Virtual Creative Marathon - December 30, 2011

Well, folks, with the Buy More Buddhas video project well underway, it feels like high time for another creative marathon! My songwriting output has been a little slim lately and I feel some songs bursting to escape! Feel welcome to join me on December 30, 2011.  There will be an optional Skype conference call at 8:30 AST to share work if you would like (for more info about how to Skype in, contact me directly at mail[at]alexsings[dot]ca).

I know it's been a while since I invited y'all to marathon with me. If you want more info about how the creative marathons work, check my June 2010 post here.

Here's hoping Friday will be a super-creative day for everyone!

Buy More Buddhas Video Project

Over the holidays, I'm going to put together a video for my song, Buy More Buddhas featuring photos of Buddhas sent to me by friends and fans. I've already received dozens of photos! Thanks to everyone who has sent one - or more!

I'm drawing a line in the sand - December 21st - that's when I'm going to start putting the video together. Please send me any and all Buddha photos you can by the 21st! You can e-mail them to me at mail[at]alexsings[dot]ca, tweet them to me here, or post them on my Facebook musician page. Thanks!

Here are examples of some of the pics I've received so far. Keep 'em coming!

Winter Shows

I have some great shows coming up in the next few months. I'd love for you to join me for some laughter and/or tears at any (or all) of these dates:

UPDATED DECEMBER 29, 2011 - PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGES - THERE WILL BE NO SHOW AT THE SCUTTLEBUTT RESTAURANT ON FEBRUARY 4, 2012! INSTEAD, I WILL BE AT THE NIGHT KITCHEN IN WOLFVILLE THAT NIGHT!

Friday, November 25, 7–9pm
The Biscuit Eater
16 Orchard Street
Mahone Bay
www.biscuiteater.ca
In keeping with the poetic and uncensored spirit of the Biscuit Eater, I'll be bringing out some rarely-performed "B-sides". It's going to be a fun, and possibly controversial, evening. (I'll have CDs and T-shirts for sale at special prices if you're looking for Christmas shopping opportunities).

Friday, January 6, 6-8pm
Scuttlebutt Restaurant
Lunenburg, NS
Scuttlebutt on Facebook
A triumphant return to Scuttlebutt Restaurant after a few months' hiatus. I can already taste that smoked salmon club sandwich!

Saturday, January 28, 7:30–9:30pm
Trellis Café
Hubbards, NS
www.trelliscafe.com
My very first appearance at the renowned Trellis Café. I'm looking forward to it!

Saturday, February 4
The Night Kitchen
The Al Whittle Theatre
Wolfville, NS
I'm very excited to be part of Andy and Ariana's famous Night Kitchen.

Saturday, February 4, 6–8pm
Scuttlebutt Restaurant
Lunenburg, NS
Scuttlebutt on Facebook
A triumphant return to Scuttlebutt Restaurant after a few months' hiatus. I can already taste that smoked salmon club sandwich!

Thursday, February 9, 6-8pm
Lunenburg Sessions
@ Scuttlebutt Restaurant
Lunenburg, NS
Lunenburg Sessions on Facebook
Delighted to be a part of Lunenburg Sessions 2012 Concert Series Schedule!

Friday, February 24, TBA
Fables
Tatamagouche, NS
www.fablesclub.com
I'm honoured to be part of Fables' Freedom to Read Week Celebrations. Events all day; details TBA.

Saturday, March 31, 6-8pm
Scuttlebutt Restaurant
Lunenburg, NS
Scuttlebutt on Facebook
Another yummy dinner and song event at the Scuttlebutt Restaurant!

Tour: Day 22

[due to technical difficulties, this was not posted when it was written, which was roughly 9pm, October 20]

No photo of my car I'm afraid. It's too dark and rainy outside.

This is the last day of the Tour. I'll be home tomorrow! I fell behind with my blog, but I had a wonderful house concert in Peterborough on Day 9 and one in Toronto, on Day 17 (hosted by the marvelous Sarah Hopen of STARCompany).

Most of the rest of the trip was visiting people and doing miscellaneous work projects here and there.

