Less Talk More Music
Well folks, before I get started on one of my long-winded stories, let me say this:
_____________________________
Finally, less talk, more music! My much-mentioned new CD "Kathryn Rose" is available to you online RIGHT THIS MINUTE!
Ahead of the official April release date, you are exclusively invited to get your copy now. Just go to www.kathrynrose.com (www.kathrynrose.net works too) and right there on the front News/Live page is the link to get it from Maple Music. They are very reputable, you'll get it with no delay.
I hope you will click on the link and have a look at it. We're also hoping we get some early buyers who write in with comments about the new CD, so that we can collect and use some choice fan quotes.
You will also notice that a link to my UK/Euro tour photos has been posted. More captions and photos from other parts of the tour will be up soon too. Keep checking for those.
A whole new re-design of my website will be up when the new CD is officially released this Spring.
(Note: Thank you to fab fan Susanne, who requested to be a really early bird this week! She flew all the way from her home in London, England to be the very first person to buy my new CD, direct from my management office, while visiting a friend in Hamilton, Ontario. Great lengths, indeed!)
________________________________
On to current events:
On Feb. 10 I performed at the fourth-annual "Closer To The Heart" benefit for The Regent Park School Of Music in Toronto, organised by the tireless Karen Pace and my friend Jeremy Robinson. This is a non-profit after school music program for children in the area whose music classes were cut from the curriculum. I participated the first year also but was unable to do the years in between. The musical mandate each year is for each invited artist to sing two Canadian songs of their choice, backed by an ace House Band:
James Grey (Blue Rodeo) - keyboards, backing vocals, band leader
Kurt Swinghammer - guitar, backing vocals
Terence Gowan - bass, backing vocals
John Obercian (Sarah Harmer) - drums
Here's who sang what this year:
Set 1:
Todd Clark (Pilate) - “Famous Blue Raincoat” by Leonard Cohen
Joel Kroeker - “Lodestar” by Sarah Harmer
Lori Cullen - “Forever And Always” by Shania Twain
Glenn Milchem (Blue Rodeo) - “Help Me Lift You Up” by Mary Margaret O’Hara
Chris Murphy (Sloan) - “I Just Want to Make Music” by Ken Tobias
Justin Rutledge - “Early Morning Rain” by Gordon Lightfoot
Emily Haines (Metric) - “Words” by Neil Young
Dave & Jessica Azzolini (Golden Dogs) - “Stay Untraceable” by Bob Wiseman
Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) - “Flamenco” by The Tragically Hip
Kurt Swinghammer - “Nova Heart” by the Spoons
Kathryn Rose - “The Wheels of Life” by Gino Vanelli
Matthew Barber - “It Makes No Difference” by The Band
Stephen Fearing (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings) - “Golden Serpent Blues” by Bruce Cockburn
Stephen Fearing (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings) - “Thrasher” by Neil Young
Tara Slone (ex-Joydrop) - “Turn Me Loose” by Loverboy
Set 2:
Thompson Egbo-Egbo (R. P. School of Music Alumni) - “Rick’s Vamp” by Pat LaBarbara
Thompson Egbo-Egbo - “Trip to Brazil” by Thompson Egbo-Egbo
Todd Clark (Pilate) - “Harvest” by Neil Young
Lori Cullen - “Sail Across The Water” by Jane Siberry
James Gray (Blue Rodeo) - “As The Years Go By” by Mash Makhan
Glenn Milchem (Blue Rodeo) - “Mona” by Michelle McAdorey & Eric Cheneaux
Matthew Barber - “Over and Over” by Neil Young
Joel Kroeker - “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
Dave & Jessica Azzolini (Golden Dogs) - “Money City Maniacs” by Sloan
Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) - “Mood Ring Band” by Deep Dark United
Chris Murphy (Sloan) with Kevin Drew - “Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy” by Michel Pagliaro
Justin Rutledge - “I’m Your Man” by Leonard Cohen
Emily Haines (Metric) - “This Wheel’s On Fire” by The Band
Tara Slone (ex-Joydrop) - “Sometimes When We Touch” by Dan Hill
Kathryn Rose - “It's Raining Men” by Paul Shaffer *
ALL-STAR CAST FINALE: “Oh What A Feeling” by Crowbar
It was a long and crazy night. Tara Slone and Kevin Drew kept pouring me wine. Tara sang the hell out of Loverboy's "Turn Me Loose". Kurt Swinghammer's "Nova Heart" was extremely pleasing and reminded everyone that The Spoons were an important part of Canadian pop history. I first met Joel Kroeker (from the list above) last year when I was hired to sing BGs on various tracks for his solo CD "Melodrama". When he saw that we were both on the bill for this benefit he asked me to sing backups for him on his song choices, which went over really well, and awoke my sense of improvisation after a year of singing the same parts over and over on tour. That night was my first time onstage since my long lasting sicknesses. I coaxed my voice back, and like a best friend it valiantly stood up for me when I really needed it.
As for my song choices, I love Gino Vanelli and what singer doesn't love the chance to sing a power ballad? (Note: Gino Vanelli is a truly great singer... go back and check him out if you need to, but be prepared, it might blow your mind). "The Wheels Of Life" was a nice guilty pleasure for me to sing, but the real fun came singing "It's Raining Men" at the end of the night at the top of my lungs, with the boys in the band singing backups for me, for once:
"It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Amen!"
