Had another vocal coaching session this week with Brian Farrell – and I am finally getting around to writing about it now! This week I remembered to bring my guitar along, and Brian had me play several of my own tunes. I started off with “Frettin’ on This Guitar” – which I typically play really fast. Brian asked me what the song was about, and got me to slow it down a lot. I thought this would make the song sound dreary, but he liked it better that way. Interesting! Also, he had a neat lyrical idea for my newer song “Thank you for Stayin’” which I will have to incorporate (I’ll need to work out a few lumps in the pronouns get his idea to work). Today was less about vocal technique – I think he’s trying to get the overall angle of what I’m “about” as an artist….perhaps he is trying to help me find my niche! He also gave me an interesting assignment – I have to write a whole song in half an hour. I’ve done it the odd time when I’m on a roll, but it will definitely be interesting to try this from the get-go — I assume if it turns out like a piece of junk I can always rewrite it later?? Anyway!
In other news, I’ve been taking workshops in professional speaking – I think this will really help my show- and in tying the song messaging together into a better “show.” I am planning to tie together the ideas of strategic planning (which I do in my consulting work during the day) with songwriting (yes, the speaking seminars are for my consulting business as well). You see, strategic planning can be a very difficult concept for people to grasp – so I think if I use songwriting as a metaphor, it will help people understand the elements. There are very interesting similarities! I was going to use well-known songs as examples, but the people in the workshop thought I should write some sort of original song that could reinforce the strategic planning concepts. After screwing up my face with an expression that said, “Uh, like that would be a song anyone would want to hear,” I promised I would “try” – and then of course I got fried for that comment…so I said I “would” write the song – “no matter HOW BAD it is!” So, now I have TWO possibly impossible songwriting tasks to try to accomplish within the next couple weeks. Eek.
I’ll go with the assumption that this is all good for me- I’ve been too busy lately to really do much songwriting, so having a reason to write songs is a good thing. Stay tuned!
Okay, what to title a blog that covers progressive happenings of both myself and my wee one?
First, it turns out the kid has a good sense of rhythm, and can really get that baby Taylor pounding loud! She decided she didn’t want to work on her own song at this point, and so I taught her the first few chords of a pop song she really likes. Now she can’t put the guitar down!
Meanwhile, I had my second vocal lesson with Brian Farrell today. Brian experimented with my range a little more, and had me play him some of my songs. He asked very unusual questions: wanting to know the context that I’d be performing the songs in, and what the intended audience was. He asked about the meanings of the lyrics, and encouraged me not to structure my vocal rhythm exactly to the guitar rhythm I was using. The essence of it was to get me to sing the meaning out of the words, and make it very personal. Further, he suggested many minor tweaks to help me sound more confident. I think I can tell where this is going — which is exactly where I need to go – more time, more conviction, and more authority on stage. In other words, don’t just sing through stuff in a hurry…milk it for all its worth. He’s definitely on the money…. I would agree 100% I can use a little more ego (though not DIVA sized) and to relax and take my time more. Looking forward to where this is going!
Well, I’m taking the plunge and have hired Brian Farrell, an extremely well-reputed vocal performance coach, to help me continue to hone my skills. Brian has worked with serious singers like Paul Brandt, Sarah MacLachlan and Jann Arden…so I guess he’s more than qualified to help me!!
Brian has a lovely home in Bearspaw, with a big grand piano, and a keyboard+large-screen computer setup. There was a beautiful view of the snowy foothills out the big windows as we worked. The lesson started out by talking about my goals for the process. Mainly, I’m looking to improve my range, my confidence throughout the range, and my endurance. I had just sung a 5-6 hour house party gig on Saturday night, and although I managed to sing through it, my voice was thinning out at the end, and really tired the next day. I’ve also found that I since I’ve been trained by different teachers in different ways (classical vs. pop), I didn’t really know what sort of vocal exercises I should be doing to improve things….I usually just try not to burn out my voice when performing…but I don’t really warm it up or do anything to exercise it.