Now I'm on my way home and after 1.5 hours of white-knuckle driving in pouring rain and near zero visibility, I am safely ensconced in a motel room. Not the motel I was planning to stay in - no, the road was closed on the path indicated to me by the Interwebs, so I turned around and came to this motel, which shall remain nameless.

I'm fascinated by this motel room. Maybe because it's my last day on the road and my first really no-name motel. And maybe because it just feels kind of miraculous that I made it here at all.

Things this motel room has:

• an abandoned cell phone charger
• a fan
• a train that passes nearby and blows its whistle
• a bottle of whiskey (I brought that)
• supper (improvised with the food I have left in my car at this point in the trip: a granola bar, an apple, almond butter (eaten off the blade of a butter knife) and a handful of walnuts
• wifi (sweet)
• windows that open
• a bathtub
• soap
• grey towels (I like a place that doesn't even pretend to be able-or perhaps willing-to keep white towels white)
• fridge and microwave (I think I am atypical of this motel's residents; I am not planning to stay for more than one night)
• a great pillow (I brought this, too)
• a TV (but at least it's closed up in one of those cabinets so I don't have to look at it).

Things this motel room does not have:

• any sign of bedbugs (yay!)
• a security lock on the door (I have propped the room's only chair under the door knob)
• shampoo or conditioner
• natural fibres in any of the linens, curtains, etc.
• good art

What can I say? I'm mostly glad not to be dead in a ditch this evening, but not so high on life that I'm willing to forego making snarky comments about this motel and pointing out what a glamourous life this sometimes ain't. Now, where's that butter knife?

Tour: Days 5-8

I'm falling a bit behind with the blog here.

The past few days have been a bit rough. I came down with a cold. This is the second time I've left the maritimes since I moved back home last December, and the second time I've gotten ill. It's starting to feel like it's not a coincidence.

So, anyway, I dosed myself up with Oil of Oregano, Cold F/X, Vitamin D and Advil Cold and Sinus and went and played at Grumpy's on Day 5. Despite my cold, it was a really fun show! With the delightful Brie Neilson hosting the evening, Gern F of United Steel Workers of Montreal behind the bar, and a full room of enthusiastic revellers, we made a great night of it.

On Day 6 I drove to Ottawa and I spent that evening and most of Day 7 recuperating at the home of some dear friends. The house concert on Day 7 went amazingly well, given my state of health. I was so full of Advil Cold and Sinus, I'm amazed my eyes didn't glow like yellow gel-caps. But, my voice held out for me to serenade a room full of lovely, attentive and generous-hearted folks. Also, generous-walleted - thanks, folks!

Now, it's Day 8, I've driven to Peterborough and am at a laundromat here. A solar-powered laundromat, in case you're interested.

Here's the mandatory picture of my car. Note the kleenex on the passenger seat. And my bathing suit still draped over the driver's seat from the pool in Edmundston. Classy.

Tour: Day 4

I almost forgot to take a picture of my car today. After a white-knuckle drive through pelting rain between Quebec City and Montreal, I was glad to hand it, and its keys, over to the guys in the parking lot across from my hotel. I remembered in the twilight to grab a quick shot of it (the parking lot guys think I'm nuts) et voilà.

I decided to splurge on a hotel for these two nights in Montreal. I am coming down with a sore throat - ack! - and hope that hot baths and lots of sleep will cure me - hence the hotel rather than begging for a spot on a friend or family member's sofa.

I love my hotel! It's seedy on the outside - the entrance is through an abandoned pizzeria while the lobby is under renovation - but my room is absolutely plush. And it's one block away from the venue I'm playing tomorrow night: Grumpy's, 1242 rue Bishop! 9:30 start. See you there.

Tour: Day 3

Today's photo was taken in an underground garage in Quebec City where I'm having a stopover to visit with my Dad.

You can see the apples I bought at the side of the road in Oxford, NS prominently displayed in this shot. They're gravensteins and they are delicious!!!

Tour Day 2

I love my new boots! They were great last night.

(If you look closely, you'll see that I'm already ignoring the garbage separation system I set up for myself :-)

Tour: day 1

My lover suggested I take a photo of the car each day of the tour - I guess to show off what an Incredible slob I am :-)

I think that's a great idea so here's the first shot. The dolphins are toys my nieces won when they were visiting this summer - too big to fly back on the plane, so I'll be chauffeuring them to Toronto. Nice to have the company.

