Under the Big Sky of Canada

I write to you today from Austin, Manitoba. There isn’t much here, save for a post office;closed, a grocery store; closed, a garage; closed, a restaurant; closed and a gas station; open! There is of course no wireless either, so I guess it’s a good a time as any to add a blog entry. This marks my first entry on this grande journey  across the “Great White North.” I left Winnipeg today, after singing last night in a cozzy coffee house/book store called “Sam’s Place.” I had the pleasure of spending the night on Walnut Street, a quaint little nook amongst the large trees in downtown Winnipeg, with a late night porch session alongside the talented and insightful Mitch Podolak (who by the way, filled me up with deliciousness in the form of “French Toast meets havarti cheese meets bacon meets maple syrup meets butter” all melted into one pile of Loveliness for breakfast.) “Nourishment” for the long haul to Saskatoon,  food for the soul, I say!! I have stopped now, here in Austin, to meet with one of the most amazingly wonderful families of Wakefield Quebec, the Chicoines. They are also on a cross Canada (as well as The States) tour, but in the “running across” (as opposed to driving across) sort of way! They have embarked on an adventure with the title “Marathon of Health.” They are a family of eight, 6 children, Mama & Papa Chicoine, and who can forget their “7th” child, Bess, their doggie. I am excicted to see them, and am thrilled that we can meet up out here in the middle of North America with wind in our hair. Canada is a superbly wonderful country, I can’t believe I haven’t tried this drive yet (says the woman who hasn’t quite hit the prairies part!!) Driving around Lake Superior is something I never knew I would Love so much, view after view, stunning after stunning. I tweeted a few days ago something along the lines of “Even if you don’t have a brand new album to promote, go for  the drive across Canada anyway!!” Ha! I am certainly happy to be here… my Dodge ’92 hasn’t failed me and I have strong feelings that she too will stay strong along the way.  On another note, wildlife out here is exquisite, so far we have seen 2 deer, 1 fox, 2 moose, 4 bears, 1 groundhog and one of the biggest turtles I have ever seen! I can only imagine what’s ahead, getting closer to The Rockies…

~Cross Canada CD Release Tour~

Hey Folks! Here's where I will be on the first leg of my Tour out to British Columbia and back! If anyone has anymore suggestions, gig offers, house concert ideas, please CALL ME!! 6133719817. I would be grateful to take on more performance opportunities, as I am SO happy to get this NEW album "Monkeys Under Stars" outta me and into you!! :)

June 5    Wakefield QC, The Black Sheep Inn

June 10 Thunder Bay, The Apollo

June 11 Winnipeg, Sam's Place
June 13 - Saskatoon, SK - Cafe Sola
June 15  Calgary's Mix 97.7 radio interview
June 15 - Calgary, AB - Beatniq Jazz & Social Club
June 17 - Nelson, BC, Capitol Theatre
June 21 - Revelstoke, BC, Solstice House Concert
June 25 - Vancouver, BC - Cafe Deux Soleils
June 26 - Duncan, BC - Duncan Garage Showroom
June 29 - Edmonton, AB - The Artery
July 5th Ottawa On - Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest (opening for Tegan & Sara!!)

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON... plus....

Hey folks! The record is DONE! Soon, you will be able to purchase it online... in DAYS... so please come back to see if it's up and ready! Also, THIS Sunday the 5th of June is my first CD Release party at The Black Sheep Inn, in Wakefield Quebec. The show starts at 4:20pm with Special Guest Kenny Voita... please stay tuned for TOUR dates as well...

Thanks a million and I look forward to sharing with you my new album and NEW website.

