notes from the road: love, dreams & potatoes: buffalo ny

Last night after a lovely gig, the power went off in Buffalo. Tim and I sat surrounded by candles and watched 'the station agent' on my wee laptop until the early hours of the morning. How I love that movie, the simplicity, the beauty of friendship between such unlikely folk. Such a lovely, quiet movie but with such power.

Before retiring, I read by candlelight a graphic novel on the peoples history of america until I drifted into sleep. There were dreams of love, desire, pain and loss. I awoke, sliding between the two couch chairs and tried to make myself comfortable by placing the cushions on the wooden floor but they kept sliding apart. I didn't sleep too well. I have been thinking too much and my body is too long for two cushions.There have been many questions lately about feelings, intentions, expectations, reactions. In a way, I feel I need to throw these all away and start fresh, but is that possible? Even if I were able to magically transform into a person that was able to be this free there is always the other person and their reactions to deal with.

People keep saying I am brave. Is it bravery or a tireless need to discover something, feel something, figure something out? I just don't know what....What is it? If I start at the beginning, if I strip everything away...to the core, to the essence. Who am I and what do I want from people?When I love, it is not fickle, it does not pass by in a month, a season or a year. It is not something you need to be afraid of, you do not need to feel that I expect anything in particular in return, just treat me with kindness. My love for you means I am here for you and I see your beauty. I don't want it to be complicated or scary, just to let it be.

Right now, I need to travel, I need to experience, I need to taste everything, I need to understand the world, to understand myself but most of all I need to grow. I love the idea of roots, but I am not ready to grow a huge tree just yet but eventually that would be so lovely and I look forward to the time I am ready for it and all that it will bring. BUT right now I  want to get to know you, I want to share with you, I want to sleep with you, have you fall asleep in my arms and lay quietly, listening to you breathe and dream.  I won't ever forget you. I will always come back and spend time with you, just let me have the space I need right now and we will continue to share beautiful moments together.One day there will be a house, I hope to build it with my own hands: dirt, mud, straw...earth. Real, in my hands, dirty hands at the end of a day, satisfied, tired and hungry. The walls won't be smooth. There will be hand prints, fingers smoothing, shells, coloured glass, pretty stones. Inside the bowls and cups will also be made by hand, painted with colours that don't go together, made with love and joy sharing the space with a piano and harp, books and spices. Surrounded by trees, a beautiful garden will grow around the house with carrots, blue potatoes, red potatoes, cabbage for okonomi yaki, spinach, beets, lavender, basil and mint and rows and rows of endless colours, tastes and combinations. There will be fruit trees, maybe oranges or apples, or peaches for peach pie just like Anna makes, raspberries, blueberries, berries I haven't discovered yet. There will be a river or lake for swimming, dreaming, washing, watching underwater creatures living. Many animals will live in this paradise. They won't be pets but friends: hens rescued from battery farms that I will protect from the wolves, maybe some funny sheep or goats, a grumpy horse that will be won over with carrots and bruised apples, cats with dappled coats, dogs with overbites who love life and need a wash but really they don't mind. Will there be children? I just don't know? I need some time to decide but this would definitely be a special place for children, for fairies and eating google buns and pop biscuits under that huge tree while reading the magic faraway tree and the magic pudding. Little hands could stay dirty, knees grazing and tree climbing, constant threats of falling but no fear. Remember when we had no fear?Yes this one thing I know for sure. This place, will be so wonderful...and you, my friend, my lover, my companion will be very welcome because I love you.

notes from the road: thoughts right now: harrisburg pa to nyc

i have on been on the road for 54 days and have 40 days to go. i am feeling indulgent and brave in equal amounts and look for answers in the miles and sleepy wooden houses peeling paint which were once yellow, powder blue and flaming red through the bus window. my staples have become chocolate soy milk and bagels in numerous flavours: stay away from blueberry! and those juices emil points out don't really have a lot of good stuff in them...but still i like the taste and i like to believe they are doing me good. lately i have loved and hated in equal amounts and i have fought the teenager in me to keep the peace in favour of finer weather and the avoidance of the loss of a peculiar friendship that i have grown quite used to and value. i have whined until i was sick of the sound of my own voice. i have surprised myself with maturity i didn't know i had. i have laughed and cried in the desert but didn't get sunburnt. i saw wild horses in nevada and ate deep fried oreos at the NC state fair. i fell apart in san francisco and got stoned to avoid it all. i grew balls in phoenix and i was strong and beautiful in cowboy boots that would later cripple me in new orleans. i have doubted myself into a nervous wreck and flirted confidently with a boy i somehow missed out on when i was his age. i have been a mother and a teenager and recalled my age too many times to remember, sometimes proud, sometimes sad, sometimes with regret, hoping eventually it will fit with my mindset, my clothes, my face and frame and my dreams.  at this point i am sure of one thing. i am growing and i am not running away...i am running towards something...

notes from the road: time and friendship: north carolina to pennsylvania

time changes when you are on the road. it slows down and living just feels different.joy is concentrated, and pain and confusion become almost unbareable, suffocating almost as there is nowhere to run.friendships are tested and change. sometimes they are lost forever but if you can get through it, then it's kind of like forging steel...reforming a special bond together and these kind of friendships can last a lifetime.

