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April's Diary July 12, 2005
Lots of excitement around the Verch camp as usual -and that's not counting the 20 inch pike I caught in the Rankin fishing tournament last weekend! As you might have read on my news page, I've signed a new management deal with Ed Kenney (McDermott Enteraintment). I'm totally excited about Ed, his abilities, ideas and everything we are going to accomplish together. Some great showcase opportunities coming up as well which mean a lot to me, and more tours on the horizon. And yes...the new CD! We delayed the release a couple of more months due to the team changes/additions and our intent to have absolutely everything in place before we put our new project out there. Of course I'm anxious for you all to hear it, but I feel that this is the right decision AND I still love the new project, even though it's been a few months since we recorded it... I don't know about others, but for me that is rare, in fact a first! So I hope you will all love it as well. We anticipate a release date being set within the next couple of months, so stay tuned, I promise to keep you posted and thanks for hanging in there with me! I will say so long for now and thank you again for tuning into my site. Have a safe and sunny summer and talk to you later! March 9, 2005 Hardly time enough to breathe these days it seems, but all is well and it's great to be busy, so no complaints here! Folk Alliance was wonderful, and so was the tour we did immediately after it, although it has caused me to be a little slow in my follow-up of all the great folks I met in Montreal :) We got home Sunday night and are cramming to get everything ready for SXSW now - I can hardly wait for it! I had a great visit with my team at Rounder Records last week when we passed through Boston, and I spent a day in the studio with Ken Irwin and Toby Mountain, mastering the new CD. What a thrill! Those guys are amazing and everything is sounding wonderful. All is on track, and that's a great feeling. Well my to-do list is looming and time is short, so I'll say good bye for now. Spring is around the corner (and so is my birthday now that I think of it!) so if you're in a snow covered land like me, hang in and enjoy the last of it! February 19 , 2005 Happy very belated New Year folks! I am so ashamed to have taken this long to drop you all a note. A friend of mine remeinded me last weekend that I hadn't made an entry on my website diary in months. I knew this, it has been on my list of things to do, but it got buried there amongst so many pressing issues, and blah, blah, blah. Enough excuses! How are you doing? I am doing very well. The last few months have been a bit of a blur, but in a good way. The new recording went so very well and was such a tremendous life experience. That's what it's all about...and sometimes I lose sight of that for a while and then I get snapped back into place, and recording with Dirk Powell and all of the talented musicians in his neck of the woods (not to mention great people) reminded me what good music making is all about. There are some new pictures of the recording and photo shoot on my pictures pages and we should soon have some music samples for the site as well. The recording is currently in the mastering stages. I can't wait for you all to hear it... It's scheduled for a June 2005 release. Christmas and New Years were snuggled in between recording and mixing and although I had the actual celebration days "off" I missed most of the lead up to both, so they seemed to pass by way too quickly. No regrets or complaints though, maybe I'll take extra time when they come around this year :) We've been touring quite a bit already this new year and are working hard on some showcase opportunities we have coming up in the next few months, as well as booking shows for the summer and fall and putting the finishing touches on plans for and around the new release. It's 24/7 around April Verch Music, on the road and off and I am determined to give it all I've got, and them some! Marc is doing great and continues to be my rock. He is the definition of devotion and love. And on that note, since I missed writing then as well ;) Happy belated Valentine's Day to all of you! Thanks for checking in and please do so again soon! November 16 , 2004 Hi there! I hope this finds you all well. We are mid way through our current tour and all is well. It's been a strange tour in terms of routing...lots of driving...but it's going well and despite long hours in the van we are all still getting along and having a good time :) We've had good crowds and lots of great comments about the new tune book which has been nice. And I've even managed to squeeze in a little bit of Christmas shopping along the way. I won't have a whole lot of time for that sort of thing later since I will be recording into the beginning of December. Things are falling into place for the recording and I'm really looking forward to getting into the studio and having a chance to make the music Dirk and I have been talking about for so long now :) That's right, I'll be recording at Dirk Powell's studio in Louisiana, and he is producing the recording as well. Pretty amazing eh? Chris, Jon and Marc all say hi. Chris has been busy with his Sirius radio show - he's an on the road recording machine :) Jon is writing articles and making sure our schedule allows for him to watch the Gilmore Girls (his favourite show) each week. Marc is driving all the way, road managing and keeping us all up to date with the news and political happenings of the day (John Stewart is a personal pick for the band). And they're all putting up with me - the biggest task of all :) Talk to you later! October 15, 2004 Wow. If you are a music fan, especially a bluegrass music fan you need to attend IBMA's "World Of Bluegrass". It's an event that happens once a year in October and I attended last week for the first time in my life and it was unbelievable. The week is split up into 2 parts, the first being an industry conference (which was extremely beneficial for me with seminars, showcases and networking opportunities) and the second being a "fan fest" where the top bluegrass artists of our day and the new exciting emerging bluegrass artists perform. I not only heard people who I look up to play right in front of me, but also had a chance to be inspired by new faces and talent I hadn't heard of before. It was a week of long hours, little (or no!) sleep, tonnes of music, and great people, and I would highly recommend it! I've been home for almost a week, and I'm almost caught up on sleep, mail, bills, contracts etc. I've been working extra to clear my plate so that I can dedicate the next 2 weeks to pre-production for my new CD. Our November tour is quite extensive and it looks like we should be recording right after it, so I'm feeling the pressure...and I admit it...loving every bit. I'm really excited about my new project. It's getting cold here at home and the leaves are changing colour and are amazing. Just walking or driving down the road is a thing of beauty this time of year. There's something in the air that's crisp and fresh this time of year that gets me going and gives me new hope. A good time to be tackling the big projects that lay before me. I hope you'll find the same! September 13, 2004 Howdy! We are in Ohio tonight, on our way to our engagements in Michigan. The tour is going well so far, although every highway we've needed to travel so far has been under construction ;) We played at Godfrey Daniel's on Saturday night which was a real thrill. We've been wanting to play there for years - knowing the great reputation and history of the venue. We were not disappointed! Thanks to everyone there (sound, volunteers, managers and audience) for making it such a special night. Last night we played at the Sellersville Theatre, a special event for the members of the theatre. Man, do they know how to throw a party! We enjoyed playing there last year, a regular concert, and everyone treated us so well that we couldn't wait to return...and we're glad we didn't have to wait long. Now we're hoping we'll have an opportunity to return again in the future. Tomorrow we have to drive right by Cabella's in MI and Marc has been researching online for a week now so he knows exactly what he's looking for when we get there. Should be fun! I think I might get a frog lure for bass fishing since I caught 3 bass last week fishing with Dad at home and the frogs seemed to work the best :) Catch you later... September 4 , 2004 Hi everybody! I am writing today from New Jersey, between our sets