Clara Venice

We sit down with musician Clara Venice, who brought with her one of the more unique musical instruments we’ve set seen in the Morning Show studios. - GLOBAL MORNING SHOW

Clara taught Rob Leth from Global News how to play the theremin - and they put together this awesome segment featuring Clara and her many instruments for the evening news! - GLOBAL TORONTO

Clara talks to host Fiona about her tour with Barenaked Ladies and her EP "Love Riddle" - Shaw Media

Clara Venice is having a lot of fun these days. The busy Canadian singer/songwriter recently released an EP, Love Riddle, and will kick off a tour with the Barenaked Ladies in January. Did I mention she also plays the theremin? (and ukulele, and guitar, and omnichord, and electric violin)

Like Clara herself, Love Riddle is a fun mix of surprises. Each track on the album makes use of the theremin differently. On the title track, for example, she plays two theremin parts; one with a gated effect using Ableton Live's auto pan, and a second that serves as a pad, thickened up with reverb and delay. My personal favorite is track 4, Confetti, in which Clara combines her breathy vocals (which are just as easily imaginable in a smoky jazz club in France) with three layered theremins and a string section. It's just a beautiful song. "I tried to use it as a magical second voice", she told me, and she's succeeded.

Love Riddle is available as a digital download or as a wearable USB thumb drive. The USB version also contains art by Nathan Jurevicius (creator of Scarygirl), Alex McLeod, Ken Ogawa, and Luke Painter, each inspired by a different track on the EP.

Visit ClaraVenice.com to hear her music, find tour dates, and more.

Clara graciously took some time from her busy schedule recently to talk to us a bit about her music, her style, the theremin, and what's next.

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TW: How did you choose the theremin?

CV: I don't feel that I chose the theremin so much as the theremin chose me. For some reason I just felt like I could play it, that somehow I understood it. My friend told me that they had one on display at the Moog store here in Toronto, so the next day I went in and asked whether I could try it to out see if it was "intuitive" to me. The guys who worked there all laughed since it isn't very intuitive to most people, but as soon as I turned it on I was already able to play scales! So I took it home, and we've been together ever since.

Also, since Clara Rockmore is Queen of theremin, being named Clara as well maybe it's fate? Like her, I also trained classically on the violin since I was a child.

TW: When did you first start playing the theremin?

CV: I started playing the theremin in 2008.

TW: Many musicians simply use the theremin as a novelty, whereas you have chosen to make it a key part of your melodies. How has it helped shape your musical identity?

CV: As a life-long vocalist and violinist, melody has always been key to my life as a musician. Not coincidentally, my training in classical voice and violin both prepared me for the theremin, as techniques from both can be applied to the theremin in order to treat it as a real instrument rather than an atmospheric or sound effect.

The theremin is my second voice, it's my partner on stage and in the studio. But because the theremin does not sing in words, it expresses itself instead through melody and tone, and it is extremely versatile in terms of how it can be used. I tend to put it through a lot of different effects in order to achieve many moods and that variation really enables me to use it in pretty much all my songs in very different ways. By varying its expressions, colours and sounds, I can use it as a guitar solo, a horn sound, a keyboard, a voice, etc. and it remains fresh and interesting. The theremin is of course also a very challenging instrument to play, and I love that it keeps me on my toes.

The other aspect to being a performing thereminist is the way that audiences respond both to the instrument itself, and to me playing the instrument. At first glance, playing the theremin is a beautiful act, it's like a haunting dance which is quite electrifying and unusual. But also, I often feel that these days, living in a fact-based world where we can find explanations for everything, that when people encounter the theremin at one of my shows it's like this magical thing that is just endlessly fascinating. When I start to play it, people crowd around and try to figure out how that sound is being produced and where it is coming from - often they think that it's a trick, or that it's an illusion. I think that a little bit of mystery is important in life, and I love how the theremin is able to communicate that. Even though I've been playing it for five years and have even built one, I'm constantly amazed and awed by how truly unbelievable it is to make music out of thin air.

Ultimately, I make pop music, and my goal for the theremin is to really bring it into the mainstream and introduce it to new audiences not as a relic of the past, but as what to this day is the most beautiful and exciting musical instrument ever invented. I'd like to be the first theremin pop star.

TW: You have a quirky/fun sense of style. Does the theremin enhance that or take away from it?

