For Cape Breton-born Carmen Townsend, music is as natural as breathing. You’ll always catch her with a guitar, but she considers herself less a singer-songwriter and more a rock ‘n’ roller. “I’ve played in rock bands since age 14,” Townsend says. “I’ve played all over the country and abroad. I wanted my live show to come across on the record, which is very rock ‘n’ roll.” That record, Waitin’ and Seein’, was released this year, and she’s been playing coveted showcases at festivals across the States and Canada such as CMW and SXSW, as well as finishing a cross-country tour opening for famous female Vancouver-based rockers, Heart, which Townsend calls “a dream come true.” She returns from another Canadian and U.K. tour this summer.