I heart bike lanes a HUGE SUCCESS

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Hey everyone,

Yesterday we assembled 375 people on bikes at Caffe Sola to enjoy some music and free coffee. I performed on the back of a pick-up truck (being that I'm from the prairies you may be surprised to learn it was the first time I performed in a flatbed) before the cyclists paraded down to City Hall for the PDT (public display of thanks) for putting bike lanes in downtown Saskatoon.

I hopped onto a small electric bike with trailer, and Andrei Feheregyhazi crouched in the trailer behind me with a camera to capture this parade on video (I'll let you know when we post it). As we swerved past throngs of bikers, I belted out "Sunshine Baby" as best I could. The enthusiasm and fun was palpable.

A huge thank you to the organizers, Daren and Tamila McLean of deezine.ca, Sarah at Caffe Sola, and everyone who turned out for this splendid event! I'll post more pics and videos when they're available!

Home from SWRFA. Why sleep in Austin?

I just returned from the Southwestern Regional Folk Alliance conference in Austin, TX. What a trip. We started at Threadgill's with an open mic on Wednesday night. What a beautiful, historic venue. Within hours of arriving in Austin, I found myself eating BBQ and singing songs.

On Thursday, I had some time to buck around the very hip South Congress area of town. My favorite art gallery was the Yard Dog, appropriately gritty, cheeky and inspiring.
Met up with the community of conference-goers back at the hotel for another open mic to kick off the official events.

The conference was excellent. Shared some interesting ideas, was totally welcomed into this dynamic community, and played music all night long. Unfortunately, our hotel room was infested by the most gigantic crickets I've ever witnessed--typical to the season apparently and totally unnerving. They kept me up for the few hours I actually reserved for sleep on Friday.



So on Saturday, I bypassed bed altogether. That night, I had my official showcase. With a warm audience and two days of getting to know the folks down there, I felt totally at ease on stage and had a tremendous response to the show. So that night, I celebrated. I performed another show at the unofficial showcases and wandered from hotel room to hotel room, checking out the amazing talent and indulging in some wine.

As the night turned into the morning, I finally stepped into the hugest "Beatles" jam in a larger suite, where the entire conference (that was awake at least) seemed to congregate.
Belted out just a few tunes before heading back to my room to pack and catch a 4am. cab to the airport. What a whirlwind.

Thanks to everyone at SWRFA and the great people I met there. Look forward to turning the conference into a fantastic tour through Texas this spring...with a new album in hand!

I heart bike lanes PARADE!

I heart bike lanes. I love my bike. It’s a big, red cruiser bike that I won in a contest, with a basket on the front and a wide, comfy seat. That’s my form of commuting until the snow hits. The wind on my face, feeling my breath quicken as I pedal hard up a hill (yes, even in Saskatoon)—these are things that totally put me in a great mood.

Recently the City of Saskatoon took one step towards making this car-dominant city just a bit friendlier for cyclists by painting bike lane logos on the streets. A great friend of mine, Daren McLean from deezine.ca has initiated a new form of activism: the PDT (Public Display of Thanks). We too often complain about what we don’t like, but aren’t very vocal when politicians take steps that are moving the direction we want them to. So he’s created the “I heart bike lanes” campaign and event--intended to say a huge thanks and spur on our city councilors towards making Saskatoon greener and friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists.

So on Monday, Sept 28 we're gathering a huge mass of cyclists at our favorite local cafe, Caffe Sola (38 23rd Street West) at 5pm for free coffee. Local fiddle sensation Karrnnel and I will be performing as the bikers gather together. Then Karrnnel and I will mount a small bike-propelled trailer and perform as this huge entourage cycles down to City Hall, where we'll publicly thank the Mayor, City Councilors and Adminstration for moving in the right direction.

If you're in Saskatoon, you HAVE to come to this unique, fun, and playful event. If you're not, think of issuing your own PDT in your city. Sometimes a simple thank you can get you miles further ahead (in terms of making the changes you want to see in the world) than complaining or griping or arguing would.

Recording at Brain's

The recording sessions in Nashville went unbelievably well. With Chris Donohue on bass, Bryan Owings on drums, and Colin Linden, I basically had Emmylou Harris' band backing me up. Which makes it hard to go wrong!

We recorded at Brain's (Brian Harrison) studio--a home totally renovated top to bottom to create the most beautiful sounds and warm vibe. The day before we took over, Shelby Lynne had been recording her latest. Huge thrill for me, as I'm a big fan of hers. Here's a little tour of the studio:

Kenny Rogers in the kitchen, which also happens to be where the coffee gets made and the bass gets tracked.


Colin and engineer John Whynot in the kitchen. They have (unfortunately) introduced me to their unique talent of speaking backwards. Addictive, confusing, funny as hell.


Massive brainstorming in the control room with Bryan Owings (left), Chris Donohue (mid) and Colin!


When the control room is empty, the chicken watches over things.


My corner of the world is the dining room/vocal booth....


...which I share with an awesome collection of beauties:

Arriving in Nashville

Nashville is beautifully hot and humid when I land. The wonderful Kira Small, who is putting me up for the week, isn't home when I call. So I head to the grooviest cafe (Crema) that I recall from the last trip--coincidentally en route from the airport to her pad. I can't tell you how good it feels to be back in this beautiful city. Tomorrow I head to Colin Linden's house and we start pre-production--choosing songs and jamming for a couple days before meeting up with the band! John Whynot is flying in from L.A. on the 28th to join us in the studio. Wow! What am I in for....?

I'll keep you posted!

