Biography

Welcome to my world of music! My name is Christine Leakey and I grew up in the 1000 Islands making up songs to my dog. I took piano from a nun in a convent which didn't work out so well when I was eight. Every day there was music in my home and around the campfire during summer nights with the French side of my family. After graduating college in Graphic Design and post graduate studies in 3D Animation, I taught myself guitar and very quickly wrote music and formed a band, The Double Feature Creatures. Within a few weeks, we dove right in to performing live. After two years of obsessively practicing guitar, I had written over two hundred songs in varying music genres from garage rock to obscure tunes, dreamy lullabies, circus ditties and jazz ballads. After The Double Feature Creatures broke up, I formed a band entitled, Tijuana Knievel which was short lived, though we toured a bit.


Over the past decade, I have been documenting my solo music after taking a hiatus related to an injury. I produce and arrange my own music, design my own album art and create many of my own music videos which have all been released independently. I have played all the instruments on a few of my recordings but I mostly incorporate a phenomenally talented group of accomplished musician friends from jazz, classical, pop, prog and world music influences. My solo LP releases include Tapping Trees In A Trinket Box Of Treasure, Wanderlust Wishing Well and my EP releases include, My Heart Has Been Broken By One Unfit To Name, Naughty & Nice.


Now it brings me great pleasure to announce a forthcoming EP entitled Hydrogen and Helium that I will be releasing in 2021 to honour my late brother.  The album features my dear friends who accompany me, Fernando Perdomo and Matt Tecu from Echo In The Canyon (they were also on my Wanderlust Wishing Well album) and special guests, The McBroom Sisters (Pink Floyd) and Mike Garson (David Bowie's pianist) who I've been taking piano lessons from during the Covid19 pandemic.


My solo albums have received press globally by publications including Stereogum, PRI The World, BBC, Folk Radio UK and many more. My music has been played on radio stations including CBC as well as various podcasts, university and independent stations worldwide. I have sold copies of my albums to music fans on every continent.


In 2016, I co-wrote a book that launched entitled, Sheet Music: The Diary Of A Songwriter. The book features stories from 100 women in music about sexual injustice in the music industry. I got to sing backup for Janelle Monae's Wondaland Records recording artists, St. Beauty. The book includes a CD and I am featured singing on the track, Winding Roads which was long-listed for a Grammy.


I have collaborated musically with other recording artists including Dave Kerzner where I sing on his track, Ocean of Stars with the McBroom Sisters from Pink Floyd. I also designed Dave Kerzner's New World album art and have created many music videos for his solo music and his band, In Continuum. I created vocal arrangements for Part Of Your Life by Dreaming In Stereo. I have designed numerous album covers and artwork for bands in Canada, the USA and Mexico.


 I have shared the stage with many performers including Iggy Pop, Ween, Ray Condo & His Ricochets, Danko Jones, The Hentchmen, The Leather Uppers, The Demolition Doll Rods, Peaches, Sook Yin Lee, The Sadies, Junior Kimbrough, Dan Baird and The Fossils (members of Georgia Satellites, Black Crows and Lynyrd Skynyrd), Gary Talley (The Box Tops), Kevin Montgomery, Peter Holsapple (REM), Danny Tate, Justin Kalk Orchestra, Wood Newton, Etta Britt, Kentucky Thunder, Templeton Thompson, The Polyester Explosion, Thee Gnostics, Sit N Spin, Thee Knurlings, Dave Rave, The Nines, Guh, Pat DiNizio (The Smithereens) and more.


Side projects during the early days of my music journey included singing backup in a rockabilly band, Cadillac Bill & The Creeping Bent. We toured Ontario and Quebec and appeared on MuchMusic and CityTV Toronto Breakfast Television. We released four song EP entitled, Eating Out where I sing on each track. Many moons ago, I also sing backing vocals on Hot Blooded by The Pin-Ups on their B-Movie Drive In release and created the interactive CD ROM for TLA Demolition Doll Rods, Matador Records recording artists.