I asked what was probably a dumb question for a singer: Were vocal cords muscles that should be exercised or tissues that should be used sparingly? He showed me some videos of vocal cords in action, and explained that they were definitely muscles that should be exercised, stretched and toned. That was a relief…and then he began giving me a bunch of weird-sounding vocal exercises that would stretch them in different ways. I was really surprised to hear that he could reach the very end of the notes on the piano keyboard (BOTH ENDS) with his own voice!! Oddly, he explained that hitting low notes meant “aiming” them high, and that hitting high notes meant aiming them low in the throat. This was news to me, as I had always strained my neck and leaned upwards to hit higher notes….it will be very interesting to see what he says about this as time goes by!
On the drive home I popped in a DVD of vocal exercises he gave me. It was kind of tough – like going to a first workout at a gym. I couldn’t do all the exercises or hit the end of the range. I think the gal on the CD he gave me was a serious soprano, and I’m more of an alto, but I did the best I could. Not sure I was doing everything with proper technique, but we’ll see how it goes through the next couple weeks of using it, and if he sees any improvement when I return…..good thing I’m keeping those windows rolled up!
In all, this is very exciting…if any of you hear improvements in my voice in the next few months – please let me know!! My mission in this musical adventure isn’t to be perfect, but to at least be a moving target…
Had a wonderful experience yesterday evening! My daughter (the “Beautiful Doll” I wrote about in my song) asked me to start teaching her guitar. This was so fun and cute, because she said she did not want to learn my “country” songs, but wanted to learn a rock song. So, I didn’t really have one of my own that I’d written that would suit her ideally, nor did I know of any that would be really perfectly suited to a brand new beginner, so we started writing one together. I showed her two chords and a rock style strum, and we wrote two lines! So, those two lines are all she has to practice until the next lesson, and she is singing words that she made up herself. I hope she likes it and sticks with it! She has a beautiful singing voice! Yahoo!
Happy New Year Folks! I’ve had my head down in the beans for awhile, earning money for needed renos on the house and Christmas- so that’s why I haven’t done many public shows (no, 3 a month isn’t many for me!). But this will change in the new year and I’ll be emailing you with dates very soon (assuming you’re on my email list — if not, please sign up at the top of the page!).
Thanks for staying in touch – drop me a note if to say hello if you have a minute – I’d love to hear from you!
Howwwdeee friends in Red Deer, and others who aren’t afraid of a road trip! I’ll be playing with my trio this Saturday at Bower Place Mall from 1 – 4— let’s call it countrified versions of your Christmas favourites! So come and shop til you drop, and hear some great tunes too.
Howdy folks! I was surprised to turn on the radio this morning and hear Christmas tunes already…which I suppose will be good for the economy (just hearing Xmas tunes makes people shop!). And, I’m already woodshedding all my Christmas repertoire, which is always fun. Let me know if you need entertainment; I love getting people to sing along at Christmas!
How do you define “perfect pitch”? Musicians tell me that it’s when you toss the banjo and hit the accordion player square on! (Sheesh – the abuse the poor banjoists and accordionists take!) And that’s not even the start of the list of accordion jokes I know…here’s one that hits close to home though: What are the last 8 words the accordion player says to the band? “How ’bout we do one of MY songs?” Ha!
Lately I’ve been brushing up on my banjo and accordion and am planning to add it to next show (and subsequent shows)…making for a little fun twist. So far the accordion is coming back fast (because I never really left it for long) but it beats me why the banjo feels so different from a guitar after all this time…the wee skinny neck and feel of the picks? Anyway I have always loved its cheerful sound so I’m really enjoying getting back at it. And I still LOVE the sound of my accordion, which is a Hohner 72-bass I got from the Macen Accordion Studio here in Calgary about 5 years ago. It has the prettiest tone of any one I’ve heard – so I hope you’ll enjoy hearing it again….
