P.S.

p.s. I'm spending the night in Montreal looking out of this lovely old hotel at a snowy downtown scene. So beautiful. . .I can see the Cathedral next door and Christmas lights on the street.

Also, there were some mailing list troubles in trying to get the free download of "All The Diamonds" out to everyone earlier this week. We're working on it and we'll have it out a.s.a.p. Hope you all love it.

mel

To Montreal I Go

Had the most fun Wednesday night at our sold out Hugh's Room Show in Toronto. Thanks Em and Kathryn for the good times. Boys you were all great. Personal Jesus ROCKED!!! My new fave I think.

I'm on the train , first class, to Montreal (it's almost noon and on this full train car, people are drinking already all around me. . . . . . . .who knew) This is the first part of my adventure. I meet everyone in Montreal, do some rehearsal and then we'll board the Holiday Train tomorrow and start doing shows. I am pretty excited. Have a new phone that I can't work and books and tons of new downloads to listen to and songs to finish writing and my knitting (it's not a tour across Canada without your knitting). Tomorrow I can report on what the train looks like inside (it's a vintage train so I can't wait to see and hear about it) I'll try to use my phone camera that I also can't use.

mel

Busy Busy Days

The days are going quickly now.I'm preparing to leave town on the CP train tour and also gigging with Emilie and Kathryn on the 28th at Hugh's Room. Looking forward to that a lot but I have to have all my stuff together for Christmas before I leave next week and tomorrow night is the opening of my husband's show at Canadian Stage here in Toronto. . .Little Shop of Horrors. Ted's the director. So. . .kind of a lot going on. Of course my main job is actually taking care of the kids ( school, hockey, ballet, piano, violin, swimming) . . .this other stuff is all just what I do in my spare time! Oh yeah, and the new record is pretty much done. A few things left but . . .I'm starting to get excited. md

Train Bound

I am less than two weeks from departing on my awesome train adventure. Have been having phone meetings with the boys in the band and getting arrangements locked down etc. I feel like the picture in my head of what it's going to be like, is probably not how it will actually be ( only cause it's hard to visualize the living quarters, the stage, the whole scene ) but in this instance I am starting to think it's all going to be even more fun than I can imagine. The players are GREAT, the setting. . .well. . .going across this country by train is the ultimate Canadian right of passage.

When I was a kid my folks took my brother and sister and I from Halifax (my home town) across Canada to Vancouver. Dad was teaching in various cities along the way and we saw the country for the first time. I remember our bunk beds, the bingo games , the many porters we grew to love, the endless beautiful Prairies, the tunnels through the Rockies, playing our ukuleles as people came by and met us and jammed with us.

This was when my parents taught us that we were ambassadors of Nova Scotia. We represented our province and needed to always be proud and respectful of that . I was in grade 3.

md

Still Desire You (the play)

I've been slow in writing about my trip to Calgary for the Opening Night of STILL DESIRE YOU ( the play) I want to say to the cast and to Paul Ledoux ( who not only co-wrote the piece but directed it too) that I had such a great night seeing the show and meeting everyone afterwards. It is a truely strange thing to sit and listen to other people interpret your music and in this case it was people who were not only delivering the music but also acting in the piece ; every person played bass, guitar, violin. . .whatever the song required as well give performances as the characters in the show. This is SOMETHING. I know what is required to pull this off and they did a fantastic job. Congrats to everyone. . .I loved being there and I know the run us almost over but. . .Merde.

Kicking Ukulele Butt!

I just got back from Liverpool N.S. where I played a concert on Fri. night at the Astor Theatre. It was a thrill for me. I was performing as the third of a trio with my Dad and James Hill. We were headllining the first night of the 2nd international Ukulele Ceilidh and we had a ball. James Hill ( go listen to his music now) is pretty much the best ukulele player in the world and he and my Dad have been friends for a number of years. Some of you probably know that my Dad is a well known and revered music educator and was the first to develope teaching methods for ukulele in the schools. ( also recently received the order of Canada!) So needless to say I play the ukulele and have since I was about 3. We put together a totally fun night and I just loved being with Dad and James up there. We kicked some serious ukulele butt!
md