Biography of Calling Wendy

Calling Wendy is an exciting new band based in Toronto, Canada. The group combines the dynamic energy of young singers Melanie Hilmi and Mary Lynne Stella with the veteran experience of drummer/songwriter Alison Maclean and bassist Chris Sytnyk. With Alison’s sparkling pop song-craft and the beautiful harmonies of Melanie and Marylynne, the band is reminiscent of an updated Fleetwood Mac. They draw on a grab-bag of diverse musical influences, mixing everything from Blondie to The Cars to Patti Griffin and Lucinda Williams. The combination of all of Calling Wendy’s talents has been best described by The lonely Vagabond (Stillepost.ca) as “An angelic musical force.”

Alison and Chris signed to Universal with Made in 1993. The band released two albums with Universal, before leaving the label in the consolidation after the Universal/Polygram merger. The band disbanded in 2002, leaving Alison to search for a new musical direction. A drummer throughout her early career, Alison began writing her own songs. With no expectation, she submitted a demo version of her song “Tennessee” to the MIX 99.9 Standard Radio Songwriting Competition in Canada. To her complete surprise, the song won the Regional competition, and then won the National competition. “Tennessee” then went on to place second in the prestigious Unisong International Songwriting Contest in the AAA category, cementing Alison’s reputation as a songwriter to watch.