Emm Gryner is driven. Always searching, exploring and discovering, her songs stem from the darkest depths and seek to solve the unexplainable.

With a keen ear for melody, and a lyrical twist that brings calm delivery to songs with an unyielding and unpredictable undertow, Gryner delivers her third album in as many years.

Anchored by the deep resonance of her bass-playing and buoyed by her grace on piano, as well as guitar and keyboard, this recording may have begun as a musical lab. test and ended up a success.

"Science Fair - from the onset - was always intended to be an experiment - to record with no expectations - and to see if I could complete it almost all on my own and be happy with the outcome. I've been inspired by all sorts of music this past 12 months, records by people like Nick Drake, Mercury Rev, Sonic Youth, Beck, Mazzy Star, Transistor Sound and Lighting Co., Creeper Lagoon and Ron Sexsmith have all driven me to create like mad this year."

Emm had plenty of experience to draw from for inspiration. Eighteen months of solid touring with such acts as Bernard Butler, The Cardigans, Ron Sexsmith, Lilith Fair, Big Wreck, The Philosopher Kings, Tom Cochrane, Alanis Morrisette, Rufus Wainright, Chantal Kreviazuk and Spirit of the West, won acclaim and friends for the gifted native of Forest, Ontario.

In addition to her accomplished and emotional stage appearances, Emm also furthered her Do-It-Yourself ethic, by continuing to release material on

her own Dead Daisy Records, as well as touring solo, handling both roadie and tour-manager roles.

"Someone said to me that it was weird when I would turn up at a show opening for the Cardigans, loading my own gear, making my own arrangements. To me it was natural, if I needed help I would get it, yet by keeping the costs down, I was able to stay on the road for longer. There is too much

ego and pretence in this business. I don't think it matters who drives up in the biggest bus, it is who does the best show that counts!"

The same principle drove Emm to record 10 songs this April, once again without any outside involvement. Drawing on her 2 years in music engineering school, the songs were recorded, engineered and produced by Emm in a rented cottage on Lake Huron, in the bedroom of her Toronto apartment, in the music department of an Ontario University and in her brother's living room in West Hollywood.

Emm Gryner's productivity makes for a prolific song output. Her desire to reveal her private side results in the release of "Science Fair" a collection of 8-track recordings, free of studio embellishments, sustained by the passion and intensity of the writer.

" I am truly thrilled to release this record because it is not a studio album, but a collection of home recordings and there is something to be said for that raw, personal side that is captured so immediately in the early stages of writing and recording."

"Science Fair" captures the artist in her own world, and without a hint of restriction. Songs like "Julia" and "Stardeep" are delicate and never fragile, showcasing piano and vocal. Elsewhere, drums, guitars, cello and harpsichord infuse life into Emm's haunting compositions.

The musical range is matched by the emotional shifts in tunes that celebrate and regret, often at the same time.

Some notes on each song from Emm:

"Serenade" "I first played this song at the Theatre for the Living Arts in Philadelphia while on tour with The Cardigans. The guitar tracks are actual takes from the very first 4-track recording of this song, made in my bedroom back in October, 1998."

"Stereochrome" "Inspired by sitting around listening to a lot of Ron Sexsmith, I wrote this as an ode to someone I met while on tour in Canada in early 1999. Features my friend Kevin Fox on acoustic guitar and cello."

"Southern Dreamer" "This song, along with Stardeep, was one of the only songs to be recorded entirely at Anne's Cottage in Goderich, on the shores of Lake Huron at the end of March 1999. The song itself was musically inspired by such artists as Transistor Sound and Lighting Co. and Beth Orton."

"Julia" "Written in a hotel room somewhere in Northern California, just at the end of my first tour of the US with Bernard Butler."

"Revenge" "Nothing in the world is more inspiring than a building full of pianos of all shapes and sizes. Revenge was written on my very favourite piano, a Mason and Risch grand on the 2nd floor of a certain university that I keep breaking into for the sole purpose of playing their pianos. I also used a harpsichord on this recording and the part itself has somewhat of a classical flavour to it, probably the legacy of studying classical piano

for most of my childhood."

"Good Riddance" "This song was written in 1997 and has a line for everyone that was on my nerves at that time in my life. It features my good friend Stephen McGrath on drums, who I have toured with since my last record came out. The rock-song on the record.!"

"Stardeep" "This was written as a present for a friend of mine who was turning 22. Musically inspired by my love for Mazzy Star and lyrically, the song talks about struggling to pursue dreams and goals while growing up in the suburbs. Stardeep also touches on learning to deal with the loss of loved ones and the effort to keep friendships alive."

"Boy Races" "In 1997, I had somehow fallen in love with a songwriter while hanging out at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios and after coming back to North America, we had each written songs for each other and exchanged them at the same time. This was mine to him, and was not originally ever meant to be released."

"You Do Something To Me" "A friend of mine from England put all of his favourite songs on a mixed

tape for me a few years ago, and this was one of them. I was awestruck by its beauty and wanted to inject some of my own essence into it, by recording it with only piano and voice. Recorded on a grand piano on Bathurst Street in Toronto."

"Disco Lights" "Recorded in Hollywood, this song features a rare stab at playing the electric guitar. I wrote it after recording "Public" in London, England

and following repeated listenings of songs by Winnipeg band, Transistor Sound and Lighting Co. The lyrics in this song are about a combination of things, my then-infatuation with British pop, my fascination for an old flame and learning to come to terms with the superficiality that exists in the music business."

"Closure" "The most recently written song for Science Fair, Closure was written after touring across the great expanse of Canada for the first time. I wrote

this in one night, attempting to capture something that was powerful and said something in less than 2 minutes."

"Science Fair". This is Emm Gryner, in private.