We had a great time playing in Banff this weekend on Friday and Saturday night! The weather was really warm Friday night, and as we arrived early, I had a chance to go around and meet a lot of the people in the room. It was cool to discover that the audience was a truly global makeup of tourists from around the world – we met people from England, Australia, Sweden and Germany who were there experiencing their vacations-of-a-lifetime in Banff! It is always so neat to see your country through the eyes of those outside it.
We got a great soundman, Derek, who really knew his stuff and did a great job setting us up; he even gave Gary some good tips we’ll be able to use in our future shows. Because the venue provided us with nice rooms nearby, we stayed over both nights, and got to enjoy shopping in Banff all day Saturday. It was colder and rainy in the morning, but that gave us an excuse to buy some cozy new jackets on our way to hit the candy store! Saturday night was great too, with lots of dancers on the floor as well as several returnees from the previous night. Thanks so much to Grant, Matt, Derek and the rest of the staff at Wild Bill’s – a fantastic venue, and a truly memorable experience! We look forward to returning in 2012!
Wohoo! Just had rehearsals with the band and it’s sounding awesome…I’ve got Andrzej Ryska drumming + Rob Voss on electric bass, and these guys are awesome!
I’ve also been working really hard on my harmonica and lead guitar lines and they’re really coming together nicely (since we’re playing as a 3 piece this weekend at Wild Bills). Whew – going to be a lotta work playing three full sets as rhythm guitar/lead guitar/harmonica and singing the whole night…..so if you wanna see me drop 5 pounds in front of your very eyes in pure sweat, join us in Banff this weekend!
Just got back from Country Music Week, and am still suffering a little from the lack of sleep! Saw about 30 acts, attended numerous seminars, and enjoyed some all-night jamming! I particularly enjoyed seeing Patrick Dorie (cool young songwriter in the roots vein), Libby McGrath (great singer/songwriter who actually solo-debuted a new song at the rising star showcase – gutsy!), and Ryan Cook (an east coast roots musician – also a wicked sense of humour). Also I really enjoyed seeing old friends like Wendell Ferguson, Shane Chisholm, Jimmy Whiffen and Quentin Reddy… as well as meeting many new ones! NOTE TO FANS: Did you realize you can attend CCMA’s? Next year they are in Saskatoon…If you buy a Songwriter’s Showcase pass like I did, for about $60 – $80 you can see a TON of the top country acts in a really short amount of time, and be totally up on all the who’s who in country music! It works out to about $2 per act — Zowie!
This time I really felt like I was starting to understand the ins and outs; and was on track with my approach heading into the next album. I’ve got a bunch of stuff to record, but I am still holding off production until I create a few “magic” tunes that can work on a commercial level! I got Ralph Murphy’s Book on Songwriting, and am already finding it packed with gem information… I also came away with a bunch of new ideas for getting my music out there.
I’m heading off to the CCMA’s in Hamilton in a couple weeks – a great chance to see what’s new in the industry by cramming in a ton of seminars and meeting all the Canadian country artists and promoters. From there, I’m playing mostly private shows – except for a COOL 2-nighter coming up at Wild Bill’s in Banff on Sept 30 & Oct 1…should be a really good time… let me know if you’re coming and we’ll be sure to hook up with you!
Hi folks! Just a quick note to let you know tonight’s Vipers game (Aug 12) has been scrubbed because the other team (Chico) ran into travel difficulties. I am scheming alternate plans – maybe an informal summer night jam - Drop me an email if you’re interested!
Just got back from Victoria after a beautiful, amazing show at the Butchart Gardens. We got perfect weather – warm and windless- for the Saturday evening performance on the Concert Lawn outdoor stage. It was like there was a little magic in the air…the sound was perfect (the Gardens has an awesome sound crew) and the band seemed to just soak up the moment….and had a great time on stage. Even the crowd was intently listening and really seemed to enjoy the songs, and snapped up the CD’s! And it finished off with one of the best, and most artistic fireworks shows I’ve ever seen! We’ve also posted some new photos of the show for you to enjoy…check out the flowers all around the stage too – ahhh, that’s what a gal singer/songwriter dreams of…A truly unforgettable night!!
