tour, rest, and other four letter words

Hello to you from the Slocan Valley! We've had a busy string of dates on tour. Much has happened, most of it great. Of course, every good story has it's bits of colour offered by villians, trolls, and danger, and our's is no exception.  But the general feeling is captured in the photo: bright, blurred and fun.

We have three more shows, all along Highway 3 – a beautiful stretch of road through British Columbia and Alberta.  It's a relaxing way to spend the final days of the journey.  Short drives along a winding highway through the rolling mountains.  Not bad at all.

The trip has been a success, largely because of the people that have helped me pull the whole thing off.  Jeremy and Beth are obviously deserving much credit for their talent and devotion.  They divide the duties of eating, driving, scheduling, advancing, housing, etc, etc.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I do anything anymore.  We have a wonderful publicist, Susan Busse, who seduces the media into writing about our shows. (And then kind people read the articles and attend the shows! Huzzah.)  There's also my dearest Michael who is always doing something helpful.  Taxes, accounting, photography, online sales, website maintenance, motivational speaker, and more.  Great rates too.

And then there is everyone out on the road.  All the people who are patrons of Belle Plaine.  You welcome us into your homes, and on top of giving us a comfortable place to rest, you cook us incredible meals and let us do our laundry.  Others drive long distances to see us play either for the first time, or because you caught us on the last tour.  Sometimes you even drive to see a second show on the same tour.  You're all crazy.

I'm not sure how we could continue to tour and succeed without this generosity that we have come to depend on.  It's impossible to imagine.  So, thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I am touched and humbled by your kindness.

We've had a good run, and I thought I'd share some of the things that have happened through the wonders of the internet...

1. A selection of tour photos.

2. A video of us at CTV in Edmonton.

3. Two videos of us at City TV in Edmonton here and here.

4. A live audio recording of our show in Penticton.

5. A video stream of our performance in Kelowna.

6. A lovely photo taken by my pal, David O. Mitchell.

That's probably enough media stuff to keep you entertained for the moment.  I'm off to enjoy the splendor of the valley.  Keep well, and keep in touch.

just over the horizon

Hello friends,

In about 24 hours I will be back on the road, headed westward in a van with Elizabeth and Jeremy, seeking appreciative listeners, warmer climes, and – as always – a new adventure.  We have one heyday of a tour coming up from March 4th to the 31st thanks to the generous support of the Saskatchewan Arts Board. (May the Lord's face look upon thee with favour, Sask Arts Board.)

I am gleeful over the next month of concerts.  I'm ready for this, but I'm also ready for what comes next.

A rest.

Spread the word! As of May, Belle Plaine is putting on her pajamas, and is going to see if she can still write songs.

Sure, there's a lot of time between now and then.  But I'm excited about the prospect of cooling my heels with my wonderful boyfriend, my sweet-faced niece, my dear Gran and all the friends and family I have been away from over the past year and a half.  The promise of a break makes me excited for the tour.  They go hand in hand.  I'm ready to see what lies ahead after all the toil over Notes from a Waitress.  I think it's time to coast for a little while and just see what catches up to me.

Habitually, musician's blogs are a call to arms.  "I need your support!" they plead.  "Come to my show!" they beg.

Well... I do still need your support.  And I would love to see you at one of our Western Canadian shows.  I'd also love it if you voted for me in the CBC Searchlight contest too.  Especially if I make it to Round 3.  (This whole CBC thing is a bit of a marathon.  If you want to know more about it all, read up on it here.  If you just want to vote for me, click here... and then do it every day after for the rest of your life. Seriously. This thing goes on forever.)

But if you do none of these things, that's ok too.  I just want to say thanks.  I feel very privileged to be in your hearts and minds and homes and venues and festivals and stereos and... you get the picture.  Thank you for inviting me in.  I am beholden to you.

Drop me an email.  Come see one of our shows in March.  Floss your teeth and call your mother.  Over the next month I will carry all of my gratitude for all of your support in my heart and voice.

And then I will endeavor to weave it into new melodies for you to enjoy.

much love.
bp

search party

Hello from Toronto!

We are in the Big Smoke now.  We've been warming up to the city for the past week.  The train ride here on VIA Rail was a barrel of fun - Jeremy even played Roll Out the Barrel on the accordion in celebration of the good times we had.  You can see some photos of the ride here.

We've been busy doing gigs, and I've included a video where you can watch us in action from last night's concert.  It was a great show in an artist studio space just off Bloor St.  We recorded our performance of Notes from a Waitress in honour of our entry into the CBC Searchlight contest that's going on. You see, I wanted to enter Notes as our submission being that I'm particularly proud of the lyrics, but I sing a curse word in it... and surely I would have the dumb luck of being disqualified because I say "son of a bitch".  So I reviewed the situation and submitted Waikiki instead.

