Learning the game

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Amanda Marshall remembers all too well her first performance in Ottawa.

It was the early '90s at the NAC, opening for the Jeff Healey Band. Apart from bar shows in her hometown of Toronto, it was her first-ever concert, so the then-teenage, gruff-voiced singer was blissfully unaware of the pitfalls of performing.

"My very first tour, very first gig ... I was 17," says Marshall, who returns here tonight to open for Tom Cochrane at the Congress Centre.

"We come walking on with two acoustic guitar players. We did cover songs ... It was going really well.

"And there was this pause before I introduced the next song. And out of the darkness out of the back of the auditorium, some guy yells: 'WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE?'

"Had I had more of a clue, if I wasn't so green, I probably would have realized: 'Oh, they want Healey.'

"But I thought: 'Wow, they really like us. Thank you for caring.' I thought: 'Wow, we're really winnin' em over. He wants to know who I am.'

All her hard-earned lessons prepared Marshall for the making of her self-titled debut album, which has already launched two hit singles -- Let It Rain and Birmingham.

It's painfully early in the morning, but Marshall is enviably chipper and chatty as she lounges backstage at CJOH between on-air performances during a promo swing.

"I'm pretty gregarious. I like to talk, as you've probably noticed," she says.

"I did a radio thing with Energy-something. Live performance at 7 a.m. It was very exciting.

"Actually (my voice) was not too bad. I'm lucky, because the huskier the better. I go into phone sex mode ... 'Hi, this is Ramona. You're listening to Energy 1200.' "

It's hard to reconcile her relaxed manner with what's at stake with her album, which -- for a debut record from a Canadian artist -- received an unprecedented promotional push.

"The amount of attention and scrutiny the record has received from Sony acted as, frankly, a real kick in the butt. It was a motivator more than anything else," she says.

"It's not so much pressure as it is a great motivator. There's nothing like having a group of people behind you that genuinely like you and support you."


	April 4, 1996 Learning the game By PAUL CANTIN Ottawa Sun ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amanda Marshall remembers all too well her first performance in Ottawa. It was the early '90s at the NAC, opening for the Jeff Healey Band. Apart from bar shows in her hometown of Toronto, it was her first-ever concert, so the then-teenage, gruff-voiced singer was blissfully unaware of the pitfalls of performing. "My very first tour, very first gig ... I was 17," says Marshall, who returns here tonight to open for Tom Cochrane at the Congress Centre. "We come walking on with two acoustic guitar players. We did cover songs ... It was going really well. "And there was this pause before I introduced the next song. And out of the darkness out of the back of the auditorium, some guy yells: 'WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU HERE?' "Had I had more of a clue, if I wasn't so green, I probably would have realized: 'Oh, they want Healey.' "But I thought: 'Wow, they really like us. Thank you for caring.' I thought: 'Wow, we're really winnin' em over. He wants to know who I am.' "I was so cocky." All her hard-earned lessons prepared Marshall for the making of her self-titled debut album, which has already launched two hit singles -- Let It Rain and Birmingham. It's painfully early in the morning, but Marshall is enviably chipper and chatty as she lounges backstage at CJOH between on-air performances during a promo swing. "I'm pretty gregarious. I like to talk, as you've probably noticed," she says. "I did a radio thing with Energy-something. Live performance at 7 a.m. It was very exciting. "Actually (my voice) was not too bad. I'm lucky, because the huskier the better. I go into phone sex mode ... 'Hi, this is Ramona. You're listening to Energy 1200.' " It's hard to reconcile her relaxed manner with what's at stake with her album, which -- for a debut record from a Canadian artist -- received an unprecedented promotional push. "The amount of attention and scrutiny the record has received from Sony acted as, frankly, a real kick in the butt. It was a motivator more than anything else," she says. "It's not so much pressure as it is a great motivator. There's nothing like having a group of people behind you that genuinely like you and support you."