CV: Yes, I love playing with my style - it's almost as fun as playing with my theremin! That's an interesting question, I've never really thought about it. I guess that my style makes me stand out, and the theremin makes me stand out even more, so maybe it enhances it in that way. Also, I like the fact that a lot of people have never heard of the theremin since it still feels like I'm doing something pretty new and unique, but sometimes when people are unfamiliar with it, the theremin sounds a little strange. So I think that combining it with a playful sense of style helps draw in some fans that might be intimidated by the theremin itself. So I think those two aspects of my project really work together.

TW: Have you tried any other theremin models? What's your favorite and why?

CV: Yes, I've tried several theremin models. I started out with a Moog Etherwave, and was in Berlin to do a concert with it a few years ago but had the wrong adapter and it blew up (!) so I had to scramble to replace it before my show. I ended up with three different theremins, two of which were home made and the other was a European model (can't remember the name) - but I didn't like any of them nearly as much as the Moog. I also recently built a very cute mini theremin (the video is up on my website) which was very fun to make but sounds like a crying baby! Now I play the Moog Etherwave Plus which I LOVE since it has two separate audio outputs that I can use for monitoring on stage, as well as some cool gate functions that you can use to control other instruments. It's also really solid and travels well, it's easy to tune and the sound is really consistent. My dream is to get my hands on a TVox Tour, but seems like they're super rare.

TW: Does the world need more theremin players?

CV: I don't think we need more players using it as a sound effect because the instrument has the potential to do so much more - but yes, wouldn't it be great to see theremin lessons in conservatories, as an option to piano or violin lessons?! In the mean time, I'd say that what the world really needs is more theremin fans.

TW: You're currently a one-person show. Have you considered collaborating with other musicians? Would you continue using the theremin in that setting?

CV: Well the process of doing the EP has been really wonderful for me as I've gotten the opportunity to have so many talented musicians collaborate with me on the tracks in the studio. Now that I've had that experience, I'd definitely like to bring some of that energy to some live shows in the future. There are also a lot of artists and bands that I would love to collaborate with - my dream would be to play theremin for Bjork or Radiohead or David Bowie, who are my huge musical inspirations for me. And YES, I will always continue to use the theremin, it has really become a part of me and my act and we're deeply committed to one another for life.

TW: What's next for you?

CV: Now that I've released my first EP I'm incredibly excited for my first tour - beginning January 15th I will be opening across Canada for the Barenaked Ladies! They've never had a thereminist open for them before, so I'm really proud to be the first. And I am incredibly lucky to be playing in some of the most beautiful venues in the country, supporting such an iconic musical act - this really is a dream come true. After touring I can't wait to get back into the studio and record some more. I've written dozens more songs that I would have loved to put on the EP, it was so hard to choose only four! So my next goal is to make a full-length album, do a video or two, collaborate with more musicians and artists, and continue to perform at every chance I get. - Theremin World

Thanks to Bill Welychka and everyone at CKWS in Kingston for this awesome piece about Clara, her instruments, and opening for the Barenaked Ladies - featuring a few of the Barenaked Ladies themselves! - CKWS TELEVISION

Clara speaks to CTV News about the theremin and being on tour with Barenaked Ladies - CTV NEWS

Clara Venice is interviewed and Performs Live on CP24 - Cable Pulse 24

Underneath the purple-tinged hair, it's evident Clara Venice is not your ordinary musician. In an interview at her downtown Toronto studio on April 18, 2014, she peeled back the layers of her life and performance art, and revealed just what it is that sets her apart from other Toronto artists. And from a two-hour conversation with her, it's not what immediately springs to mind.

For starters, she got involved with music at the very young age of four, nagging her parents for a violin until they finally bought one. From there, she was hooked and followed her passion with a serious-minded vigour. But instead of just holing herself in her room and practicing for hours, she struck gold by linking up with a very talented teacher, Canadian contralto Maureen Forrester's husband, Eugene Kash.

"He was such a rebel," she said, referring to Kash. "He would tell me he'd have to come to class in a tuxedo sometimes because he wouldn't get the chance to change after a concert. Everybody would make fun of him and the teachers would hit him with rulers for being a show-off, and he was like, 'You know, Clara, if you want to be heard, you have to know how to show off.'"

It's that rebellious streak that has largely contributed to the way she's shaped her own music, always deliberately choosing the unbeaten path. For Venice, there's nothing inspiring about walking the same road as everyone else when there's her own personality inside that's bursting to get out, and it's a philosophy she applies to just about everything in her life. She's a one-woman sound machine, providing a full band's sound entirely on her own and the instruments she chooses are just another extension of her own personality.

