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I am playing with a goddess. A group of them - and i am about to gush lyrical about this road crew of lovelies.
I am on tour, throughout BC, with the Wyrd Sisters.
The Fabulous Wyrds are: Kim Baryluk - vocal and Empress; Dem McLeod - vocal and Queenly duties; Marie-Josie Dandeneau - bass and extraordinary band leader; Johanna Hildebrand, vocals, violin and Earth-Angel.
The ladies invited me to join their back end, drumming along side Id Guiness - Piano/Tour manager; and Ledenhed - guitar.
In this series of Blogs i will address the "best of" the tour - as that is how I want to read it.
On with it then...... Enjoy
Thanks to Sandra Fiedler for the Pics. More to come.
'Never a Critic' - on the Road with the Wyrd Sisters
June 28th '08
Id Guiness - "Carolyna, our drummer quit and we have our first show on the fifth. Can you..."
Id sends digital files of 23 songs
June 30th
I roll up to Id's beautiful Mission, BC home to start first rehearsals with Id and San Fransisco guitarist, Ledenhed. Lovely space to rehearse. Id's family are so kind and hospitable and Id is patient in educating me in the Wyrd way, and accepting of the changes needed to accommodate my rather obscure kit of Snare, Hi-hat, Two Djembe, and a tambourine on my right foot.
July 1st
Lots of rehearsals and then a night of bonding with Id and Leddy, and Id's wife Sandra (a fabulous hostess and gentlewoman).
July 2nd
I turned 40 this morning. FUN!
I am now a Cougar and the planning of the Great Canadian Cougar Party is fresh in my mind... back to the Wyrd's...
Today we await the arrival of the Goddess, Kim Baryluk and band-mate Dem McCleod, brought from Winnipeg by the charming Darren Parfeniuk, our motor home-away-from-home driver, and all around go-to-guy that hands us money (I LOVE Darren).
Kim and Dem join rehearsals and change all the parts...lol.. no seriously. heehe
We roll a bit looser the next while, but then gel on enough tunes to see that progress is quick - that it will be a challenge, but doable.
After rehearsals i am so tired i do not notice that the lovely Sandra and daughter, Casey, and her friend Monique, have slipped out and bought Happy 40th napkins and table top settings as i just reach for vegetables and head to the patio.
The crew are amused and bring the party to me.
They are all singing "happy birthday", and I am given a lovely present by the girls... and Kim Baryluk is singing in my face.. :)
***I ate white things today - the cake was sweet and white and ice creamy - yummy but i see i will need a detox after this tour. I love these people.***
I am overwhelmed at the kindness of near strangers. I feel calmed and grateful that i was blessed with a conscious group of tour mates and that their loved ones embraced me so kindly. Id is a great man. His family adore him. He is a kind father. It is a joy to spend time in his home and in a band together. He is very kind to me.
Back to the Wyrds...
July 3rd.
2pm and MJ arrives fresh from Milwaukee and a tour with Toby (Aus) http://www.myspace.com/tobybeard
We set about to rehearse and MJ changes all the parts...lol.. no seriously... :)
we adjust.
We have the most delightful misunderstandings due to the mis-translation of certain words and expressions - MJ is Metis, and French her first language - and I am a hand drummer and percussionist and LIVE in 1 and 3 with African drum mates.
July 4th
Rehearsals and everyone is a bit stressed as our first show is in one day and its not gelling hard yet. Oh the expectations one places on oneself.
July 5th we hit the road
First Stop - Penticton, BC - The Can Can
We arrive at 5ish to set up and sound check. The place is cool.
Open to the outside.
Staff and sound man were great and we had a good first show. I could see Kim relaxing more after the first show was complete and that put us all a bit more at ease.
We stayed at Sound man Bill's house and awoke to a scenery that would rival the finest of Tuscany views. I am surrounded by cherry trees and water and olive gardens, and wineries and... i LOVE this place. Not the house...but i wont trash talk the place when a kindness was MEANT... only "the Best Of"...
Darren just about takes out a tree turning the motor home around. Once we replace the trailer on the hitch we are off to Oliver and to the Sold Out, outdoor concert at Elm Tree Farm and B&B.
** offered a gig at the Can Can***
June 6th
The scenery in the wine and alfalfa portion or this trip is magnificent and inviting and i feel i can live anywhere again.
Tom and Hillery's place, the Elm Tree Farm and B&B, was the comfort and hospitality we were in need of.
What a Fabulous group of people at the show. Hill's band, Doug and The Juggs, opened the show for us. Great fun!!!
July 7th
Our gracious hosts treated us to a great time and a second night at the B&B. We rehearsed in the great room - it has a tree growing through it.. Tom built it...WE LOVE TOM!
