KAREN'S JOURNAL

exhausted in Banff, Alberta

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:10:00 +0000

utterly exhausted as i type this... it was an early rise in Toronto this morning and a long travel day to Banff, Alberta where I'm rehearsing for the next few days before the first gig of my tour (in Calgary, on Monday). It was a long but fun day... especially just cuz it was great to be out of my apartment, where for the last few days i've been obsessing over final tour details... but now that it's in motion, there's nothing more to do!! i can just play music and have fun. :)

One heads up... on our Air Canada flight to Calgary I ventured to try ordering the fresh carrots and dip (off the snack menu)... well, they must have been stored wrong and gone bad cuz when i opened the bag they went mushy and disintegrated in my fingers... ew. bendy mush carrots. i should have taken a video... but i didn't so you'll just have to believe me... if you're travelling on a plane, maybe don't order carrots!

more later...
k

coincidence, i think not

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:24:00 +0000

sometimes the messages the universe sends you are subtle, and sometimes they are not. yesterday i woke up feeling very stressed out after a poor night's sleep - poor because i had tossed and turned most of the night, overwhelmed with guilt and concern that i haven't been doing enough media promotion for my upcoming western canadian tour. i woke up feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and i had an overwhelming list of tasks to complete before the tour begins.

then i trashed the list. well ok, i didn't completely throw it out, because there *are* some necessary tasks on it... but rather, i put it into perspective: what i really felt like doing was spending the day working on a song i had just started writing the previous day (sunday).... and NOT spend all day researching media and writing news releases.

so, still feeling a little uneasy at my seemingly "irresponsible" decision, i proceeded to shut myself up in the apartment and write all afternoon... and lo and behold, i finished the song, which is something i haven't been able to do for awhile (i've written a lot of partial songs lately, but not finished anything). that was amazing thing No. 1.

Then, i opened my email and discovered that while i was writing, my friend Andrea (who is a publicist in town and who had done the publicity for my CD Release Party) had generously decided to write and send out a news release for the tour. completely on her own initiative. that was amazing thing No 2.

Then later that night, my friend Sam (an amazing engineer who worked on MTFAFS) called me over to Canterbury where they had this gorgeous $100,000 piano all mic'd up and ready to go from a week-long session that just completed... and as a belated birthday gift, he offered to stay late and record me going nuts on it for a couple hours. amazing thing No. 3!

the day ended after an exhilarating few hours at the piano and a beautiful vocal mic (yes, i laid down the new song, amongst other stuff!), with a great hang over wine and wings. (also amazing, in a fun way!)

so when you make the right decision, does the universe let you know? sorry to sound all new age-y, but after today you can see why I'm really starting to believe it! (and that my friends rock!!)

yay birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:15:00 +0000

awesome fun night... mini-pub crawl in honor of my birthday... and walking through the rain! my friends rock hard. :)

chilling at canterbury studios

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:46:00 +0000

and waiting for my birthday brunch and a fun day planned...

maybe it's my birthday or the wine...or

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:48:00 +0000

maybe it's finally time but
i feel like nothing is in my way.

first sunburn

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Yesterday's yummy brunch on a College Street patio had an unexpected result: my first sunburn of the year. just a tiny patch where the sun must have been having a heyday on me while i unsuspectingly enjoyed my food. while the weather has been beautiful here, the possibility of tanning, much less sunburn hadn't even crossed my mind, and this morning when i saw it, i thought maybe it was a rash... but no, it's a little sunburn! :(

afternoon walk

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:43:00 +0000

it's warming up in toronto so this afternoon i went for a long walk in the neighborhood. i've been in a bit of a writing "mode" lately, so for the walk, i loaded up my ipod with a playlist of new stuff i'm working on... various snippets of melodies, a verse here, a chorus here, and 3 or 4 mostly-formed songs (no vocals/lyrics yet). to be honest, i'm feeling only semi-comfortable with what's coming out... it's a little strange to me, and i find myself trying to understand it, and not being always able to. i'm just trying to let go, and be playful... and i guess it will just make sense in its own time!

fun at Free Times

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:28:00 +0000

A fun and slightly squishy gig at Free Times this weekend in Toronto... I think that's the closest I've ever been to Mike's tambourine when on a gig!! Seriously, we had planned on a stripped down drumkit, but when we arrived at the venue, we had to improvise on the spot to strip it down even more! :) Mike, Greig and I could pretty much breathe in sync... kinda had a neat effect on the performance, I think! :)

thanks for the bumps!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:34:00 +0000

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been supporting my songs on thesixtyone.com - this morning 'Land On Your Feet' is #2 on the Hot Pop/Rock list, followed by 'Meeting the Future At Full Speed' at #4! So thanks for the bumps guys... you rock! :)

piano strings

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:36:00 +0000

tonight we rehearsed in trio format since marc is on tour in japan with holly cole for the next couple of weeks. we weren't rehearsing in our usual location either, and for a change i got to play on a yamaha baby grand... yum. :) it was fun to play on a real piano again... but it's a good reminder of how spoiled i am with the electric version... by never having to worry about out of tune strings!

regaining balance

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:26:00 +0000

i was feeling a bit burnt out last week so i escaped the city for a couple days, heading out to stratford, ontario for a little walking by the river and some long-overdue writing in a coffee shop. as soon as tires hit the highway i felt my spirits lift... no wonder people take vacations! Now back in the city, i'm being a bit more careful about keeping a good ratio of work to play.