at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. I love bluegrass festivals and fans! And what a line-up of aritsts at this event, it has been so great to hear and see everyone, and an honour to be among them. It's also been great to perform again after a couple of weeks off! I hope you all have a wonderful labour day weekend. This is always the weekend of the Pembroke Old Time Fiddling and Stepdancing Championships, and as much fun as I'm having in New Jersey, I was sorry to miss it. But Marc and I are driving home (about 10 hours) through the night tonight to be home for "fiddle park" tomorrow. It's the only event each year (since I started touring full time) where we get to see a lot of our friends from my years growing up in the "contest scene" and it's a great time! Our fall tours begin next weekend, and my tune book is heading to the printers shortly. We are still preparing for the new CD and for our showcases at IBMA. Lots of exciting things this fall...so stay tuned to the website, and take care until next time :) August 8, 2004 Hello! We're driving home from Toronto right now. Marc and I just dropped off Hans and Kyle at the airport... We played at the Canadian Open Fiddle Championships last night in Shelburne, Ontario. It was so much fun! I haven't been to a fiddle contest in ages...well, since we started touring professionally full time I guess. And to see and hear everyone was such a treat. So many new young players as well, who are so talented! We played several times throughout the evening for about 10 minutes at a time, which was a different format for us, but the audience seemed to like it. And afterwards there was a huge jam upstairs in the arena - just like old times. I was glad to have a chance to play some of the tunes I had forgotten about, or others that I love but never get an opportunity to play in a jam setting. Congrats to all of the contestants, winners, judges, and the committee! It was an outstanding event and I was so honoured to be a part of it. Three weeks at home now to prepare for the fall showcases, new recording etc. and hopefully get some fishing in too! Talk to you all later! August 4, 2004 The beginning of August...already! Where does the time go? Where does the summer go? I sure hope you are all having a good one. I have been enjoying a productive summer, although I have to admit that I'm not great with high temperatures and high humidity. Both of which I've had my fill lately! Especially in terms of outdoor concerts where dancing seems like lifting heavy weights instead of just my dancing shoes :) But I've made it through and am maybe even a bit better in shape because of it! Let me fill you in on the highlights of my summer since my last entry. We've been many places and have had a lot of fun. The Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp near Nashville, TN in June was unbelievable as usual. It's always amazing, but I have to say that this year was an exceptional one. The level of playing and the commeraderie made it that way for me. To hear Mark and all of the other wonderful teachers play live is always humbling and amazing for me...just can't enough of that. Very inspiring. There are a few snapshots to check out in the "Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp 2004 Photo Gallery". The other highlight would be my debut performances in Finland. Marc, Kyle and Hans and I made the long journey - and I mean long due to many flight connections following a concert in Solon Springs, WI with no rest in between...and then playing as soon as we arrived in Finland! We were treated like royalty by the staff and volunteers at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. The crowds were a bit more reserved than we are used to, but once you get to know them and discover that that is simply their nature, it is quite nice. The people were so supportive, kind and polite. This year, the festival was featuring Canada artists and highlighting Canada, so we met up with other artists from home, some with whom we were old friends, and some whom we had never met but are friends with now. All of the artists were wonderful. We made many friends with the local artists as well. My favourite Finnish musicians, "JPP" were there and getting to hear them play live again and even share some tunes with them was just great! I sure hope we get to tour in Europe and in Scandanavia a bunch more. I would also like to thank, once again, the Canada Council for the Arts for their support in making our appearance at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival possible. Some of our favourite memories are captured in the "Kaustinen Folk Music Festival 2004 Photo Gallery". We are currently traveling from our concerts at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival (VT) and the Longwood Gardens (PA) back to Ontario for our concert in Shelburne, Ontario. I have a lot on my plate right now for the drives and hotel time. I am working on getting my book of original compositions finished up for publishing, as well as working on the new recording. We are also preparing for showcases at the IBMA and Folk Alliance conferences, where we're hoping to create a bit of a buzz :) And of course, there's the regular business stuff like press and trying to get more gigs! But all is well and I'm up for the challenges. Tomorrow is Marc's birthday, so hopefully we'll have a nice dinner somewhere in Toronto to celebrate! I'll say goodbye once more, and thanks for checking out my website - whether you are a new fan or a regular supporter, it is always greatly appreciated! Take care... June 19, 2004 Happy Father's Day! I just realized when I started to write this note that the last time I made an entry it was Mother's Day... Kind of strange... In any case,I hope all of the Father's out there get spoiled rotten and enjoy the much deserved attention :) I got my Dad a couple of great bluegrass DVD's that my husband Marc will be home to watch with him. I am writing this time from Nashville. I've been here for a few days meeting with agents, producers, publishers and songwriters in preparation for my next recording. It's been overwhelming, exciting and stressful all at once, but I've been fortunate to have good friends to help me along the way. Only a couple of days until Mark O'Connor's fiddle camp! I can't wait! I will take some pictures this year, I promise, and get them on the website for you all to see. It's a wonderful experience every year, and I am so honoured to be a part of it. Speaking of great fiddle camps and pictures... Marc and I were fortunate to be included in the Montana State Fiddle Camp again this year. It's held in Monarch, MT and we had a fabulous time. There was a lot of rain but it didn't keep anyone's spirits down for long... Too much great music and fun to get depressed! Visit the "Montana State Fiddle Camp 2004 Photo Gallery" to see some of our snapshots from the week, which went by entirely too quickly for our liking. A special "hello" to all of our friends and colleagues who were at camp this year for making it such a special time! That's all for now - safe and sunny summer wishes to you all! May 9 , 2004 Happy Mother's Day to all of the mother's out there! We're driving today but our cell phone service was great, so all of us (Marc, Jon, Chris J and I) were able to reach our mother's and chat for a few minutes. It's not the same as being there with them, but we're pretty lucky to travel in an age when it's easy to stay in touch like that. We are currently touring in the Portland/Seattle area for a few days with Jon Weisberger and Chris Jones. Last night we performed in Salem, OR with Jon and Keith Little. It was the first time I'd played with (or even met!) Keith. He did a fantastic job and I hope it was the first gig of many we will do together... A great guy as well. Marc and I are freshly home from the Shetland Folk Festival in Scotland. In fact we were home for about 12 hours between that trip and this current one. But the jet lag and exhaustian we feel now was well worth it. We had the time of our lives in the Shetlands. Everything about that festival was wonderful... The music, the scenery, the locals, the volunteers and the other artists... I'm speechless really. Pictures or words really can't do it justice. I am so thankful that we had the opportunity and I hope we'll get to go back some day. If you ever have the chance to take in that festival, you have to go! That's all I can say :) I've put some of favourite pictures from our time in the Shetlands in the "Shetland Folk Festival Photo Gallery". Check them out if you like, and talk to you again soon.