Tom took MJ and Johannah (herein referred to as "the girls") and Id and I for a tube ride down the River. 1 hr and a half of tubing and i was elated. The scenery in the Oliver area is much different then in my coastal BC.
Dry. Differently beautiful. I was having a wonderful day.
Johannah, however, was injured by a river-rock smash on the head and lost her glasses (they were hot on her, for sure). Id managed to carry "the girls" flip flops, his own glasses on his head, and not spill a drop of beer. Id is KING of the river.
Tom swapped tubes with Johannah and then it deflated just before we ended our trip. We giggled hard.. fun stuff.
MJ took good care of Johannah. I saw their protective sides this night.
I adore love.
I went for a night walk outside with Leddy. It was dark and I fell into the burn pile, complete with concrete to the skull and a smashing and bruising to the arms and legs that still make my calves look like those of a twelve year old boy on summer vacation. Better get back in the motor home.
Ledenhed is kind and talented and loves much of the same things as me - I am enjoying learning about him and his music. He and Id are long-time friends and it is really nice to see such strong ties between the men in the band. Good men.
July 8th
Off to Fort Socs Ranch,Kelowna, BC
*happy birthday, Monique*
It started out...well..WYRD!
But turned out to be a fabulous time
and a great place to hang for a day off on the 9th. Silverado, our hostess, led us through the "tricks" the horses performed and introduced us to Harley, her pig.
Big ol' boy that wandered through the audience throughout the show (i swear it is all true...lol).
Then... off to Karen's place.
With Bart their to greet us we were immediately welcomed and given a lovely place in the mountains outside of Kelowna, to relax.
Bart - what a character. And the Kind and generous Karen is a beautiful, articulate, accomplished woman. It was an honor to spend the evening talking and discussing our love of The Blues and the old-boy players.
Her cottages and the Tree House are filled with posters and signatures of the greats that stayed and PLAYED with Karen. She is a real GEM and i can't wait to see her again.
** Offered a gig at M&M and another by the Director of the Kelowna Blues and Jazz Society... who hoo***
July 9th
Day off at Karen and Bart's in Kelowna mountains
Dem, "the girls", and I walked to the lake and drank in the fresh air and ate from the berry trees. Tonight we dine in. MJ and i played a bit as Dem and Johannah cleared away the dinner Bart and i prepared.
I Love playing with MJ. She is a delight - a rhythm head and a tech-head. The Nerd in her is similar enough to the nerd in me to find a common interest. FUN girl. And beautiful.
Her Love, earth-angel Johanna, is to me the strongest little bird on planet earth. I adore her beautiful heart. "the girls" are so very talented. I will post links to their sites here so you can listen to the lovely works of all of the gorgeous characters i am on tour with at this time.
Wait 'till you get a load of Id and Leddy's material.
Our fearless leader incorporates a song of each of ours into the show.
I will post podcasts of the live shows at the Wise Hall, Ashcroft Opera house, and a few more segments.
It is a delight to share this moment with the Wyrds. Where we all joined together in a version of each others tunes... and it goes off. The crowd gets hot for it all and then the gushing toward Kim and her band is in overdrive. I have not seen many command an audience to LOVE HER, and receive that love immediately back. Kim Baryluk is a powerhouse on stage and she puts together a team she is proud of.
I feel great!
July 10th
Happy Birthday Gumpy, David, and Chris
Lorenzo's Cafe, Enderby, BC
We LOVE Lorenzo.
Good show... crowd loved it. Heaps of kudos from owner Lauren.
** offered a show here... thanks for the Love, Lorne***
lovelorn heehee.... i digress...
July 11th
MJ recorded last night's show and Kim and i listened in morning...
Finally... "please Carolyna, play the 2 and 4 through the verses as the rhythm needs tightening... here".
Done! Now we are cleaner. Now there is more room for others.
WISE HALL show
Playing well this night. MJ smiles all night so i am feeling good...lol
We have learned who to look toward at this point.
And when the Goddess and "the girls" are happy... we are all happy.
heehe
This crowd IS the Wyrd Sisters crowd.
They LOVE her. And Dem's KD LANG cover of Crying is a hit with the women in the audience... i believe you call that "swooning" folks.
;)
I adore Dem and her beautiful pipes (she also has perfect feet and boobs... seriously... she a fox!)
The fans lined up for photo signing and cd's flew off the table. Kim was a perfect delight to all. She strikes some women dumb. I saw a girl lower her eyes after every statement. Intoxicating to watch Kim work. She singed and chatted an hour after the show - in TRUE Canadian Indie Godess style.
July 12th - Mission Wine Region
This is now called the Bugs and All Tour (MJ so named it this because we all look as though we have been buck-shot!
Kermode Wildberry Organic Winery. Mission, BC
Cost : $35.00
Sold Out
Joan Anderson was the CHAMP of the night here. A neighbor to the winery, she let us set up on her lawn rather than play in the area the winery thought to put us - too noisy and no atmosphere.