"I feel like when it's just you, you have to be super creative about how you do your instrumentation to get the most out of what you're doing," she explained, "and I genuinely love introducing people to it. When I'm touring, nobody knows what [a theremin] is...and the weird thing about the theremin is, it's not something you can really teach; it's an intuitive instrument."

Intuition also explains how Venice compiled her band, choosing instruments that are not typically found in the limelight. Instead of going after the popular choices like guitar, piano or drums, she's adopted the "misfits" of the world orchestra, the musical version of "The Little Rascals". The theremin is one (she has two actually, plus a tiny one she built herself), along with an electric violin, a ukulele, an omnichord and, of course, her laptop with which she loops and creates whatever springs to mind. And the way she knew they'd be a match for her was by feeling drawn to them, testing them out to see how naturally they fit, and then confirming her original suspicion.

However, her songwriting has a more cerebral approach in place, with Venice applying what'd she learned from her university education. It's also one of the rare instances where someone's taken higher-level philosophy and actually converted it into practicality, instead of letting it become the punchline to yet another joke.

"I studied philosophy in university [but] I didn't like the academia situation," she said, "and I didn't like the idea of only talking to a limited group of people. Especially with philosophy, it's one of those things that, even though it is so universal, the language and lingo that is attached to it is very specific.

"It was a little bit alienating for me and I felt there was a way of practicing what I was doing that wasn't just writing papers. So, I told all my teachers...I was going to perform philosophy. I didn't know how I was going to do it at the time, so I took a two-pronged approach: I started experimenting with fashion, and I started writing music that — my song "You and Me" — mirrored modern symbolic logic. I was sitting there trying to map out relationships, and I came up with that song."

While she's strongly focused on making exactly the kind of music she wishes was performed more, Venice is also cognizant that she's providing a service to listeners, and spreads herself out in different artistic media. It's fairly common to find visualizations and projections at one of her shows, because she understands that as one performer, it's important to command the stage and space and grab the audience's attention as much as possible. One artist she looks up to is Kid Koala for his ability to skillfully combine art and music into one show.

Another quality she values, and one that's sorely lacking in the music scene, is originality. Going to a Clara Venice show twice means seeing two different shows, and not just the same material recycled from venue to venue. It's that dedication to pleasing the customer that shows she understands the business side of the industry as well, and it's refreshing to talk to someone who takes it very seriously.

But don't take my word for it and see for yourself. Go see Clara Venice when she takes the stage on April 24, 2014 at The Comedy Bar as part of The Reception's monthly comedy show (Templeton Philharmonic will also be there). Plus, she has a theory about violinists and the theremin that you should ask her about (I got to test the theory firsthand), as she's really approachable and friendly. - Performing Arts Examiner

TORONTO - About a minute into You+Me, the first song on Love Riddle, Clara Venice’s just-released EP, the spooky, space age sound of the theremin wafted through my speakers.

Considering how slim the chances are of hearing the instrument on a record in 2013, I decided to spend more time with Love Riddle than I do with most records that I review. The investment paid off, with Venice revealing herself to be a genuinely original singer and musician.

The theremin is a curious instrument featuring two antennae: the vertical one controls the pitch and the horizontal antenna controls the volume. When your hand approaches the vertical antenna, the pitch gets higher. As it comes close to the horizontal antenna, the volume decreases.

It’s an incredibly challenging instrument to play and Venice is one of few people in the world who plays it.

“I don’t feel that I chose the theremin so much as the theremin chose me,” she says. “It was love at first sight. I happened to see a band called Octopus Project from Austin, and they had a girl who was playing one. I’d never heard of it, but for some reason I felt like I could play it.”

Venice says a friend told her that a local music store stocked them so she swung by and asked whether she could try it to out.

“As soon as I turned it on I was already able to play scales,” she recalls. “So I took it home, and we’ve been together ever since.”

There are two other unorthodox instruments that found their way into Venice’s sunny, smart electro-pop. The Omnichord can be heard on Ninja, and the glockenspiel on Confetti. The employment of these instruments, along with her voice and her approach to making music, offers abundant proof that Venice doesn’t deal with disposable pop.

Venice, who will be opening for the Barenaked Ladies’ Canadian tour next year, says she got hip to the Omnichord while searching for YouTube tutorials on how to play an autoharp that her dad had given her.

“I loved how it looked, and the early Omnichord sound is pretty amazing,” she raves. “I think of it as some kind of alien technology that the Japanese somehow acquired, but it’s actually a great tool for songwriting because you can try out all sorts of chord progressions very easily.”