Lindsay xo

Day 12 at Gallery Studios

  Hey folks. Here I sit, on the comfy ‘used to be white’ couch. This little love seat has been my home for the last 12 days, back ‘n forth between the microphone and these plush cushions! It’s been an amazing process so far, here, tucked away in the basement of a church in Ottawa’s Glebe. With Dean Watson as my producer, I have been blessed. Dean and I have been friends for years and we work together even better. Not only does he have the ears of a bat, but he is an excellent musician as well. When I emailed him (or was it Facebook?) a few months ago, he was gung ho, and I was so excited by his positivity, he was happy to take on the project, and a 12 day project at that!! The first cd I recorded took exactl y one year from it’s start date to the CD release party… and I decided to do exactly the opposite this time and so far so good! Last Autumn, I won $5000 towards my career, through The Big Money Shot music competiton (Live 88.5 NewCap Radio) and immediately knew it had to be put towards this album. It also has to be said that I could not have done this without the help of my band mates; Rob Rose, Chris Hopkins & Rob Milicevic, their musical skills have saved me on more than one occasion. They are also featured on this new album, which will be called “Monkeys Under Stars.”  As I sit here typing to you, Dean is working hard, and we are listening to “Got No Time” in its (almost!) finished version. With only one more song to go in the “mixing” department, the album will be ready for it’s mastering session (with Bova Sound Studios.) Mixing is akin to balancing things out; perhaps taking harmonies down in volume,  or cleaning up the sounds of the drums (i.e taking the tom drum echo out of the snare hits) it’s actually a long process… cleaning up breath, aligning everythign together, syncopating it all, so there are no odd sounds or beats in the mixture! An analogy for the mastering process has been explained to me like this: take your favourite spaghetti sauce, it’s delicious!! Add to it a little parmesan, gruyere or mozzerella and the pasta dish just became even better… I never eat my spaghetti without cheese, and I suppose mastering is like the cheese! It polishes off the sound, rounds it out in a way… SO! The best news is yet to come… The CD Release will happen at The Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield Quebec on June 5th. See you there??? Xo (turns out we need to finish the mix on ONE more!! Day 13 it is!!)

Spring brings new things!

April showers bring May flowers! So here we are, in April, waiting for the rains to pass and for May to fill up our glass! It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve been home in Canada, and when I left Europe, the flowers and trees were in full bloom, so, this means I get TWO Springs, so I won’t cry too hard over the constant grey skies and soon, I KNOW they will be blue for all of us! Cheers to the bright beauty that is to come! Wair there’s MORE… This Saturday night, April 30th there is a benefit for HAITI, in Ottawa at D’arcy Magees on Sparks street. The music starts at 8pm and there will be heaps of great local music makers in support of the cause. There will be an album featuring all of the artists on stage that night, including myself at 9pm, Kellylee Evans, Jill Zmud and many others, here is the link!! http://www.ottawatonite.com/2011/04/ottawas-music-community-working-together-for-haiti/ With hopes to see some of you there! On May the 6th I am playing my first “Lindsay” show, a “Welcome Home” show at The Rainbow Bistro in the market. I will be performing a solo first set and my band will join me for a rockin’ second set. That’s next Friday night, the 6th of May at The Rainbow. I am in the middle of band rehearsals at the moment for said show, and also because I will start to record my second full length album with Dean Watson of Gallery Studios (in Ottawa) this weekend!! I am very excited to share some new songs with you all, and can only hope that the whole thing will be said and done with a big CD Release party at The Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield on Sunday the 5th of June… It’s going to be an ALL AGES show, so if you have little ones, BRING ‘em!!  Oh, and I am coming to Toronto for a show at the end of May on Friday the 27th, playing with Christina Maria at The Cameron House. It’s going to be a GREAT night indeed! In June I plan to head out on the road, for my first cross-Canada “driving” tour!! Leaving from Wakefield and heading out to Vancouver Island and BACK!! I’ve never driven it and am sure to be blown away by Canada’s beauty. Life has many things to look forward to and it all starts with the flowers that are coming soon to a yard near you!! Hope to see you out along the way… Love Lindsay xo

I saw Canada.

It was broad daylight, but the cabin was dark. So dark that when I opened the blind to see outside, the sun made “flash” marks behind my eyelids when I blinked. Yet  there it was, my first sight of Canada, in four months, the majestic shores of Newfoundland to be exact. I kept thinking it wasn’t real, I mean I knew it was real, that stellar majestic beauty beneath me, but from so far up in the plane she looked like a cpmputer image, almost too beautiful. I kept wishing I could just jump out and see my friends, as I miss them all SO much, it’s not often that I get to sit and play on that rock, so I was a little jealous of the fact that all I could do was see her, while all my friends we re enjoying themselves between various café’s, pubs and living rooms…that view will stay with me til I die though, it was so beautiful and such a welcome sight after being away from my home and native land for a good long stint. Then I saw St. Pierre de Michelon (sp.) and what a cool sight from so far up, France in Canada… well I’ll be!  So here I am feeling a little tired from sitting on my rear for nine hours, watching movie after movie. I’ve been away from the North American language AND gossip, so forgive me if I am a little late in saying this but I hope Nathalie Portman won an oscar for her performance in “Black Swan.” What a show! I always ask for a window seat, I don’t really look out the window all that often so I should probably take the aisle due to the amount of times I have to pee (too much information?) The poor guy beside me was pretty patient with me for most of the journey but I am positive he was happy to see the back of me!! “Excuse me sir, oops! I’m sorry… ha ha ha… oops, excuse me!” I guess it can all get a little boring after awhile. Sometimes I wish I traveled with someone. I am sitting here at the airport waiting for my connection flight, which is late by the way, and I am bogged down with too many kilos, the ones I had to remove from my luggage so I didn’t have to pay an extra 100 bucks and I really don’t want to have to put it all back on to go use the water closet, it’s heavy and I am hot. Oh, and remind me not to stay 40 days longer  than the 90 day allowance in Switzerland. 560 bucks later… I am glad to be home, glad to be back in Canada. Oh and Canada? Don’t forget to mark the June 5th date in your calander…it’s my CD release party at The Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, now how ‘bout that!!! Hope to see you, sing for you soon . Lindsay xo

Soo Soo Studio!!

