Putting the ‘New’ in New Year!
Happy New Year, everyone!! Don’t be fooled by the title of this blog… I am NOT buying, replacing or upgrading material things this year in any type of excess. Instead, I’ve decided to use this year as an opportunity to look at how far I’ve come in recent years and create some ‘new’ goals. Aspiring […]
How I Came to be ‘Defined By Love’
It was March of 2020. I was scheduled to spend a week in The Tragically Hip’s Bathouse Studio in Bath, Ontario. Producer Gord Sinclair and I had lined up a team of talent and we were very much looking forward to creating a new album – the follow up to our 2017 release ‘In Between’. […]
Valentine’s Day Thoughts
I recently realized that this year is the first time I’ve been single on Valentine’s Day in about 14 or 15 years. Seriously. In fairness, I’ve spent the last ten Valentine’s Day celebrations with the same person, so it’s not like each year has brought a fresh love interest to the table just in time […]
The Balance of Life
It’s been a hot minute since my last newsletter. I could say that life was so boring and there was nothing to tell you… but that would be a lie. On the contrary, life (the pandemic kind that we were all trying to just “get through”) became far more complicated, tragic, intense, joyful and downright […]
You’re a Life Saver!
No, but seriously. I’m pretty sure you all saved my life. It’s been a long 17 months. There have been a few glimmers of hope during that time, but all in all, it’s been very dark. There’s a very good reason why it’s been over six months since my last newsletter and blog. I […]
Happy New Year, Everyone!
I had a three hour phone conversation with my agent last week. We covered a lot of ground and at the end of the conversation I was left considerably more informed on what my year is going to look like. With some hope and luck, I will be fully back in business by Spring […]
A 2020 Personal Perspective
Like every year, 2020 has both gifted me with some mega wins and some heartbreaking losses. At times I have felt overwhelmed with excitement and hope and in other moments, I have felt like I’ve been punched in the gut. I know I’m not the only human on planet Earth who’s felt this way […]
HOLD ON TO YOUR PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES!
HOLD ON TO YOUR PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES, PEOPLE!! I’M RELEASING A NEW ALBUM!!! That’s right. The studio album scheduled for release this past summer has evolved into a case of “making miracles happen in the music industry!” Hahaha… Ok, this isn’t a musical miracle perhaps, but it certainly required some brainstorming, organizing and […]
The Man, The Myth, The Legend… and Neverland
If I still wrote things on paper, there would currently be a pile of crumpled up pieces lying at my feet as I write this. What to say… It’s not like pandemic times have been the greatest for full-time musicians. Losing all of our performances, therefore performance income, and trying to stretch online […]
White Girl, Black Art
I grew up in a small rural community in Southern Ontario. It’s called Prince Edward County, otherwise known as “The County”. It is familiar to the provincial tourists who love sandy beaches and the adorable small villages and towns, connected by rural roads along farm fields. It was a beautiful place to grow up. Small […]
Happy Birthday To Me
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! Today I turn 39 years old. Why give the gritty details, you ask? Because I’m one of those people who is grateful for each year I’ve been able to adventurously journey through life. Some years are better than others but I’m guessing it’s the same for you. If I could […]
My 2020 Vision
In all seriousness, I actually do have 2020 vision. Poor eyesight runs in my family but somehow I’ve been spared. However, as I approach the next decade of life, I’m told by my ‘slightly more mature’ friends that the eyesight will start to go and I too will be changing the font size on […]
Maple Blues Award Nominations
So there I was…just taking a quick moment between album demo takes to check my email. I opened a new message from my publicist Eric Alper that was a forward with “Maple Blues Awards” as the subject and only three words he’d written: “Way to go!” Something super cool had happened, but I could never […]
The Great Festival Season of 2019
It’s September!!! Back to school is in full effect (my daughter just started high school!) and the leaves are starting to change colour. With the feeling of fall in the air, I have to remind myself that the summer festival season is still in full swing! We have two big festival performances just around the […]
My Favourite Things – The Kingston Edition
It’s a beautiful time to be alive here in our nation’s first capital – Kingston, Ontario, Canada – for those of you from other parts of the world! Lake Ontario is bustling with swimmers, boaters and kite surfers. The 1000 Islands are a mere stone’s throw away and lots of tourists descend to appreciate our […]
A Reflection of Making Albums
It’s that time again… Album making time! As much as I enjoy the thrill of pouring myself into the creation of a new compilation of recorded tunes, there is some of it I don’t enjoy as much. “I can’t wait to hear the new songs,” people will say to me. “I can’t wait for […]
The Sellouts
To give credit where it’s due, I have to tell you that the heavy lifting of this blog you’re about to read is being done by my awesome manager of the past four years – Gord Hunter. Gord is the Branch Manager of St. John Ambulance in Kingston, Ontario. He works diligently for causes like […]
Holding Back the River & Parting the Sea…
If we were to start to list the incredible milestones we have achieved as citizens of the world in recent decades, the list would be long and impressive. With two steps forward there is often one step back, but I like to consider myself as a ‘glass half full’ person. There are many horrible atrocities in the world, […]
20 YEARS
20 YEARS My career has consisted of highs and lows. I don’t think I’m the only one who’s had an entrepreneurial experience with ups and downs. I think it’s relatively common. Also, I’m a LOT of years in at this point. I started regularly gigging 20 years ago this past summer. That’s right! 20 YEARS!!! […]