April 4 , 2004 Hello. It's raining again! This tour of New England has been a rainy one, that's for sure. If it warms up soon, things should be nice and green! We've had a busy few days since our days off in NYC (which were great - we went to see David Letterman being taped, visited Central Park, Macy's and the Hershey Plant in Time Square just to name a few of the highlights...) The last few days have been pretty gruelling to be honest, loads of driving, little sleep and a performance every day. We've had great crowds to keep us going though and we have one more show to go, this afternoon in Framingham, MA. Then we're going to have a nice meal and a visit with some friends before traveling home tomorrow. I did get a brief visit in with my sister and my 4 month old nephew while we were in Norwich, NY. They made the trip to Norwich for the day so we could visit, and I was so glad they did. I knew that babies grow up fast, but it really is remarkable how much the little gapher has changed since we seen him just over a month ago. He is the cutest thing ever! I'm to be working on a lot of things while we're on the road, but I've spent most of my time in the van sleeping instead of working the past few days, so I'm going to let you go for now, and get some work done. Thanks to all of you who have made it to our shows in New England - I know a lot of you drove a long way to see us, and your support means so much to me, so thanks! Talk to you later folks - take care! PS: only 3 more days until my birthday! :) March 29, 2004 Hi there... It's a beautiful, sunny day and we're driving to NYC today. We started our "north eastern US" tour a couple of days ago. First we played at "Capos" in Lowell, MA. It was our second time performing there and it's a great venue. Intimate seating, great sound, a cool staff...just a real pleasure. And last night we played in Wolfeboro, NH for the "Wolfeboro Folk Concert Series". It was a packed house and a great time. Two Canadian guys who live there now put the concert series on and really treated us like gold. The other neat thing was that our concert was at the Wolfeboro Inn where we were staying, so all we had to do was walk downstairs to play, and then hop back up to our room. Now that's convenience! So, two days off now and where better to spend them than in NYC! Marc and I are hoping to get tickets to the "late show"...and just look around the city a bit. We have five shows in a row after this so we'll have to get a bit of rest as well :) Hans and Kyle are with us on this tour and they have friends in NYC so they're looking forward to spending some time with them. Talk to you later. March 17 , 2004 Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I'm here at fiddle camp in Hope, BC and there's lots of fiddlers running around in green today! I am having a fantastic time here at the Pacific Fiddle College, although I can't help thinking of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations back home in the Ottawa Valley - especially in Douglas! I am teaching a group of middle-aged fiddlers this week who are intense learners and a load of fun! It's been just a great week so far and going far too quickly! Calvin Volrath, Patti Lamoureux, Mike Sanyshyn, Keith Wilson and Trent Bruner are also teaching old time fiddle here and hearing them perform has been a real thrill for me. Each of these musicians has had a huge influence on my playing and on me as a person - especially Calvin. In fact I'm not sure what Canadian fiddle music would be like in Canada right now if it weren't for him - he's not only an amazing player but his contribution to the art of Canadian fiddling is uncomparable. I've also had a chance to re-connect with old friends and sleep in the same bed each night... Things couldn't be better out here in the mountains! Unless Marc were here too :) March 10 , 2004 So to follow up on my last entry... We made it home safe and sound on our drive through the night. Only one fish though - and no prize for it. The weather was beautiful though and a great time was had by all :) We had a busy week at home and we are back on the road now. Today we are driving from Ocala, FL to Atlanta, GA. We all flew in on Monday and performed last night in Ocala. We are touring with Hans Holzen on guitar and Kyle Kegerreis on bass once again. It's been six months since we seen each other or played together, so it's been fun - catching up on life and on music too :) I head from Atlanta to Hope, BC on Friday to teach at the Pacific Fiddle College once again and I can't wait! Talk to you from there... February 26, 2004 Greetings from Annapolis, MD! Tonight we will perform our second last concert of this tour. It's gone quite quickly. Actually, 2 weeks is a great length of time to tour. It just fits... We've had a lot of fun on this tour, getting to know Jon and Chris a bit better, developing tonnes of inside band jokes...it's just been a real pleasure to tour with them! Tomorrow night we play the Minstrel Coffeehouse in NJ, and then Marc and I will be driving home to Pembroke through the night. Why you ask? Well there's an ice fishing tournament in our township on Saturday that Marc really wants to enter. So enter he will...on no sleep mind you...but I don't think that should hurt his ice fishing skills too much! He's all outfitted from his visit to "Cabella's" in Michigan at the beginning of this tour so I know he's anxious to try out his new tip-ups and lures :) I have to admit, I'll probably be a bit more anxious to try out my pillow by the time we get home, but then I'll join him on the ice a bit later. So I probably won't write again for a bit... Have a great weekend everyone. Cheers! February 24, 2004 Boy oh boy, we're hooked up today! We haven't been able to work on our laptops much on the last few drives, we thought our power converter was broken and we were relying on laptop batteries only, which gives us about three hours at best. As it turns out, it was a blown fuse in our rental van, and the handy boys in the band replaced it this morning - so we're all powered up and ready for our long drive from Ohio to Delaware today. We've been on the road for about fifteen minutes now and I'm already writing to you, we've got Jon's IPod hooked up to my computer and we're listening to tunes...it's like we're making up for lost time! Little techno geeks we're not, really, but you'd never know it to see us today. Last night we performed at the Memorial Theater in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. A lovely historical theatre with a friendly crowd and a great staff. After the show we went out for a few minutes to visit with friends, then we went to Friendly's for ice cream and to Taco Bell for take-out. What? We were hungry! It was a great evening. However... We did miss our band viewing of "Average Joe". We caught the re-cap on the news this morning, and it looks like we missed a good one. We'll be playing on Wednesday night as well, which is usually when we catch it if we miss it on Monday. Oh well, I know we'd all take music over TV any day! And thank goodness there are others out there that do as well! Later... February 22, 2004 Hey there! We're a few days into our current tour, and it's a busy one. I haven't had a chance to report up until now, but it's been pretty exciting. First of