Hello fine readers, Music Lovers... whoever you are... I thank you for taking the time to stop by, on occasion to read the "goings-ons" in my life! Well, these days, I am thrilled to know that a new album will soon be in the works! April 30th will see me in the studio, embarking on my latest Labour of Love "Monkey's Under Stars." Producing the album will be Dean Watson of Gallery Recording Studios, in Ottawa Ontario. The thing that really excites me, is that Dean and I, have been friends for a long time and he knows me and has been following my music career since the beginning. I am so happy because I know this album will feature my raw, naturalistic feelings about music, it will focus on the heart and soul of it all, and it is going to be beautiful!! It will be a full-band project, featuring Chris Hopkins on Bass guitar, Rob Rose on Electric Guitar and Rob Milicevic on Drums, with a few other gems to be added as necessary.... nothing like my "Last minute Lindsay" ways... so yeah, you might hear strings, keys and brass as well... Today I just completed my first county song "Grip On You." Who knows if it makes it onto the album, but I will gauge it by how my audiences like it in the coming weeks, before heading into the studio. I have never played country before, and I'm not sure if it'll fit... time will tell, but I gotta say that I am digging it!! Here are the lyrics in the meantime... Yours is the name I have been calling

yours are the hands that I can hold

yours is the trust I have been building

yours are the eyes that I behold

 

& I've spent half of my life seeking

& all those other hours fooled

& when I cast my gaze upon yours,

seems those wasted hours led me to you

 

Nobody says that Love comes easy

nobody swears what it can do

it's more like a drug to drive you crazy

but I won't lose my grip on you

 

Yours is the smile that I get lost in

yours is the voice that calms my fear

yours is the Love in which I'm fallin'

yours is the song between my ears

 

Nobody says that Love comes easy

nobody swears what it can do

more like a drug to drive you crazy

but I won't lose my grip on you

 

You, you, you.... oooh oooh

 

I place my thoughts upon a train ride

a long haul bound the other way

been prayin' for my beating heart to guide

me from mistakes of yesterday

 

Nobody says that Love comes easy

nobody swears what it can do

more like a drug to drive you crazy

but i won't lose my grip on you

Hope you enjoy it when you hear it.... perhaps sooner than later??

Happy SPRING!!

Love Lindsay xo

 

Chinney Smoke & Crokuses

  We are into March now and our winter looks as though it has melted away until next year. It’s a pity I say, me, the lassie who has no path to shovel, no windshield to scrape, no ditch to get stuck in. I would have Loved a few more afternoons spent, sliding down a thick white hill in the middle of the gentle and quiet forest. And those lazy mornings sipping a steaming cup of soothing liquid while watching weightless white shapes of various designs float pas t my window frames. See, it’s times like this that I conjure up dreams and ideas to make into some form of “Lindsay reality.” Of course, on looking out the window today, I still see chimney’s at work, keeping their people warm inside. With fires stoked, anything is indeed possible. It can however, get confusing… Mother Nature has started to show us her Spring colour in the form of small flowers we coined as Crokuses. Purple and white reminders of what is to come, not quite bearing the scent of Spring, but tantalizing no less. The apple trees have started to sprout wands that need to be trimmed, and the September 1st hatched chicks laid their first eggs yesterday. Mother Nature….blessing us with the gifts of her small miracles. Upon looking at the hill over yonder, I see what appears to be a halo of sorts, wrapped around the trees… the buds will blossom into flowers and then leaves, and then well… the circle of life runs it’s course and we will all be in sun dresses dancing in the rays of sweet Summer . Dreams are where tomorrow lives. And the night always falls into tomorrow…the one thing we can all be certain of…tomorrow never dies, so that OUR dreams can live! What glorious thoughts all coming from a “one cupe of coffee” morning. Just think what the possibilities are with another cup of Joe coursing through my veins. ..in the meantime, have a listen to a couple of new tunes that I will be putting on my NEW album, these are acoustic version, sung in the streets of Zurich a couple weeks ago. Hope you enjoy!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKROvdKfW1Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2uKYO-InXw&feature=related

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