From George to Rupert

We spent a lovely few days in northern BC and here is a little recap:

Thursday 16th September - Cowpuccinos Prince Rupert

Played our first show at lovely cowpuccinos in Rupert and sang backing vocals on Mudcat Joes 'Whoa that Chilli'. Emil and I hung out with Hailey and her friends after the show. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Friday 17th September - CafeNara Terrace

More people came than we thought. Lovely audience and good to see some familiar faces again. Sonny made me something yummy and Korean for dinner. Spent the night at Jims, what an amazing view in the morning!

Saturday 18th September - Hazelton House Concert

Played an intimate show in Charlotte's lovely house and she showed us around too. Bought some delicious raisin cakes in the organic bakery. This was one of the most beautiful places we went to and it was a shame to have to leave so early.

Sunday 19th September - Books & Co Prince George

Haha this was a fun show, our new friend Ray or Roy came down. What a character. A very intimate show even though space was bigger than previous concerts. Also stayed with lovely couchsurfers who fed us so much yummy food. We were like their children, it was sort of nice though

Em and Em riding the famous Cowpuccino's cow in Prince Rupert

Emil, Em and Mudcat Joe after Rupert show

The fun never ends, cross dressing cows

Em and an audience member in Terrace who took 'Spank me Man' a little too far ;P

Emil arrives

Yesterday Emil arrived in Vancouver and I was relieved. I kept creating these scenarios that something would happen and then the bus was late but I am just paranoid. The day cleared up into a fine weather and we spent a few hours wandering around Bowen Island where I used to live including meeting some of the colourful locals. We also danced in the forest to traditional Swedish folk music, well Emil danced and I felt awkward. I really need to get over silly stuff like that. In the evening I had a small birthday gathering with friends ni Mik-sa...a day early as we have to leave tonight for Vancouver to get our early bus the next day. Didn't sleep so well because the cats kept wanting to go in and out all night. There are 7.

Oh we met a lovely guy called Jordan on the bus to Horseshoe Bay yesterday too. It was like Emil met his long lost brother or something ;P....K I am sure will have some more exciting and woeful tales soon including the awful 20ish hour bus ride to Prince Rupert tomorrow. Bye for now em.....emaline that is

until next spring

my fingers pinch bruises
and thighs bending weight
underneath hips like knives
biting and stinging
but sweet

and when we leave here
it will be like my death
mourning for fall
until winter takes her place

you will do your very best
not to count our ages
to stop these moments taking over
leaving us possessed

but at the very end
i won't beg you to stay
and we won't speak of it
we will simply go about our day

until next spring
when the flowers
climb up through the dirt
longing for the sun
and the cycle begins again

Northern Germany Spring Tour Recap

osnabruck:

nihan arrived from london at 7:21pm and was on the stage at 8pm playing, what a sport!
lovely crowd, nice intimate space. cafe mojo's owner david is a very cool man and drives
a mean red van. sold lots of cds, slept in a lovely bed. a fine start to the northern
germany tour.

kiel:

oh kiel you're just lovely, who would have known?
very pretty venue and willy of prinz willy was a fine chap. very very cool audience....sold stacks of cd's
and had loads of fun. sound a bit shit but we powered on. stayed with the lovely suse and her italian friend who were so helpful to us. i really like it in kiel and want to go back soon for sure.

berlin:

big city, show was ok. not terrible not great. didn't really make much of an impression on me to be honest. maybe another time perhaps?

norderstedt:

oh dear. the day started with the turkey faced deutsche bahn woman on the way to norderstedt which emil wrote a song about. i don't know what i can say? the sound was atrocious and venue not really nice at all. i do remember after the show a lovely woman called birgit coming up and thanking emil and i so much for coming....so i guess i will remember her instead of the other negative stuff.

sarstedt:

oh we love you and your giggling bakery girls , your crazy christians including one man in the audience who has his own website claiming to be jesus reincarnated...(i just found this out, he added me to myspace!), the lady with the bunny ears kissing her dog, rainer the owner of the kneipe and his little grins but less english, the classy 80's hotel we stayed in, the appeciative audience and breakfast in the morning. we really needed you after the other STEDT!