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Official Releases


  • Hydrogen and Helium

    This forthcoming EP was recorded at Reseda Ranch Studios in California and will be released in 2021 to honour my late brother.  This album was produced by Fernando Perdomo and additional production by myself, Matt Tecu and Steve Hoffman. Accompanying me on the EP are Fernando Perdomo and Matt Tecu who are now known for being in the documentary entitled, Echo In The Canyon. My brothers from other mothers were also on my Wanderlust Wishing Well album. Special guests appearances are by The McBroom Sisters who are best known for being backup singers in Pink Floyd and Mike Garson who is best known for being David Bowie's pianist.

  • Naughty & Nice

    “Christine Leakey, beloved of none other than genius Mark "Teenage Opera" Wirtz (You know - the "Paranoiac Woodcutter") and Linda "Parallelograms"  Perhacs, along with Kristian Hoffman, whose last CD  was called "an ornate masterpiece of baroque pop" (Magnet), have decided to bundle up and bundle together for that bundle of joy named - well, Jesus - and make a two sided double whammy age defyin' crucifyin'  tribute to that most celebratory (or, not so much?) holiday stolen from pagan tree worshippers. Let us help you ease your way (or sleaze your way - the choice is yours)  through your holidays with a typically lovely Leakey cover - Patti Page's "Christmas Bells" - and a typically snide Hoffman original: "Christmas Time Is Coming (So Get Out Of the Way"). In these uncertain times, the perfect stocking stuffer for your most doubtful queries into organized religion, and your reassertion that family, beauty and music will always come first.” 

    ~ Kristian Hoffman


    https://christineleakey.bandcamp.com/album/naughty-nice

  • Wanderlust Wishing Well

    In 2014, I flew to Los Angeles and started recording and producing my second solo album recording project at Reseda Ranch Studios with my dear friend Fernando Perdomo (Echo In The Canyon) who engineered and played on some of the tracks. I flew back in 2015 to complete the album after working on it there and in Canada.


    Additional overdubs were done in various home studios in Toronto and Italy and at Winslow Court Studios in Hollywood which was the world's oldest sound studio and still had its original foley stage which I put to use! The building sadly got set for demo which is sad but I'm grateful I got to work within those inspiring walls where many greats recorded as well. Friends who accompany with me on this album include Linda Perhacs, Jon Gilutin, Chris Price, Maryem and Ernie Tollar, Kristian Hoffman, Maurizio Guarini, Ravi Naimpally, Sahra Featherstone, Matt Tecu, Scott Bassman, Michael Cudahy, Hussain Jiffry, Kaitlyn Wolfberg, Nate Light, Neeraj Prem, Dave Kerzner, Antonella Sigismondi, Timur Bekbosunov, Everett Kelly, Eddie Pimentel, Roy Clarke, Lucas McGough, and Oreste Licata. Additional engineering by Craig Parker Adams, Dan Zivkovik, Taras Petryk and mastering by Steve Hoffman and Stephen Marsh.


    The album was released on blue vinyl in 2017 with a limited edition version that included a hand etched wolf root chakra wishing coin that I designed. The vinyl was made possible by a pledge campain where I gave gifts including my homemade and very delicious maple syrup and wild grape syrup. 

     


    https://christineleakey.bandcamp.com/album/wanderlust-wishing-well

  • My Heart Has Been Broken By One Unfit To Name

    In celebration of Halloween 2013, I released a new single My Heart Has Been Broken By One Unfit To Name, from a soon to be released 8-inch. In spring 2017 it is relaunching to celebrate the new limited edition lathe cut release! 


    See the horror/Lynchian like video here www.youtube.com/watch with scenes from UK film, Where the Dogs Divide Her. I was asked to create the song based on a poem they wrote for a specific scene. 