So good-neighbor Joan, allowed us to set up, took photos,
and blogged about the affair http://inanticipation.blogspot.com:80/2008/07/wyrd-sisters.html
... SWEET lady.
Great guys at the winery too. The band enjoyed the wines and i enjoyed the band enjoying the wines ( i am a tea-totaler ).
We had the next three days off so that night we all headed back to ID's and partied with Sandra and their son, Shawn, until the early hours. Even "the girls" stayed up and blew off a bit with us all. It was great to relax together.
July 13th-15th
Home to relax, do laundry ( it is not hard to become part of the Great Unwashed on tour, but we have been lucky at certain spots to have had laundry. I am tired. Sleep a bit - play my own guitar a while - sleep a bit more - eat at the local (i love the girls of Burgoo, North Van) - and walk my neighborhood. ang with some new friends.
I love Vancouver.
July 16th - Duncan Garage
Duncan, BC
I LOVE Vancouver Island, Duncan Garage, and Longevity John!
We had a great show tonight.
Loved it sooo much.
The audience was blissfully happy and Kim was on top of her game.
The band shot pretty hot and we all felt good after some time off. A little rusty in places, but overall, a good show. John was happy.
***Offered a gig at the Garage***
I'll see him again in the fall.
xx
July 17th - House Concert - Port Alberni, BC
I LOVE house concerts. This crowd was not the regular Wyrd Sister crowd and still Kim wowed them all into joy. We played well together.
What a spread here on Sprout Lake.
Christoff and his Daddy even made us a bonfire after the show. It was almost a full moon... and it was magnificently peaceful here.
July 18th - Ashcroft Opera House
Ashcroft, BC
We loved this gig.
We were happy with this show and felt great. Martin and MJ got us a fabulous sound in the opera house. Filled with history - greatness has graced this stage more than once and i felt honored to be playing here with such a strong presence as the Wyrd Sisters. I love this stage set up best... Id and MJ on my left and Leddy on my right.
It works best for cues from Id and MJ. They both smile when we all hit the shots. It is mostly common now. Feels great here.
Martin gave me his Poor Boy hat for the second set and Johanna loved it! We LOVE Johanna.
Musicians and producers, Leslie Alexander and John Ellis, moved here recently, and leslie picked me up to join her and 15 women for a full moon ritual.
We hiked to the Slew and howled at the moon and did laughter yoga and chanted and laughed at ourselves and graced each other with a truth and an intention... it was entirely girly and EXACTLY what i was in need of.
Sometimes being on the road can be like staying at your little brother's friend's house.
This was my kind of reprieve.
Les took me back to her palatial spread and i slept in a King size bed with fine sheets and my own bathroom... and i was comforted by womanly things around me.
Kim Baryluk to Carolyna - "you are such a girl".
xx
*** Offered a gig at the Ashcrof Opera House.. thanks Martin***
July 19th - Gumboot Cafe - Roberts Creek, BC
***Official Road Trash Talk ***
I have received the most phone #s on this trip... giggle
Some of the girls have received Love Letters... sweet!
WHOTRSOTR
Logan and her beautiful sister greet us and scare the hell out of us, momentarily, as we see only 5 feet to play in - we are a band of 7 - not so much workable in 5 feet.
Then the place opens it up for us and we are pleasantly surprised at how much we all enjoyed this show.
Promoter Katherine pulled together a great group and Logan was a delightful hostess. Beautiful (girl crush).
We stayed at David Valentine's place. A kind guy with a great Zen spread tucked into the woods. He shared his home and his food and his great stories.
*** I want the French car, David. Love the racing truck, too. Let me know when we are taking it out to the track. I am so there.***
***Offered a gig at The Gumboot*** yay!
July 20th - McKinney’s Pub (in the New Rodmay Hotel) Powell River, BC
This hotel is just shy of 100 years old and is haunted by an old Chinese man in the basement, a young boy child on the 3rd floor, and a woman who hangs out in the lounge and the bar.
We had a fun show. Dance floor Packed... the fine family of Shawn's (owner) was happy when the place filled as promoter Katherine, booked us on Sunday and the club is usually closed on Sunday... started out a worry - then it filled and the bar was happy... good showing by the band here...
**OFFICIAL ROAD TRASH TALK**
love notes from Wise hall and Mckinney's arrive in my facebook this morning. Nice!
July 21st- Long ride home from Powell River, Sunshine Coast
What beauty. Two ferries... hours of winding roads. I forgot my ginger and i am ill with all the weaving... but almost home for two full days.
Then back to Id's and off at 8:30 on the 24th.
July 22/23 - rest , laundry, playing slide, local food...ahhh home
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