dusseldorf:

GAY PORN WORLD! lots of porn places around the station. kind of a weird show, not bad but weird. mixture of high class germans across from an english football team. weird atmoshere but some friends and family there for nihan which was nice and we drank some sort of local drink with bitch in the title and ate yummy soup. thanks to the lovely smiling man who came up afterwards and roland who was a lovely host. might be nice to go back without football fans, who knows?

craplights:

not enough sleep at the start, nihan's tooth problems flaring up in berlin, the man smashing the bottle and shards of glass going in my hair in berlin, catching a million trains, norderstedt, too much bread, stupid fricking b string going out of tune contantly, bad sound when we had it, stinky clothes, emil losing chargers, me losing cords, crying after norderstedt, having to play so much guitar when i didn't feel i was ready for it

weirdlights:

the drunk man at the end of the carriage singing german white hip hop with his friend on back up vocal zombie throat singing underneath for several hours on the way to norderstedt, the recording i made of it, the crazy sarstedt christians including jesus reincarnate and the bunny ears lady practically molesting nihan cause she loved her so much and her telling us she will be waiting for us next time we are on tour

highlights:

first gig with just nihan & i, kiel and suses italian treats, rainers kneipe and smiling sarstedt faces,

emil singing me the turkey cow song in the norderstedt hotel room after the gig: cheering me up and then leaving norderstedt the next day, sleep when we got it, selling lots of cds in the nice venues, buying clean underwear for the first time in years, giggling a lot till it hurt when we were so tired and everything seemed so absurd, emil's face in spank me man when i started taking off my jacket, nihan when she told emil and i just STOP!, lots of nice dogs in the streets, andrea's cool cat merlin in berlin! ha!, rossman in train stations, hotel breakfasts and me and emil stealing so obviously and not noticing nihan do it at all, playing guitar and being crap sometimes but knowing i did it and it can only get better!, nihan's kind family, jonathan doing sound and being a guitar tech at the last show, balou: rolands dog and hugs and so much laughter with nihan and emil!!!

life is gut

I am writing this in the wee hours of the morning from a farm an hour from frankfurt which will be my home for a little while.

lots of exciting news!

playing guitar/keys at all shows and with two new wonderful musicians by my side: teresa on guitar/bass and nihan on cello. shows are going well, hopefully lots more to come, we are open for bookings in the UK and further abroad. so many new songs!

this week we have a couple of shows in reading and wootten bassett and we will be doing some recording a couple of days after that. have asked old friend/violinist emily mcmillan to join us for that as well as for some upcoming shows.

will play a show with lovely canterbury harpist cristyn williams in april, and hopefully some more in the summer. also doing some stuff with wonderful swedish singer songwriter emil brynge/maple mountain including uk/eu shows. working on that now and open for bookings for ireland/sweden/uk so drop us line for march/april/may opportunities :)  we shared a sell out show at house concerts york, and spent the next day wandering around the old city searching for a roast and scones. we managed the roast but alas big bettys had sold out of scones, maybe next time?

yeah it's late and i am tired and having trouble completing sentences that make sense so here is some more randomness:

i have a sauna in my apartment

i've had two saunas this week already since moving in

i think i ate mashed potatoes from a box tonight

my cat went outside for the first time today since we moved in this week

i was meant to go back to my apartment to watch the long way around w/ stuart the liverpudlian but have been on this darn computer, i hope he's asleep

i went to see a german punk rock band playing johnny cash songs the other night

i think i have a crush

the shops are really hard to get to when you want chocolate and live in a forest

toronto seems like a lifetime ago, i'm so glad i'm here and not there but i do miss my friends and okonomi house

last night i wrote a song called 'bring me a viking'

i really want a celtic harp

it's time for bed, gut nacht!

x

mini uk tour recap

live at the institute: essex

quick teresa and nihan, learn this song 30 min before the gig.
lots of lovely snacks for us. nice audience but couldn't see their faces. ladies, it was great to see some strong talented women in music. good first gig. sweet essex town. content.

the slaughtered lamb: london

so sick, so many pain killers. which song am i playing right now? friends came, really nice, wish they would come when i was playing better and could see straight. people laughed and liked. mule sounds. lloyd brought me sandwiches.

little george: chippenham

they got date mixed up. all men at bar, leering, maybe a little? but listening, into it, open and accepting. i played keys for the first time. someone stole a cd. they painted the room for us, we talked until we were so tired, paid in the morning but nice eggs for breakfast from barman.

