SUGARBEACH
These girls sing woman to woman; pop music with a mainstream sound and alternative content. Together they are fresh, provocative, positive & dynamic.
SUGARBEACH is a lesbian band from Vancouver, Canada. They released their debut single "I Just Love Girls" and 6 song EP CD of the same name in August 07 and are planning to pump out a full length cd this summer.
Out lesbians Marlee Walchuk and Tully Callender, favorites of the Canadian Pride fest circuit, pack a number of styles into this EP. Let's call this collection of original gay love songs “electroni-lesbi-pop,” with “She's With Me” adding a salsa-rific Latin flare. (Outsmart Magazine - Texas USA -Nancy Ford)
Sugarbeach can regularly be found performing around town in Vancouver but their real vision is to move beyond the boundaries of one city with their "electroni-lesbi-pop". Baltimore Outloud, Bay Area Reporter, Chicago Free Press, Xtra West, and most recently CURVE magazine have been supporting the girls and like what they hear....Mette Bach from Xtra West explained that Sugarbeach is hugely motivated by authenticity.."Their lyrics, while clearly lesbian, are universal and resonate with straight and queer audiences alike." (for more info on these articles check out www.sugarbeachmusic.com)
Sugarbeach was featured in 8 Vancouver pride events last year including mainstage and a guest shot on CityTV's breakfast show.
Sugarbeach would like to thank the following radio stations and programs for their on going support in sending their music over the airwaves:
102.7 co-op radio vancouver,
Proud FM 103.9 Toronto,
Queer Music Heritage - various stations and times,
Outradio.com,
Queer Waves: KOOP 91.7 FM, Austin,
Out, Loud & Queer, WJFF/Radio Catskill,
www.rainbowworldradio.com
Marlee Walchuk
Marlee began public live performances with siblings Judy Ginn and Jim Walchuk at age 14 - no quiet start for Marlee as she faced 16,000 fans at the Vancouver Coliseum as a teenager and was a regular on the CBC Variety hit “The Judy & Jim Show”.
Marlee’s training at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in LA propelled her further into a music and acting career. She balanced her club performances with her studio singing for commercials such as McDonalds and BC Lotto, and television appearances on popular programs like The Vancouver show, The Irish Rovers, The Nice Show and many others.
Various Duo & Trio projects led to Marlee’s single act which won “Battle of Vancouver’s Best Solo Rock Acts” and a hit single which won 1st prize in the Canadian Song Festival and was on the Canadian A Playlist for 6 months.
Marlee’s pop/rock band Mistress toured the US and Canada opening for groups such as Thomas Dolby & The Pursuit of Happiness and was a massive favourite in the gay community.
Marlee’s 1st album “One More Chance” was released in the late 90's and she toured Canada and Germany with crowds of 10,000 people eager to hear her smooth, sexy and powerful voice. She was nominated for 5 BCCMA awards and won Best Vocalist in 1999.
In 2001, Marlee decided to head down to the land of kangaroos, crocodiles and the endless summer and brought her musical talent as keyboardist and vocalist to Safari, the girls-only cover band born out of Australia’s famous Party Girls. Marlee’s R&B covers blew the roof off everywhere Safari played and the band leader, Faye Reid, was quoted as saying “I was so busy listening to that voice, I almost forgot to play”.
Tully Callender
Tully joined Marlee to form Sugarbeach in early 2007 leaving behind her corporate career in Sydney, Australia. Tully who has always had her hand in some musical project or another, now focuses on Sugarbeach with the same energy with which she energized her own corporate firm. "Walchuk credits Callender's determination and goal-setting ability as the driving force behind the duo" (Mette Bach - Xtra West).