Just got back from the Thundering Women Festival in Thunder Bay. It was beautiful yet again, smaller scale this year, but fitting better in its shoes. This is a strong new festival. Serious good vibes. Leela Gilday was the discovery of the weekend for me. Powerful singer/songwriter, great wit, gorgeous. Leela in a workshop with Sweetwater and the Mush-cow-zee-ek-we-wuk Drummers got the 1/16th of me that is Mohawk reeling. Actually, 1 whole of me was charged up. Leela mentioned that this is the 7th generation since our shores were hit by Europeans, and prophesies say it's time for first nations to rise up and be powerful again. Halleluja. That's gotta be good for everybody. Last year when I listened to MuskowzeeEkwewuk drum and chant prayers I just sat and cried. This year I felt joy surging through me. Holy toledo. Holy medicine. Renewal. Resilience.
I've also been enjoying some time at home, and the opportunity to see music and just hang at my favorite local haunts Casa Del Popolo and Sala Rossa. The Suoni Per Il Popolo festival has been on, and the best part of that for me was seeing the Indigo Trio from Chicago -- Nicole Mitchell, Hamid Drake and Harrison Bankhead. They were so real, it made the Jazz Fest seem like a big plastic display. Such grooves, such flying into freedom, such positive messages in words, such brilliant experimentation, true listening in all their improv. I liked it a lot.
Le boudoir is coming up this weekend and I'm working with the wonderful Madame Jordi Rosen on an accordion piece. Anna Friz is in on it too. 5 of us in all, playing accordions and wearing pill-box hats and red jackets with gold trim. It'll be a lovely addition to this blast of a vaudville cabaret. Check out some Boudoir shots from last year
It's also been great to have a chance to jam with the Lake of Stew again. I miss those boys when I'm away. We'll have a show around here at café Toc Toc on July 9th.
I'm gearing up for a period of mad touring with the Wailin' Jennys. We hit the road again July 13th, landing in Vancouver. By next spring hopefully we will have a new record, and we will have toured practically non-stop, through Canada, U.S.A., Britain and Australia. I'm excited and terrified. Out there.
somewhere in northern Alberta with the Wailin' Jennys