all, I have to say what an honour it is to be touring with Marc, Jon and Chris. They're doing a great job and are a lot of fun to travel with...so things are working out well. Before our first gig I had the pleasure of working with a talented group of young fiddlers in Saline, MI, namely "Fiddlers Restrung". They are extremely eager and great musicians as well, so it was a lot of fun to share some time and tunes with them. And on Friday night we performed our first gig of the tour...at The Ark in Ann Arbor, MI! Let me tell you, I've been envious of people who live around Ann Arbor for some time, because I used to be on the mailing list for the Ark and get their monthly calendar...and they have such fantastic music pass through there on a regular basis! So I've been wanted to perform there for years. And I was not disappointed. The space is intimate and has a great atmosphere, and we enjoyed the crowd who came out to hear us play as well as the staff. Sitting in the dressing room we had a great time reading the walls of autographs and quotes from performers who have passed through - pretty great pre-show entertainment! From Ann Arbor we traveled to Lansing to play for the "Ten Pound
Fiddle Coffeehouse", which also a treat. We had a fantastic
turnout of enthusiastic music fans, and they left us with a great
feeling! Last night we performed for the community concerts
association in Arlington Heights, IL and this afternoon in Bedford,
IN.
We have concerts every night this week except for Tuesday so we'll
be keeping busy and doing a fair amount of driving. I am making
use of our time in the van by doing some research and listening, etc.
for my next CD.
I'm pretty excited at the moment, since we're currently driving
from Bedford to Mt. Vernon, OH and we're supposed to be passing by
a Tim Horton's in Columbus on our way! I'm hoping it will still
be open and that they have the cafe mocha available! In any
case, all is well and my laptop battery is almost dead, and our power
converter for the van gave up the ghost about ten minutes ago...so
I'm off for now. Take care everyone, and all the best!
February 17, 2004 G'day there! I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day... I had a chance to volunteer at the Rankin Winter Carnival and perform at two benefits for locals causes around home over the Valentine's weekend. It was a bunch of fun, though quite busy. We are in Michigan now, about to kick off another tour. This one is about two weeks long and takes us to Illinois, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey as well. Marc and I drove here from home yesterday. Jon and Chris fly into today and we're going to rehearse for a bit before starting things out. Anyway, I just wanted to touch base and say "hi"... We'll talk to you again later :) February 7 , 2004 It's Saturday and we're at home! It feels a little strange, but nice, and to make it even more special my sister Tawnya and her husband Kevin are visiting with my new nephew Liam. Tomorrow he will be baptized and I going to be his Godmother. So we are all looking forward to his special day tomorrow. We enjoyed our tour of Ontario, which ended with a concert at Hugh's Room in Toronto last Sunday. Despite the competition from the Super Bowl and the Survivor Premier, we had a nice crowd and a great time. The staff at Hugh's was second to none and made us feel at home and worthy of playing the prestigious music room. What a treat. We are getting our work permits, contracts, plane tickets, etc. in order for the next couple of tours and will leave about a week from tomorrow for the next run of gigs which takes us back to the US. We will be touring with Jon Weisberger on bass again for our February tour, and with Chris Jones on guitar for the first time. So we're looking forward to that. Hopefully we'll catch up with you somewhere along the way. Take care! January 30, 2004 On the road again... As I write this we are driving from Chatham to Brampton. Our concert in Chatham last night went well, and our hotel there had a great gym so I got a good workout in this morning (although I'm getting pretty tired and it's getting harder and harder to make it out of bed in time to get all that in before departure!) Tonight we play in Brampton and I'm really looking forward to it... A blast from the past last night... We've been seeing a lot of posters for Tommy Hunter's tour (Canada's Country Gentleman) at the theatres we've been playing in on this tour, and last night in Chatham the poster said he'll be playing there tonight! So we just missed each other. I can remember playing in Tommy's band (yes, I was one of the "Travelin' Men"!) on Tommy's tour in 1999 and thinking how amazing it would be to play in some of those places with my own band... I could barely imagine it back then! But things have come a long way, and it's a dream come true. I sure gained some invaluable experiece on that tour with Tommy and will always be thankful for that. I was no Al Cherney, that's for sure, but I had a lot of fun! January 29, 2004 Well, we're back on the road after our couple of days off. We got a lot of catching up done on our days at home which feels great. Last night we performed in Markham at a really neat event they called a "blind date", where the audience bought a ticket to see three different acts, but they had no idea who they were until we walked on stage. The audience gave us a great response and I think we made some new fans, and we had a great time. It was also a pleasure to hear Jennifer Valentine and Denzel Sinclaire and their groups perform - fantastic music. Today we drive to Chatham, and we're hoping the snow storms stay under control. It has gotten a quite a bit warmer...who ever thought we'd call minus 12 tropical :) But it does feel nice. Take care... January 26, 2004 Thanks so much to all of you who watched our performance on "Canada AM" this morning, and for your kind words. We all tuned in together this morning in our PJ's :) And we're glad you did as well. Have a great day! January 25, 2004 Hey there! Well we just finished an afternoon concert in Kirkland Lake and we're headed back to Pembroke. We have two nights off, and since we're headed south again we're able to go home for two nights :) Jon and Chris haven't been into the city of Pembroke yet, only to our house out in the boonies, so we're going to take them on a grand tour. I would imagine we'll also do laundry, catch up on paper work and bills, and we're also planning an "Average Joe" party...something of a band tradition when we're not playing that night! We've had a busy few days since I last wrote. We performed in Marathon, Chapleau, Cobalt (and of course Kirkland Lake) since our concert in Fort Frances. Everything has been going well. We've encountered a lot of interesting places and people. A special hello to "plywood man" and "spoon lady" from the band... We've also driven on more snow and ice than previously imaginable. We've been teasing Marc tonight that he must be uncomfortable driving on the pavement...since he hasn't seen any in about a week. Oh...the other good news about going back to Pembroke for a day or two is that we might be able to trade in the rental van for one that has rear heat!!!! This is a major bonus for Chris and I, the "back seaters". Well that's all for now folks. We'll