Time to hit the road to Tatamagouche!

What? I'm going on tour tomorrow?

I'm not entirely sure how this happened, but apparently, I am leaving to go on tour up to Ontario tomorrow. This means that today is going to be completely crazy because I am not ready to leave to go anywhere - let alone 2000 km away for 3 weeks.

How could I be so unprepared? Well, it probably has something to do with the fact that I helped my neighbours host a folk festival this past weekend, but that's a blog post for another time.

Somehow, I'm sure I will manage to get everything I need into the car and launch myself tomorrow.

I will be absolutely delighted if you are able to catch one of my shows while I'm on the road. Here are the dates!

Thursday, September 29, 2011, 7:30 pm

Fables

Tatamagouche, NS

no cover

Come and join us for activist songs and songs of joy and heartbreak. I love Fables and the folks who hang out there. Looking forward to this show!

Monday, October 3, 9:30pm

Chick-Pickin' Mondays at Grumpy's in MONTREAL

1242 rue Bishop

I'm performing the opening spot at this infamous weekly gathering of women singer-songwriters. I can hardly wait!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 8pm

House Concert in OTTAWA

Please e-mail for more details: mail@alexsings.ca

Friday, October 7, 2011, 7:30 pm

House Concert in PETERBOROUGH

Please e-mail for more details: mail@alexsings.ca

Saturday, October 15, 2011, 8 pm

House Concert in TORONTO

52 Boustead (Roncesvalles + Dundas West)

Tickets: $12

Tickets available through Eventbrite. Seating is limited, so please buy your tickets early.

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

Tomorrow I perform at Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. For me, this is The Big Gig.

You see, I think of Folk Harbour as my home festival. I attended (as a member of the audience) for the first time in 1987. Yep, 24 years ago. I was 16, and the festival was just two years old.

I bet most of the other teenagers there had been dragged by their parents, kicking and screaming, but not me. Archie Fisher and Garnet Rogers were headlining and I could hardly wait to see them perform.

My friend Steve and I went together. I remember sitting under the mainstage tent being treated to the finest folk music imaginable - less than half an hour's drive from where each of us lived. What I remember most clearly is a feeling of enchantment – especially when Archie and Garnet played Witch of the Westmoreland, fulfilling my greatest hope for the evening.

There have been other Folk Harbour experiences since that one. After I moved away to Toronto, I tried to plan my summer visits to co-incide with the festival, and I've heard some great music on that mainstage, but my first night at Folk Harbour remains the most special.

On that night in 1987, I had absolutely no idea that I was going to become a singer-songwriter when I grew up. More than 20 years later, I released my first cd and one of the first places I sent it was to Folk Harbour's programming committee. Tomorrow, with the same stars in my eyes that were there when I was 16, I'll step up on that mainstage and sing my heart out.

I can hardly wait.

More details for those of you coming to the festival:
I'll be playing on three stages tomorrow (Friday, August 5):
1pm in St. John's Anglican church as part of a blues workshop with David Myles, Thom Swift and Harry Manx
4pm at the Bandstand - a half hour solo set
8:15 (approximately), I'll be on the mainstage for a tweener - just one song - between the 2nd and 3rd mainstage performers

Cool Down Without Powering Up

A couple of weeks ago, I received my first songwriting commission: to write a song encouraging people to stay cool without turning on their air conditioning. A tall order to fill, especially since the client, Hypenotic, was in Toronto and Toronto was in the midst a major heat wave!

Out here Nova Scotia's gloriously temperate South Shore, I took the four cool down techniques Hypenotic had given me and wrote them into a song. Then, I went to Kirk Comstock at Comstock Recording Studios and we recorded it.

Next, the folks at Hypenotic created an animated video to go with the song. Here's the finished product. I hope you enjoy it and use some of these methods to conserve energy during the summer heat.

Meet the Press

I woke up this morning to a bunch of nice messages from several people who'd just read an article about me in our local newspaper.

And, I've also heard some great feedback from folks who heard me interviewed on CKBW this past Sunday morning.

I just want to say how good it feels to be living in a community where people take the time to celebrate local people, their talents and accomplishments.