A singer who enunciates unlike any I’ve heard in ages, Venice says she’s been collecting rare instruments — she calls them “musical orphans” — for a while and has assembled “my very own island of misfit toys.

“I see so much potential in a lot of instruments that for some reason people have either discarded or that are mostly simulated by synthesizers,” she explains, “I like the real thing, not only because of their different characters, their energy and their histories, but also because I think playing the actual instruments makes a much more interesting live experience.

“The instruments also inspire me to write music since all have their own personalities.”

Rest assured this restless soul isn’t done exploring new instruments and sounds.

“My next addition will be a Stylophone which I’ve been obsessed with since I saw it at the David Bowie exhibition at the AGO,” she says. “Bowie used it to play the riff on Space Oddity. I can’t wait to find out what I’ll use it for!” - Toronto Sun

Clara Venice didn’t know what to expect opening for the Barenaked Ladies on their just-wrapped cross-Canada tour.
She’d been warned people might boo or even walk out. After all, they were paying to see a rock band, not a young woman wearing a pink ballerina dress, purple wig and sparkly white hat playing an assortment of instruments.
Thankfully, the audiences appreciated this one-woman band whose most unusual instrument sounds like the spooky alien theme in a vintage sci-fi movie.
That instrument is the theremin — an electronic device that Venice “plays” by waving her hands over two antennas sticking out of a boxlike structure. One antenna controls volume, the other pitch.
“The audience was fascinated,” says Venice in an interview in her apartment decorated with Hello Kitty toys and cupcake-shaped cushions. “Nobody walked out. People really responded to the theremin.”
Although she presents herself as a sunny soul in a pastel world, she is determined to “get in the trenches and do whatever it takes” to succeed as a pop theremist.
“She appears to be rainbows and unicorns but underneath that is a girl with a degree in philosophy,” says Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies who asked her to join the tour after producing Venice’s EP, Love Riddle.
Venice’s interests and inspiration span music, film, fashion and visual art. Her godfather was renowned painter Gershon Iskowitz; Canadian designer Evan Biddell has called her his muse; she’s collaborated with Scarygirl creator Nathan Jurevicius and artist Ken Ogawa created the animations for her live performances.
The persona is a deliberate invention, says Venice, who counts David Bowie and Björk as her influences. She pays attention to every detail of her career, including designing a heart-shaped brooch containing her EP, thereby creating what she believes to be the first piece of USB jewelry.
A classically trained violinist, Venice plays the ukulele, keyboard, electric violin, percussion and theremin in her show.
Hearn knew it might be a bit of a stretch for Barenaked Ladies fans to accept the performer nicknamed “Sparkle Princess” by the band.
“She went out and made the most of it with confidence. I couldn’t be prouder of her,” says Hearn, who describes her music as “simple but well-crafted.”
When Venice graduated from the University of Toronto in 2008, she set out to forge a musical career backed by live bands and DJs.
One day, when the DJ didn’t show for a gig at the Rivoli, Venice went on solo and realized, “I could do it by myself.”
She was drawn to the theremin because it is so unusual.
“It is magical,” she says, adding that all her sparkles, toys and costumes are an adoption of the Japanese obsession with all things cute, called kawaii. Her mother returned from a trip to Japan with a heap of this stuff when Venice was little and “I became obsessed with it.”
Author Sean Michaels, whose upcoming novel Us Conductors is a fictional account of the life of inventor Leon Theremin, calls the instrument “fascinating and strange.”
He chose its creator as the subject for Us Conductors “to rescue the theremin from the land of kitsch and flying saucers,” he says in an email interview.
The distinctive woo-ooo-ooo sound is heard in the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” as well as music by Led Zeppelin, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Canadian indie band Wolf Parade, he adds.
The spacey sound haunts many sci-fi movie soundtracks including The Day the Earth Stood Still, says Michaels, adding that Clara Rockmore — one of Theremin’s students — is the instrument’s most famous performer.
Venice stresses that Clara is her real name, although she likes the synchronicity of having the same moniker. Venice is her middle name, bestowed by her mother who’d fallen in love with the city in an earlier trip.
She is never out of character, donning one of her 40 wigs and various upbeat outfits even when she is just going to do laundry or out for a coffee. There are people in her building who are still unaware she is just one person, not a whole posse of Kawaii-loving young women.
“It makes me happy. We live in such a fact-based world, why can’t you tell a story?” she says. “That’s why I like the theremin, it is still mysterious.” - Toronto Star

