It finally happened, Christina Maria sits down with Island SoapBox

Christina Maria is simply all about music.  Through and Through.  I had tried to catch up with her on a previous trip to Vancouver, and we thought at one point that it was going to happen, but it just didn't work out. So I was more than happy to catch up with her last week at the "Girls with Guitars 2" show at Lucky Bar.  She was dead tired from her final Peak Performance Project report, her music video shoot (involving rigorous arm wrestling!), prepping for her Trans-Atlantic trip and subsequent record release tour, oh and she's hungry and still needs to get dressed for her show.

Still she is all smiles as she sits down for the interview.  She may be tired but her passion for music is as fiery as ever.  It's very clear that music is her life, she spends little time doing anything else.  When I asked her what she liked to do outside of music, after much thought and deliberation, it was "Sometimes in the winter I like to knit." with a bit of a smile and shrug.

When you are managing as many things as Christina is, it certainly is important to love what you do.  She is in Zurich, Switzerland releasing Straight Line to her European audience right now.  An album that she is extremely proud of, having worked so hard on it.

In the hectic fashion that only indie-rockers seem to be able to keep up with, Christina Maria hadn't even practiced with her band in Zurich prior to flying in last week for her tour starting October 28.  You can see she has some nerves about it, but you also hear the excitement and the confidence in her voice.  She is sure the show and tour will be great.

Now fans on this side of the Atlantic have been lucky enough to have been listening to Straight Line for a while now.  It's a fast 21 minutes, an EP that is quite fun and shows some serious range.  It's also cool because she worked with several producers across the country putting the album together.  Spreading the love is something that really worked well for Maria.

"I like working with other people. I'm so ADD that I can't, I just can't do one thing. I like to move around and do lots of stuff. I do like collaborating with a producer as opposed to doing it myself, cause there is always that element of, someone bringing something in that you would have never thought of and I really like that. It makes me like the music more, when there is something a little bit different then I would have done."

Christina has been doing quite well in the Peak Performance Project.  Reviews of her Red Room show were quite good and she finished 4th in the online voting portion.  Her live show must be helping this along.  The performance she put on at Lucky Bar was brilliant, pure Rock Star.  To see someone so confidently & completely own the stage through the entire set is quite a treat.  I had not been to one of her shows before the Peak Project, but I can't help but think it's paying dividends.

It's a project she has nothing but good things to say about (get a free copy of a song worked on with another Island SoapBox favourite Steph Macpherson here!).  The Surrey-born musician credits the program for things like helping her identify and reverse weaknesses that she may not have been aware of, and really creating a community and network amongst the participating bands & artists.  In Canada, where Christina finds it hard to find support as an emerging artist, she says more events like The Peak Performance Project could really help.

"There are so many artists in Canada that are super awesome, so I think it would be great if there was more support. I just went to Toronto and there was just so much talent over there. I just notice that there is not enough support for the artists in Canada, that's why it's so amazing that the Peak Performance Project exists. More stuff like that would be great."

As for supporting this talented Canadian musician, you can rest assured of your investment.  Her recorded goods are in fact good, a ticket to her live show is a great night out, and her work ethic is second to none.  She is on a Straight Line to the top, so you might as well hop on the bandwagon and help push her a little closer.