It's good to be back home.

Updates to Summer Shows

Hi Folks!

Just a quick update about the schedule for Folk Harbour. I'll have three appearances on Friday, August 5 (Changed from Saturday, August 6th). I've corrected my original Summer Shows post with all the details. Please update your schedules! Sorry for any inconvenience and thanks!

Alex

This one time, at band camp...

That line from American Pie has always made me laugh. I actually went to band camp once as a kid - the summer after Grade 8. My best friend and I went together and I remember that we had a giggly, silly week, just as one would expect from a couple of young-for-our-age 14-year-old sci-fi-obsessed band geeks. I don't remember anything that I learned that week about how to play the clarinet. I do remember an awkward, crushy bout of hand-holding with the son of my orthodontist (of all people). And that it didn't end well.

By the next summer, my best friend had moved away and instead of summer camp, I had a summer job. Twenty-six years later, I have two full-time jobs, but I somehow managed to finally make it back to music camp. This time, it was the Road to Stanfest Songwriters' Workshop in Sherbrooke Village. It takes place every year in the week leading up to Stanfest and I had heard about it for the first time three years ago from Susan Crowe while we were preparing for a benefit for the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia. This year, I heard about it again from my friend, Dolores Dagenais, when she announced she was going and urged me to come, too. And then I heard about it yet again, talking with Clary Croft after his show at the Desbrisay Museum this spring.

Susan and Clary are what you might call Resident Instructors at the camp and this year they were joined by Craig Werth, David Francey and James Keelaghan. I looked at this roster, and then at the enrolment fees and then at the roster and then at the enrolment fees and then at my bank balance and then at the roster and then I said, "What the hell," and called up to enrol, even though it was an unwise decision from a financial perspective. It was also a last-minute decision, a snap decision and without question the best decision I've made so far this year.

For a songwriter and musician, there can be little better than having four days almost entirely devoted to making music, with a group of people who passionately love singing, playing and writing songs. Add in that some of those people happened the be among the best singer-songwriters alive today, who brought hearts full of encouragement and kindness, and it was a recipe for a week that was fully-alive, delightful and jam-packed with opportunities to learn, to write and to celebrate.

I learned so much. I wrote new songs and re-wrote old ones. I learned a few tricks and practiced making them work. Each instructor brought different knowledge and experiences. Clary's sessions called on me to remember my roots and use the music I grew up with (traditional folk and Broadway) as object lessons in how to create strong songs. Susan underscored the importance of being meticulous with words, of working hard to make sure they're right. Susan and Craig both inspired me to work harder on my guitar-playing, to use instrumentation to enhance the impact of my songs. James' lessons revolutionized my understanding of song structure and gave me a whole new framework for how to write. He also set a high standard for professionalism in performance. David encouraged me to trust my intuition and my muse and reminded me of the importance of simplicity and clarity when creating lyrics and melodies. And Craig reinforced for me the importance of holding an open and lively heart and of writing and performing songs that have meaning—both personally and in broader contexts.

And those were just some of the formal lessons—there were also song circles every night when participants and instructors alike shone through their songs and after-hours jam sessions that were just plain fun. The energy raised up by people singing together is one of the great gifts of our human experience. And singing with people who understand that, people who love and live music, who love to sing, who love songs, well, that is an inspiration as well as a treat.

Those four days pretty much had it all: an interesting setting, kind and enthusiastic staff throughout Sherbrooke Village, amazing instructors, fun and interesting colleagues—and Dolores' wicked homemade wine. I'm looking forward to sharing the songs I wrote and re-wrote. You will hear some of them at the Growing Green Sustainability Festival this Saturday and more when I play at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival on Friday, August 5. (And, as soon as I have time I'll post some on my YouTube channel).

Summer Shows

About time I posted a list of my summer shows—a couple of wonderful ones have gone by un-blogged (gasp!)

Saturday, July 16, 2011 8-11pm

Pennybrook Folk at the West Dublin Hall

10 Huey Lake Road
West Dublin, NS

$10 at the door

I'll be the feature performer at this monthly Folk Club held on the 3rd Saturday of every month. There will be a few open mic spots, so bring your instruments and voices if you like.

