switzerland

I Laughed, I Cried, I Sang

I awoke this morning to a text message that was worded so beautifully that I just had to share....

"Hey song bird, I bet it was nice to feel the wind blowing through your wings last night!"

Boy was it ever.

Lindsay singing in the garden at Mokka in Thun

Lindsay singing in the garden at Mokka in Thun

Like everyone else, we have been through some drastic changes, haven’t we? I am not sure they have come to a screeching halt and that life is anywhere near to returning to what it was, not that it should… but I digress… It has been almost a year since I had a set, a stage and audience to myself and I pretty much convinced myself that I was okay with that. I dove into new things; I studied Ayurveda, I bonded with Mules, I learned about healing herbs and flowers and plants (it is a never ending path of wisdom and greatness, let me tell you! I have jars and jars filled with Mother Nature’s gift, waiting to be steeped into tea, or tinctured or oils, salves and creams… but I digress!

Red Clover is a plant ally! She is great for osteoarthritis, arthritis, hair health and is even great for hot flashes! Pick some, dry it, jar it and then figure out how Red Clover can work with you!

Red Clover is a plant ally! She is great for osteoarthritis, arthritis, hair health and is even great for hot flashes! Pick some, dry it, jar it and then figure out how Red Clover can work with you!

Last evening was a highlight of my singing career. It gave me an insight that I truly could not have known before The Great Pause. I am aware that it feels good to share music, and to be appreciated for it. That, I have learned over the years. That “certain something” you can’t quite put your finger on, the energy which dances unseen (though certainly felt!) between us… I have and always will enjoy that, and to be sure, I appreciate you, too. But last night, it was like those already great feelings were exaggerated. The insight was the realization that I had really missed playing more than I thought I had. It was like a kind of reunion with an old friend, an old friend that I didn’t know I hadn’t seen? It’s hard to explain what I mean, but I felt high and nervous, almost like it was the first time I walked onto the stage at the Black Sheep Inn (the Black Sheep Inn is a very famous venue in Canada.) Imagine, after years of doing this, I got to fall in Love all over again. I felt like a kid in a candy shop., and there was even CANDY too!!

Imagine my surprise when I arrived into the green room to a plate of candy with a donkey in the middle? I took it as a great sign of what was to come, considering I am, after all, a Mother Of Mules (follow me and my mules on Instagram /motherofmules

Imagine my surprise when I arrived into the green room to a plate of candy with a donkey in the middle? I took it as a great sign of what was to come, considering I am, after all, a Mother Of Mules (follow me and my mules on Instagram /motherofmules

I arrived in Thun on a swelteringly hot day. When I get hot I turn red, red, RED!! I was a hot mess! The only thing that can tame Hot Messy Sweaty Lindsay is cold water and I wasn’t prepared to jump into the Aare which runs through Thun and is currently very very cold. All this to say, upon entering the garden at Mokka Bar I forgot about the heat, and was quickly enchanted by the fairytale-like and whimsical space I would be spending the next few hours in. I had to remind myself to breathe, to try to stay calm and to NOT SPEED UP THE MOMENTS!! Coffee in the morning would come soon enough. They even had the biggest vase of fresh flowers that I have ever seen, to accompany me on stage. I was back home.

My first stage in a LONG time at Mokka Bar in Thun

My first stage in a LONG time at Mokka Bar in Thun

As I mentioned before about the Black Sheep Inn, the Mokka Bar in Thun is just as sought after for performances and just as professional. It is not easy to get a gig there, mostly you just have to know someone because the emails are too many to really keep up with and the level of talent requiring gigs is also top notch. By luck, perseverance, hard work and never giving up, I worked with someone in the past who happened to whisper into the ear of the booker about this Canadian musician now living in Switzerland. Needless to say, when I got the invitation, I didn’t even check my schedule before I said yes. I was THAT sure. To be welcomed back into the Singing Game, in a place like this has reignited the fire in me, that had definitely, over the past year, dwindled into a spark. I am so grateful and feel more alive now!!! How in the world could I have ever forgotten, but I kind of did. I filled up my days with other things, beside travel, touring and booking. To be sure, the music never faded and I was fortunate enough to write quite a few new songs! I worked really hard to get those new songs ready for my Mokka Show (without having to read the lyrics) and what a delight, that I had such an amazing green room to practice them in!!

