talks about her new album, “Bells  & Whistles” (Cordova Bay Records).

(Previously published at, GENE STOUT)