Saturday, July 23, 2011 (on Market Stage at 10; festival runs from 8:30 to 12:30)

Growing Green - Bridgewater Sustainability Festival

On King Street, between Dominion and Empire

Bridgewater, NS

no cover

This free festival runs from celebrates efforts at improving the sustainability of Bridgewater and surrounding communities; come to have fun, learn and share your knowledge.

Friday, August 5

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

Lunenburg, NS

Three appearances; 1pm St John's Anglican Church (blues workshop with Thom Swift, Harry Manx and David Myles), 4pm Family Stage Bandstand, and a tweener on the main stage (exact time TBA).
Tickets available from www.folkharbour.com

Thursday, August 25, 7pm

Scuttlebutt Restaurant

139 Montague Street, Lunenburg, NS

great food; no cover

Guest blog post at That's Women's Work

That's Women's Work is hosting guest bloggers throughout the month June. I was delighted to kick it all off today with a post about how I'm transforming my relationship with the most difficult part of my job as an artist: Facing the Fear of Rejection.

Please check out my post and visit TWW's blog every day this month for 30 different women's perspectives on work, art and no doubt a whole lot more.

(That's Women's Work is a non-profit organization engaged in the process of founding a women-focused art space in Toronto's west end)

Spring Shows

I'm very excited about the shows that I'm booking for this spring and summer in Nova Scotia. Most are intimate, cozy venues – perfect for sharing songs about people, about ideas and all of the new songs I'm writing about rural living, down here by the sea.

A full list of the shows is kept updated on my CBC Radio 3 page.

Here are a few highlights:

May 12, 2011 – 7-9pm
Rose and Kettle Tea Room
For more info, visit the Rose & Kettle Concert Series web site.
Address:
Dartmouth Heritage Farm Museum
471 Poplar Dr
Dartmouth, NS B2W 4L2
(902) 462-0154

June 12, 2011 – time TBA
The Scuttlebutt Restaurant
139 Montague
Lunenburg, NS
Come for a yummy supper and intimate concert

June 25, 2011 - time TBA
The Chatterbox Café
Pugwash, NS
I'm planning a set with lots of activist material for this wonderful venue in the home town of the Pugwash Peace Exchange.

I'd love to see you at these shows and all word-of-mouth publicity will be greatly appreciated!

Music and Politics

It's Earth Day Eve, Canada is in the midst of yet another federal election campaign and I'm thinking about the role of songwriters in a democracy.

Last fall, I had the good fortune to hear Canadian singer-songwriter, Jon Brooks, perform at a music industry conference. At one point during his set, he said* that while he didn't feel it was his job to tell people how they should vote, he did feel that it was part of his job to tell people to vote. To me, that felt like a rare oasis of meaningfulness in the midst of a desert of three days of music people talking "business" (which apparently has something to do with making money – I'm not sure, I kept tuning out during those parts).

I'm also thinking of something Michael Franti said* at a concert several years ago in Toronto. He told a compelling story about a fan who asked him not to go perform at a prison because the people there (in particular, a man who had harmed a member of the fan's family) did not deserve to hear such wonderful music. Michael Franti said he thought long and hard about that request and came up with this response: I don't play my music to reward or punish anyone, I do it in the hope that they might feel something.

I believe that this is the role of songwriters in a democracy – to write songs and perform them with the intention of engaging people's hearts and minds: to present different points of view, to stir up questions and emotions like hope, outrage, curiosity, longing, pain and joy. I believe that the more we feel and the more we think about the issues facing us, the more likely we are to take action: at the polls, in our communities, in our hearts and in our daily lives.

So, for what it's worth, I urge you to vote – every chance you get. And if you're a songwriter, (or a photographer, an artist, a poet, a novelist, a blogger, a dancer, an actor, a playwright, a designer, a comedian), I urge you to use your creative gifts and put them out into the world in the hope that someone who experiences your work will feel something.

Inspiration is contagious. I caught it from Jon Brooks and Michael Franti**. I hope you'll catch it from me. And I'd love to know how many people you inspire.

Here's a song from me about voting and hope:



P.S. The title of this post is also the title of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy song, Music and Politics.

