from Abba to Ariel and everything inbetween

A couple of weekends ago I subbed in for an Abbacadabra gig with Alyssa (and the Mooncoin crew)  at a big outdoor event. It was one of those scenarios where there were no facilities to get ready in (save for our truck which was operating more like an oven after sitting in the sun all day) so, we got ready (for the most part)  in the shade behind the truck which was parked behind the stage. Alyssa and I just had so much fun with the situation and of course we did what we felt sure everyone with an iPhone would do in the same circumstance, we took before and after shots so we could post them to facebook.

I love working with Alyssa, we have so much fun bouncing good energy back and forth. We've had many a bonding moment over welcoming ourselves and pushing to evolve. Embracing every bump, hill and curve along the way and feeling wholly grateful for even the hardest lessons (knowing they often bring the most impactful growth). 

On the topic of lessons, I learned on this day, that I should do a little more dance testing on costumes before I walk onstage in them. You see we had brand new costumes on an unfortunately,  halfways through the very first song I looked down and realized my pants were sneakily headed in the direction of my toes. Uh, ok, yikes, 75 minutes of show to go with virtually no chance to get offstage and secure them, all I could do was keep pulling them up!  So here I had on these pants that were sliding down with every 'can can' that we did while on an open gazebo style stage where the crowd were even sitting behind us. 360 baby. All or nothing for this gig. It was outstanding. 

I managed to quietly right myself throughout the night and mercifully a group of kids (angels from heaven) kept us busy by giving us flowers (dandelion weeds) and we had to stop and collect them from the little hands. BONUS,  I could quite rightly get out of actual dancing with this nifty little distraction and just stand there holding my pants up. A small but important victory if you ask me. Eventually there were so many kids sitting onstage with us that our dancing was clearly restricted and it somehow looked natural for me to be looking a little gorky as I moved.  hehehe  Ok, well wasn't really that noticeable I suppose, I'm sure I imagined it to be moreso, no one said they could tell afterward. In any case we had a pile of fun and were really enjoying the crowd, especially the kids. You pretty much must have a partner who is smiling and fun to be with onstage when you face a challenge like this and Alyssa never missed a beat or stopped sharing her brilliant light.

So before I tell you where we play next (where all costume issues will be completely fixed) I thought I would deak off onto another path for a moment and share with you what Alyssa does besides being a glam Abba babe. She's put her musical and performing skills to use to create  Princess shows for little Princesses who are having birthdays or special celebrations.  Now, weirdly, I don't know another person anywhere who is more perfectly suited to doing this job. Alyssa is a sweet, beautiful, petite, graceful, charming, lovely, warm, angel like energy  who's eyes sparkle and voice sounds just  like Ariel when she sings. She seeks the good in everyone and she easily and naturally composes herself with the soft grace of a real fairy tale princess. I know Alyssa as a mother, friend and  a good hearted soul and I know that deep down she feels a passion for using her influence on the young girls to help guide them towards self love and acceptance. It makes me proud that she calls me a friend.

On one of the first occassions that I ever worked with Alyssa, we were playing at the Vancouver Convention Centre and she walked into the venue for sound check dressed in her Cinderella costume. It turns out she was coming straight from another gig and she had forgotten to bring her change of clothes, hahaha.......I can tell you with some authority that walking with Cinderella in downtown Vancouver is a very interesting experience.  I do believe that Alyssa has a number of different characters she can portray so your little girl can choose her favorite show. ~   If you would like to have a  real Princess come to sing and  sprinkle fairy dust at your daughters party please leave me a comment or contact me directly  through my website and I can hook you up with Alyssa. Once she gets her website up I will post links. :)


In the meantime on Wednesday we are putting on a smaller version of the  Abbacadabra show, the 4 piece will be playing in front of Bentall Centre this Wed July 28th from 12-2pm for the summer lunchtime concert series.


To see the full production video from Mooncoin's production of Abbacadabra  please click this VIDEO link.

See you there!
Rach xo

wandering along the trail.......

              My Mom for the first time today tried walking in the forest rachaelpachel style.

The trick to this game is to imagine something exciting, something from another time  such as;  you are one of your ancestors and you are embroiled in battle in the forest, every tree, stump, bush stick and weed can be an enemy target (you can't acutally hit things though, don't destroy the forest please)...think of it like a reality video game! 