IMAGE/ STYLE: Combine quirky europop sensibility with a healthy dash of Japanese pop stylising and you have the odd yet infectious Clara Venice. Ms. Venice is as much a modern pop icon in the making as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry with an emphasis on the unorthodox personality of the latter.
CROWD: Busy, enthusiastic and familiar crowd. This was very much a celebration of an EP which brought together family, friends and industry folk. There was at times an air of familial support, but enough to satisfy interested newcomers.
COMMENTS: Impressive multi-instrumental mastery with a natural performance dexterity that saw Ms. Venice effortlessly segue between genres and styles. In the best sense, a true pop Armageddon crafted from the unique use of a theramin.
What at first seemed like an over reliance on the instrument was really Venice embracing her instrument, her “axe” so to say, and she rocked it! The instrument was beautifully controlled to display atmospheric western like melodies one moment and bombastic orchestral waves akin to a Bond theme the next.
Rob King, a projection artists, custom made real time reaction software to compliment the live performance. This was a savvy and beautiful touch that elevated the music and transcended different art forms.
Musical contemporaries took to the stage to help launch the Confetti EP including Alison HighHat smashing the drums alongside the likes of violinist Chris Bartosh for a string instrument duel.
MEMORABLE SONG: Venice briefly returned to her roots of covers with daring yet mesmerising interpretations of Bad Company and Kanye West favourites. The whole EP was a treat too and deserving of another listen through.
OVERALL: Exciting news topped the night as Venice announced she was personally asked by Canada’s own Barenaked Ladies on a cross Canada your with them. What began as a seemingly bizarre act quickly transcended into simply pop music art. Clara Venice has what the pop world is crying out for – honest talent.
Review by: Feargal Daly - The Scene Magazine

Clara Venice solves the theremin on Love Riddle: Toronto singer/songwriter incorporates unusual instrument into her repertoire, opening for the Barenaked Ladies on tour.

The first time singer/songwriter Clara Venice laid eyes on a theremin she knew she had to have one.

“I first saw the Theremin with this band and as soon as I saw it I knew that I could play it but I had no idea what it was,” she says.

The next day Venice wandered down to the Moog store in Toronto and asked the staff if she could try one.

“I remember all the guys started laughing at me because this is the most unintuitive instrument ever,” she says. “They put me in the middle of the store and I had to play it in front of people in the store.”

To the entire store’s disbelief, Venice was able to play a scale.

“They were shocked,” she says. “They gave it to me for a discount and I carried it home.”

Russian inventor Léon Theremin invented the theremin in the early 1900s. The instrument is controlled by the musician without any physical contact and has been used in a variety of musical contexts. Composers Miklós Rózsa and Bernard Herrmann used the theremin in several film scores and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones used the instrument on the group’s 1967 albums Between the Buttons and Their Satanic Majesties Request.

“It sounds different and I think it is an amazing instrument that is very versatile, but people aren’t necessarily aware of it,” Venice says. “There was a time when it was used in pop music but it hasn’t been for a long time and I’m hoping to bring it back.”

On Oct. 1, Venice released her debut EP, Love Riddle, which includes sounds from her theremin. The self-described space-pop singer says the songs have a romantic vibe.

“It’s a little love story of people meeting and then something horrible happening and then them coming back together,” she says. “There is a happy ending because I’m a romantic at heart.”

Instead of releasing physical copies Venice came up with a creative idea to distribute and sell Love Riddle.

“I didn’t want to make a CD so I had this idea to make a USB key that would contain the album that you could wear. It would be something that you would want to buy as opposed to something that you have to buy and never look at again,” Venice says. “I think that at this point people are really craving a tangible relationship with music now (rather than) something invisible that you download.”

Love Riddle can be worn as a necklace, key chain, dog tag, earring, and comes in multiple colours.

“I wanted to something new and different that really hasn’t been done and to inspire people or challenge people to see that there are different approaches,” she says. “It’s kind of cool because people will be walking around wearing my album.”

Venice began singing from around the time she could talk. At the age of four she was playing the violin and at nine she was writing songs.

The Torontonian describes her music as a unique style of pop which uses an array of instruments including the theremin, electric violin, guitar, ukulele, Omnichord and glockenspiel.

Love Riddle was co-produced by Venice and Kevin Hearn who has worked with artists such as Barenaked Ladies, Rheostatics, and Lou Reed but had never produced anyone prior to Venice.