Behind the scenes where the magic lives, in the green room. If only these walls could talk!

Behind the scenes where the magic lives, in the green room. If only these walls could talk!

I was going to post a few photos to my social media, with a shoutout of thanks to all who came to listen last night, but I thought, nope, this post needs a bit more thoughtful, with a little more poetic care. After all, we are talking about the best thing human beings ever invented, MUSIC! I didn’t realize how big that gaping hole was (life with NO LIVE MUSIC) until I stepped up onto that magical stage last and the wind stirred, and really did blow through my wings. I won’t ever forget that fresh feeling, like finding new love again, and I won’t ever forget how truly profound music is to us all. Sometimes when you study music and work at it, you lose sight of the true gift that it is.

My Life In Pictures

We have floated on over into Autumn, and Summer, as per usual, has flown. For any readers who have visited from time to time for a new blog, apologies to you and hopefully you haven’t given up completely! This past weekend I shared a show with a new found music maker from England, living in Germany, Ben Meech. Thanks for the kind words, Ben. Sometimes all it takes is someone saying “Go for it! I will read your blog!” .

So here I am once again, after many moons and MANY life experiences, it’s hard to know where to start! Many times I thought of writing about our tour through the United Kingdom (mostly Scotland) but I was waiting for the wonderful Canadian musical website “Roots Music Canada” to post the blog I wrote for them, “A Soul Full-filling Tour in Scotland” which you can read here.

We spent six weeks on the road, driving through the U.K in a 1996 Mitsubishi which we Lovingly named “Gypsy Heart” or Gypsy, for short. I recommend this journey for any and all. There is just SO much beauty around every corner, I had NO IDEA the majestic beauty of Scotland. It simply blew my mind…..

Loch An Eilein Castle, just outside of Aviemore, Scotland

Loch An Eilein Castle, just outside of Aviemore, Scotland


We did a LOT of wild camping, and saw a LOT of castles! Loch An Eilein Castle, (which I could swim to) is just outside the town of Aviemore (which reminded me a little of Banff, Canada.) I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Speysound, a local (and wonderful! community radio station) while there.

We toured a LOT of the country and one of our destinations was Urquart Castle, on Loch Ness. Once upon a time this castle was inhabited by the Grant family (my mother’s side are the Grant’s) so naturally we had to go have a tour!

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Naturally, I had a swim in Loch Ness it was a MUST!! So coooold, but refreshing. No Nessie sightings, either.

Living on the road and camping in a tiny home on wheels, I might just have to devote an entire blog to just that subject but if there is any desire at all to do such a thing, I say go for it. We had a solar panel, which helped immensely, charging our Ipad/Iphone and the wee cooler (fridge) we took along.


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We played a good few shows and really got to see the ins and outs of Scotland (again, to read more and look at more photos, click on the link above re: Scotland Blog on Roots Music Canada.) Of course we also had to take in a Whiskey Tour, which lead us to Talisker, the Lovely distillery on the banks of Loch Harbort, on the Isle of Skye. What a spot and I had no idea how it all went down. Yummy stuff!

Talisker Distillery

Talisker Distillery

Also, we climbed a mountain. My first ever mountain! It was pretty much the hardest physical thing I have ever done. At the time I thought “GET ME OFFA THIS THING!” And I was cursing life. But the next day, as we were driving away from the area, I saw that majestic mountain from a whole new perspective and it got me thinking that I might even try doing another one sometime. Ben Hope…. A gorgeous rock!


