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| Biography |
To hear Lindy
Vopnfjord tell it, while his father
drove the folk-singing family from gig to gig, Lindy,
then six years old, and his nine year old brother
plus two cousins, lay freezing in the back of their
parent’s converted yellow school bus while his mom
and dad sat in heated comfort in the front, a plastic sheet
keeping the warmth from seeping back to the
teeth-chattering children, the frozen Manitoba landscape
vaguely visible through the frosted window panes.
The truth is, the engaging Lindy can spin a hell
of a tall tale. And yet his upbringing, much of it
spent singing Icelandic folk songs and 60’s protest anthems
with his parents and cousins in The Hekla Singers, is the kind of
life story that you just can’t make
up. Lindy’s musical pedigree is a biographer’s dream come true.
He was taught by his father to play the
guitar at age two and made his public premier at the
age of four, singing a duet with his dad at the Icelandic
Festival in his home town of Gimli, Manitoba.
Later in his young career he and his family performed
in front of Pierre Trudeau, Lindy fondly recalling
how he obtained the PM’s autograph afterwards.
From those early days through to present day,
a time that included the family eventually moving
to Victoria with Lindy finally ending up in
Toronto, his musical maturation
has grown exponentially, moving him
past songs of peace and atomic bombs to the more life
experiential themes of love, betrayal, and the beauty
that comes from loss. One can
examine the obvious folk roots in Lindy’s music,
catch a McCartney phrasing here and there, but words
miss the point. Lindy's music must be experienced.
Only then will the listener understand the
breadth of influences both musical and thematic that
entwine themselves throughout the 12 songs on Lindy’s
latest album. "Suspension of Disbelief" is a
reminder of why albums overtook singles in the
‘60’s. Instead of a
thrown-together collection of recorded songs,
Suspension of Disbelief conveys a story of a young
man’s first expressions of love and the pain associated
with the disappointments and tragedies that cross
the paths of all who strive to live and dream. Lindy’s
approach to his songs and their selection and sequencing
hearken back to the craftsmanship and dedication
of Sinatra with the pop sensibility of Roy Orbison.
Each track plays like a chapter of a book. And
yet, the most striking quality in Lindy's music is
its beauty in simplicity. His greatest gift
may lie in his ability to tell
his truth in the simplest of ways.
Lindy’s soaring vocals, crowd-pleasing
banter an dazzling
acoustic guitar playing first caught the eyes and
ears of Aquarius Records. His debut record came out
on the Montreal-based label in the late ‘90s. A
second album was released independently by
Lindy. Adding to the Lindy legend
was his unconventional audition
for The Orange Record Label. First catching the
ear of label co-founder, Aubrey Winfield, Lindy agreed
to audition for the rest of the label at a venue that most artists
might have balked at. The now-famous audition was performed around
Aubrey and Mari Winfield’s kitchen
table for an audience that included
Orange co-founder Steven Ehrlick and A&R Manager,
Daryn Barry. Lindy, supported by his guitar, spun
tunes and tales for hours, at times causing tears to
form in his listeners’ eyes, sometimes from laughter,
mostly from the sheer power of his songs. Third
label co-founder, Jill Snell, catching Lindy for the
first time at C’est What, was the next label person
to fall under Lindy’s spell. Suspension of Disbelief
was produced by Orange’s own Daryn Barry. When
Dave “Rave” Ogilvie heard Lindy’s rough mixes, it wasn’t
long before the renowned producer (NIN, Marilyn Manson,
Skinny Puppy) was in the studio mixing the album.
Lindy’s talent towers over his contemporaries…literally
(he’s rather tall). He is often
described as gentle. The same can be said about his
music, towering gentleness. Prepare yourself to be
Beautifully Undone by Suspension of Disbelief.
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