If you know martial arts then this is especially fun as you can work hard on your form  and core strength as you walk.

Editors note:   to keep hikes interesting and entertaining sometimes it helps to look for things to play with and/or ways to balance, climb, kick, hit, lift and/or scale with. You can tailor activities to match your abilities, ie: don't just do step ups on the cut logs, do push ups from them, or jump back and forth over them sideways as you move forward.

And finally, take time to enjoy and appreciate the perfection and wonder of mother nature's canvas.

This message and the activity it promotes is HST free. 

Rachael  xox 

anthems at Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver Canadians!

On July the 12th I had the great pleasure of being asked to sing both the Canadian and US anthems for the Vancouver Canadians game against Yakima at Nat Bailey Stadium.  In the half hour before the game started, as people were strolling in to watch the game  and I decided to stand outside with my guitar warming up my voice while offering some complimentary entertainment. (and I got to snap this pic with  this dude.........)

Just before the game started I was ushered onto the diamond where I would be waiting to fulfill my role in the nights production. And production it was. Nat Bailey Stadium and the Canadians (along with sponsors like Scotiabank and Rogers) put on one heck of a cool night that all the members of your family can enjoy, and for such a great price as well. I was so tickled to see so many people taking advantage  because from everything I observed it really fosters  a feeling of connectedness between a family and it's community. So I'm posting the pics and a video as well as sharing some links to the website which is where you will find the schedule and directions to purchase tickets.

I got a good luck smooch before I went on.......

My friend Rae took this video and she apologized to me for the sound quality at the beginning but to tell you the truth I think the sound issue is more because I was nervous and as a result I was crowding the microphone  (which means I caused the distortion myself).  Truth be known though, I'm less worried about that and more delighted that I remembered the words....

The Canadian anthem is easy, I could sing it while I am  sleeping but the US anthem is just something I never learned. So in preparation for this night I set myself on a mission to learn it and by game day I could sing it flawlessly (as well as in a higher key) in my car, shower or living room.  But I had this feeling that once I got  up there all nervous and excited, there was a chance I would go brain dead and forget the lyrics anyway. Now normally this wouldn't be a big, big problem  (to forget a line from a song), I am pretty adept at singing the right notes and just making up the words so you in the audience don't really notice it when I flub, but with the US anthem............well lets just say  there is no room for wiggle room.  I felt saftest with a back up plan. 

It's always the first words of the line of a song that I forget so, often keywords are all I need. Seeing as I didn't want to hold a piece of paper I did the next best thing........which no one was supposed to find out about until my friend Rae asked me while we were sitting in the stands............ " Why do you have writing on your hand?" I immediately mimed myself singing the anthem which showed her that were I holding a microphone, I would be able to see the writing on my hand right there in front of me without looking like I was looking at anything other than straight ahead...........;) She laughed and said she had to take a picture

As we settled into watching the game I was delighted over and over again by all the activity going on, the bouncy castle for the kids, the mascots, vendors  and between inning entertainment..... My favorite had to be when the groundsmen stopped right in the middle of grooming the field and started breakdancing, HA! They were awesome and had the crowd cheering!  So much to look at, so much to do and it seemed as if everyone was walking around  with a smile on their face.  Yeah.  Take me out to the ball game.

.....


Many thanks  to my friends and family who came out to enjoy the night and support me through my bundle of nerves moment.  And thank you to the Vancouver Canadians for having me there!

Rach xox

House concert with Sara Kamin!

    
Sara Kamin's West Coast Tour!

It never ceases to amaze me how useful a forum the internet is as a tool to connect with others. Last week I had the great pleasure of finally meeting  some of my online friends live and in person as Sara Kamin along with pal/tour manager Pamela Detlor set off from  Toronto to blaze a trail along the west coast on a tour to introduce Sara and her music. Sara had several show's of which I went to two, but when I first met them it was at the House Concert held by my friend Kathleen.

Perhaps it is because we have all been talking to each other and scoping each others websites and blogs for the past year  that we all found it so easy to connect in person I don't know exactly, but when I walked into that house I really did feel like we were all  just meeting again, rather than for the first time. The hostess Kathleen  is a smokin hot Momma I met through Erica and the Yummy Mummy club (who has made an appearance on this blog several times in fact), so she was the one person I knew already but the connection to her in this particular story was through another group of twitter friends, a talented, dynamic group of artists and musicians who make me laugh out loud with their tweets and posts.
 