Getting ready for Nashville

Monday morning, and the sun starts shining brilliantly after a weekend of full on, non-stop drizzling, pouring, dripping, streaming, misting, back to pouring rain. It was awesome—lots of books and coffee, an amazing house concert featuring John Wort Hannam (which I wasn’t actually hosting!), another house party. And finally, with the sun on my back, it’s Monday morning coffee at my favorite café in Saskatoon, the CBC playing in the background. The owner of Caffe Sola, Sarah comes over to say hi and talk about the books we’re reading—me loving One Hundred Years of Solitude and the sensuality of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s a good life.

It’s been an incredibly busy summer, but after hosting my last house concert on August 5, we decided to close the doors, shut up the house to visitors, and cocoon. I’ve been reclaiming the barn for my own. Playing without an audience. Rehearsing and meandering and jamming with some great friends, and exploring undiscovered territories in each song. My fingers are sore—good pain.

In one week from now, I’ll be on a plane to Nashville to start the next album. I filled with excitement, and (I must confess) a bit of nervousness. The first time I was in Nashville was back in March on a two-week writing trip. And I arrived utterly alone in that city. At the time, I was longing a bit for home and feeling pretty isolated. (At the height of this longing for home, I wrote "Can you love me like that"...listen to the song on myspace. After two weeks, I had found those great neighborhoods, food, cafes, friends, and music venues that fit you like a favorite shirt and make a place home.

So I can’t wait to go back. Colin’s lined up an amazing band. I’ll be sure to post some stories and pictures from the studio! In the meantime, some exciting stuff to check out: on June 18/19 I performed a couple house concerts in my own place (The Hayloft) and CBC came to record the show for “Canada Live”. The concert will be aired in Saskatchewan on SoundXchange (Sept 5) and is now available on Concerts on Demand. Also, I've posted a few songs from the concert on myspace. Take a listen!

Also, getting excited about bringing together the full band again this Sept 4 and 5 for the Fireworks Festival in Saskatoon. We’ll perform in the beautiful glass lobby of the Persephone Theatre, overlooking the river. Our show will build up to an amazing climax with a surprise guest performance right before the river erupts with fireworks! The food will be catered by Calories and wine provided with your ticket. GET TICKETS AND INFO HERE.

the neighbors dog

Friends of ours at Plan9 films in Saskatoon have created an outstanding television series called The Neighbors Dog. The series takes viewers into 13 different house concerts with incredible musicians including John Mann, Nathan, Little Miss Higgins, Tom Wilson, and more. I usually don't like watching music on television, but I have to admit that the art direction is beautiful, the sound is great, and the folks at Plan9 have found a way to give viewers a whole new way of experiencing music performances. I love it.

On June 20, Plan9Films came to The Hayloft to host their launch party. We had delicious food by Cafe Secreta, wine, and watched some excerpts from The Neighbors Dog. And to honor the occasion, we even had a short house concert featuring The New Meanies. We literally blew the roof off the Hayloft (as the police will attest) and it was well worth it.

I'm telling everyone I know to visit the website of The Neighbors Dog, and catch an episode! The first 2 episodes will air at 10:00pm CST July 8, 2009 on SCN. (SCN is available on cable in Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as Bell TV satellite service, on channel 266, and on Star Choice Channel 352).

Here are some pics from the launch party!

Performing at the Hayloft with CBC Canada Live

In a moment of self-indulgence, I booked myself a show at my own venue, The Hayloft, where I usually host a series of house concerts for friends of mine traveling through Saskatoon. So the show felt a bit like I was throwing my own surprise party.

Then I got a call from Bonnie Austring-Winter saying CBC wanted to record the show for Canada Live. This was the perfect excuse to assemble a whole band for the occasion and pull out all the stops! Hal Schrenk (percussion) and Soren Nissen (double bass) joined Sam (flute/mandolin) and I for the show. I haven't played with a band for awhile, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't really that excited about working with a band (for another upcoming show) until I thought of working with these guys. True enough, they were really great. Seemed like magic.

Out of the blue, I received an email from Saskatoon's fiddle sensation (as I like to call him) Karrnnel. Call it serendipity. I asked Karrnnel to open the show and join our merry little band.

The show sold out fast, and we had scores of people waiting for tickets. So at the last minute, we added another show on Friday. Tamila Chapman-McLean of deezine.ca took some pictures at the Hayloft and The Star Phoenix ran a great story on the upcoming shows. Local artist Jillian Cyca hung her work for the occasion.

photo by tamila@deezine.ca


The place was totally packed. I hung out in the green room as my merry band of helpers (thanks to Curtis Olson, Jayne Horachek, Marty Olson, Lynn Nellis, Peter Olson and more not to mention the CBC) busted around, broke out more chairs, and squeezed in our beautiful audience. The show was so much fun. Playing with the band was magic! And I'll be sure to let you know when CBC makes it all available. It'll be heard on SoundXchange, Canada Live and Concerts on Demand.

The CBC's massive mobile studio parked next to our house earns suspicious looks from the neighbors:


Soundcheck at the Hayloft:



FOLLOWING ARE SOME PHOTOS BY CANDACE EPP FROM THE SHOW
My awesome brother-in-law Marty Olson takes tickets at the door:

Karrnnel starts the night off:

Soren Nissen on bass:

Sam makes a surprising entrance, emerging from The Hayloft for his kazoo solo:



I'm feeling tremendously grateful right now this house concert venue of ours, the people beautiful that come to fill it, the musicians that I get to play with, support of the CBC, and from my community. Thanks everyone!

Be sure to come to the next house concert: Patrick Brealey on July 22 and LAL on Aug 5.