Dayna Manning

If Dayna Manning doesn't become a household name within the next few years, I will have a real bone to pick with the Canadian music industry. This lady has everything that it takes, plus talent! :)



At the same time it is nice to feel as though you are witnessing something great before everyone else knows about it, and that's how I felt when I first heard Stratford native Dayna Manning's 2006 release Folkyo. The whimsical and harmonious combination of soothing vocals, raw emotion, and great production value is something worth commenting on because very few artists achieve it on a regular basis. Especially when, like Dayna, they do it all on their own.

Dayna releases records on her own label, runs her own business, and writes her own music. While you can't always tell just from listening to her songs, she has a reputation of being quite the stellar guitar player, a trait that draws some notable guitarists in the biz to her intimate live shows.

Today Dayna is working on a live album that, according to her, is going to be very raw and will include the best songs from her three records to date, Volume 1(1997), Shades (2002), and Folkyo (2006).

When you get to the end of this interview, make sure that you take a listen to Dayna's pop-ballad, "In The Meantime", from Folkyo. If that's not a hit-worthy song in the folk, pop or rock worlds, then I don't know what is!

Interview: Dayna Manning

Occupation: Singer/songwriter

Sound: folk-rock, thoughtful pop, country (sans cheese)



What separates you from the crowd?

I'm hard to put in a category. I'm folk and pop and rock and country. People get confused at first, but once they get into a few different songs, they get it. Also, I think I'm unique because I play many instruments and I take part in the production and engineering of my records and have a really good grasp on the guitar.

What was your approach to creating Folkyo?

Low budget, do it yourself. It turned out to be my best record I think.

What can we expect from your future release?

I'm working on a live album. Very raw, the best songs from my three records. It will be done when I get a few more live recordings. I thought I would have it finished more recently. We were recording these two sold out, back-to-back solo shows here in Fort St. John BC last weekend. The night before I put a knife through my left index finger, the one you put on the the neck of the guitar, which doesn't work when you've sliced it to the nail. I was devistaed, but there was no way I was canceling sold out shows, so I spent the day learning how to play a lot of my songs with three fingers, tuning things differently and changing some songs from guitar to piano. I couldn't play some of the really fancy guitar stuff, but I got through most of it. The recording turned out pretty good in spite of the accident, but we're missing a few key songs.

What's your favourite song of yours?

"A Walk On The Moon". It's the first song I wrote, when I was 15, and now at 30 I cannot believe wrote it at 15. I also am very proud of "In The Meantime"; I really like the melody.

Describe the music scene in your hometown, and in Canada?

Stratford ON, where I'm from, is a challenge because most of the economy revolves around professional arts. It's hard to have a healthy local arts scene when you don't even have a theater in town that you have access to because it's unionized and there's no way you could afford to put something on there. I found it oddly competitive there, and necessary to leave to get noticed.

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