Whoa. So apparently five weeks without a phone is like five years in media-time. I was off the grid there for a while. Gotta be honest- although it was frustrating to be unreachable, there was something very liberating about being free of the device that so many of us have become slaves to. Riding the bus became just that: riding the bus. Without the limitless possibilities available to me in the palm of my hand, I was free to actually be PRESENT. I could be aware of my surroundings again, look out the window, take in the immediate sensory experience without my eyes glued to a little screen. Yes, these little devices we’ve grown accustomed to are worlds in and of themselves, they open so many doors and give us access to almost anything, but they jar us out the moment.  Without my own phone to distract me, I became hyper aware of just how many people are completely wrapped up in theirs every spare moment they get. Gone are the days of just sitting at the bus stop and waiting. Now we have the opportunity to distract ourselves from the present 24 hours a day.

Don’t get me wrong- I missed my phone, particularly the first couple of weeks. I resented missing it in the same fashion I never wanted a fancy phone with a data plan. Something felt “out of touch”, which, as I type it, seems insanely comical.  Has being “in touch” really just become our presence on social media sites? Is it really just a digital this, a digital that, memes and statuses and cyber activity?  It’s bonkers. While we rely on those things for our careers, our relationships, and our ability to share things on a global scale, I think the true disconnect has occurred in our inability to be satisfied with ourselves in the present.  People have put too much of a premium on their digital lives. Attention spans are at an all time low. We live in a fast paced, instantly gratified plethora of digital mediums. Click goes the mouse, up goes an opinion, an image, a piece of information.   It’s a blessing and a curse, and we should be aware of the latter. There’s nothing wrong with our androids, our iphones, our laptops, or our what-have-yous, but we should stop and remember what life was like before they came along. We should stop, look up, look around, and check in with the world around us as it is in its natural state- it is HERE and its present, yours for FREE, each and every minute.

Times they are a’changin. More like times have changed, and they’ve BEEN changin. When I graduated from highschool the whole technological, digitized social media thing was like the mysterious new kid in town. Everyone was talking about it, but no one knew what it was capable of yet. There was no Facebook (in fact not even Myspace was around yet), no Twitter, SoundCloud, no one knew what an “app” was, not even YouTube had been invented. Iphones were still just a scary lookin’ embryo in Steve Jobs’ brain. Hell, I didn’t even get a cellphone til I was 23 and then it was only because I had been badgered by my friends and family to join in on the fun. I was behind the times on that one, sure, but it wasn’t half as unheard of as it would be nowadays. Nowadays every person, their second grader and their dog has a cellphone.

One’s gotta roll with the digital punch to stay relevant. It’s a matter of adapting, and for a musician, a matter of life and death as far as getting “out there” is concerned. The world of possibilities is ever-present, constantly expanding and updating itself. Updating equals upgrading. It used to be that if you didn’t get pressed copies of your product to sell and/or distribute, no one ever heard it. Now all you need to do is click click click and its written with blood on a global database, accessible to everyone and anyone that knows how to work a computer. Damn have times changed. It’s a new reach-the- world attitude and it’s yours. For free.

With that said, check out a brand new track featuring myself, Trev Fox, and Mike Decline on the beat. Together, we’re The Say What Rights, and the track is GOLD SWORD CANE.

http://soundcloud.com/the-say-what-rights/gold-sword-cane-the-say-what

Thanks very much 2012, I love you but gahDAMN. So far you’ve tossed me the flu (which I lovingly refer to as the miserable quivers), strep throat, strep throat RELAPSE, and an excruciating earache that has led to my most recent upset- a ruptured eardrum. Many movies, sighs, and two rounds of antibiotics later and I’m not only exhausted but rather fed up with the walk-in-clinic system. No more!

Of all the drums I’ll ever use in my life, my eardrums are by far the most important. At the moment my right ear is virtually silent. It’s like dead air, a flatline…. VERY scary for anybody to experience, particularly when music is in every way your chosen path and passion. Luckily the hearing loss is only temporary. The eardrum is like any other drum- if there’s a tear in it, it can’t pump the sound out like its supposed to…. So I’m healing my little drum, one day at a time.

So as timing would have it (as always), the hearing issue comes at a pretty inopportune instant. Lots of shows coming up! First one being this Friday in Cumberland at the Waverly. Never performed there before but I only ever hear good things- big enthused crowds- and thats all I can hope for.  Get em’ dancin, and the night is a success in my book.  My girl Georgia Murray (with Tony Day and David Parfit), and the electric Kytami will join me, and I’ll be joined onstage for a few tracks with emcee extra-oridinaire Trevar Fox. Gonna hip hop your socks off. All with one eardrum…. fingers crossed! Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum.

on a March Monday

Aaaaaaah, and there’s the sun. Don’t get used to it though, you know better than that. As British coasters we’re used to weather givin’ us the run around, and in fact it’s a pretty good rule of thumb with which we can approach lots of things in life. Savour the sun while you have it, learn to love the rain, get comfortable with the idea that it can all flip on you at the drop of a hat.

