About Andrea Ramolo
An artist profile Andrea Ramolo: Discover Miss Uncensored — a “new” artist who sings tough and honest and gets to the point Andrea Ramolo has this old publicity shot which she doesn’t use very much any more. She’s wearing cowboy boots, cut-off shorts, she’s sitting on her guitar case by the side of the highway, and her sign reads: “Miss Uncensored.” That’s her alright: direct, to the point, funny, sexy, tough and vulnerable at the same time. At a time when many songwriters are examining their inner souls (and the fluff in their navels), Andrea gets to the point. Need a bunch of adjectives for this singer? Try some of these – they’re all accurate: Fearless. Raw. Emotional. True. Confident. And, most importantly, completely honest. She’s been all of these all her life. The daughter of first-generation Italian immigrants and now in her mid-twenties, she’s finally getting the attention she’s deserved for a long time. By the time Thank You for the Ride, her debut album, was released last year, she had a resumé that surprises most people who read it. It includes a dancing and singing role in an ABC movie with Tracey Ullman and Carole Burnett, and a starring role in what she describes as “the worst horror film ever made” in which she was ripped apart and eaten by zombies. Oh, yes, and two degrees (a Theatre major and her Bachelor of Education — yes, she’s a real teacher), Along the way, she’s served tables, taught school, sung with cover bands, toured with rock groups, become a solid rhythm guitar player, and continued her childhood dream of becoming an accomplished songwriter. Once Thank You for The Ride was finished, Andrea went into overdrive. There were two road trips to the Maritimes, a handful of folk festivals, gigs all over Ontario, and recording sessions for her friends including Cindy Doire, The Trews, Martha & The Muffins, and The Strip. She took home three Toronto Music Awards (for Best Folk Album, Best Female Folk Artist, and Best Blues Song). And she’s all over CBC Radio 3’s online programming. Finally— last October — she rocked out a sold-to-the-walls record release party at Toronto’s coolest bar, the Dakota Tavern. Thank You for the Ride is a collection of a dozen songs in which listeners can see their own lives and loves, successes and losses. Vocally, Andrea can happily be compared to Janis Joplin, a tougher Dolly Parton, or even Canada’s own Serena Ryder — but she has a unique sound that’s all her own. Finding time to discover Andrea Ramolo — now, rather than later when she’s broken through — is well worth the effort. You don’t find this kind of musical honesty very often.