*I'm paraphrasing here. I hope I have accurately captured the meaning of what Jon Brooks and Michael Franti said; the main point, though, is that this is what I understood from what each of them said and it was deeply meaningful to me.
**And a whole bunch of other people who unfortunately don't fit into this brief blog post. I'll find opportunities to write about more of the people who inspire me – all in good time.

No Fracking Way

I've been spending some time lately working on the campaign to stop hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) in Nova Scotia.

Hydraulic Fracturing is a process for extracting natural gas embedded in shale rock. The process requires the use (and contamination) of mind-boggling quantities of water. The companies who do it don't want to disclose what chemicals they use. In places where fracking has been allowed on a large scale, it has turned rural landscapes into industrial landscapes.

It seems obvious to me that it's an all-round terrible idea – and we can put a stop to it if we take immediate action.

Anyway, enough talk. I wrote a song about it.



I'm using a Creative Commons license for this song, so you're welcome to repost, distribute and/or sing this song in any non-commercial context, in order to facilitate spreading the word about hydraulic fracturing. The lyrics are included on YouTube and I'd be happy to send you the chords, too. Just drop me a line via my website, facebook, twitter...

And, if you'd like to learn more about fracking, check out these resources put together by the Council of Canadians and the Ecology Action Centre.

Shows in the City-formerly-known-as-Home

Hi Folks,

I'm playing a couple of shows in Toronto next week while I'm here visiting. I'd love for you to come out to either or both of these:


Tuesday, March 22
C'est What? (Front & Church)
9pm start
I'm opening for my friends Tanya Philipovich and Lucas Stagg who are resident at C'est What? every Tuesday this month. Come to listen, stay to drink.
cover $5

Saturday, March 26
Wise Daughters Craft Market in the Junction
3079B Dundas Street West (entrance on Quebec Ave. just south of Dundas West)
7pm – 9pm
I'm honoured that this intimate acoustic "Not-in-a-House House Concert" is part of the International Women's Day/Week/Month celebrations at Wise Daughters. Please note, this is an alcohol-free event, and if you want to bring your kids, I will try not to swear–too much.
Seating is limited so please call 416.761.1555 to reserve a spot if you would like to attend this show.
cover $5

I won't be back in Toronto until October, so if you would like to hear me perform my songs live (and I have some new ones for you!), now's your chance.

Bringin' it back home!

I'm so excited about the gig I have coming up this Saturday, March 12, at the Fire Hall in Petite Riviere. It's Song Circle with a great line-up. Stellar singer-songwriter Ian Sherwood is hosting, with hilarious Jamie Junger, passionate Ria Mae and me completing the circle.

The show is part of the wonderful Little River Folk series, which participates in the Bringin' It Home program to present Nova Scotian artists. (I'm thrilled every time it hits me that I'm now a Nova Scotian musician!)

If you can come down to Petite on Saturday night at 8pm, I promise you a rare treat of a show. I'd love to see you there!

Late bloomer vs. perennial?

A couple of weeks ago, I turned forty.

No big deal, right? I'm not generally hung up on age and aging. Women in my family tend to live for a long time, and – knock wood – so will I. In truth, I don't feel like I'm even middle-aged, yet.

What I do feel like, though, is forty. I'm forty. And that definitely means something and is nudging me toward thinking about where I'm at and what it's all about.

I have been called a late bloomer.

I prefer to think of myself as a perennial.

The way I see it, I bloomed early, I bloom often and I just keep blooming.

The "late bloomer" label got stuck on me because my blossoms didn't last that long. As each one faded and dropped its petals, it was dismissed and forgotten, treated as if it had never existed. But just because they didn't last, doesn't mean I didn't flower as an academic whiz-kid, an academic burn-out, a celtic rock band frontwoman, a bored temp, an eco-friendly personal chef, an avid quilter, a closeted songwriter, an IT tech support representative and a Mac jockey. There were some great moments in each of those incarnations, but in a culture that pushes us to pick one thing and excel at it (or else!), I missed a lot of the moments, too focused on trying to coax each blossom out – desperately hoping it would be The One – and then wasted time grieving it after it faded and made way for the next flower.