“I ended up learning how to produce as well and that was the only way that I could actually realize my vision, which I did,” Venice says.

The Ontario native explains that she wanted to find a co-producer who could take her work to the next level.

“I had to find somebody that I could work with and could understood what I had already accomplished and didn’t necessarily want to change what I had already done but add to it and elevate it.”

Venice began recording music in studios at the age of 14 and says she encountered various issues because of her gender.

“I had a hard time recording and I think there is a thing about being a girl in the music business. As a female singer, I think there are certain stereotypes that aren’t true. One of them is that you should sing when you’re told to sing and you don’t really get input on the rest of the production and that didn’t really work for me because I always had an idea of what I wanted to do,” she says.

“There aren’t very many female producers and that is a fact — I don’t really understand what it is about production that excludes women but for whatever reason there is,” she adds.

When it comes to her live performances, Venice incorporates a unique mix of fashion to express herself with costumes inspired by everything from 21st century burlesque to Tokyo street fashion.

“I’m an artist right? I just want to express myself in every way that I possibly can. One of those ways is music and one of those ways is getting dressed up,” she says. “I want to wear things that make me feel like whatever character I am that day. I feel like we all have those things inside us. The notion of i - North Shore News

Sound Advice: Love Riddle by Clara Venice

The new solo EP from Clara Venice is a delightful puzzle, but ultimately can't be solved.
BY NATALIE ZINA WALSCHOTS


Love Riddle, by pop artist Clara Venice, is a seemingly simple but intriguing puzzle box of an EP, a smooth and slick little musical mechanism that displays surprising weight and complexity. It resists the ephemeral and the airy, fashioning an aesthetic that is hard, cheerfully solid, and glib. The tone of this EP suits its format, too: as well as a digital EP, Love Riddle has also been released as a line of wearable USB jewelry—candy-like hearts with a bit of cheeky circuitry.

While pop is often distinguished by its sleekness and attention to detail, the production on Love Riddle is particularly exquisite. The sound is hard and smooth as lacquer, glossy and deliciously reflective. Each tone is developed carefully, and any semblance of a sharp edge has been polished off—the seams are entirely invisible. The engineering is at once a dominant mark on the album and effectively invisible, thanks to excellent work from Kevin Hearn (Rheostatics) and Dave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy).

If the production on Love Riddle is the beautifully wrought but understated setting, then Clara Venice’s voice is the jewel: warm without becoming buttery, a kind of darkness without any grit. She sings blithely for most of Love Riddle, her vocals flowing with casual ease. There are moments, though, most notably in “Ninja,” in which a note of longing catches and snags in her voice. When she allows herself to become vulnerable and emotive, even a shade, it is magical.

These moments are rare, however, and for most of Love Riddle, Venice hides comfortably behind a hard, almost carapace-like exterior, trading vulnerability for armour. Venice does much more than sing on the record: she is the composer as well, and plays Theremin, electric violin, guitar, ukulele, and glockenspiel. The instrumental elements are playful, but also a little bit alien, refusing to allow us to peek very far under the album’s hard shell.

While attempting to penetrate Love Riddle is extremely enjoyable, the album is a bit of intrigue that doesn’t want to give way. Fun to play with, it ultimately locks the listener out, keeping us at a distance. A lovely, and surprisingly lonely, EP, from a very talented performer. - torontoist.com

Clara Venice sings love songs! She switches effortlessly from the notoriously difficult Theremin to guitar to violin in a one-girl show as delicate as watching a high-wire act. The stage wall behind her is alive with stop-motion animated, dreamlike and sometimes disturbing projections that blend perfectly with the sonic experience.



How and when did you know you wanted to start your career as a musician?
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a musician. My parents say I could sing before I could talk, and I started violin lessons when I was four. I was in my first girl group when I was 10 – we dressed like bunnies and played at country clubs and trade shows. I played with a number of bands through my teens and early 20s, from a heavy metal band to an all girl punk band, to a country band, an acid jazz band, a Grateful Dead cover band, a hip hop group, and a couple electro bands. I also collaborated with several DJs. I knew I wanted to be a professional musician but I still wanted to go to university and study philosophy. I excelled at school, got lots of scholarships and graduated from the University of Toronto at the top of my class. Everyone expected me to go on to do post-graduate work, but what I really wanted was to take everything I had learned at school and mash it up with everything I had learned from my musical experiences, and create a really smart and cool project. Now I’m not writing philosophy, I’m doing it.