write again soon. Until then, best wishes and have a great week! January 20, 2004 Today we drove from Dryden, ON to Fort Frances, ON after a nice lunch at Tim Horton's. I don't think Chris and Jon will ever be as fanatic about ol' Tims as Marc and I, but never the less, it's kind of growing on them :) We have a late sound check today so we haven't been to the venue just yet - we'll be at the venue until show time once we get there. I spent the drive and the last hour at the hotel catching up on emails and such... The business end of the music business. It's all good. We have a day off tomorrow. I think it will be spent in Marathon since that's where we play on Thursday. Hopefully we'll be able to tune into "Connie Kaldor @ Wood River Hall" if the hotel gets vision... If not, you guys watch it and let us know how it was :) Starting to work on some exciting ideas for my next recording...it'll be nice to have some time tomorrow to focus on that a little more. We might work up some new songs as well. That's all for now. Best wishes! January 19, 2004 Well our fingers are still in motion, although I have doubts that my feet will ever warm up again :) It's been about minus 30 with the wind chill for what seems like weeks, and our wonderful rental van (which keeps starting in this cold - so I shouldn't complain) has no heat in the back. So the drives are pretty cold, and Chris and I are settled back there, so we're having a bit of a hard time. It doesn't help that my boots are terrible, you'd think a Canadian girl would know enough to buy some decent winter boots and not try to save money, eh? But life goes on, and boy will we appreciate the warm weather and rental vans with heat when those things come along again! Last night we played in Atikokan, ON to a wonderful crowd of friendly people. We enjoyed our stay in Atikokan, a small northern Ontario township with lots of snow and beautiful scenery. Today we made the short drive from Atikokan to Dryden, where we play in about an hour and a half. We took a picture last night that is posted on the picture page...we hope to get a few more up there soon. Thanks to all of you who heard us on "Fresh Air" on CBC yesterday for your kind words and emails, we sure appreciate hearing your comments! Stay warm everyone :) January 16, 2004
Our first week has been a busy one with press and promotion as well. There's been a pile of interviews for radio and print that have been a lot of fun and I sure appreciate that support. We also taped a couple of tunes for Canada AM that will appear on Monday and did an interview at CBC Radio One in Toronto for "Fresh Air" that will be aired on Sunday morning (see news page for details). Jon, Chris and Marc are doing a fabulous job, not only on stage but with all the radio/TV appearances and the traveling. Today we drove from North Bay to Thunder Bay...which ended in a snow storm and took us about 13 hours. And we're all still smiling and speaking to each other :) That counts for something right there! Speaking of still getting along, I think we're going to have a band viewing of "Spinal Tap" tonight, so I'll say goodbye for now. Talk to you later. December 28, 2003
I did want to take a moment to post a "happy new year" message to all of you. I sincerely wish that 2004 brings us peace and happiness. Thanks to those of you have bought my CDs, attended my concerts, and offered support in 2003, it means more to me than words can say. Take care and be safe. November 26, 2003 I'm back in Canada...in Saskatchewan actually. I sure enjoy touring in different parts of the world, but the old saying "there's no place like home" sure is true, and I'm glad to be back for a bit. I am in Saskatoon for a few days, a stop over on our way home, to visit with family and friends before the holidays, since we will spend Christmas with my side of the family (most of my Marc's is in Saskatchewan) this year. It won't be a long enough visit, but better than none. We had an 18 hour drive to get here from our last show in Nebraska and Marc and I did it in one straight shot, taking turns driving through the night after the show, and although we had some bad weather, road conditions and saw more wild life than was comfortable, we made it safe and sound, thank God. Our final concerts of the tour, in Kansas and in Nebraska went well...we were a tight band after seven weeks, that's for sure, and it was a lot of fun. We dropped Chris and Irl off at the airport in Grand Island before our long trek home and we found out this morning that their flights found them home safe as well, and we look forward to working with them again soon in the near future. It was a pleasure and an honour to have them in the band, they are amazing musicians and good folks. We are having "early Christmas" in Saskatoon on Friday night, so I am heading out to do some more Christmas shopping. Lots of fun. I am in the holiday spirit now for sure! I will try not to buy myself any presents yet though... I guess I'll find out how much self control I have :) I can't wait to see everyone we haven't seen since March! A thank you to everyone for their support on our fall tour. It was a long run, but very rewarding and we feel very blessed for the experiences and opportunties it provided. Talk to you all later... November 21, 2003 Well, we are back in Kansas, and for some reason I feel pretty "at home" here. I find the landscape to be a combination of the Ottawa Valley and Saskatchewan, both places I love, and so it's comfortable for me. And so are the small communities that we have visited. I have had the extreme pleasure of working in 4 schools over the past 3 days, performing with the band and then doing workshops, masterclasses, etc. with music students in particular afterwards. It's been a rewarding experience and a memory jogger for me... I realize now how long it's been since I was a student in public school and what it was like. It's been a pleasure to bring some of my tradition and culture to these students and to learn about theirs as well in many cases. Miner Seymour was the master mind behind this project. He lives in Moundridge, KS and took it upon himself to apply for a grant to bring artists to the local schools in his area, and he did a great job of coordinating it. He and his wife are wonderful people who have now become our friends, and so it is great to visit with them as well as the tour wraps up. Valletta cooked us a beautiful home cooked meal last night, which couldn't have tasted better and reminded us of home... Only three more shows on this tour. We will enjoy each one and also look forward to our own bed shortly! November 18, 2003 See, I told you it would be more frequent! Three days in a row, that's a record so far :) Today we are driving from Paris to Moundridge, Kansas. Not too long of a drive, although nothing seems as long these days, since the 22 hour drive we had to complete in one straight shot a couple of weeks ago. There are still weather warnings out, and Tulsa was getting hail the size of baseballs right before we drove through there, but the drive was safe and uneventful which is always a blessing. Tonight I plan to catch up on some work and some sleep since the next three days will be busy with workshops and performances in Kansas schools. And if I have time, I'm hoping to watch "Spinal