york house concerts: york

spilled earl grey tea in car. to york via cornwall 6 hours?, delirious when arrived, so happy to see emil again, audience were sardines in a tin can but smiling, laughing so perfect. could not be more perfect. i was happy to share it with nihan, teresa and emil. they are brilliant. york is awesome. next day: roast with emil, walking, candy store, man playing piano on wheels, playing kate bush!, happiness, fat, giving emil oregano oil for a cold, why does he listen to me? that man staring and listening opposite us on the train. the magical weekend over :(

gallery cafe: bethnal green

short and sweet. the bathroom became a social club for us. walked to liverpool street station. i think there was chocolate?

black hole house concert: hackney wick

so much better than i thought. great night, courage was born. teresa's birthday cheesecake in everts room. interview, happy, really happy.

the ship inn: dorset

well there had to be one. but...soup and bread and loveliness from teresa's parents at 2am in dorset and a book from her mum on bach flower remedies. the next day a walk to the edge of the world, standing over the ocean. happy again.

the castle: north west london

guinea pigs, experiments but ok. maybe too complicated for them but the room was so beautiful. last gig for a while. after went to see emil with teresa. sebastian, lloyd, evert, oliver and anthony were there, met jamie n commons in person finally he is lovely. emil and his drummer sounded good. i forgot his candy again. chips and vinegar with evert and sebastian. i love my friends and london. i am so happy. this is living.

Sleepless in Effing Seattle, and hell

Sun 28th Dec 12noon: After only 15 hours of sleep in 5 days and a tediously turbulant flight from Melbourne to Vancouver via LA, I slept for 7 hours. The jetlag is switching itself on and off. I feel like I am on drugs. Narcolepsy is NOT my friend!

4:45pm: Board train in Vancouver to Seattle.

5:50-6:15pm: Problems with signals so train must go slow. Driver appologizes.

6:17pm: Back on track

6:20pm: Behind a slow freight train, driver instructs will be a little slow until the other train switches tracks. Brilliant....

Around 7pm: Stop for customs officers but they seem to be having trouble opening the door and getting in.

8:20pm: In bathroom and door swings open after I locked it.

8:45pm: We stop and wait for a train coming from other direction that are hours off schedule. Could it be us in a parallel universe? Hang on, that is us!

9:50pm: Because of unusual weather, the old bridge is having issues. Technician is called, waiting. Again.

11pm: Arrive in Seattle at 11, one hour late which is really 12am there.

12:05am: Offered pot for a guy called 'G'

12:17am: While waiting for airport bus, am asked for my phoner number. I respond: I do not have a phone and move my ring from my middle to ring finger.

12:39am: Crazy lady on bus ringing random people from her cell phone and ranting.

1:30amish: 11 internet for $5

2am: 2 bagels for $1. God help me.

2:10am: Reading the Dow Jones Business & Financial Weekly. $5, left on table. Seems ironic or am I just so tired?

5:30am: Playing guitar, woman asked if I am singing about Jesus and if not, tells me I should be. Gives me her address so I can send her something?!? WTF!!!?

8:45am: Fly to Philly. Hell...

4:20pm: Arrive in hell. I feel so bad and look like a tired ho. When was the last time I washed and slept? I don't know what is going on.

Skeena Rhine

I added a ruff demo of Turmoil of Winter to www.myspace.com/emalinedelapaix from the collaboration with Evert (the Energizer in my top friends) as part of our electronic project 'Skeena Rhine'.

It's all very new but here is a little taste. You can hear a little more at www.myspace.com/skeenrhine

Enjoy :)

Recording Recording Recording!

So I spent 7 hours today recording some songs for the very first time on my shitty computer but it behaved and I am so pleased with the results over on my shitty demos page: www.myspace.com/emalinesdemos

Ok so you can laugh, this is how I did it as I have next to no equipment:

I recorded piano directly into computer but the rest: the vocals, melodica, glockenspiel and egg beater (percussion on Take it Away) I recorded audio on a digital camera and uploaded all the files, importing them into the audio program. I recorded some of the vocals in the cupboard and others in the bathtub too lol!

It was pretty tough having to line everything up but I think I did a pretty decent
job. I am super excited about Perhaps Saskatoon. Take it Away is very rough and only has a chorus and bridge, I think lol.