All that being said, YES. Another Spring comes knockin, you can feel it in the air. You can see it on the tips of branches, busting at the seams. I feel like that most days. Possibility’s always knockin, but Spring makes it pop.

So many exciting things happening these next few months, the first happening THIS Thursday at London Pub. Friends With The Help CD release! Doin a short set but can’t wait to bust a rhyme and shake my thang… Cheap drinks, NO COVER, and a bangin’ bill. It’s a no brainer.

http://www.facebook.com/events/310044052384977/

So enjoy that sun, let it hit your face for a few minutes. Heaven knows when we’ll see it again…

“‘The thought of being a creator, of engendering, of shaping’, is nothing without its continuous great confirmation and embodiment in the world, nothing without the thousand-fold assent from Things and animals- and our enjoyment of it is so indescribably beautiful and rich only because it is full of inherited memories of the engendering and birthing of millions. In one creative thought a thousand forgotten nights of love come to life again and fill it with majesty and exaltation. And those who come together in the nights and are entwined in rocking delight perform a solemn task and gather sweetness, depth, and strength for the song of some future poet, who will appear in order to say ecstasies that are unsayable”.

Sigh…what a mouthful. That’s Rainer Maria Rilke, an Austrian poet and thinker I fell in love with back in highschool. The excerpt is from the book “Letters to a Young Poet” translated by Stephen Mitchell. What a task- to translate someone’s genius in their native language and attempt to transfer the majesty of their words to a completely different tongue. It’s a tall order. I find myself returning to Rilke’s words throughout the years, there is something so universally poignant about his thoughts and musings, something that has always transcended trend or era. In fact, that is what I think embodies the very best art. It can be seen the same way one knows a true friend when they find one- no matter how much time has passed, the two of you don’t skip a beat. The relationship is always alive and relevant, regardless of whether its been ten days or ten years since your last meeting. Good art is like that.

We lose so many incredible artists as time passes, so many of them having left us only recently. While their passing is always tragic, while we always mourn them and their work, the potential for future masterpieces and their chances to reach higher levels, haven’t they already accomplished something that is the most beautiful thing in life? Have they not already created something real? Something that has moved people and will continue to move people long after they’re gone? That is the ultimate in mark-making, and its the gift given to all artists, regardless of what they choose to dabble in. For some, their art is in their grace- their kindness, their words, their lessons they impart on their families. The beauty lies in having something to leave behind doesn’t it?

In putting pure, and soulful things out into the world, we are reaching the ultimate manifestation.  Living in the moment and creating what is truest to ourselves IN that moment- thats the way one should create. Whether we see it or not, these works of art remain, they nestle themselves into the collective consciousness on this planet and they stay there. Period.

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow, ebb and flow. The rise and fall of it all, the seemingly abundant to the suddenly bare, some gone flush and others gone bust, from pioneer trailblazers to others displaced, from death and rebirth, some shook wide awake to others shook apart… Moving forward, looking back and often off-track… This is our condition- this steady ebb and flow.

A solemn tide comes in this November for so many of us with the news of Randy Ponzio’s tragic passing. He was a very gracious fixture in the Vancouver music scene and I’d seen him around for years. I had the honour of meeting Randy briefly only a couple of times, and shared the bill with him at W2 last Spring as a member of the Indigo Kids. Although our encounters were short, it was impossible not to be struck instantly by his spirit. He had the type of positive, accessible energy that radiated out from inside him- the type of energy that after we spoke I was very noticeably effected by it. His music reflected his insides; strong, conscious, positive and soulful, it exemplified everything that music should be made of, passing clear, passionate messages. He made you feel GOOD. I can’t listen to him without being lifted up in some way…and that was his gift to us all. As a person and as a musician, he lifted us up. Thank you Randy. I wish I could have spent more time in your presence. My heart, my thoughts, and my prayers are with you and your family. Your beautiful self is immortal now, handed back to all the magic it was created by. Thank you for blessing us all.

I feel as though I should just leave this entry at that. I will write more soon, but for now I prefer to just leave it with the rain. WITH LOVE.