Tap" which I haven't watched in years, but just got the DVD for :) November 17, 2003 "Hi, y'all", as they say around here, in Paris, Texas. This was our fourth show in Texas on this tour, and it went quite well, despite the smaller crowd. Yes, it was an interesting feeling this morning when we woke up, turned on the TV to watch "Regis & Kelly" and saw something flashing across the screen, which under closer inspection read..."Tornado Warning". That's not something I had ever experienced before and, quite frankly, didn't mind not experiencing. In any case, all is well. We kept an eye on the weather, but other than some storms during the afternoon and evening, things were okay, and although some people that held tickets to our show decided to stay in doors (and I don't blame them!) we were thankful that others braved the bad weather to come and share our music. I called home after the show because the news on TV at the hotel was showing flooding, etc. in Houston and I thought maybe my parents had seen that and wondered if we were okay, but I guess they hadn't shown it on the news at home yet, so nobody was worried which is good, and we had a nice chat. I haven't seen Mom and Dad since the end of August, but all seems well and I'll see them again soon, along with the rest of my family, which I'm looking forward to very much! Goodnight, y'all! November 16, 2003 Okay, so, here's the deal. I'm not going to make any excuses for not writing here for so long, but I have great news. I have a new program on my handy dandy new laptop that will allow me to write on this diary page without emailing it to Brian, my web designer/manager, and bothering him to put it up on the website, etc. So I will be writing more frequently from now on, especially when we're on tour. Which we have been at this point for the past six weeks! We have one more week left on this seven week run, so the end is in sight. It's been a long tour with not many days off, but it's been a great experience. It's taken me to a lot of parts of the US that I hadn't been to before and we've driven the whole thing, so we've seen a lot of land and have got a good feel for all of the different regions. All of our concerts have gone quite well, and I'm enjoying playing with the new band... It took us a while to feel each other out musically and get into a groove, but after six weeks and many shows, we feel great and sound like we've been playing together for years...it's pretty tight! And that's a nice feeling. A brief update from June until now :) Due to my lack of diary entries, I will just say that the summer was amazing. If you check out the tour dates you will see that it was extremely busy. I think 2003 has been my busiest year of touring yet, since it started right away in January and I didn't really have any dry spells. Most of the summer saw me home for only a couple of days at a time between tours, which was tough, in terms of catching up on mail and paperwork, but exciting in that I got to a lot of great places and festivals. The festivals in Germany and Denmark were highlights for me - man the crowds there were nuts - in a good way I mean :) We felt like rock stars! Not too often a fiddle player from the Ottawa Valley feels that way, as you can imagine! Taping "Wood River Hall", the new Canadian roots music TV series (more info on news page) was also a thrill, I can't wait to see how the show turns out. Those are just a couple of things that come to mind, but over all it was a terrific summer. Happy memories, great music, fantastic fans and friends! June 12, 2003 Exciting news...we got the occupancy permit for our house today! We can't wait to move in. Of course the timing isn't optimal as my summer tour schedule starts next weekend with little more than one day at home between the next five or six trips. So it will be a while before we can start settling in, but still...it's a good feeling. Speaking of summer touring, I'm up to my neck in preparations for the next few tours and am really looking forward to all of the new experiences awaiting me out there. The new CD is doing well and I am hoping that these tours will help us promote it a bit more, get it to a few more places and we'll see where that leads. I am enjoying the summer weather, and hope that you are too, as well as all of the other joys summer has to offer. Take care and talk to you again soon! April April
12, 2003 So, only a few more days until the new CD is released! Finally! There have been and will be lots of interviews, etc. for "From Where I Stand" and I am very excited about it finally getting out there. I've also just celebrated my birthday on April 7th. I am now 25. Getting up there...I know, my husband won't stop reminding me But he's 9 years older, so who's he to talk? Lots of exciting things coming up these days...including the CBC Special, tour dates, the new release, and soon enough, moving into our new house. We are finally starting to see the end of the building process and it looks amazing! I really can't believe it will be ours! I guess we better keep booking more shows so we can pay the mortgage now! Well I have to run for now, I'd like to say thank you to all of you for your support over the last legs of our touring, and I hope you enjoy the new album! Take
care, stay safe and best wishes, February
17, 2003 See you
later, December
11, 2002 I can't believe it's almost 2003. This year really flew by for me. I believe time does go quicker the older you get, but I can't imagine it going any faster. We had a great year though, enjoying many successful tours, recording a new album, starting construction on our first (and last!) home, traveling around and meeting music enthusiasts all over the place (and what a great group you are!)...what more could a fiddler ask for? Speaking of the new album...I'm so excited about it. It should be released in early 2003 (maybe March or so) on Rounder Records of course. I saw the photos for the insert the other day for the first time and was really pleased with how they turned out...and the liner notes are being proofread now, so all of the last strings are being tied and it will soon be ready to start flying off the shelves :) I should also mention that we have not forgotten about our "Verchual News" newsletter. Any of you who have signed up for the newsletter through the website and have been waiting to get your email copy, or haven't gotten one in a while, might be wondering what's up... Well to make a long story short, let me just say that we are still in the process of moving our things from Saskatchewan to Ontario...and we have 2 computers. Marc's is #1, our new one and the fastest one. Mine is #2, the hand-me down, slow one. Since we could only have one for now, we picked Marc's which has most of our business info on it. The subscription list for the newsletter however is on my computer... Need I say more? Thus the lack of Verchual News' being mailed out :) Please bear with me, and I promise that as soon as my computer is up and running again we'll send you an update. 2003 is shaping up to be a good year for bookings and tours and I hope we will get to see many of you again along the road some where. I wish you all the best in the new year and thank you once again for your support. I have to run now...my "skor shortbread cookies" are beeping and you know how shortbread can be... Best