Ahh, I so appreciate it when the reviewer really LISTENS to the music, and then understands where I am coming from! Check out this new review from the Moose Jaw Times Herald in Saskatchewan…home of lots of hard-workin’ gals like me. Written by a man who really gets women, I guess! Thanks Marlon! For more reviews on Red Hot Candy Heart, you can also click here.
Just got back from Victoria, where I’m prepping with a west-coast band to back me up for the show at the Butchart Gardens!! What brings me out there?? When I was a kid, my parents had an encyclopedia set – and I used to stare at a photo of the Butchart Gardens in it – to me it looked just like a piece of heaven! So, hubby surprised me with a trip there on our 10th anniversary (that’s my Sugar Daddy)…I saw they had a stage…and discovered they had a summer music program…and figured destiny was calling me I guess! Just standing on the stage yesterday got me choked up…wow…
Howdy all!! Up to my eyeballs this week. Managed to finish and defend my Master’s dissertation and perform 5 shows so far. Luckily playing music is great stress therapy for me – I can go into a show being quite wound up, and come out feeling like a myself again. So far the new band is really doing great, and I expect us to just keep getting more in sync through Stampede. While I’m at it, I’d like to thank the organizers of First Flip, especially Megan, for bringing us back this year to perform the biggest, best breakfast of them all (5000 people – and they served FRESH FRUIT along with the pancakes and sausage!)! And I especially enjoyed the Stampede breakfast I did today at St. Peter’s Anglican church. John and I played as a duo, and then I did gospel tunes for the church service. The congregation was really appreciative! That’s a good thing because on the spur of the moment they needed another tune and I had to make up a verse of Angel Band on the fly (dang, it wasn’t in the Hymn book)! That’s what you call a little help from above! (and I can’t remember what I sang, but it did make sense at the time….ha ha)
Howdy folks! Just got back from a little trip to Anaheim California – we drove to the Taylor guitars factory and had a tour, then stopped in to see an Alison Krauss concert outdoors at the Greek Theatre in LA. Compliments of Sugar Daddy (hubby) and spurred on by our 16 year anniversary on June 24! What a wonderful experience all around! I know have a better appreciation of my 3 Taylor guitars too! (Gary’s hope was just that I would be more careful and not let the humidifier dry out – which I’ve been very sloppy about – oops).
Last weekend the Crew and I also had fun performing for both the Lake Bonavista Pre-Stampede Party and the Parkland Summerfest. Got to try out our new tent at Bonavista – nice to have but then the wind gusted and one of the legs buckled. Luckily this was during teardown. We have another tent on order (the company is giving us another one only for shipping costs) – then we’ll have all the spare parts we should ever need. And we’re going to find a new tie-down method for concrete surfaces! Summerfest was wonderful. I had no idea they put up such a huge production for so many bands. The stage was big, and the whole audience area was covered with a huge structure as well. Lots of fun for the kids and lots of food vendors there too. It was a soaking wet weekend but they had us all covered!
Now in heavy preparations for Stampede week… yahooo the funnest time of year.
Looking for a live country band for your corporate Stampede event this year? We’re filling up fast, so give us a call! You can also check out our confirmed gig listings already on our Shows page.
On Saturday, May 28th, YOU can help end cancer, enjoy an outdoor musical show, and savour a sweet barbeque! On May 11 last week, we lost a very close friend of the band, Rosie Hisey, to ovarian cancer. Over the past few years, Rosie and her husband Stan have been having annual fundraisers to donate to finding a cure for cancer. This year’s event will be extra special – the “Ride for Rosie” cycling team is putting on a bigger push than ever, and we’re expecting to raise a great amount through donations and a silent auction. WE WOULD LOVE our friends, family and all our fans to come out and support this great cause.