Holding on for dear life at the top of Ben Hope 937metres

Holding on for dear life at the top of Ben Hope 937metres

Moving on from that EPIC adventure in Scotland, and onto some great news…

After months of waiting, I finally received a few boxes of freshly pressed brand new CD’s. A lot goes into the manufacturing side, not to mention the performance side! There were NERVES let me tell you. The past winter, I had a concert in the city of Bern with a fellow (wonderful!) songwriter Peter Finc, who happens to also record LIVE SHOWS! Double whammy of goodness… So we recorded this “Live In Bern” project And I am happy with the way it turned out, even if a few of my nerves are present… You can order a copy from ME personally and I will send it to you snail mail style. I am not releasing this one online. Just shoot me an email lindsay@lindsayferguson.com

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Onto deliciousness… We are into the third year now, of having a garden/food forest. It has been so generous this year. Every day heading outside with a basket, collecting free organic, no pesticides, food grown from seeds. It blows my mind. My husband is more the green thumb but slowly I am getting into it. I SURE Love to cook and prepare the stuff. Small miracles in the back yard…

Calendula and Green Onions

Calendula and Green Onions

Oven roasted potatoes and beets from our garden

Oven roasted potatoes and beets from our garden

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The last weekend of Summer, 2018 was a goodie. I had the opportunity to sing in Osogna, Ticino, Switzerland. It is the Italian part of Switzerland, you have to cross the Gotthard pass (mountain) to get there. What a weekend of beauty. From mountain water pools, to balmy nights eating figs to glaciers…

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I welcome Autumn. It is my favourite time of year. I look forward to the nights geting longer, making pumpkin soup, eating by candlelight, wrapping up in sweaters and scarves. Hikes through the forest in the Fall, there is nothing like it! I am happy for it’s arrival and that I too, am here to enjoy it.


Eurovision, Rykka and Me

A couple of weekends back, I had the pleasure to accompany my friend and musical compadré, RYKKA to the Swiss Eurovision Finals. It was very exciting for me to see my good friend up there on stage looking like a million bucks and singing for Switzerland. She composed the song "The Last of Our Kind"  specifically for the Eurovision Song Contest, and it won for Switzerland. You can see her fabulous performance "here." Rykka (Christina Rieder) and I have been friends for a long time, we met almost a decade ago at a music conference around 5am singing together in a circle of music makers of all kinds, instruments jamming along spontaneously on the penthouse floor of a hotel filled with music industry people from all over. We were friends from the moment our voices melded!! Little did I know that our future lives would parallel each other as she too would be spending her time between Canada (B.C) and Switzerland (Zurich.)

Rykka_and_I_backstage_pre_performance

Rykka_and_I_backstage_pre_performance

Some of you may be wondering why I am writing about Rykka's performance and not my own? That is a fair question, seeing as I am also a Singer and Song-writer. I have, in the past auditioned for Ireland's Eurovision (did not make it, obviously) and a couple of years ago, I auditioned for Canada's Got Talent. A few years back, I even auditioned for Cirque De Soleil. So I have been down those "audtition" roads and am clearly not cut out for such things. People ask me if I get nervous, well the most nervous I have ever been is during the auditioning process. I can sing for a crowd made up of hundreds, even thousands, but when four people are there, judging me, I clam up. Anyway, more RYKKA!!! My friend has been VERY busy since winning for Switzerland, but she managed to answer a few questions I had... So here they are!

1) What are your hobbies?

R: Whenever I am not making music, I am making something. If it's not one thing, it's another. I Love to make costumes, if it's like Christmas holidays, I Love to bake. I'm in Love with making! Haha.

2) How do you find happiness?

R: I think that being in nature is a great way to find happiness. My favourite place is in the mountains, or in the forest near my house. I relate happiness to being centered and at peace. A few nights ago, I couldn't sleep because my head was buzzing and I pictured myself floating over a blue lake. It totally worked and I could clear my mind and I fell asleep.

3) What was the name of the first song you ever wrote and what was the chorus?