There are are a few things I noticed when I uploaded the songs but I am far too
tired right now to fix them. I channeled my sadness and frustration today and created these songs. I hope you like them.

overdosing on the christmas cheer - from the land of oz

it is 3:01am on christmas morning and i cannot sleep, just cannot sleep!

i think we are having pancakes for breakfast and i took a little peek under the tree. just a little one. i am very lucky, for later today i will be part of not 1, not 2 but 3 christmas meals all in the span of 24 hours. how does she do it you might ask? well for one, i am hoping that santa will be kind this year and gift me 'the button' pant and skirt extender to make the day run as smoothly as possible:

"The Button" Pant and Skirt Extender.
Don't suffer! Add an inch to your waistband! Adds comfort to any button waist jeans or slacks. Excellent for tight jeans, pants, dockers, and skirts.Why BUY NEW CLOTHESto accommodate a few days per month?!!! Transfers easily from one pair of jeans to the next with NO SEWING!!!

f**k me. who thinks of this shit?

we had a garage sale last week, to get rid mostly of my shit. and there was a lot of it.

i put out a vase, the ugliest fu**er you have ever seen. it was kind of pink. dead person pink with a bit of post mortem grey, and weird paper mache stuck to it. oh and shells! i put a sticker on it 'the worlds ugliest vase - 50c' and i was so pleased someone bought it within 9 min of opening our front gate to the maniacs who had been waiting there for an hour, i kind of blurted out my joy a bit too loudly 'hey you bought the worlds ugliest vase, that's priceless'. the guy was not happy with me. man people really do buy shit and it was my shit which is even worse. i guess i don't have a high opinion of my own belongings.

speaking of filling your house with more crap that you don't need. why not try something a little different this year? pics up top as I can't figure out how to get them down here.

Fundies (The Underwear Built For Two) - Some couples share everything. For the people who won't accept that there is such a thing as too much intimacy, there is Fundies.

WTF? Is that even hygienic?

The P Mate: Jesus I have been trying to convince everyone that this thing does exist. We were presented with a pack of these in Summer 2007 at a festival in SK and I talked about it on stage and everyone thought I was nuts and making it up. But here is the proof! Oh and just for the record, it works...

Freud would be proud. Now women can pee like men. That's right, women everywhere can experience the joy that is standing up while going #1. What woman wouldn't love the experience that comes from the P Mate?

I feel especially disturbed by this one:

Perfect Naked Body Double Duvet Cover - Look good naked under the sheets!

Slip under the sheets and as if by magic see your body undergo a radical transformation, no costly surgery or arduous hours in the gym required!

Merry Christmas to you and yours, and remember: the world is a very sick place.

x

em

Roots

Today is the hottest day we have had since I have been back in Australia. Shirt sticking to my skin, the hot wind blowing my hair in my face, the red is fading to *almost* blonde.
This place I have come home to feels almost alien to me. Changes and accents overwhelm me. I feel lost in a sea of Aussie-Americanisms. I left the Northern Hemisphere, or did I?

The yuppie yobbo hairstyles remind me of 80's Japanese Pop replicated badly. Young people don't seem to smile as much anymore and 'Oh My God, Totally'! sounds extraordinarily strange in Melbourne twang. What happened since I left? Granted this country has been run by a government who sat by and did nothing for so long, but we have a new government now, surely that should stir up a good old fashioned Aussie debate. But I do wonder if many people care about the direction of this country, as much as they care about Australian Idol, The Melbourne Cup and keeping up with our American cousins. It makes me sad and I do feel lost. The telly is full of Australian cop shows copying their US counterparts, and painfully at that. Where is our original spirit and what is going on in the music industry? I just can't bare to listen. Australian films? Forget it, Aussies have to go overseas to make a real go of it these days. What a shame.
Will it get better? I don't know...I hope so but as a people I wonder if we no longer have the confidence and self worth to stand up and be original. I bloody hope I am wrong...

Glad to be in Deutschland

Glad to be in Germany after some seriously long drives, stuff ups with the car we leased in France and a performance in a disco in a small town in Italy. Even though there were a couple of less than perfect days, the first show in Rome went smashingly and so far the shows in Switzerland/Germany have been wonderful.

Recap:

Tuesday 1st April: Hilzingen Germany, performance in the local church to an attentive and smiley audience with a delicious meal cooked by Priest Mathius before the show.

Wednesday 2nd April: Lohn Switzerland, just over the border, performance in church organised by Priest Hans, who passed on my details to Mathius. Lovely big audience, and yes we even played Spank Me Man at both shows and they enjoyed it! It was especially lovely to see some familiar faces and friends and share cake and wine after the show with them at Han's house.
Thanks for all of the chocolate and CD's Hans!

Thursday 3rd April: Feinkost Lampe Hannover, really hip underground club, packed and listening attentively, sold out of my home made European EP again, I am making these with stamps and recycled card for each show and can't keep up, it's good of course but I need some sleep lol!

Highlights this week include:

Friendly people dealing with our butchering of German, Swiss German, French & Italian

Ich Tarzan, Du Jane on tv in the hotel room, they actually made the losers sing 'that's what friends are for' at the end and Steph and I couldn't stop watching, like a train wreck...

Being able to find internet and decent food in Germany

The cool playlist by Pally? before our show at Feinkost Lampe, Anna Ternheim and lots of weird Scandinavian shit, I was in heaven....