    When I was a teen, I would creep down the stairs once my family was asleep, and under dim light I would quietly play improvisational spooky mood music on my mom's synthesizer. I was most drawn to making up somber creepy toned sounds and circus ditties on keyboards. It's just always been this way since my Great Grandma Jones gave me her 1940s Italian chord organ.


    https://christineleakey.bandcamp.com/album/my-heart-has-been-broken-by-one-unfit-to-name-2

  • Tapping Trees In A Trinket Box Of Treasure

    In 2012, I released, “Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure” which is a 14 track lush collection of dreamy, heartfelt songs. The album was nominated for Best Adult Alternative and won Best Album Artwork at the Hamilton Music Awards in 2012. My song Gloom Chime from the album was nominated for an Independent Music Award in the USA for Best Eclectic Song. It also received a fair bit of music blogger buzz and radio play from around the globe and charted in the Czech Republic. 


    I planned to create music videos for all of the tracks. And already created a number of the videos myself, I have received video contributions from friends and fans and have also worked with a dance company in India to create a video which caught the attention of the BBC. This video sparked another film maker and fan from India to create a video for her song entitled, Be You as a gift. 


    A music licensing company I had a contract with for this album release expressed the following: 


    One of the many delights that witnessed while listening to her music is the very original style of writing and recording. It is unique in every aspect of the word. Some of her music may have sad lyrics but doesn’t necessarily sound sad. The uses of instruments of current design and from long ago have its own distinct sound in her songs. Just listening to songs such as “Miss Betty Grable” is another example of the intricate techniques that are used to achieve the sound she is looking for. It is art in itself to be able to understand instruments at their full potential in order to allow their use in certain compositions for maximum effect. This is a true composer’s skill that one must earn and she has earned it in many ways. Using instruments such as kanun, bansuri flute, standard flute, soprano sax, clarinet, trombone and so on brings an unmatched texture to her music. Christine has this ability and has succeeded in many ways giving audiences music that will tap into their sub consciousness, tap into their ability to release their inhabitations and to reach their peak.” 


    “Lullabies & Apple Pies” is one single that has a personal heartfelt aspect to it. This song is like a lullaby.  Its vocals along with the arrangements of this song might have a cathartic feel to it.  Its dream state experience that one feels is truly out of the ordinary.  


    “Lovely” is another heartfelt song which is about a new relationship and allowing the walls down to take that risk and trust someone.  Life is short as it is and this song induces awareness not to take one moment in life for granted.  It also has a therapeutic aspect to it.  This song gives the listener an ability to surrender into a zen state of consciousness.  The echoing whispering vocals with a magical instrumental arrangement truly takes you on a magical carpet ride.   


    Christine has performed the music from her album on occasion for the past year at various venues around Hamilton and Toronto as well for private corporate events. She is usually backed by two or three other players including bass, trombone, tuba, saxophone, violin while she sings and plays electric guitar. Depending on the budget for any given show, Christine could call on more musicians to accompany her for a fuller live sound. For some of the pieces, they use samples from the studio recordings during a live performance. Christine‘s live performances have mostly been accompanied by the Hamilton Aerial Group who have created routines using aerial silks and lyre to her music.


    https://christineleakey.bandcamp.com/album/tapping-trees-in-a-trinket-box-of-treasure 

  • The Double Feature Creatures

    Feel the beat as Gaven crash, boom, thumps the skins! Join in song as Christine and Rosemary sing like buzzing butterbees on bashful branches. Feel the fuzz from Julia's feisty leads! Jig to the jangle of Christine's guitar bo-dangle! Let loose to Lesia laying bass! Ride the Rosy posie crazy organ showzee. Swirly psych-out swaying while The Double Feature Creatures are playing!