I noticed the lot of them when I first started following Jann Arden on twitter. While I was browsing  around following what her friends were doing I stumbled upon and entered a contest on the Thought VOX blog. Pamela Detlor did such a beautiful job on her blog that I wrote her a long gushy letter telling her she had inspired me to push myself to get more creative with my own blog  (which at the time was a lot sparser than it is today). She wrote back and we exchanged a number of warm emails that only confirmed my immediate impression, not only is this a lady with a great eye and enormous talent, but she is a woman of depth and substance, I have been a fan ever since.  I also won the contest she was holding and so I was sent two CD's as my prize.  Sara Kamin's CDs. Wow. From the first note that played, I was hooked. Her tone is warm and angelic, one of those voices you could sit and listen to all night, and her writing is deep thoughtful, creative and raw. Yep insta fan right here, right from the get go.
 
So I followed and I watched the gang from all the way over here on the west coast. I saw the comings and goings as well as the doings and I saw creativity blossoming everywhere.  In fact let me digress for a moment and mention a very cool book a number of them (including Sara) are a part of. Linda Woods, Karen Dinino, with Pamela Detlor have published a book called Meeting in the Ladies room   and I love the concept. This book is filled with photos of  real women in their own bathroom, sharing their personal thoughts as they look at themselves in the mirror. It is described as 'reflections of women in a room of thier own'.  Whether you are an idolized celebrity or a struggling single mother, the ladies room is where you create your make believe, and where you face your reality.  68 brave women from around the world bare all and share an empowering look in the mirror, it's a meeting in the ladies room.  Featuring Jann Arden, Amanda Palmer, Rosie O'Donnell, Jen Foster, Sarah Bettens, SHeDAISY, Sara Kamin, Pamela Detlor, and Kathleen Cook Tennant to name a few.
 
So I always thought this was cool and when I found out that some of the cast of the Ladies Room were heading out to Vancouver, I marked the date in ink and planned to come party with them.
 







So as the story goes, Sara kicked off on a tour of the west and one of the many stops she made was at Kathleen's for a House Concert.  I dont' know how many of you have heard of this House Concert concept but if you are a singer songwriter I would highly recommend you consider this idea. Of course you have to have someone fabulous like Kathleen with a warm beautiful home and lots of wonderful friends to pull it off, but wow, when it's done right, it can be a hugely successful night.  Kathleen's hubby and her dear friends Patience ( who provided some of these photo's) and her best friend Glamma all worked hard to transform the house into an inviting music venue.

Not only were there delicious appy's and bevvies for us all to enjoy, there was a stage, lights, pillows on the floor, candles for ambiance, and most importantly a full house of music lovers. When everyone was finally gathered together Sara took the stage she charmed and delighted us all with not only her music but herself.  She is funny, and real and completely open hearted. She had us all laughing with her raw ironic descriptions of her songs and I loved that about her. Judging by the crowd response, so did everyone else.

So without further adieu, I give you, Sara Kamin.........




After the concert, it turned into a good old fashioned house party. Someone turned on the tunes and we danced and danced and danced. Before I knew it I had my guitar in hand and was leading sing along songs.  I just love the campfire where everyone sings along and connects through music and boy did they ever sing. It was all so warm and glowy, of course that could have been the booze talkin  but the voices were loud, strong, and everyone seemed to know all the words. We were rocking like we were teenagers again. I think my fav moment during the jam was singing a song that Jann Arden recorded and hearing all the voices fill the room. I know I'm not the only one who felt it.

I won't soon forget the night or the people that made it so wonderful and I thought I would reiterate just one more time to all you musicians, artists, and creatives out there. Think outside the box to get yourself out there, call on your community and don't ignore the idea of the house concert. In fact I have been so inspired by this idea I am going to start figuring out how to promote myself for hire for house concerts. I can play a nights worth of sing along songs easily and if a house full of people want to

sing along to live music, all the better. So thanks to you gang, for the great new business idea.

And to Sara, Kathleen, Pam, Glamma, Patience, Teri-Lyn.....and to all the new folks I met and shared laughs with, Thank you for the warm embraces, it was a pleasure to meet you!

Rach xox