wishes always, September
4, 2002 Our summer tour is over and our fall tour has yet to begin, although all preparations are in full swing. You can see by the dates on our tour page that things will be busy, but I'm looking forward to visiting a lot of places we haven't played before. I also need to start getting the liner notes ready for the new CD, and I'm excited about the photo shoot which will take place in Toronto at the end of October. Marc and I are very happy to be moving our things from Saskatoon to Pembroke in September, where our log house is being built. My Dad, Marc's Dad and my Uncle Brian (not to mention all my other uncles and cousins) have been working so hard to get it up and it's looking great...even more beautiful than I imagined it ever could be. We have no idea yet when we will be able to move in, or when we will have time :) But it feels good to know that it's happening and that very soon we will have our own home to return to after touring. Wow. I am very excited about my new relationship with Skyline Music who will now be handling my bookings in the US. Although our relationship is still quite new, they have been great to work with and I look forward to great things. I'm also really pleased about the Prairie Music Award nomination that I found out about last week. Such support and encouragement means the world to me. Thanks to all of you for your support as well! Take care and best wishes until next time, April August
14, 2002 Well I have to run. We are trying to keep up with our business emails and paperwork while on the road and I have a pile of them calling my name, on this, our day off. I hope you are well and have had a safe summer. Best wishes, and I'll keep in touch. Take care, April May
23, 2002 April April
1, 2002 I visited British Columbia in March, and taught at the 2nd Annual "Pacific Fiddle College" in Hope. It was a blast. Attendance doubled from last year and there were so many friendly people, not to mention talented! I got to meet the great Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland for the first time, which was a complete thrill! And it was good to see my friends Calvin Vollrath and Trent Bruner again. I love having a fiddle camp at this time of year. Most of the ones I have been involved with have been in the summer, so this is a bit of a change and inspires you just as spring is starting. Of course, with 4 days of straight snow up in the mountains, I wasn't thinking of spring while I was there, but it was absolutely beautiful to see! Amongst some other performances I did some media interviews last month which were a lot of fun. We should have some details about where they can be heard and seen shortly, so keep checking back. One of them was for "SingOut!" magazine which was very exciting and fun to be part of and should be included in an upcoming issue, along with one of my tunes, and a short "lesson" and stuff. Pretty neat. And about one month from now I'll be in Montreal recording my next album. There has been tonnes of work to do on that, and still is, and I am getting very very excited. Not only am I getting the chance to work with Bruce Molsky, but many other talented musicians and engineers. It'll be great. Speaking of recording, I should probably quit typing and get back to some practising! So take care of yourselves, and enjoy this beautiful season of spring that's on the way! Best
wishes, March
5, 2002 It's been a busy and exciting couple of months for us, and I just realized that I haven't written a diary entry in a while. Time flies when you're having fun :) My most exciting news has been Verchuosity's nominations for the 2002 Juno Awards and 2002 Indie Awards. I am so excited about both of these nominations! In fact, to a certain extent, I still find them hard to believe. I feel very honoured to be among such wonderful musicians in both categories...it's a great feeling! It's been a lot of years of hard work that have got us to this point and I have to admit that it feels good to be recognized. And of course, it hasn't been something I've done alone, so I'm very excited for everyone involved. I'm really looking forward to attending the Juno Awards in St. John. I haven't figured out what to wear yet, but I still have over a month for that :) We've just returned from Jacksonville, Florida where we enjoyed another successful time at the International Folk Alliance. Of course I came home from the conference sick (as usual), so I'm still recovering from that. We spent last week rehearsing with a new band member, a bass player from Montreal, which was pretty exciting as well. And now I'm focusing on pre-production for my new album which is being recorded in May. I can't wait to get back into the studio! And next week I head to British Columbia to instruct at the 2nd Annual Pacific Fiddle College which I am looking forward to. So as you can tell, things are going very well. I am so blessed. I wish you all the best until next time. Cheers,
January
24, 2002 Talk
to you again soon. December
30, 2001 Since I last wrote, we appeared on A Prairie Home Companion (on the road in Buffalo), and it was amazing. I had the best time and am still flying on cloud nine. And on New Year's Eve we're headed to Ottawa to play at the National Arts Centre, so the excitement isn't over yet! Actually, Marc is at the airport in Ottawa right now picking up the rest of the band. They are coming to Pembroke for a couple of days before the big gig for some snowmobiling and fun...and we're planning on watching "Roots Revisited" together on the New RO if their flights are on time, they haven't seen it yet. So, I should be going. I do want to wish each and everyone of you a happy, joyful and peaceful New Year. Thanks for your support and encouragement in 2001 and I look forward to seeing you again sometime, or meeting you, in 2002. As always, November 19, 2001 I guess my biggest news at the moment is that I just found out that my newest Rounder release which I was going to record in December has been delayed for a bit. I was really looking forward to getting into the studio and making some music with some great musicians, which will still happen, but just a little later. The bright side is that it gives me even more time to practise, and for Bruce Molsky (producer) and I to finalize the great arrangements we've got going. And I'm not going to be without studio work exactly, because I'm co-producing and playing on a CD that my Dad is cutting this week. It's going to be so much fun. He sings great ol' country songs and plays guitar, and I'm so excited that he's putting some tunes down on tape. He is after all, where I got my love of music. It'll be great, and I'll be sure to let you know when it's out. I'm also really excited about my upcoming appearance on Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion". I've been asked to be a part of the Christmas show on December 22, 2001 in Buffalo, NY. I'm so psyched! (If you can't be there, or aren't in the listening area you can listen to it on the web. Check out www.phc.mpr.org). And then when the Christmas fun starts to die down, I'll be playing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa for New Years Eve, which will be a blast. Especially since Jesse Cook is also playing there! But best of all, it's almost Christmas time. Which for me, means going home to family and friends. And nothing makes me happier than that. And, doesn't it just make you sick, but all my Christmas shopping is already done! So I have plenty of time to start counting my blessings, and I wish the very same for you. Talk to you later, October 9, 2001 April July 10, 2001 We'll be heading off on our longest tours (July 26-Nov. 1) in just a bit, so I'm planning to spend most of the time preparing for my new recording, which I'm scheduled to record in December this year. I'm so excited about it, especially because Bruce Molsky has agreed to produce it. Marc and I are also going to take a couple of days to get away, probably to the lake, before our summer holidays are over :)! I'll keep in touch while on the road, and hope to meet up with some of you along the road! Take care, keep cool, and enjoy! April