R: When I was 16 my boyfriend was 21 haha...my parents were cool with it actually. But anyway, he was so lazy. I wrote a song called Runaway for him, telling him that he is missing out on life by just sleeping and being lazy all the time.

4) What would you do if you saw someone litter?

R: When I see someone litter I'm like "Hello! It's 2016 not the '80's!" Who didn't get the memo? I just can't get into the mind frame of not caring about abruptly littering. Here in Switzerland people are really good about recycling, when I see someone throw a plastic bottle in the garbage, I freak out haha.

5) What is one of the most important things for you to do to prepare for Stockholm?(Stockholm is where the Eurovsion final will take place)

R: I'm mentally preparing myself. I'm also working to make my voice stronger. I'm taking voice lessons for the first time in years and really fine tuning them.

Rykka_and_I_after_the_win_with_Prosecco

Rykka_and_I_after_the_win_with_Prosecco

Of course we could go on and on with more questions, and perhaps after Stockholm we will do an update. IN the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open for my girl here, you will be hearing more, for sure! 

Thanks for reading,

Love

Lindsay

Life Lately

Me_singing_live_on_RADIO_RABE_in_Bern

Me_singing_live_on_RADIO_RABE_in_Bern

This past week has been amazing and I have been really feeling the LOVE from many new fans and musicians alike. Some times I go through less play time and more computer/creative time. I have always been able to control my emotions on this. BUT I REALLY LOVE to play for YOU the most (providing it's a good room with a good sound system, nice venue owners and happy music Lovers - am I really asking for too much?? Hahaa!) It can't always be like this, I can't always be on the road to the next performance,  I have to write new songs, book new gigs, practice guitar etc etc. It can't always be the "pay off" (which I consider to be the act of playing music for -and connecting WITH- the people.) This past week, however was SO THE PAY OFF!! I think I will be happily prancing on Cloud Nine (or Cloud Seven as they say over here in Switzerland!) for quite some time. I met many new music makers as well as new (magical) rooms, which remind me of WHY I chose this life... sometimes I wonder (what with so many deaf ears, judgement and rejection.) But today I could care less about that and I feel great! 

Happy_Lindsay_Face

Happy_Lindsay_Face

I would like to introduce to you some new musical friends whom I met and shared shows with in various Lovely places... Ishantu and I became fast friends even before we were privy to each other's music. We sat at a large table and feasted on Veggie Coconut Curry and delicious Rioja, thank YOU Pillow Song! I was so happy to see when after she played that she was GOOD!! Yes!! I Love new and GOOD music. You can find some of her deep and dreamy vocals here: ISHANTU MUSIC. Next I  will introduce to you some LUSCIOUS SOUL-FILLED sound, who because of them I may be changed forever...Peter Finc and Nicole Johaenntgen were THE most STELLAR duo I have ever come across. She is a CRAZY sax player, heavily influenced by SKILL!! Holy smokes. Peter can sing like an old Blues-Filled Soul-Man and his guitar playing makes me want to put mine in the corner and let it get dusty. Wow. These two. I don't really have the words but FOR SURE sharing a stage with such talent is both humbling and BEEautiful  Soon after I was privy to a concert in the neatest room somewhat like an old school house from the 1800's, with fabulous acoustics featuring an Austrian Singer-Songwriter from the "Americana" genre. Harry Marte played unplugged with his trio, featuring another new musical friend (SWEET!) Beth Wimmer and stand-up bass player (AWESOME) Claude Meier. Just when I most needed new musical experiences (There's no 'easily accessible' BLACK SHEEP INN in these parts!) Ahhhh... sweet musical states of bliss. Thank you, thank you, thank you.... 

That is it for me. Just checking in!! STOKED to play a house concert THIS WEEKEND in my teeny little village of Rüschegg. Then the following weekend in Luzern... Yes... Life is good when you have music... So we ALL have new music now!!! AWESOME, WONDERFUL!!! xoxoxox