THANK YOU!!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:28:00 +0000

Thank you everyone .. what an amazing night!!! I feel truly lucky... everyone who worked on the show, and everyone who attended was full of love and good energy... and we filled the Rivoli!!! truly the best CD Release Party EVER!!!!

so....excited... can't...sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:46:00 +0000

omg. 11 hours... :) see you there!

one day left!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:23:00 +0000

The big day is tomorrow and I'm pretty much, almost, done everything I had to do to get ready. I'm super excited... now it's just one last band rehearsal today, an interview, and a few smaller errands. Whenever I've started to feel stressed out or overworked, I've been resorted to bouts of Wii Tennis - I try to play equal amounts left-handed, so as not to completely tired out my right arm! Need to be able to play that piano...

Rehearsal Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:51:00 +0000

video-taper

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 15:58:00 +0000

if you're video-minded and would be interested in running the minidv cam at the cd release party on saturday, email me! otherwise it's just going up on a tripod at the soundboard...which can be cool too. :)

t-shirts, rehearsals, and tours, oh my

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:54:00 +0000

had a great band rehearsal this weekend and now we're into the home stretch, with just over 10 days left and a slew of rehearsals and other cd release preparations to go.

Last week was a heavy one... I was finalizing the designs for "Meeting The Future At Full Speed" T-Shirts and sending in the final order to get them made up... I'm happy to report that I should have them in time for the release party! It's been a long time since i made t-shirts... very excited! I'm also working on tour plans for the spring... as it stands now, something is in the works involving a '91 buick station wagon, 3 squished singer-songwriters and a merch guy, and western canada (finally!). :)

ps: i have a new favorite site to check each day: The Best Article Every Day. This page rocks... it's consistently interesting! :)

A favorite photo blog

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:23:00 +0000

when i'm unwinding with my laptop there are a few sites i like to check for interesting sights/reads... one of my long-time faves is Daily Dose of Imagery, a photo blog by a really talented toronto-based photographer - i think he has with a unique way of seeing the world. A different photo every day, usually taken from somewhere in Toronto. I especially love the days when there's a shot from my own neighborhood, as there's always an initial moment of recognition, then a second look as I see the scene through someone else's eyes.

sun and health

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:32:00 +0000

toronto keeps getting pounded with snow! what a good time to be home with the flu. :) today it's sunny again and the city is digging out, and i'm feeling a fair bit better as well so i may venture outside to breathe some fresh air. sun is nice but i'm getting tired of snow... can't wait for spring!

way too much tv

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:07:00 +0000

i've been out of commission with the flu the last couple of days. finally tonight i think i might be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - my fever has broken, hopefully not to return this time. i can't really remember the last time i had a flu like this! i feel almost like a little kid again... eating chicken soup and popsicles (which really help the fever!)... and i've watched so much tv; i've probably seen about 30 episodes of 'Friends'.

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:42:00 +0000

well, while i didn't end up seeing any of the new movies i wanted to see this weekend, i did see a movie that surprised me... it was a moving flick, cursed with probably the worst name ever... so much so that I almost didn't watch it - in fact, it had been rented (not by me!) over a week ago yet continued to sit on the shelf because we were so turned off by the name: "Feast of Love" (!!!). yes even as I type this, i still can't believe anyone named their movie that. However, 5 minutes into the movie we were totally into it and ended up crying a couple times because it was really emotional... over all, a pleasant surprise. So if you're curious, check out Feast Of Love.

Had an awesome rehearsal this weekend with the new band! :) We're getting excited for the cd release party... can't wait for you all to hear us!

choosing a movie...

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:39:00 +0000

after a long day of rehearsals and publicity meetings, I'm trying to decide what movie to see tonight! I have to admit, I haven't seen most of the movies that won awards at the oscars this past weekend, but tonight that's a positive thing because I feel like I have a smorgasbord of delights to choose from. what a good time of the year for movie-going!

One oscar winner that I did see back in the fall in a hotel in Montreal was Once and it was super inspiring for me as a musician... it reminded me of all the right reasons why we write and perform. Plus every time I see Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova perform together, they just really give'er and it moves me to tears. So I don't know if any theaters are still playing Once (or if they're going to bring it back now that it's won at the awards - do they do that?), but at least go rent yourself the dvd and check it out.

so... what movie should I see tonight? post a comment in the journal here and let me know!

tired and happy... with a glass of wine!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:16:00 +0000

well i'm relaxing tonight with a glass of wine... happy to have finally concluded days and weeks of coding and launched the website. i'm now sending emails to confirm band rehearsals, resizing promo photos for various uses and generally just picking away at a multitude of tasks... what a long "todo" list! as i work tonight i'm listening to In Rainbows... (Radiohead's recent album).. which to be honest i bought when it first became available for download but then proceeded to not really listen to for awhile, due to headspace or busy-ness or whatever. now it's flowing over me and really hitting a chord... worth checking out! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:11:00 +0000

just finished cleaning up from the photo shoot, which ended about an hour ago and happened in my apartment, so there was lots to clean up. even once the lights, set, makeup, clothes, and other various photography related items were torn down, it still looked like a massive party had taken place... remains of my home-made "craft services" ... trays of tea, half eaten muffins, dried up veggies and hummous, empty sushi containers and martini glasses. it was a good time and i'm really exhausted.

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:13:00 +0000

well it's a sunny saturday, the blue sky is energizing but i used that energy to finally try a pilates class at the gym. (ouch!) now i'm on the couch sipping espresso, surfing for ways to customize myspace (that don't look horrible) and biding my time until i do some work on the new website - there are a few loose ends to tie up before the official launch. Speaking of the site launch, i think it should be happening around the middle of next week. the bio came in yesterday and now i'm just waiting on some new promo photos, which are being taken tomorrow. i met with the photographer yesterday and we went through the clothes i found (which got good reviews) so i guess we're all set.

still no confirmation on what's happening with the release party date... there have been more updates but nothing solid.