Grati-Tuesday #8: Vanessa

“Humour is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield.”

The first thing I’ll tell about Vanessa is that you’ll feel like the funniest and most interesting person in the world when you hang out with her. Vanessa loves to laugh. Her sense of humour and joy is expansive. How often do people say “I just don’t share the same sense of humour as [insert name]”? I have never heard anyone say that about Vanessa. Of all the people I know, she most ready to laugh, smile, and find joy in any given moment.
Last week, after releasing my album, I was exhausted and frustrated. I had caught some kind of plague after the show and I’d been in bed for a few days. I was restless for some company and to celebrate the milestone that had just occurred. Vanessa and I decided that we would go for pizza and a movie—Jem and the Holograms. We knew that the reviews were terrible, but as children of the eighties we couldn’t NOT see it.
It was AWFUL and also wonderful. Haha. Awful because it was poorly written, full of teenage angst & plot holes, rife with poor character development, and just not faithful to the spirit of the original.
Despite all this, we had a blast. We suspended our “cultivated” taste, revelled in the flashy music performances, eye-rolled at the teen angst and implausibility, snort-laughed at the contrived moments, and genuinely shed a single tear each at the father-daughter closure scene. It was so bad and so good. I think if I had attended that movie with anyone else I would not have enjoyed it half as much—if at all.
This is what life is like with Vanessa around. Anything and everything can be made fun and full of joy. Thank you for your friendship over the past number of years, girrrrl. You make life an absolute joy.
‪#‎heartbeats‬ ‪#‎whenyouranswercomes‬ ‪#‎gratituesday‬

Grati-Tuesday # 6 – Jen Lane

Today I am thankful for my friend Jen Lane. Two summers ago, Jen was just an acquaintance. I was in a state, because the studio I was recording at was closing, the producer was leaving, and I wasn’t quite happy with the music we were making but I couldn’t pinpoint why.

I needed advice, so I called Jen and her husband John and asked if I could buy them lunch. Jen and John together probably have more than two decades of experience and lessons learned about the music business. They can always be counted on for a coffee or brain picking session. Their generosity with their time, energy and knowledge is well known in the Saskatoon music community.
So we had lunch, and after Thai food and no small amount of venting from me, Jen offered a few producers’ names—including her own. “No pressure!” she said “Just think about it and I’ll see you at Ness Creek in two weeks.” I didn’t need to think about it, but she didn’t want me to feel even remotely pressured into a decision.

I made this record with Jen, in the end, and I am so glad I did. I have gained an amazing friend in my life, and my record turned so beautifully. Jen has a wicked sense of humour and is fantastic at putting things in perspective. She enjoys the simple things in life, and has a sneaky talent for helping the people around her slow down and do the same. When you’re stressed out around Jen, you’ll often find yourself fed, watered and laughing your butt off at some gloriously stupid Youtube video before you even know what hit you. I still haven’t figured out if she’s doing it on purpose or not.

Working with an inspired, talented and intuitive female producer was an incredible treat. I feel like my record was a newborn baby in a carriage controlled by four untamed horses and hurtling away from me at lightning speed. You whispered the horses, grabbed the reins and put the baby back in my hands. I am so grateful.

Jen has released a song and video this week, which you can check out below.
She will be joining us at at The Bassment on Friday night to do some SANGIN’!!! Can’t wait!

Jen Lane – Shoe (Official Video): http://exclaim.ca/music/article/jen_lane-shoe_video

‪#‎heartbeats‬ ‪#‎gratituesday‬ ‪#‎whenyouranswercomes‬

Thanksgiving Grati-Tuesday #5: Vero

Allow me to introduce my friend Vero. She’s been staying at my house for the past few days, and I’m all nostalgic about one autumn three years ago when our friendship was cemented.

Vero and I took a two-week tour through Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario in November of 2012. We learned each others’ songs and did a set of duets every night. We saw some beautiful autumn vistas in the Canadian Shield. We ate life-changing Italian food in Toronto, and equally amazing paninis in Yorkton. I learned that French Canadian people, if Vero’s family is any indication, are some of the warmest people in this country (and some of the funniest).

I almost didn’t go on that tour. I almost said “No” because I was scared that we would lose money, that we’d get caught in a blizzard, that no one would come to our shows, or that my new super-rad gal pal would get sick of me after being together 24/7 for two weeks.

Some of those things did happen. We made a little money, but not a ton. We had some sketchy weather (and super sketchy accommodations), but we made it. We had a few small-turnout shows, but those were the most fun. We needed a few breaks from each other, but our friendship was cemented to that semi-permanent, sibling-like status where you won’t ever lose touch completely. Everything worked out—mostly because of Vero’s sense of humour and problem-solving skills. I am grateful that Vero nudged me to take a leap of faith, and that she continues to inspire me to bravery.

I’m also grateful that Vero makes time to jam and play shows with me. She is a musical swiss army knife, playing keys, violin & guitar, and singing and writing better than most people. Her time and talent is in demand because she always knows what is needed to bring a song to life. Vero had a big hand in helping my new record turn out as well as it did.

Finally, I am grateful to have such a charming, warm, hilarious, deep-thinking and crazy-creative gal pal in my life. I am pumped that she’ll be playing at my album release show Friday Oct 23rd I can’t wait to share our fun with everyone.
Love your gutz Vero!

‪#‎heartbeats‬ ‪#‎gratituesday‬ ‪#‎whenyouranswercomes‬

Grati-Tuesday #3

My Grati-Tuesday shout out today goes to my mom.

It’s hard to boil it down to just one or two things my mom has taught me, obviously. However, if I had to pick just one thing, it’s true hospitality. My mom is the one of the most truly hospitable women I know.

Growing up, my family’s house was often full of extra kids beyond just me and my three siblings. Our house had a reputation for being the one where other kids were welcome, where there would be some snacks, and where there would always be proper, solid adult supervision.

(Mom’s logic was that, if all the neighbourhood kids at her house, then she would know where we all were and what we were up to. Haha.)

I’ve learned that hospitality isn’t just having a home to invite people into or food to give them. It’s a way of carrying yourself– A way of being with people that makes them comfortable in their own skin, free to be themselves, and able to rest & re-charge. This kind of hospitality can re-create us. It’s similar to the recharge you get from spending time in nature or sharing a truly gut-busting laugh. It’s the the kind of renewal you get from a hot cup of tea after being out in the cold, or from a home-cooked meal after travelling a long way.

In this sense, a person can be truly hospitable even when they are a guest in someone else’s house.

This hospitality is something I’ve learned from my mom–although I do not yet have her years of practice. I think it has benefitted me greatly as I have travelled with my music over the years. As I meet people and stay in their homes, my mom’s example is always in my brain. It reminds me to ask myself “What is this person’s desire right now?” “What makes them tick?” “What do they want to talk about?” and, most importantly, “How can I pray for them?”

My mom’s example has taught me how to read between the lines with God and realize that the music maybe isn’t my real purpose–the people are.

Thank you mom.
I love your guts.
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