So it has been a WHILE (understatement) since my last blog. If I remember correctly (meaning.. I just browsed back to my last blog to refresh my poorly functioning baby brain) my last blog was about a foodie pen pal program I had just joined. And before that.. a brief blog about being pregnant. Well today marks 4 weeks since my precious little boy Asher Lewis Evangelos was born (and he came 2 weeks early, so 2 weeks since my actual due date as well). 4 weeks have come and gone, can you believe it?! Literally it feels like the blink of an eye and yet it’s already hard to imagine life before Asher!
In my blog about being pregnant and “project baby” I made reference to using a good part of my maternity leave to write, record and create music. I’m happy to report that that plan is still a go, but as of December I am also the recipient of a Rawlco Radio 10K20 grant. So what previously was going to be a little low budget home recording project, can now be a full fledged album! My second full length album. I originally applied for the Rawlco grant in 2009, before I had even begun recording Prairie Belle, obviously looking for funds to help me record my first record. Here we are three years later, and they contact me… what a wonderful surprise!
We begin recording in two weeks at Phonetic Sound studios in St. Albert with Jeff Olsen. Jered has recorded with him before for Jesse Peters and Lindsay Nagy’s records, and we have already met to discuss and brainstorm on what this record is going to sound like. It’s going to be ten tracks, and tentatively titled “Tree of Life”. Tree of Life is a song I wrote quite a few years ago about dreams, and longings… when they are fulfilled, they become a tree of life. Branches sprouting off in all directions creating new opportunities, new dreams, new experiences… that was what Prairie Belle ended up being for me. Prairie Belle lead me to my first grant from FACTOR, a tour, more radio airplay, tv features, a trip to Folk Alliance International in Memphis… This new record will also be a tree of life for me, and little Asher is obviously a major tree of life of his own! The other material on the record will consist of newer songs that I have written in the last year or two, including a few cowrites with Chloe Albert, Erica Viegas, Rob Heath and Marty Pawlina. Needless to say I’m over the moon. New baby, new record… I’m such a lucky girl!
Also happening right now is a fun new contest (insert collective groan sound bite here). I know, I know.. there are so many contests always going on, with indie artists always asking you to vote for them. Well this time around it’s CBC Music and the contest is called “Searchlight: The Search for Canada’s Best New Artist”. I’ve entered my song “Too Easy”, my favourite track from Prairie Belle. Also the track I’m using as a guide for the direction I want the new record to take. Of course I would love your vote to help me out, but my friend/music enthusiast/radio personality/program director Cory Noel put it best today when he said on Facebook:
“I get a lot of requests to vote for different artists/musicians in all kinds of contests. Instead of just blindly voting for someone because they’re your friend, I’d strongly encourage people to give every entry a listen and vote for the strongest song. Which one has the smartest lyrics? Which one has the most interesting melody? Which one made you think? Laugh? Cry? FEEL…?? We all want to help our friends, but let’s help the industry as a whole by using our brains to choose the best options….just a thought…”
So I agree with Cory, go check out this super contest that CBC Music is putting on, and listen to the songs. If you think I deserve it, vote for me. If you think someone else deserves it more, vote for them! Either way, just go and vote and help the indies out! You can vote HERE
Well that’s all I have for now. I plan on blogging throughout the recording process again this time, so stay tuned if you’d like. To close, I leave you with a picture of my beautiful babe! Cheers. xo
