Whole World

ROAM LEANS INTO THE LIGHT WITH THE LAUNCH OF LUMINA

Produced and engineered by JUNO award-winning Canadian talent Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Barenaked Ladies, Jane Siberry, Great Big Sea, Rheostatics), Roam's Sophomore album 'Lumina' represents an enlightened leap forward, tripping the light fantastic with 10 adventurous songs plus a cover of The Pretenders classic Hymn To Her, as it revels in its shimmering amalgam of world and roots musics.

“Mysterious and interesting … a story behind each song”

Eric Vermeulen, M-ENT, The Netherlands

“Some use the elements of European and Indian Folk traditions as ornamentation, but Patterson brings them together to suggest a harmony that is all too lacking in this world”
INK 19 MAGAZINE, FLORIDA, USA

“As a filmmaker in search of music to enhance the emotional journey of my characters, in Roam’s music I have discovered a soundtrack so perfect, it was as if they had written the musical score just for my film.”

Beth Mairs, Film Producer “Awaiting Atwood”, Canada


ROAM is a spirited contemporary acoustic roots unit exploring the crossroads between song, culture and philosophy. Weaving haunting melodies through solid songwriting, ROAM takes listeners on journey through territories without borders.

Key composer, Lisa Patterson, armed with a rich alto voice and a gift for creating memorable melodies, gives birth to poetic originals on piano - each song taking on an organic life of its own based on the chemistry resulting from working with crackerjack collaborators. Patterson might focus on key, compositional ingredients like piano and guitar but it is her contribution on duduk (a double-reeded woodwind instrument native to Armenia), sax and accordion which significantly shape ROAM's sound. Anita Katakkar's gifts on tabla and percussion join Alex McMaster's talents on cello and voice, providing further definition. Master instrumentalist Justin Abedin brings his magic on acoustic guitar.

Woven through Lumina (Romanian for ‘light’) is the underlying theme of insight shining through the places we get broken, captured in an enigmatic original poem hidden in CD disc tray. It is this new found sense of illumination that adds an undeniable radiance to this release.

FRACTURES
OF BONE AND HEART
ILLUMINATE
LAY MY ARMOUR DOWN
FOR LUMINA

ROAM began as a duo of Patterson and McMaster, releasing a well-received debut CD 'Points of Departure' in 2008, which brought invites to perform in Europe, India and on Canadian festival stages; garnered CBC & Campus radio features; and had 6 songs placed in upcoming Fall 2013 release of adventure film parody Awaiting Atwood.

In the midst of composing for this Sophomore disc an accident resulting in a shattered elbow turned into beautiful serendipity: Patterson's reliance on piano for main comping instrument shifted to bringing in celebrated guitarist friend Abedin. The ensuing love affair with timbral combinations of wood, breath and strings led a step further to include the sumptuous skin of tabla - a natural fit from experiences in earlier solo projects. Et voila!

ROAM members have performed/recorded with renowned artists such as Soley Vaseghi, Arcade Fire, Matt Dusk, Maryem Hassan Tollar, Lache Cercel, Jacksoul, Toronto Tabla Ensemble, Chilly Gonzales, Cassius Khan, Tea Party & more.

As a youth, award-winning band leader Patterson was influenced by Classical training, globe-trotting as a pilot’s daughter, and the singing and dancing of her mother’s Romanian and father’s Scottish family.