You should watch the video!  You should also vote for me (please, please, pretty please) because it would be freaking awesome to get to the next level of the contest.  It's one of those things where you vote every day... I know.  What a commitment, right?  Even I find it hard.  Make it your home page for the next week, or something? That's what I'm doing.

You can check out the list of submissions that are from Saskatchewan alone, and make your pick, but if you're reading this, just save time by searching for Belle Plaine on the page and hit vote.  Then do it again tomorrow and repeat until February 24th, when the first round ends.

I will be a worthy Saskatchewan ambassador, I assure you.

love from Hogtown.
bp

ride the rails

It's been a little while since I last posted.  I've been reluctant to write about what I've been doing, because it seems a bit boring: grant writing, rehearsing, tour booking, computer work and sleep deprivation pretty much sum up the last three weeks.

But today is a very exciting day.  It's the beginning of a wee adventure.  I'm going to Saskatoon this afternoon.  I will meet the band there, and tomorrow morning Jeremy, Beth and I will board VIA Rail bound for Toronto.  We'll be playing music on the train for all the good people who like that sort of thing.  I promise I will post some photos and hopefully a little update while we're riding the rails.  We've been talking about doing this for THREE YEARS!  Can you imagine how excited I am? And rumour has it that my pal B.D. Willoughby will be on the train too.  It's going to be a hoot.
 
After we arrive in Toronto there will be much more excitement, but I'll save that for later.  For now, it's bon voyage, Belle Plaine.

nationally acclaimed

Tour has been good to us!  With the exception of a bit of winter weather on our first day out and a minor automotive mishap (Keep those battery posts tightened, people!) we've had an incident free trip.  As Jeremy said yesterday, "How can each place be the best one?"
Too true.

We're just setting up our gear for what has become a very high profile gig in Lipton, SK.  The very kind, and always hip, Grant Lawrence listed our wee house concert as one of the Top 5 Gigs of this weekend.  That's crazy! We'll do our best to make him proud.

A big thanks to the people who came to our shows in Tisdale, Kamsack and Quill Lake.  Our performances would have been really disappointing without you.

xo

it's a jazzy jan

Hi friends,

I'm hitting the road for a string of shows in Saskatchewan on Wednesday.  Should shape up to be a lot of fun.  I'm mostly playing in small towns and have got Jeremy and Elizabeth by my side.  Winter adventures await.

While I was postering for this tour's Regina show I noticed a poster for the Bob Moyer Big Band.  I recommend attendance to anyone living in or near the city.

Bob Moyer is a local big band leader who passed away in 2005.  His book of jazz standard arrangements will be played by local musicians on the 18th of January in the Royal Saskatchewan Museum Auditorium.  I went to their performance a few years ago when Pat Steel sang with the band.  Pat and Bob had one of those real life music romances that makes me swoon.  They traveled all over with the big band and have a heap of great stories to tell.  She's always been very supportive of my work and it was a pleasure to see her up swingin' with the band.  She's since retired, so I'm not sure who will be belting out the tunes (if they're looking for someone, please consider this my official letter of interest for next year).

It's a rare opportunity in this town that you get to hear a complete horn section of ringer musicians busting out the tunes of Count Basie and Duke Ellington.  Check it out while you can.  You can find more details here.

song of the year

It's time to observe my annual New Year's tradition.  Starting at 12 AM tonight, I'll have my ears perked, waiting to hear the first Beatles song of 2013.  

The inspiration behind this tradition is a bit silly.  You can read about it in a previous blog post from last year.

A history of recent years for you:
January 1st, 2008
Drive My Car
In 2007 I started voicing my wish that it would be great to take a year off from the Fab Four.  Given that it's a nearly impossible task, I compromised by tracking how long it took to hear one of their songs.  I was hoping it would at least be a few days, and if I was able to make it over a week I would have been truly delighted. My dear friend, band mate and roommate at the time, Jeremy Sauer, put on Rubber Soul when we were having our morning coffee.  I was not impressed.

January 1st, 2009 - Approx 12:08 AM
Helter Skelter
In the second year of the tradition I spent New Year's Eve at a house party.  Everyone was encouraged to take on DJ shifts by bringing three songs for the party-goers to dance to.  The host's iPod played two seconds of this song as he was searching for his tunes.  Disappointment again.