Musically, I have already bloomed a number of times. I sang with bands in my late teens and early 20s and loved it. But I didn't have the emotional maturity to handle the ups and downs of life in a band. I tried performing solo in my mid-twenties, but I wasn't emotionally ready for that, either. In fact, I hated it. I hated being in the spotlight. (I wasn't too keen on being out of the spotlight, either, but being in the spotlight was definitely worse.)

So, I took some time (i.e., a decade) and worked at growing up. I found a mentor and a community of people to help and I worked hard at it. Through the years, it became clear that singing and songwriting are essential parts of me. A lot of other things I can take or leave, or change as necessity dictates, but music and my relationship with my muse are vital and non-negotiable.

I will always sing. I will always write songs. As long as I breathe.

That's certain.

But despite that certainty, many aspects of deciding to become a recording and performing artist in my late 30s are fraught with uncertainty. Why am I doing this? How do I fit in? What do I have to offer? What do I want? And, on the really bad days: Who the hell do I think I am?

Questioning every move can be a pain in the neck, but I'm grateful that I know how to ask those questions, rather than accepting the cookie-cutter definition of success that is tirelessly promoted by our society. I'm glad I know that that brand of success is not what I'm chasing. It wouldn't make me happy.

My relationship with the spotlight has changed. I no longer hate and fear performing. I no longer think that it's all about me. I love songs for their potential to connect us with each other, through laughter, rhythm, ideas, empathy and energy. I prefer not to sing for people, but to sing in their company. Intimate house concerts and community venues provide opportunities for people to engage in music all together, blurring the line between performer and audience to create a shared emotional experience.

At a big concert, with the stage brightly lit, the performers can't see who's there with them, and I think that often creates a gulf that perpetuates our society's hierarchical thinking and passivity. I believe that being at a live music performance should bear no resemblance to watching a movie or a show on TV. When I go to hear live music, I want to tap my toes, hoot and holler, smile, think, laugh, cry and feel transported by the energy in the room.

I want to feel energy rushing up my spine and making all the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

When I perform at a show, I want to feel that way, too. And I want everybody there to experience it with me. I want to feel like we can engage in a conversation through the songs and our responses to them. I love it when everyone at a show feels so present and comfortable together that we spontaneously chat between songs. I love it when everyone in the room can connect and collaborate in creating the show's energy.

In our culture, being present and making connections can be revolutionary. Whether as a performer or audience member, I want to come away from every live music performance feeling like I contributed in some small way to a revolution.

Are you with me?

I hate to gloat, but...

It's been a little while since I last posted. Just about two months, which is, I guess, the exact amount of time it takes to pack up 2 decades of life in Toronto and resettle out home in rural Nova Scotia.

Wow, is it ever some nice out here. (If you live here, you know what I mean. And if you don't, have you considered moving?)

I've settled in remarkably fast. In some ways, it's like I never left. My dialect and accent are coming right back. And the gentler pace of life suits me down to the ground. Years of rushing around in the city have given way to calm, quiet, easy days. I do a little work. I write some songs. I bring in wood for the stove. I go play cards with my grandmother. I shovel snow. I cook supper. I watch Republic of Doyle. I tweet. I go to bed and sleep like a rock.

For me, it feels like I'm undertaking a rehabilitation: detox from the pressured, go-go-go of city living. Don't get me wrong, I loved living in Toronto. I loved running around, doing a million things, seeing a million people. But I got worn out. And some of the harsher aspects of the city started to get to me. I didn't feel like I could continue to live there and still be the person I want to be or have the life I want for myself.

I chose to simplify. Living here, I can afford to work less, which means more time to be creative, more time to contribute to the greater good, more freedom, more breathing space.

No question, it was still a terrible wrench to leave. I miss a lot of people. I wish a bunch of my Toronto friends and family could have moved out here with me. And, I miss a few things, too. Mostly lunch specials. (Hey, Salad King! Hey, Ritz! Hey, Pho Linh!). But, what Nova Scotia's south shore lacks in diversity of restaurants, it more than makes up in friendly people and pristine forests and beaches. And when others tout the cultural advantages of living in Toronto, I have to smile. Don't they realize that I can go down to the Fire Hall and enjoy incredible, award-winning live music — for 20 bucks or less?

It seems I've landed in Paradise. It's good to be back home.