Aaaahh, Blog Gods, how are the mighty fallen….(actually scratch that, scratch that…in order for the “mighty” to fall they need to be “mighty” in the first place. I’m mighty in many ways but my blog-game could use some “might”, no?)
Annnnyhow…. Here we are, another Summer already seeming like nostalgia and another Fall comes a’ courtin. There is always something consoling about the change of a season, and this sly shift into Autumn after such a crazy summer is of particular importance to me. A little cool-down after running the engines too hot is always welcome in my book. Deep breath, pause, reboot. Plus I love sweaters and tea and tomato soup.
It’s now MORE than two weeks after returning from the illustrious Peak Performance Bootcamp, and I doubt I’m alone here, but the whole experience feels a bit like a mirage at this point, or like when Dorothy finally wakes up after the intense Oz fiasco (and yes, she was happy to be home, but i bet she wished upon waking that she could still see in color). Apart from being set in the most beautiful storybook spot, it was, from start to finish, one of the most supportive and loving environments I’ve ever been in. Not just love and support from a FEW people but from EVERYONE. Pretty incredible. Get that many people together and you’re bound to experience at least a LITTLE discord aren’t you? That’s what I thought. But it was nothing but smiles and laughter, positive reinforcement, and MUUUUSIC. I feel so honored to have shared space with so many incredibly talented people…. We could have solved the energy crisis with all that live, electric, music-fueled energy. Such wonderful, wonderful people. For the rest of my life I will feel bonded to every single one of them, kinda the way war-vets feel bonded, only we didn’t experience any death or destruction- we dropped song-bombs. Actually the title of “bootcamp” always seemed like far too harsh of a word for what it was….”Bootcamp” to me connotates scary dudes yelling at everyone and trying their hardest to break down your psyche until you’re nothing but a sniveling baby sobbing yourself to sleep, quakin’ in your shiny boots, scrubbin floors with toothbrushes, droppin’ and giving em’ 20…. But….no one yelled at me. No one. I didn’t do even ONE pushup. I used a toothbrush but only to clean my own teeth, and every night I welcomed sleep but was excited to wake up again.
After withdrawals from such a week, after settling back into reality where no, not everyone is pleasant all the time and people DO insist on doing things that aren’t music related (those crazy freaks), I find myself only a few days away from my Red Room showcase! It has seemed so far in the distance for so long, and now, poof! Here it is. It’s like Hemingway said, “Gradually….then suddenly”…

I can’t wait to get up on stage again. On top of my bootcamp showcase, it will be only the second show of my life where it is just me, alone, on stage with a live band. I must admit it felt strange to have ALL that space up there, and ALL those eyes on me when I’m more used to sharing the stage with collaborators. I imagine it will get easier everytime…. I have loved the first two rounds of showcases- everyone is doing SO well and in a weird way I feel like the beyond-proud mum at the school plays that takes way too many pictures and cries through every song (ok, I don’t cry through every song, c’mon- although The Current Swell’s “I Want a Bird” and of course, “Brad’s Song” got me AGAIN last week…aaah, you boys…)

My sincere apologies to the Blog Gods… I have been a blogging deadbeat so far this trip… I know so many of us are hip to it and never let a moment pass without blogging about it. To be perfectly honest it’s hard to detach yourself from the experience of being in such a beautiful place! There’s so much to be doing and I haven’t felt much like staring at a computer screen… That being said- updates are key!! So from now on I’m gonna be much more on my blog game, Blog Gods…

So let me start with recent events first. Last night’s showcases were ALL fantastic- in fact EVERYONE’S showcase I’ve seen has been incredible- each band offers something, I’ve been impressed with everyone’s skills and presence and vibe in general… Even if you hear someone on a record it’s ALWAYS a new ballgame seeing them live. Now. A band that I’ve seen before and expected nothing but the best from, “The Boom Booms” performed last night. I had a hunch that they were gonna be game changers in this thing. And they were. The BIGGEST game changers. SUCH an incredible performance from each of them individually as well as collectively. SO inspiring to watch and not only that but they are just some of the most awesome and down to earth people you will ever meet. THANK YOU BOOM BOOMS. I could go on and on about you. But EVERYONE was wonderful don’t get me wrong! I think its safe to say though that they stood out. We would all agree….

Another beautiful day at RockRidge Canyon… I am so very blessed to be here. Recording my vocals today, since I am still fighting this stupid cold and couldn’t record the other night when the band got their parts down… Symptoms of a cold and spirit of a giddy child- I’m a happy girl. I’m literally sitting at the computers and looking down at the lake. There is a deer eating grass right next to it…..I’m in a storybook.

Gotta get to first seminar but I’ll turn the page later…xo