New Ideas

the Blarney is flowing. I've got lists. I've got plans. I was recently reminded about one of the secret pleasures of wintering in the country. The quiet. I went for a hike with some friends, and half way up the mountain, the peace was overwhelming. We started to whisper. We walked more softly.

My brain likes the quiet.

What inspires me right now is prayer. An internal thought that you want heard, lost in the ether. And call and answer. (you'll know what I mean when you hear it, trust me)

When I was young, my family went to Catholic Church on Sundays. I remember bits about a lamb, a sacrifice, grant us, deliver us, have mercy on us. Those words scared me. I never felt comfortable there.
A few years ago, I celebrated Christmas with some Pagans (so it wasn't Christmas, it was Yule...) I was asked to participate in a prayer. Having remembered the prayers of my youth I was reluctant, but these were good friends, so I agreed.
We stood in a circle with some bread and some wine (familiar, but not symbolic of body parts in this particular case). Then one at a time, my friends approached me smiling; they offered me some bread and said, "may you never hunger". Once everyone had received the offering, they circulated again with wine. "may you never thirst".
Simple. No stipulations. No fear. Just a genuine interest in my well being, which in following moments was extended to the ground we stood on, the air we breathed, the rain that had fallen and the sun that followed it.
When I look at songs that I have written, I can see that they are a lot like prayers. Now that I can see it, I can feel my strength as a writer, and the power of my words.

New Year, New Album

I have been accumulating new material over the past months, since my return to Quebec, and I am preparing to record a new album.
The move has been a challenge. I can't say whether this place is different than how I remembered it, or I am looking at it with new eyes. In any case, I am embracing the opportunity to see different, be different, and learn how to re-connect with my roots.

Sarah Biggs

I haven't written in a long time.
Since my last post, I moved back to The Eastern Townships in Quebec.
The fall was stunning, but I am beginning to remember what winter here will be like.
My dog changed from light brown to her darker reddish coat.

The cold and the quiet are proving inspirational. I think I will be ready soon to start on a new album.

My friend, Sarah Biggs will be launching a new album on Saturday, November 12. I will be opening for her. It is an honour. The first time I ever heard her sing, I was playing trumpet for my music classes band concert in grade 8. Sarah was older. She played a song on guitar with a drummer. It was called "Stretched on your Grave" by Sinead O'Connor.
It is a strong memory. A powerful memory.

Graceland

OK, its time to start making waves again.
If you didn't already know, I am a huge Paul Simon fan. He was, without a doubt, my biggest influence as a songwriter. I can associate all of the important events in my life, from my time in the womb, to my last walk with the dog, with certain songs.
And I know I am not the only one!
Small side note- I was given a ticket to a Pixies concert for my Birthday from my friends. Great people give great gifts, in case you didn't already know.
At the show, I said to my friend Dave, "don't you feel a sense of community right now?" He didn't, so I continued, "Just think that all these people went to the trouble of buying tickets and showing up here to see this show. You could pass these people on the street and never know they like the same music you do, but we are all here for the same reason." Then he got it.
To celebrate.
I started thinking about how I celebrate, and create, and recalibrate, and meditate, and alleviate stress. It is with Paul Simon. I play his songs. Whenever it rains I play Kathy's Song. When I am homesick I play Duncan. Good mood-Gumboots. Bad mood-American Tune.
So I have decided to send out a big musical Thank you.

I am going to recreate Paul Simon's Graceland Album.

Don't worry, I will record the whole thing and post it on Facebook and Youtube.

I wonder if Paul Simon will see it, or if I am one of a million people who have done the same thing? You never know. He could be the kind of guy that sits around and Googles his own name. Maybe after scrolling through several hundred pages, he'll happen upon my blog...
We will have to wait and see if I fly under his radar, or he shows up here and sings a song with me, or just sends a Lawyer's letter and sues.lol

Wish me luck!

Oh, and if you live in the Vancouver area and would be interested in taking part in this project, message me for details.

Hibernation

I wonder if a bear wakes up after months of deep sleep, heads down to the river and thinks, "wow, these fish swim a lot faster than I remember".

Maybe that bear had fallen victim to a dream too vivid to make the waking world manageable, so he had to take a rest by the river to compose himself.

And slowly he remembered.

'This is how I hunt. And if I put my nose up I can smell danger. And if I bow my head my friends will welcome me. This river will cool me and quench my thirst. "

And after a while, he was ready to resume the business of being a bear.

Water

Today is International Blog day and the theme this year is water.

I am connected to it. I live beside it. Whenever possible I swim in it. Sometimes I float on it. I drink it. It is part of my body. It flows through my house in pipes. It falls on my roof in drops. It makes my food grow. Hot water calms me. Cold water invigorates me. Warm water bathes me.

It comes from the ground and from the sky. It surrounds me. I am grateful...and worried.

I believe we will not value our water until all the oil is gone. Then we will look to the ocean and see that all the fish are gone too.

I believe the next great war on the earth will be over water. I believe the battles will pollute the sky and the ground and contaminate the reason for the fighting. Then we will try, but never successfully harvest our tears.

I am a water sign. I am a water worshiper.

I thank the earth for this gift and treat it like family, because it is alive, and it is in my blood.

Lucid Dream Tea

I believe I left you in Quebec, having just entered the Playlist For The Planet.
I didn't reach the finals...and I am back in Vancouver now...
The good news? I'm an environmentalist and a Quebecer regardless...lol
The more interesting (I won't call it bad) news, is that I have no job.
Resounding monetary stresses aside, this is kind of exciting. I am looking for a job that will be more fulfilling than serving while I work on my music career (for those of you who didn't know, being a musician has always been my life plan...and I don't have a plan B..). But if I end up serving again, it will be with a refreshed attitude...for two reasons...1) I have had the time to heal (emotionally and physically) from the abuses of the industry..2) I read in a Newspaper article the other day that Reid Jamieson currently works at The Hyatt in Vancouver as a server! I am a huge fan of his, and I assumed, based on the quality of his music, that he would be living in a mansion in Kits somewhere...
I suppose its kind of funny that I am encouraged by the idea of him serving, instead of being discouraged because an immensely talented and accomplished Canadian Songwriter still needs a day job to get by. (don't worry Reid, that's something we can work on changing together...call me!)
My friend Heidi once asked that I buy her some Lucid Dream Tea from Quebec before returning to Vancouver. It is only sold in Quebec by a very small company and all the herbs are hand picked and harvested by the husband and wife who own it. Heidi said that it makes dreams more vivid. I told her that I almost never remember my dreams. She made me try the tea. I can't say whether or not my dreams were more vivid than usual, because I still couldn't remember them. She was surprised, because her head was overflowing at night (hence the need for some clarity provided by the tea).
It made me wonder if her nights are full because her days are full. She is one of those people who is always going day in and day out. I am one of those people who can sit on a park bench at the beach for hours and be content.
She is about to start writing a blog, and I am hoping she will unlock the secret of busyness for me. I wonder if she will run through some lists of things she accomplishes in a day, and how she comes up with those lists, and what she does if she reaches the end of a list before bedtime. I feel that in my current state of unemployment, I should be at my most productive...but I often find myself thinking and worrying about all the things I should do instead of crossing them off a list.
So i think I will give this list business a try.
Disclaimer: I get a decent amount done in a day...In fact, today I brought my CD to The Peak, Vancouver COOP radio, and QMFM. I learned the hard way that it is important to deliver things in person whenever possible----and get the name and contact information of the music coordinator to follow up...and I also brought my CD to Trees Cafe on Granville, and they said they will listen to it and consider me for a show one night...
Wish me luck!