Having my own room from time to time, no offence girls...

Rome, wow so beautiful but quite overwhelming for a girl who lives on an island with only around 4000 people

Real pizza in Italy

Watching Dr Who in the cool van on the road

People opening their homes and fridges for us

Appreciative audiences and selling out of the EP!

........CJ started a flickr account with photos, so hopefully I will have a link soon!

em

Nous Sommes Croutes Ensemble !

We arrived in Paris airport yesterday morning after over 20 hours travel from Seattle, via Philadelphia airport (4 hours yuk!). Wow, what a crazy big airport, we had to take a train to get to the other side to find Cat and then had to navigate out of the airport and to the outer part of Paris to the B&B where we were staying.

What a relief to arrive at quiet corner of a picturesque village, and to lay down on a real bed and feel the touch of water on ones skin to clean off the traveling grime. Believe me, the smell was pretty special!

My favourite part of the journey includes the 'Daves Buttermilk Bar' that was presented to us as breakfast on US Airways, num num...I especially liked the line printed on the ingredients 'may contain one or more of the following ingredients'..... One woman in front of us wolfed it down like it was the best thing ever. How can people eat this shit? I felt like I needed a detox after all the crappy nutrition void airline food and I even avoided some of the food. My other favourite part was of course the usual search to find vegetarian food in the airport, oily vegetables was the best I could do, it's good to be in France!

Oh and I don't speak French except a few words here and there but managed to have a conversation with a woman walking her dog in the village this morning, that was a thrill.

I don't have much else to say as it's only the first day but it's beautiful here and the people are kind and patient.

Off to Nice!

emaline

the Everyday Ordinary European Tour EP is finished -check it out!

I am REALLY excited about this EP. It’s the first time I have really experimented and am stoked to be on this new musical path.

Apart from the title track which I call 70’s Spoken Word and some piano and flute by Steph, I made all of the music using voices, omnichord and piano partly to push myself and partly because I didn’t have a lot of money to pay people but I surprised myself. And damn, I have a new found respect for singers like Stina Nordenstam and Anja Garbarek who use their voice as an instrument to back themselves up, it’s really tough.

Thanks to CJ for recording the piano and flute and Shael Wrinch for the rest of it, and for pushing me to sing my best so early in the morning and having patience with all of my weird ideas.

I think my favourite track is The Storm, though it may change tomorrow, lol.

Check out 3 tracks at www.myspace.com/emalinedelapaix

I hope you enjoy it....

x

em

ps)the EP will be available at shows in Europe and maybe digitally if I can figure out how to do it. Also check out 1 other track from the EP called Hibernate at http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm15c3BhY2UuY29tL2VtYWxpbmVzZGVtb3M= it’s just me singing all parts.

2007: So many mistakes slung from shoulders

So I will open my first post in over 5 months with a line from one of the first songs I wrote in 2007, oh the irony:

"So many mistakes slung from shoulders"

2007 was a year of growing and making mistakes and cleaning up the mess and then making another mistake and cleaning it up and so forth and so on. Let's get all the things I wasn't so crazy about out of the way first shall we? A purging of sorts!

Least favourite news of 2007: Masters for 5 tracks recorded for album in Australia went missing/were deleted/studio went out of business. Of course, this is my own fault. When I recorded these songs a few years ago I was very naive and didn't know that you should always keep a copy of your masters. Boy was this a hard lesson to learn.

Second least favourite thing of 2007: Recording with a few different studios in Vancouver and finding out that all of them lacked something that is needed for a successful recording including good hearing, patience, manners, confidence and oh a little thing called "knowing how to use your equipment". Do I sound bitter? Perhaps I am, just a little but I said I was purging, and it feels better already! Oh and one last note on this, why can't anyone record my voice to sound the way it sounds? They hear a high voice and automatically pour 80's compression and effects onto it. And these people were recommended. Recommendations schmecommendations...

So where I am I recording now? Well I have found a lovely studio in Vancouver where we have recorded all of the piano tracks but I am searching for an engineer/producer/studio to finish everything hopefully by March in time for the European Tour. Wishful thinking perhaps but there has to be an artistic, clever, patient, down to earth person out there who digs what I do right? I have a lead in Seattle, perhaps a change of scenery will do me good.

Third least favourite thing about 2007: Flaky BC musicians. Arrrgh!!! But it's ok, I imported some lovely Aussies and a Quebecois and one American so it all worked out.