You play a number of instruments, but what took you to start playing the theremin? Why did you choose this instrument?
I didn’t choose the theremin – it chose me. It was love at first sight. I remember very clearly going into the Moog store and asking the guys behind the counter whether I could try out the theremin “to see if it was intuitive”. They laughed at me. At that point I didn’t know that they say that the theremin is the hardest instrument in the world to play. They moved the theremin into the middle of the room and stood around to see what I could do. To everyone’s surprise (including my own!) I could play scales, and even played along with the music in the store. One of the guys turned to me and said, “Well…I guess that’s yours then!”. I carried it home and haven’t ever looked back. As an aside, the greatest theremin virtuosa of all times was also named Clara – her name was Clara Rockmore. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Is there a message you wish to communicate with your music?
I only sing love songs. I believe in love. I also believe in “and” instead of “or” – that is, I believe in expressing our contradictions rather than choosing one side or the other. In other words, just because I’m a classically trained violinist doesn’t mean I can’t play pop. Just because I play the theremin doesn’t mean I’m weird. Just because I’m a blonde (at least part of the time) doesn’t mean I can’t have intelligent lyrics. Just because I’m playful doesn’t mean I don’t go deep. By embracing all of these contradictions in my music and live performances I have created a completely unique project that I’m really proud of, and that no one can ever duplicate or replace. So basically my message is: Why be one thing when we can be everything?

What has been the greatest experience you have had so far?
I have made a musical project that no one said was possible. Being a young woman in the music industry is not easy. When I was a teenager I went through the typical story of getting a manager and moving to L.A. in order to “make it” by working with producers and songwriters and choreographers who told me I had to listen to them in order to fit in to a record label’s “roster” - but I never fit in anywhere. No one would listen to me because I was just a girl and they were big producers, but I already had a vision and my vision was not “fitting in” to any roster - I wanted to do something great, that the world had never seen before. So I quit, went to U of T to get my degree in philosophy while I continued to write, produce, and play music that is both unique and pop. And in the end I proved them wrong by making the impossible possible, and it feels great.

Do you have any dreams that you consider yet unfulfilled?
To be the first theremin pop star.

What has motivated your career?
When I was little I wanted to be a pop star. By my teens I was classically trained in voice and violin. I figured the two belong together, even if it didn’t make sense. And I have never looked back.

Who are your favorite musicians?
My violin teacher, the late Maestro Eugene Kash, is my greatest musical hero. He played the violin until the day he died at the age of 91, and gave me my last lesson from his hospital bed. He taught me the importance of discipline – to this day I practice my music for a few hours each day – and told me that “If you want to be heard, you have to show off.” I also love Marilyn Monroe (yes, she was an amazing singer), Eminem, Frank Sinatra, Iggy Pop, Serge Gainsbourg, B - 1968 Magazine

Life is all about memorable experiences. And one person on a mission to inject some unforgettableness into your life is Clara Venice.

Based in Toronto, this self-described “one-girl, love-pop, multi-instrumental performance artist” is a vocalist, violinist, guitarist, keyboardist, and most recently a ukuleleist who only sings love songs.

“What else is there to sing about?!” she asks.

She also plays the theremin – an extremely rare instrument which is the only instrument you actually play without touching it. It originated from secret Russian government-sponsored research.

How’s that for memorable?

This Thursday you can see Clara and her theremin at the Drake Underground. We spoke with the love songstress to find out what she and her shows are all about…

You describe yourself as a thereminist – what in the world is a theremin? And, can it bring about world peace?

Yes, I am a proud pop thereminist! The theremin is actually the oldest electronic instrument, invented by a Russian revolutionary in the 1920s and took the world by storm – but then almost disappeared along with its inventor.

Most people today know it from sci-fi movie sound effects. It’s the only instrument you play without touching it.

It consists of a rectangular box with two antennas – one controls pitch, one controls volume – and when I wave my hands in the air, a compellingly beautiful and mysterious sound is produced.

It’s truly a magical instrument, and extremely rare, so this might be your only chance to experience it live! I fell in love with it at first sight, and yes – with its soulful power to seduce and amaze, I’m sure that if anything can bring world peace, the theremin can.

This Thursday you’ll be debuting a new instrument called the Omnichord – what’s that all about?

It was a complete fluke that I came across a YouTube video of another rare instrument called the Omnichord, which is an electronic autoharp produced by Suzuki in the 1980s, now out of production.

As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have one – which was easier said than done. But it’s now mine…I’ve been having a blast learning how to play it, and excited to introduce it to everyone at the show!