    Releases include:

    Return! (Teen Sound Records, Italy)

    Stranded at the Drive-In (45 vinyl indie release)

    Greatest Love of All (45 vinyl indie release)

    Ruby Karma (Compilation release)

    Hamilton Music Scene (Compilation release)


    https://thedoublefeaturecreatures.bandcamp.com

“Spending an hour with the narcotic splendor of Ms. Leakey’s sultry sounds is like taking a stroll underwater through limpid, star-spangled honey... on Ecstasy.” 
Michael Cudahy AKA The Millionaire, Combustible Edison
“...hallucination friendly, neo-sike pop at its best, which could easily have been recorded in a small, smokey, avant guard Paris night club, a 30’s Chicago, cabaret, in a timeless corner of the Twilight Zone, a bohemian bar in New York’s Village...” 
Mark Wirtz, Ivor Novello Award-winning 60’s EMI Records/Abbey Road Studios 

Prior CD and vinyl releases:


Christine Leakey: Wanderlust Wishing Well – 2017 independently released, recorded in Los Angeles and Toronto. Was featured in Stereogum, FRUK (Folk Radio UK), released on blue vinyl and CD as well as all streaming platforms. The album features 26 musician accompaniment creating a lush orchestrated mix of jazz, circus, cinematic, pop. 


Christine Leakey: Christmas Bells – 2017 single release of the Patti Paige cover on a lathe cut Christmas compilation entitled, Naughty & Nice with Kristian Hoffman (The Mumps, Luxuria Music, Klaus Nomi, Prince Poppycock, Rufus Wainwright) on the flip side. The song was recorded at Reseda Ranch Studios during a Facebook live session in under two hours.


Sheet Music: The Diary Of A Songwriter – 2016 an independent release by Multi-Grammy Award winning producer, Devine Evans (Justin Timberlake, The Chainsmokers, Rihanna). Accompanying the book is an album featuring Christine singing on a track entitled Winding Roads.


She sings on Dave Kerzner: New World LP released in 2014/2015 which has been nominated for a Prog Magazine UK music award


Christine Leakey: My Heart Has Been Broken By One Unfit To Name – 2013 Independent single digital release with limited edition lathe cut. Featured in the trailer for Indie UK film, “Where the Dogs Divide Her”


Christine Leakey: Tapping Trees In A Trinket Box Of Treasure – 2012 Independent release, won a Hamilton Music Award for Best Album Art and was nominated for Best Adult Alternative. One of the tracks was also nominated for Most Eclectic Song in the Independent Music Awards.


She made vocal arrangements for Dreaming In Stereo: 2 released in 2011 on independent label, Forward Motion Records


The Double Feature Creatures; Return! – on Teen Sound Records, a division of Misty Lane Records in Rome, Italy www.mistylane.it


The Double Feature Creatures: Stranded at the Drive-In – her own label that she created back in 1995 to release this 7inch vinyl


Beyond the Horizon – Award winning Documentary by National Geographic Adventure of 2006, writing the original score.  


She was on Cadillac Bill and the Creeping Bent: Eating Out EP < released in 2006


The Double Feature Creatures were on 3 compilation releases that were local to the area – the Hamilton music scene 1995 (Golden Shower Records, Ruby Karma (Rob Hoff Records) and The Greatest Love of All (Dead Bum Records).  


Awards and Accomplishments include:


Christine co-wrote a book, Sheet Music: The Diary Of A Songwriter album release that accompanied the book was long-listed for a Grammy.


Christine won a Hamilton Music Award in 2012 for Best Album art on Tapping Trees In A Trinket Box Of Treasure which she designed. She was also nominated for a second HMA for Best Adult Alternative. 


Christine was a 2012 Independent Music Awards nominee for Most Eclectic Song. 


Opening for Iggy Pop, Junior Kimbrough at the Detroit State Theatre in 1996.


Opened for Ween who were also accompanied by Elvis Presley’s alumni band at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in 1996.  


Peaches and Christine gigged together before she was famous at the Cameron House in Toronto


Others that shared the stage with Christine were Sook Yin Lee (MuchMusic VJ), Sub Pop artist, Thornetta Davis


Performed at the Danny Tate Awareness concert raising money for Nashville flood relief on May 2010 and had opened for a plethora of some of the great Nashville artists such as. Some of the artists on that bill were:

 Gary Talley (from the Box Tops)

 Peter Holsapple (former member of R.E.M.)

