Hi!
I'm just about to pack up my bag and go home to my mum and dad's for the evening but thought I'd drop a line into the 'thai-ary' first. It's Christmas.. again! I know that time waits for nobody, but it's still hard to believe every time another Christmas drops by. I really enjoy yearly markers such as Christmas because I can't help reflect on everything that happened between each holiday.
Like I wrote in my last note, "Downtown Toronto", I'm still living off the highs of the trip. I was SO fortunate to be guided through the town by a few folks that know the secrets into the industry and musical hubs. There were so many amazing places I visited and people I met that it's really hard to relay it all. Attending the 27th Blues Women Revue, on behalf of CBC and my dear friend Richard Flohil, was incredible. I had goose-bumps standing under the hall's bright lights, waiting to receive my ticket from the outdoor ticket booth. I saw signatures and press clippings on the walls near the bar from Neil Young.. Joni Mitchell... Ray Charles.. Oscar Peterson.. The Band... all the heroes. Also, I also fell in love with the music store Remenyi. It houses soo many grand pianos!! I was itching really bad during my stay to play a beautiful piano so a friend of mine took me there.. and the funniest thing happened! I was sorta lazily playing an excerpt from a classical piece and then stopped playing to move onto something else - but then as soon as I stopped playing, I heard the next part of the piece (which is a crazy fast octave passage) coming from a different piano by some sort of mystery player. So I started laughing because I couldn't believe one of three people in the building not only knew what piece I was playing, but could immediately recall the next passage! So the two of us had this sort of 'duo-off' while we played the next part of the piece together! Hahaha! It blew my mind! Toronto eh?
Anyways, I didn't come onto my blog to keep rambling about the trip I took but I will give a HUMONGOUS thank you to Richard Flohil and Steve Frise. Your boys' hospitality, excitement about the city, royal treatment, TIME, and big hearts blew me away. You are both so incredibly sweet and really play a big part in my adoration for the town. I can't ever repay either of you for the memories I have and I'm sincerely touched by your generosity. Thank you so much.
As for December! - I flew home from TO on Dec. 1st and landed right into a crazy pile of Christmas shows and background gigs. A few local musicians and I (well mainly the amazing Justine Vandergrift) put together a live off the floor Christmas album which we released on Dec. 8th at The Artery in Edmonton. If you'd like to hear it, please feel free to stream it here: http://justinevandergrift.bandcamp.com/album/an-edmonton-christmas-live-off-the-floor
Due to how many Christmas events I played at this year, I wrote a Christmas song for the first time! Paul Bergeron and I played live on CBC's Turkey Drive show on Fri. Dec. 13th where the song was sung and broadcasted over their airwaves! I have a bootleg of the performance, so if you're reading this and would like to hear it, I'm emailing it to all of my mailing list fans - so feel free to sign up if you'd like it! :) (You can go to the homepage).
I'm gonna wrap this up right now because my mum told me she's got vegetarian curry soup waiting for me at home.. and I'd really like to get to that bowl! I'm unbelievably happy right now. 2013 has been nuts amazing. I'm so grateful to all the memories I made over the year and proud that I released my first official full-length record!!
Thank you all for stoppin' by the site. I truely wish you the most Merry Christmas you've ever had and I'll definitely write something early in the new year.
xxxxxoooo
Jenie
I'm just about to pack up my bag and go home to my mum and dad's for the evening but thought I'd drop a line into the 'thai-ary' first. It's Christmas.. again! I know that time waits for nobody, but it's still hard to believe every time another Christmas drops by. I really enjoy yearly markers such as Christmas because I can't help reflect on everything that happened between each holiday.
Like I wrote in my last note, "Downtown Toronto", I'm still living off the highs of the trip. I was SO fortunate to be guided through the town by a few folks that know the secrets into the industry and musical hubs. There were so many amazing places I visited and people I met that it's really hard to relay it all. Attending the 27th Blues Women Revue, on behalf of CBC and my dear friend Richard Flohil, was incredible. I had goose-bumps standing under the hall's bright lights, waiting to receive my ticket from the outdoor ticket booth. I saw signatures and press clippings on the walls near the bar from Neil Young.. Joni Mitchell... Ray Charles.. Oscar Peterson.. The Band... all the heroes. Also, I also fell in love with the music store Remenyi. It houses soo many grand pianos!! I was itching really bad during my stay to play a beautiful piano so a friend of mine took me there.. and the funniest thing happened! I was sorta lazily playing an excerpt from a classical piece and then stopped playing to move onto something else - but then as soon as I stopped playing, I heard the next part of the piece (which is a crazy fast octave passage) coming from a different piano by some sort of mystery player. So I started laughing because I couldn't believe one of three people in the building not only knew what piece I was playing, but could immediately recall the next passage! So the two of us had this sort of 'duo-off' while we played the next part of the piece together! Hahaha! It blew my mind! Toronto eh?
Anyways, I didn't come onto my blog to keep rambling about the trip I took but I will give a HUMONGOUS thank you to Richard Flohil and Steve Frise. Your boys' hospitality, excitement about the city, royal treatment, TIME, and big hearts blew me away. You are both so incredibly sweet and really play a big part in my adoration for the town. I can't ever repay either of you for the memories I have and I'm sincerely touched by your generosity. Thank you so much.
As for December! - I flew home from TO on Dec. 1st and landed right into a crazy pile of Christmas shows and background gigs. A few local musicians and I (well mainly the amazing Justine Vandergrift) put together a live off the floor Christmas album which we released on Dec. 8th at The Artery in Edmonton. If you'd like to hear it, please feel free to stream it here: http://justinevandergrift.bandcamp.com/album/an-edmonton-christmas-live-off-the-floor
Due to how many Christmas events I played at this year, I wrote a Christmas song for the first time! Paul Bergeron and I played live on CBC's Turkey Drive show on Fri. Dec. 13th where the song was sung and broadcasted over their airwaves! I have a bootleg of the performance, so if you're reading this and would like to hear it, I'm emailing it to all of my mailing list fans - so feel free to sign up if you'd like it! :) (You can go to the homepage).
I'm gonna wrap this up right now because my mum told me she's got vegetarian curry soup waiting for me at home.. and I'd really like to get to that bowl! I'm unbelievably happy right now. 2013 has been nuts amazing. I'm so grateful to all the memories I made over the year and proud that I released my first official full-length record!!
Thank you all for stoppin' by the site. I truely wish you the most Merry Christmas you've ever had and I'll definitely write something early in the new year.
xxxxxoooo
Jenie