Album Notes

Vancouver’s Pawnshop Diamond offers something that never loses value: storytelling with a groove. With flavours of gypsy jazz, folk and straight up rock and roll, these bittersweet rockers are helping to define Canadiana with their coy and quirky lyrics, and memorable melodies. Narratives of modern life weave into a musical backdrop of folk and roots traditions to create songs that leave listeners singing along. Their timeless sound is best captured on their sophmore album Leaning to the Sun, produced by Futcher (Be Good Tanyas, Girl Nobody).

Since its release in December 2008, Leaning to the Sun has had great reviews from critics:

"This Vancouver, BC five-piece is a great example, incorporating the time-tested tools of solid songwriting with decidedly modern musicianship, sharp lyricism, and angles of production that leave the songs sounding both vintage and timeless." - CD Baby Feature Review

"This is classy adult rock in a deftly played and efficient 10-song package, lying somewhere on the blurry border between alt-folk and country. But vocalist-guitarist Katie Ormiston's Neko Case-ish voice is a little too bright and cheerful for either, and same goes for her songwriting. Like everything else on Leaning to the Sun, it gets under your skin before you have a chance to notice" - Georgia Straight

"The great thing about Pawnshop Diamond is the band would fit in nicely in a fancy jazz club, back porch folk stage, or mainstream indie club." - Knox Road


The song "Cabernet Sauvignon" won Music BC's Songbird West contest in 2008 and is presently on rotation on CBC Radio 2 Drive. Also, "Dig Your Own Grave" from Pawnshop Diamond's debut album was selected for CBC Radio 3's Track of the Day in April 2007 when Lana Gay introduced the song by saying "I found while listening to Dig Your Own Grave that the song reads out like character descriptions in a play... the descriptions of these people are unbelievable."

Paramount to the future of Pawnshop Diamond is their live show. On stage, this five-piece delivers Canadiana in all its goodness. With stage chemistry that can only come from great friends playing music together, Pawnshop Diamond lights up the stage with beautiful harmonies and feel good grooves. Knowing all too well the importance of life on the road, Pawnshop Diamond is dedicated to building a fan base, person by person, in Canada and abroad. They have graced the stage with such artists as Sarah Harmer and Corb Lund and have performed on a diverse array of festival stages including New Music West, Big Time Out, Starbelly Jam, Rock For Insite and Fearless Festival.

Currently the band is getting ready to tour Ontario and Europe. They are also set to perform at this year's Vancouver Island Music Conference and the Sunshine Festival. By the looks of it, 2009 is shaping up to be a great year for Pawnshop Diamond!

“A roots rocker that will appeal to fans of alt-country singer-songwriters like Neko Case or Ryan Adams." - Metro

"The more I listened to the album, the more I loved not only the mood of the music, but the lyrics." - CBC Radio 3

"Observant and also questioning" - The Province