Yahoo! Just got confirmation this morning that I’ll be performing for the Calgary Vipers Baseball Club’s pre-game shows, singing the anthems, and leading the crowd-riling 7th inning stretches! I’ve been given 8 show dates – so I hope some of you will want to catch the games and help me belt out TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME!! (Now to learn the Star Spangled Banner….eek!). Here are the dates. These will also be added to our events calendar. I’ll be playing the pre-game shows as a duo with my new bassist, John Gray….
Thurs, May 26th Game Start 6:30 – show start 5:30
Sat, May 28th Game Start 5:05 – show start 4:05
Sat, June 11th Game Start 5:05 – show start 4:05
Fri, July 1st Game Start 1:05 – show start 12:05
Fri, Aug 12th Game Start 6:30 – show start 5:30
Sun, Aug 14th Game Start 1:35 – show start 12:35
Sat, Aug 20th Game Start 5:05 – show start 4:04
Wed, Aug 24th Game Start 6:30 – show start 5:30
Howdy all! The ECMA’s in Charlottetown was exceptionally educational this year. The best was perhaps the keynote speech by Jeff Price, president of Tunecore, who gave a really insightful talk on how the music industry is restructuring and how musicians should take advantage of it. The nutshell version is that every function once performed by a record label can now be done by musicians independently, but that WE need to take the bull by the horns and do it! Which is what I’ve been thinking all along – but he gave us some great advice how/why to do it. Interestingly, even commercial radio is going to take a major hit once streaming becomes widespread….so do we need to fit ourselves into “commercial radio” genres? Perhaps not! This means my mental wheels crank on how as to approach future recording projects, that’s for sure. In addition, I saw a fantastic workshop by Tom Jackson, the genius of the stage, who shows performers how to NOT just stand there and strum…and how to build a great SHOW instead. You can bet all this insight is going to seriously affect what I do in the coming year! Of course, along with the educational component, there were performances on Discovery Stage, Radio ECMA, and the late, late night jamming in the hotel lobby sessions – great fun.
Howdy folks! Had a great show at Cantos last week - the listening audience, and the sound was so great that we managed to shoot some great video as well, which should soon be up on this site. In other news, I found a new upright bassist (well, he’s new to me!), John Gray. John is definitely one of the best in Canada – has played with Ray Charles, kd lang, Chet Baker and Tommy Banks among others. I was amazed at his ability to follow and fill in my tunes, despite hearing them for the first time. He also really liked my music! Going to be an incredible addition to the Crew! This week, I’m off to Charlottetown PEI for the East Coast Music Awards – yahoo!
Back in town now after a hectic couple weeks of travel. Canada Music Week was a wonderful experience – had a chance to see one of my favourite songwriters, Gordie Sampson play his song “Paris,” on piano – which I recorded and have listened to numerous times already (because I love performing this song – and met his mother last year, who performed it on piano also). I also saw couple of my other favourite performers, Emmylou Harris, who was as elegant and soulful as ever, and the incomparable Randy Bachman. Randy told an hilarious story of how he wrote “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” on a lark to tease his brother who had a stutter – and it ended up being a big hit. The jam was hosted by Paul Williams, who has written tons of famous songs, including “Rainbow Connection” for Kermit the Frog. He made an impassioned speech, which included the inspirational reminder that, “There are thousands of unborn children that need to dance to your songs!” – which I plan to use whenever I need a pick-me-up! Just hearing it said made my eyes water!
Then this weekend, we were in Thunder Bay, mainly to visit CILU, the local station that really supported Red Hot Candy Heart out of the gate, and took it to #1 on their local folk/roots chart. Jason Wellwood, the station manager, gave me a 1-hour live show, and then I performed at the local Ruby Moon that night. It was a really fun show, and ended up in an acoustic jam at one of the tables – we even got a local blues harmonica player, Tracey K to join in…she’s also a great harmony singer.
I also found out while I was away that my album received another strong review from Jason Gladu at Stage Door reviews…check it out!
In other news, I’ve been booked again this year as a featured artist at the Calgary Stampede – yahoo! Thanks to Pat McGannon at PM Gigs for lining this one up.