OK enough of the spitting out of bitterness. Thank you for your patience :)

Best things about 2007: I got to play with a dream band this past Summer including Aussie drummer Cat Leahy who I hadn't played with since 2004 so it was soooo wonderful having her around again. K Phanie from Quebec joined me again as well as CJ from Seattle for her first tour. It was amazing how wonderful these three musicians played together even though it was the first time we played together. Emily McMillan an Aussie living in London flew over for the bulk of the shows to help us out yet again as I still hadn't found a regular violinist here. We had a wonderful time playing all through Western Canada from Vancouver through to Winnipeg and have a lot of drunken photos and *gasp* video as proof of the fun. It was the first time in a long time that I had felt that I was playing with people who I really cared about and who cared about me. What is better than that getting to hang out with your friends all Summer and getting paid for it?!? Things went so well, we will be touring Europe in March/April and then doing a bunch of stuff in late Summer/Fall in Canada and the USA including a tour to Alaska in September!!!

I'm so proud of these gals. I hope you can come to a show and meet them. For now you can check out their own pages: www.myspace.com/imkatephanie, www.myspace.com/cameliajademusic, www.myspace.com/catleahy as well as sometime pal and violinist Emily McMillan www.myspace.com/emilymcmillan
For the European tour, we will also be joined by Nice based US celtic harpist Megan Metheney who will be playing melodies as well as some bass lines for us. Check out all of the shows under gigs at my website or myspace, ooh and I have a swanky new design thanks to Ruth!

So I got off track a bit but hey it's been a long time since I have written anything, I guess it was bound to happen but continuing on with the good stuff:

I got an awesome electric piano in 2007 and discovered my inner pianist to my surprise. I have written over 30 songs since I got it and am very excited that at least one tune will be on the new album and I started to play piano at shows so it's a very exciting time for me musically. I have been very inspired by my own pianist K Phanie who has encouraged me (now she can play more flute, glock and sax!) as well as the lovely Amy Seeley from Portland who toured with me a bit back in 2005/2006 and played my tunes for me. She is an amazing pianist and if I can be as half as good as her one day, I will be very pleased.

I got my Canadian perm residence after a year and a half and what did I do the day I got it? We drove over the border to Bellingham and went to Trader Joe's to get some of that nummy oatmilk. I love Canada and all but I just needed to get out because I finally COULD! I am not very good at sitting still in one place for very long so it was very tough not being able to leave the country for so long but now I am allowed to be here forever which is wonderful!

Booking shows for other musicians through Candlestone Music. Wow this has really taken off and I feel honoured to be booking shows for other talented musicians. Check them out at www.myspace.com/candlestonemusic

Discovering Jenny Wilson. Thank you universe, I needed something a little different.
www.myspace.com/loveandyouth

Discovering the omnichord! Thank you Dave for lending me yours, come back from Mexico as I need to borrow it for some recording lol. I guess I better get on ebay and get me one quick!

Seeing Tori live for the first time ever! Thanks Steph and your mum for inviting me. Wow what a piano player.

http://www.freedocumentaries.org/ - The truth is free

Growing older. When I was 21, the thought of getting older horrified me. Now I am grateful for the wisdom that growing older brings and look forward to growing and learning a lot more in 2008.

Becoming a better songwriter and learning to write more about other peoples stories instead of just me me me. I can't wait for you to hear "Everyday Ordinary" a 3 minute saga about some of the people that I have met on the road as well as "Child of War" written about a boy in Iraq and the impact that this war has had on him and many of the other children living through it.

Having a partner who supports me and puts up with me. I know I wouldn't put up with me!

2008 I am so ready for you!

em

Red Necks, Too Many Veggie Burgers and Swingers

Well a lot to catch up on.

1)All of the Prince Albert gigs fell through, weird
2)Where is the decent food in SK and MB? aaarrggh

Wrap up since last entry;

Saturday 4th August, was meant to be Beach Bash but fell through so we played in front of a nice block of toilets next to the beach. Turned out ok considering we slept in a fleabag, smoke ridden hotel in Regina the night before and hadn't fully gained the use of our lungs until many hours after the show but hey what can you do?

Sunday 5th August Moose Mountain Park

This was pretty fun even though we played a game of right speaker on, right speaker off for most of the show. Audience fun, had a nice meal afterwards and met some lovely people.

Monday 6th August The Slice Lethbridge

This was a fun gig and I think the 6 people in attendance really enjoyed it too.
It was the first night I played glockenspiel and maybe the last? Nice people in Lethbridge and the Ramada was nice enough to let us stay in their suite as well.

Wednesday 8th August Qualico Patio Series Sherwood Park

This was a really fun gig apart from the dodgy sound problems. Met John Wort Hannam and his crew, silly fellows. Nice audience. We did karaoke afterwards at the Coliseum Inn, wow I didn't think we could sound that bad and apparently the hotel have video footage, look out!