June 14, 2001 After camp, we flew to Tulsa and then headed to Grove, Oklahoma for the Grand Lake Music Festival, hosted by Jana Jae. I was both judging the fiddle contest part, and entertaining at the various concerts that take place. There was lots of music, and lots of barbeque, and I got my fill of both! I was thrilled to meet Mike Snider at the Saturday evening concert, my Dad and I have been a big fan of his for a long time. He is the nicest guy! And I was honoured to play a few tunes on his part of the show. These trips were of course saddened by the passing of my all-time fiddle hero, John Hartford. My prayers and thoughts go out to all of his friends and family. Thank you John for your contributions to traditional music, for the inspiration you gave me and will continue to give me, and for touching so many lives. I will never forget you, and will miss you. Your music will live inside of me always. Marc has been busy filling in the holes in our summer tours, so you'll notice a few new dates on the tour page. It's not easy to keep in touch and working at booking while we're on the road, but he's doing a great job and we're pretty excited about all of the things coming up. Tomorrow I'm off to teach at the Emma Lake Fiddle Camp for the first two weeks of its four week run. So, I'll talk to you all when I get back sometime. Until then, enjoy summer and take care! April
May 9, 2001 I'm pretty excited about the busy summer we have coming up. I'm really looking forward to seeing and jamming with some of my favourite musicians at the various camps and festivals I'll be performing at. I'd like to thank all of the media out there who have interviewed me and/or played my music lately. Radio has been especially wonderful to me since the release of VERCHuosity and I appreciate the support so much. April 20, 2001 Our concert in Pembroke was a great success and lots of fun. Thanks to all of the Ottawa Valley fans who came out to support me and my new release. Marc and I enjoyed our visit at home with our family as well. It's never long enough, but always treasured. Our time in Ontario was made even more exciting by the filming of a documentary about me and my career. Affinity Productions, a production company out of Ottawa, filmed our concert and then followed my family and I around during the next week and conducted interviews. They are producing a half hour documentary to be aired on the New RO in the fall, and who knows where else after that! I'd like to say hi and thanks to the great people at Affinity and the New RO for their support. It's been a great experience and I can't wait to see the finished product! So, we're off and running for a couple more weeks. I'm looking forward to trying some new material on this next tour, writing some new tunes, and I really have to spend some of those long drives finishing our wedding thank you cards, or it'll be our first anniversary before some people get theirs! Hope this finds you all well and happy. Thanks for popping in, and stay tuned to the tour dates page, as there are lots of exciting things in the works. Best always, April March 27, 2001 February and March have been very busy months (then again, which ones haven't been?) Marc and I moved from a house into an apartment, which we just love, but it proved to be a huge job. We've been busy packing, unpacking and setting things up. We've also been working with Herschel Freeman, my new U.S. agent, on setting up some tours in the U.S. And while I was off having tonnes of fun in the mountains, Marc has been confirming our upcoming Saskatchewan and Alberta tours. Next week we play the Prince Albert Casino again, and then it's off to Pembroke for the CD Launch Concert, and some visiting with family and friends over Easter. I'm really excited about playing at home and seeing everyone from the Ottawa Valley again! Not to mention helping Mom and Dad in the maple syrup bush...and eating the odd bit of it too! It's a good thing the move is over and we're settled, because things are starting to heat up and take off again, and I can tell it won't be long before we're only home for a day or two at a time. Boy, I love it! I hope you're all enjoying the warmer weather too, and look forward to meeting some of you along the road in the next couple of months. Until then, take care and all the best! April By the way, my throat is all better, and thank you for the many get well wishes! February 22, 2001 The not so good news is that I completely wore myself down in the excitement and pressure of the week end and came home with a bad case of strep throat. I've been in bed since Monday (how boring - but I can tell you exactly what's going on on Oprah and The Young and The Restless!) In any case, my husband Marc has been taking good care of me, I am slowly getting back on my feet and am thankful it isn't anything worse than what I've got. I am so excited about all of the new opportunities that presented themselves last week end and can't wait to start making the most of them. I'll write again soon, I've got to get back to the couch now, my throat is sore (and, um, Survivor is starting). Talk to you later! :) February 6, 2001 Right now we are very busy getting ready for the International Folk Alliance, which will take place in Vancouver next week. I am very excited about all of the opportunities this conference will present, and am looking forward to making the most of it. We are also working on booking the summer months, which is going fast and looks like it will take us to some great festivals and loads of great music. Of course, I am still flying on cloud nine from the recent release of VERCHuosity, and can't wait to hear everyone's feed back. It is already in stores in the U.S. and it shouldn't be long until it's available all over Canada too. In the mean time, sales are going well on-line. I think that's about it for now. The year 2000 was one of my best yet and I am determined to make 2001 even better. Thanks again for dropping in. Take care and talk to you again soon! April
|
Hey
there everybody and happy summer! I hope you're having a good
one and staying cool... That's been a bit of a challenge for
me as I seem to follow a heat wave around whether on the road or at
home! But my plants seem to like it now that the groundhogs
have stopped eating them! (My mom put moth balls in the containers
the last time I was on the road, and fingers crossed, so far it's
worked!)