What can people expect at a Clara Venice show?

A Clara Venice show is a one-girl love-pop thrill ride through time, instruments and genres. As I sing, I switch between soloing on theremin and electric violin. I accompany myself on guitar, ukulele, omnichord, or laptop.

As I perform, the stage wall behind me is alive with Ken Ogawa‘s gorgeous stop-motion animations; a series of irreverent, dreamlike and sometimes haunting projections that blend perfectly with the sonic experience.

The show is truly one-of-a-kind, and makes a great date night! Besides performing my original material, I also do covers ranging from California punk rock, to sultry French pop, to Iggy Pop, to Britney Spears.

One of my fans described the show this way: “After seeing Clara Venice, people go home and make out. They can’t help themselves.” - YouNxt.com

“There’s a rumour going around that I only perform love songs,” Clara Venice says on stage. “Well, it’s true.” During her live shows, the Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist plays electric violin, glockenspiel, ukelele and theremin. Considered one of the most challenging instruments to play, the theremin exudes an ethereal, haunting sound (it’s often heard in old school sci-fi movies) that’s hardly what we’d expect from an electro-pop love gig. We caught up with Venice before her upcoming performance at The Drake Hotel.

How did you come across the theremin?
I was playing with bands all through high school and was trying to figure out what my own project would be. I was in electro bands, rock bands, heavy metal bands, all sorts of different stuff, and I was starting to have an idea. I went in to the Moog store downtown, and I just wanted to try it to see if it was intuitive. It was love at first sight. I didn’t know at that point that it’s the hardest instrument in the world to play. So all the guys in the store are looking me up and down, and are like, “It’s not intuitive for anybody, but sure, go for it.” And I could play it, and none of them could, and it had been sitting there for a year, so they were like, “Yeah, I guess it’s yours.”

What’s the intrigue of an unconventional instrument?
It’s a mix between a voice and a violin. You can put tons of effects on it, it’s so haunting, and that’s why it’s used in sci-fi movies. It was invented in the ’20s, but it’s also used in Beach Boys songs, and why not bring it back? It’s a very simple technology, but it’s so magical. You don’t even touch it.

You’re sort of trailblazing your own style. What response does that get?
That’s kind of the first choice you make as an artist: “Am I going to be super experimental or am I going to be pop?” And I didn’t want to choose, I wanted to do both. Of course, I had a lot of pressure to conform to one thing or the other, especially when I went to L.A. and was talking to the labels there. They were like, “Yeah, well, you know, we don’t really don’t know what to do with you.” People think it’s weird before they hear it — and that was even before I had my theremin!

Does being classically trained affect your sound?
Classical music isn’t cool, but I was always like, “Yeah, this is awesome!” I went to the symphony, and then I went to see a punk band!” And people are like, no, you can’t do those two things. But why not? If it’s good and it’s quality music, then I think that everybody, at a certain point, relates to it.

So then how do you make classical music relevant?
That’s been the biggest challenge, but once people are here, they think, “Oh, it’s pop, it’s fun, it’s love songs, I’ve never seen this before,” and then people get excited. And since I started this project, I’ve wondered if I’m the only person in the world who is doing this. So, you know, I Google it, and there is no one else! With the theremin, there are a lot of multi-instrumentalists now — with the state of technology they’re able to do that. But I think this quirky combination of things is so crazy that it works. If it was half as crazy, it wouldn’t work as well.

Why include projections from artists like Ken Ogawa?
He’s a part of all my shows. I really like opera, and my music is infused with that. Even though the music is so beautiful, opera still has this visual element. So then I just thought, maybe we can do the opera in a bar, and we can have a moving set. What I’m trying to do when I perform is to give a totally immersive experience and to get people to forget about the world and not check their phones and not think about what’s going on. We should all just go somewhere — the more senses we can address, the more encompassing it is.

In addition to original music, you include a lot of covers in your shows. Any favourites?
You could sing every single good song out there and you still wouldn’t live long enough. But then there are things that you see and sing differently. With the covers, I really like to change people’s expectations. It’s usually requests, like Sinead O’Connor or Journey [laughs], which is totally cool. For example, the Bruno Mars song, the production is so intense — you pay attention to the beat, the instrumentation, the arrangement, and not necessarily the lyrics and message. But have you ever actually listened to the emotion of the song?

What can we expect from tomorrow night’s show at The Drake?
It’s a great show to go to on a date. And it’s cinematic, and it’s a lot more familiar than people might think. - Post City Magazines