Thursday 9th August House Concert Millet AB

What an experience, I don't know if I have words for this...

Friday 10th August Interplay Festival Fort McMurray

Never shall I let Kphanie do me up so pretty in such a dangerous place with rampant men.
I was worried about my safety walking back to the hotel after the show. People weren't joking when they said there are a lot of men with too much money and time on their hands wandering the streets of McMurray and hell where is the decent food? Gig was good though, audience nice and into it. Hung out with John Wort Hannams band into the wee hours of the morning arguing about making babies and music.

Monday 13th August the Club/Exchange Regina

Fun gig with small but appreciative crowd, made some new friends who came along.
Nice place, hope we can get some more people out in the future.

Tuesday 14th August House Concert Ste Anne MB

This audience was one of the best on the tour, so into it and receptive and loved the spank me man song. Yummy food, ooh those devilled eggs were num.

Wednesday 15th August Out to Lunch series & Tryst Eatery Winnipeg

Never thought the lunchtime gig would start, grumpy old bastard sound man with something up his anal passage preventing him from being civil and 18 people wandering around seemingly not getting things done, shitting around really. Finally got to play with a shorter set and it was fun, crowd into it as much as people in offices can be you know, with the spanking solo and all, probably a bit of a shock coming out of the call centre, and seeing that. Funny band on afterwards, you would never have known they had a new album coming out in a few days, only mentioned it like 6 times during the set.....lol

Nightime gig was good but weird, audience talked a lot through the set which I am no longer used to as Canadians are usually very polite and don't do that but they still seemed to like it with the positive comments after the show. Yummy food too and lovely venue. KPhanies family came along too which was nice.

Friday 17th August Field Festival Craik SK

Oh my god, I sang a whole set with tonsilitis, though I didn't know what was wrong with me at the time. Sang my little vocal chords out until they became inflamed apparently. Luckily for me, we didn't have a gig the next night but the show went very well, we had a lot of fun and the festival organisers also loved it. Unfortunately one of the bands had an accident on their way back to Calgary after the festival and several members are in hospital, Ibo and Kindred, so we send them all our love and best wishes.....

Highlights from last bunch of shows?

Shaq who we met at toilet block show for letting us stay at his lovely house twice in Regina, healthfood stores whenever we could find them, sleep whenever we could get it, chloe in saskatoon for letting us stay at her house twice, saskatoon: awesome city, all the differerent folks from different cultures coming to house concert in millet, the devilled eggs at the ste anne show, the lovely folks at almost home and simply on the seine b&b's in Winnipeg, having my own room in fort mcmurray, making it safely back to the room in fort mcmurray lol, the enthusiasm of the folks at the millet show, the threat of being arrested for hanging out with cute 17 year old fiddle players at the Field Fest, awesome bands at Field Fest, hanging with John Wort Hannams mad crew

Non highlights? being sick for 8 hours yesterday after having a reaction to my medication

Wanna see some photos from the tour? They are here! Make sure you copy the link and paste as I can't remember how to do the hmtl to get it to pop up correctly at the moment;
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34150&l=7bec6&id=555910480

Saskatch and back again....

Big crazy wonderful week!

wrap up from previous week;

Friday 27th July House Concert @ Scarecrow B&B McBride

We played and awesome fun show on an old wagon stage from 80 years ago that bounced when we did. Lovely crowd, wonderful beds and dinner.

Saturday 28th July Sasquatch Festival Easyford AB

This has definitely been one of my favourite gigs so far. Gig was fun but my fave part was the sweat hut and jumping in the river afterwards and the new friends I made. I feel like this festival woke me up from the sleep I have been in for the past year, I can't even explain what I mean but it is definitely partly surroundings, partly the company. What a magical weekend!



Wednesday 1st August Blue Chair Cafe Edmonton AB



Loads of fun as per usual and some of the Sasquatch crowd were there to make it even more fu n! Love Edmonton, did a little interview with the Vue too, will post when I get home. Here is a photo from the gig taken by Tracey Kolenchuk. You can see many more http://www.pbase.com/tracyk/2007_08_01_emaline_delapaix

Thursday 2nd August Calories Saskatoon SK

Played a nice show at this lovely restaurant and bakery, yummy food and cool people, even some familiar faces. What a darn cool city SK is!

Highlights from the last week?

Sweat hut and late night river swimming by moonlight, banjo and homemade wine, cute danish boys, nakedness at sasquatch (though not me as I am too lame), seeing Di in Calgary, crazy tuesday night Calgary drinks, talking and laughter, weirdass Prairie town names, Regina welcomes you sign (photo coming soon!), Saskatoon!, meeting many wonderful people, Edmonton, Grays Haven B&B.....more coming soon