"There the song goes playing us again..." A quote by Kenny Malone, during the recording of Karla Anderson's, "The Embassy Sessions", which seems to sum up the magic in her music.
Karla has come along way since the re-furbishing of her chicken coop into a music room in 2001. From the chicken coop, to open stages, to being asked to open up for other acts, then being asked to play at the Edmonton Folk Festival, to making a recording to satisfy the scores of people touched by her performances. Before the release of her debut recording, a song called "What Else Can I Do?" was given a prime spot on the National Television show "Joan of Arcadia". People heard the song world wide and the magic continued to move. Emails poured in from all over the globe, looking for the artist who wrote and performed it. Thus, " The Embassy Sessions" was released in the summer of 2005. (at the Edmonton Folk Festival!)
Backed by a stellar band including veteran Nashville drummer, Kenny Malone (Nancy Griffith, John Prine, Tim O'Brien), guitar player Keith Glass (Prairie Oyster, Lynn Miles) and renowned bass player, Mike Lent (k.d. lang, Jann Arden), the disc was recorded over a three day period in a strange and beautiful old mansion called the Red Motel Embassy in Calgary, AB. It is "live" off the floor, recorded with no monitors and no headphones - just four players, playing to the room and to each other. The results are achingly beautiful and as emotionally honest as a recording can be. It hit the top of the charts wherever it was played, including WUMB Boston, and CKUA Radio in Edmonton, and is up to date being played regularly on Magic 99 also in Edmonton. In 2005, Karla was included in the CBC Television Special "Alberta Bound- A Centennial Celebration" that also included performances by K.D. Lang, Nickelback, Ian Tyson and Jann Arden. She has played at the Edmonton Folk Festival twice, with a third performance coming in 2007. She has played at the Canmore Folk Fest, Vancouver Island Music Fest, the South Country Fair, as well as numerous appearances at folk clubs and venues around Alberta. She has been heard on CBC Radio on programs like "The Homestretch". Sheila Rodgers "Sounds Like Canada" and "The Fuse". Karla was honored with the Best New / Emerging Artist award at the Canadian Folk Music Awards held December 10, 2005 in Ottawa, ON, Canada. Her debut album was nominated for the Western Canadian Music Awards "Outstanding Roots Recording" October 22, 2006.