Biography Notes:
The following is a biography written by Canadian Rock Icon, Greg Godovitz of Goddo… unbeknownst to me when I first met him, as I believe one of the first things I said to him was to get lost! Its been nothing less than an adventure over the past year of knowing Greg – a passionate, unassuming rockstar with all pure intentions of helping his fellow friends in music. He has made nothing but friends here in Calgary – luckily, including myself which is nothing short of a miracle considering our first encounter! I was crying the blues one day about having to write yet another biography of myself – oh, the anguish of ranting on and on about yourself – enough to make you vomit in your own ability to sound like a pompous moron. Greg eagerly offered to write me a worthy bio – so after providing him with the dry details, he came up with this:
BTW – there’s no possible way I could’ve asked Greg to edit some of the details. I respect him, and I think coming from someone other than myself is revealing… hopefully endearing.
CARLA OLIVE
Dedication, Passion and Belief
Every time I read an artist Bio I quickly realize that all the wonderful things being said about that artist is written by the artist themselves. Not so with this particular Bio. These are my thoughts concerning this particular artist.
CARLA OLIVE is sexy! She has a mesmerizing presence onstage, a sly smile and eyes that connect with whoever she’s performing for. The funny thing is that a minute later she is the little girl fromGrande Prairie,Alberta. The youngest of six children, she was raised on a farm. She has a farm girl laugh, a nice habit of hooking her right eyebrow upwards when amused and quite often shrieks “WHAT?” when something catches her by surprise.
CARLA OLIVE is smart! Her lyrics reflect that smartness, whether the subject matter is religion, love or any other topic she turns her fertile mind to when composing. Sometimes, however, she says really stupid things. I could swear I once heard her say she’d like to marry herself. I hooked my right eyebrow upwards, shrieked “WHAT?” and fell about laughing. There’s that farm girl thing again.
CARLA OLIVE is dedicated! When she’s not gigging, she’s looking for gigs. She hosts a regular songwriters jam every Tuesday at Koi Cafe inCalgary. It seems she has a new song to try out every week and appears to be fearless in presenting them. She believes in the dreams and talent of the songwriters who flock to these sessions. She attends music seminars and is constantly trying to figure out a better way to do things in the impossible world of the music business. Her dedication sometimes leads her friends to believe that she has little time to share her vision with them. Her real friends understand this and encourage her single-minded determination to succeed.
CARLA OLIVE is a great musician! Her parents forced her into piano lessons at the age of six. It was a good call. Royal Conservatory training gave her the chops to begin performing in church at the tender age of twelve. She composed her first original song at the same age. At eighteen she bought her first guitar. That Royal Conservatory training came in handy as she’s a unique and gifted guitarist. Her chord knowledge is steeped in jazz and she can play a mean solo when needed, drawing on diverse folk, rock and blues elements. When she gets lost in a solo she turns to Wes Montgomery and goes the jazz octave route he popularized. It works!
CARLA OLIVE is innovative! I see her as a hybrid of Joni Mitchell and Rickee Lee Jones. Her songs shift effortlessly from folk to jazz with a hint of smokey bar blues thrown in for good measure. Her recent dabbling in composing with a Loop Station ( a device to multi-track vocals and instruments onstage), is nothing short of astounding. Watching her create pocket symphonies before your eyes with three part harmonies and intricately weaved guitars is an awesome experience. She, of course, thinks she’s a rock star and likes heavy metal!
CARLA OLIVE is going places! She’s lived in Nashville, toured Canada extensively and even undertook a tour of America by car to spread her vision and joy of music. She has played festivals, night clubs, coffee houses and churches to anyone interested in hearing quality music. She has released two independent CD’s, Bliss and Smokey Haze to public and critical acclaim. She contributed guitar and vocals to the debut album Just To Be by her friend Toni Vere and continues to perform alongside Toni in the group Hashmagandy. She is currently compiling a selection of killer songs to be recorded for an upcoming album. I want to produce that album!
CARLA OLIVE is my friend! And I’m proud to say that. But more than that, I’m a FAN of what she does. Watch out world, CARLA OLIVE is on her way.
Carla Olive Bio written by Greg Godovitz
Greg Godovitz
musician/songwriter/producer/author
Calgary, Alberta