 Kentucky Thunder 

 Dan Baird and the Fossils

 Pat DiNizio from the Smithereens

 Kevin Montgomery and the Roadtrippers and many others


Christine would also like to acknowledge:


Hydrogen and Helium:

This five track EP set to release in 2021 features a smaller group of musical accompaniment. I sing and play guitar, Matt Tecu (Echo In the Canyon, Wanderlust Wishing Well) plays drums and percussion and Fernando Perdomo plays the rest of the instruments except for piano on a bonus track remix featuring Mike Garson (David Bowie's pianist) playing piano and The McBroom Sisters (Pink Floyd backing singers) singing backing vocals. One of the tracks is a song created by my late uncle's first bluegrass band and the rest are my own songs, some of the first songs I ever wrote. Fernando is the primary producer of this album and additional co-production credit goes to myself, Matt Tecu and Steve Hoffman who sat in on one of the sessions. 


Naughty & Nice:

This lathe cut and digital release features my rendition of Christmas Bells originally recorded by Patti Paige and written by Harry Filler and Leonard Schroeder. Fernando Perdomo plays all the instruments. We co-produced the song live on Facebook in under two hours. Kristian Hoffman's original Christmas song, Christmas Time Is Coming So Get Out Of The Way is a naughty clever tune which was recorded as a demo but never previously released. Kristian is known for composing music for Klaus Nomi and collaborating with Rufus Wainwright, music directing Ann Magnuson, Prince Poppycock and more. He was in The Mumps during the first wave of NYC punk during the late 70s with the first ever reality show star from PBS during that time, Lance Loud. I first met Kristian when he released on his website a song he recorded of my cousin Peter McGough (McDermott & McGough) singing. 


Wanderlust Wishing Well:

This album features Grammy Award winning artists, Hussain Jiffry on fretless bass, Jon Gilutin on piano, mastering by Marsh Mastering and Steve Hoffman. It also features some very special guests including Linda Perhacs, Maurizio Guarini (Goblin), The Millionaire (Combustible Edison), Kristian Hoffman (Klaus Nomi, Rufus Wainright, Prince Poppycock, The Mumps), Matt Tecu (Jacob Dillon), Fernando Perdomo, Dave Kerzner, Chris Price, Maryem Tollar (Constantinople, Jesse Cook, Olivia Newton John, Prince of Persia Bollywood film) and more... There are 32 people involved on the new album. Christine loves to orchestrate the music which she hears arrangements for in her mind and incorporates world instruments from the Eastern World as well as the more traditional Western World instruments. 


Tapping Trees In A Trinket Box Of Treasure:

Tapping Trees In A Trinket Box Of Treasure combines some rare keyboards on one album together – The Chamberlin, Mellotron, Orchestron, Optigan, ARP 2600.


Some featured guests are Maurizio Guarini from Goblin, Linda Ronstadt’s pianist, Jon Gilutin along with a significant variety of organic World and Jazz instruments. 


1960’s Abbey Road/EMI Studios Composer and Producer and Ivor Novello Award winner, Mark Wirtz who has done some spoken word on one of the songs on the album and has also had Christine collaborate on some of his music for his upcoming album release, Cooking for Cannibals.


Touring

Christine Leakey would love to tour Europe along with coming to the United States. No firm show schedule is available at this time.  


Online social and music media website pages 

for Christine’s current solo and past band projects:


www.christineleakeymusic.com

www.facebook.com/christineleakeymusic

christineleakey.bandcamp.com

www.youtube.com/christineleakeymusic

www.instagram.com/christineleakeymusic

www.reverbnation.com/christineleakey

www.soundcloud.com/christine-leakey

christineleakey.tumblr.com

www.twitter.com/christineleakey

www.myspace.com/christineleakey

www.myspace.com/thedoublefeaturescreatures

www.myspace.com/tijuanaknievel

Songs Written

200+

Songs Recorded

55

LP Releases

3

EP Releases

3