January 4th, 2010
She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (as covered by Joe Cocker)
I have no idea what the significance of this song could be, but I was in a coffee shop when I heard it, and I actually felt pleased.  (By this time I had also let go of the idea that we should take a year's break from The Beatles.) I quite like this song, despite the fact that Paul wrote it after a crazed lady-fan broke into his place to meet/stalk him.

January 5th, 2011
You Never Give Me Your Money
I heard this at Yorkton's 5th Ave Cup and Saucer late at night after a performance.  It seemed like a bad omen for the coming year given that I was only six months into being a full-time musician.  However, that night I dreamt of bunnies, and my tour partner, Jeans Boots, assured me that bunny dreams were a sure sign of prosperity for the coming year.

January 6th, 2012
Come Together
I was at a birthday party, and the lovely Jayden Pfeifer was telling Jeremy and I a story about his family's competitive games of Rock Band.  To illustrate his point he imitated his sister robotically singing "Come Together".  Jeremy immediately looked at me with raised eyebrows and said, "Is that the first one?"  It was, and this continues to be my most favourite incident.

So I'd love to know what your first Beatles song is of the year.  Perhaps you enjoy over-analyzing insignificant events just like me?

a merry marshmallow world to you.

Hello friends!

I thought I'd take a wee break from my holiday preparations to wish you the best of the season.  Please travel carefully to and from your festivities and take time to appreciate the loved ones around you – even if you're all hopped up on sugar cookies and are crazed from being cooped inside with your extended family.

So don't forget to go outside!  If I may, I'll offer some inspiration from a couple of gin soaked crooners, aka my favourite holiday video.  They just don't do stuff like this on the holiday specials anymore.  Too bad, really.

Be well, be safe and be merry.
bp

let's spend the end together.

Since March 2011, one man has been devoted to an extraordinary event that happens every month at The Artesian.

It's called Red Hot Riot.

If you've gone, you know the scoop.  It more or less follows the format of a late night television talk show: the warm-up act is a stand-up comic and/or musical guest, then there's the host's monologue, followed by shenanigans and another song from the musical guest.  [Beer break for audience/crew/performers.]  The second half is a resumption of shenanigans, an official guest interview, a final performance from the musical guest, and great rejoicing.

The event has our man Jayden Pfeifer at the helm – buoyant and entertaining, and somehow holding the whole thing together.  I'm always tickled to see it unfold.

Now, I should just admit this now: I feel close to Red Hot Riot.  I was the first ever musical guest.  (The photo is from that very show!)  Then I was part of the house band, Rico and the Continos.  I returned last year as the musical guest for the Christmas show.  And just in case you want to know, my favourite show was the 2011 Back to School special when I sang the Degrassi Junior High theme song in pitch-perfect 80s pop fashion.  That show featured guest performer Ron Pederson (MADtv), and a West Side Story sketch.  Solid gold, I tell you.

There have been fewer opportunities for me to see the show over the last year as I've been away so much on tour.  But happy news is that the house band gig was passed on to the lovely Julia McDougall, who totally kills it.

This Friday I will return as the musical guest for the December Red Hot Riot edition, Away in a Mayan Apocalypse.  The Lazy MKs will be backing me up proper, and we've rehearsed a new song.  It's a Merle Haggard tune that I reworked just for the occasion.  If you're in Regina, there will be plenty of comedy to have you laughing through the fake end of the world.

And if it's the real thing, at least we can hold each other until it's over.

the deep end

1. I have a fear of water.
2. My new hobby is swimming.

My recovery from this summer's four month long tour extravaganza took a little longer than expected. I'd never been on the road for that length of time. There came a point where I gave up on exercise entirely, and just focused on performing and sleeping. Once I got back home, I felt like all the time spent in the car had afforded me the physique of a pierogi. (Appropriate, given my Ukrainian heritage.) After a month of feeling doughy, I renewed my gym membership. It was fitting to compliment a metamorphosis from dumpling to human by giving swimming a try.

Turns out, it's my new favourite thing to do.

I get to the pool a couple of times a week. It's been revolutionary. I'm a crummy swimmer in the overall scheme of things. It takes all of my concentration to get my limbs moving at the right time. Lately, I've been geeking out on videos that teach me how to improve my freestyle and I just bought new googles that make me look like a total pro.

The most satisfying part is that I have been witness to my own improvement. My breathing has relaxed and lengthened with practice. I especially love the sensation of gliding through the water and the fleeting moments of grace that result.

During my swims my mind tends to drift, but a single thought keeps returning. Being a full time musician and a novice swimmer have one thing in common:

They're both much easier to do if you don't panic.