Next on the agenda: flat-out rehearsal and prep for the April 7th show at Cantos!
THURS, APRIL 7 SHOW: Prepping for our next show…I’ll be performing on my banjo again after a 2 year hiatus- eek – and no, it’s not an all-banjo all-night show though – whew!). Also colourful upright-bassist Spider Bishop will be joining us for the show, and we’re really looking forward to performing with him! Tickets are now available, so call (403) 804-4676 to book your seats by credit card. $10 in advance, or $15 at the door. Minors are welcome too!
I am stunned to be writing this – but this morning I found out that Red Hot Candy Heart has reached #4 on the National Folk/Roots charts for independent radio stations across Canada. How’s that for a Valentine’s Day present?! Yahoo!!
We’ve tallied the first 2 weeks of our 8-week independent radio campaign, and gotten confirmation that 20 stations across Canada have added one or more tracks from Red Hot Candy Heart to their playlists! These include:
Nova Scotia: CAPR (Sydney) & CJQC/QCCK (Liverpool)
Quebec: CFLX and CJMQ (both in Sherbrooke), CFOU (Trois Rivieres), and CHIP (Fort Coulonge)
Ontario: CKCU (Ottawa), CFMU (Hamilton), CKMS (Waterloo), CKLU (Sudbury), CILU (Thunder Bay – where it reached #1 on their folk/roots charts), and CHES (Erin)
Manitoba: CJUM/UMFM (Winnipeg)
Alberta: CRLC (Lethbridge), CJSW (Calgary) and CJSR (Edmonton), and NOWHERE Radio (Calgary)
British Columbia: CFBX (Kamloops), Rossland Radio (Rossland), CIVU (Sechelt)
So, if you’re in any of these areas, give the folks at one of these radio stations a call and get them to play one of your favourite tracks off Red Hot Candy Heart!
Howdy Friends! My song called “My Breast Friends” is going to be used as a charity fundraiser for the charity “Breast Friends” – a friendship and support group for women’s cancers. They are posting the song on their website, and then they will receive the equivalent of all the publishers’ royalties from the song. So do share it with your friends and buy a copy if you’d like to help this very worthwhile charity! If you click within the widget, you can share it on Facebook and other social media sites very easily, or even have it emailed.
Wahoo! More good news this week. Red Hot Candy Heart continues to make headway in the independent radio market. It reached #1 on the Folk/Roots/Blues chart in Thunder Bay already, and is now #6 on the same chart in Edmonton at CJSR (and #18 on their overall music chart). It’s still at #4 at CJSW in Calgary, and has just been added at a new station in BC, who reviewed it for me as well.
Rossland Radio in BC just added my new CD to their playlist – they liked “Cowgirl That I Am,” “Achin’ Burnin’ Dream” and “Rusty Rider.” They also wrote me a really great review – read on:
January 24, 2011 – 9:31pm — John Kereiff’s blog
“Red Hot Candy Heart” Jacquie Drew (Last Tango) ***
Drew presents her second album, the follow up to 2008’s “Rolling Wind”. A collection of western tunes that range from rockabilly to country swing, an album with heart.
Given her background, I wouldn’t have expected this. Trained as a classical pianist from early on and a member of Calgary’s Philharmonic chorus, it might seem she’s aiming low- but there’s a comfortable charm to these country numbers. She sounds a bit like Helen Reddy and lyrically the songs (all penned by Jacquie) are fun and personal slices of life that ring true. She’s been called a female Ian Tyson and while it’s too early in her journey to make such a lofty comparison, I can see where it comes from. As long as she stays down to earth and true to herself as she has here, Jacquie Drew’s musical career will be as long and successful as she wants it to be.
Hot Spots: “Cowgirl That I Am”, “Rusty Rider”, “Achin’ Burnin’ Dream”
Well, I’m taking the plunge and have hired Brian Farrell, an extremely well-reputed vocal performance coach, to help me continue to hone my skills. Brian …