Good stuff.
Right after that everyone poured onstage for the big finale, and during rousing Choruses of: "Ohhhhhh, what a feeling, what a rushhhhhhhhhhh...", Chris Murphy of Sloan leaned over to me and said, "You are the best singer I've ever heard." When the show was over and we were all standing around talking I introduced Chris to my husband, and Chris said, "Nice to meet you, David. Do you realise you are married to the best singer in the world?"
I love Sloan **, so this made my night.
It's 2:15 AM and I'm off to bed. Before I go, on the subject of my "long-winded stories":
What? Only 5 comments have been posted so far to my last entry?
I know it's a longy but isn't it a goody?
xo KR
____________________________
* Little-Known Fact Korner:
David Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer, who is Canadian, co-wrote the hit "It's Raining Men" with Paul Jabara. Jabara wrote "Last Dance" and "No More Tears" for Donna Summer. "It's Raining Men" was made famous by The Weather Girls, from their 1982 album “Success”.
__________________________
** "For God's Sake" Korner:
If you do not know the music of Sloan, look them up (www.sloanmusic.com) and buy their albums, for God's sake. You won't be sorry. Then, when somebody comes up to you and says, "do you have any Sloan?" you can say yes.
_____________________________
Finally, less talk, more music! My much-mentioned new CD "Kathryn Rose" is available to you online RIGHT THIS MINUTE!
Ahead of the official April release date, you are exclusively invited to get your copy now. Just go to www.kathrynrose.com (www.kathrynrose.net works too) and right there on the front News/Live page is the link to get it from Maple Music. They are very reputable, you'll get it with no delay.
I hope you will click on the link and have a look at it. We're also hoping we get some early buyers who write in with comments about the new CD, so that we can collect and use some choice fan quotes.
You will also notice that a link to my UK/Euro tour photos has been posted. More captions and photos from other parts of the tour will be up soon too. Keep checking for those.
A whole new re-design of my website will be up when the new CD is officially released this Spring.
(Note: Thank you to fab fan Susanne, who requested to be a really early bird this week! She flew all the way from her home in London, England to be the very first person to buy my new CD, direct from my management office, while visiting a friend in Hamilton, Ontario. Great lengths, indeed!)
________________________________
On to current events:
On Feb. 10 I performed at the fourth-annual "Closer To The Heart" benefit for The Regent Park School Of Music in Toronto, organised by the tireless Karen Pace and my friend Jeremy Robinson. This is a non-profit after school music program for children in the area whose music classes were cut from the curriculum. I participated the first year also but was unable to do the years in between. The musical mandate each year is for each invited artist to sing two Canadian songs of their choice, backed by an ace House Band:
James Grey (Blue Rodeo) - keyboards, backing vocals, band leader
Kurt Swinghammer - guitar, backing vocals
Terence Gowan - bass, backing vocals
John Obercian (Sarah Harmer) - drums
Here's who sang what this year:
Set 1:
Todd Clark (Pilate) - “Famous Blue Raincoat” by Leonard Cohen
Joel Kroeker - “Lodestar” by Sarah Harmer
Lori Cullen - “Forever And Always” by Shania Twain
Glenn Milchem (Blue Rodeo) - “Help Me Lift You Up” by Mary Margaret O’Hara
Chris Murphy (Sloan) - “I Just Want to Make Music” by Ken Tobias
Justin Rutledge - “Early Morning Rain” by Gordon Lightfoot
Emily Haines (Metric) - “Words” by Neil Young
Dave & Jessica Azzolini (Golden Dogs) - “Stay Untraceable” by Bob Wiseman
Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) - “Flamenco” by The Tragically Hip
Kurt Swinghammer - “Nova Heart” by the Spoons
Kathryn Rose - “The Wheels of Life” by Gino Vanelli
Matthew Barber - “It Makes No Difference” by The Band
Stephen Fearing (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings) - “Golden Serpent Blues” by Bruce Cockburn
Stephen Fearing (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings) - “Thrasher” by Neil Young
Tara Slone (ex-Joydrop) - “Turn Me Loose” by Loverboy
Set 2:
Thompson Egbo-Egbo (R. P. School of Music Alumni) - “Rick’s Vamp” by Pat LaBarbara
Thompson Egbo-Egbo - “Trip to Brazil” by Thompson Egbo-Egbo
Todd Clark (Pilate) - “Harvest” by Neil Young
Lori Cullen - “Sail Across The Water” by Jane Siberry
James Gray (Blue Rodeo) - “As The Years Go By” by Mash Makhan
Glenn Milchem (Blue Rodeo) - “Mona” by Michelle McAdorey & Eric Cheneaux
Matthew Barber - “Over and Over” by Neil Young
Joel Kroeker - “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
Dave & Jessica Azzolini (Golden Dogs) - “Money City Maniacs” by Sloan
Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) - “Mood Ring Band” by Deep Dark United
Chris Murphy (Sloan) with Kevin Drew - “Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy” by Michel Pagliaro
Justin Rutledge - “I’m Your Man” by Leonard Cohen
Emily Haines (Metric) - “This Wheel’s On Fire” by The Band
Tara Slone (ex-Joydrop) - “Sometimes When We Touch” by Dan Hill
Kathryn Rose - “It's Raining Men” by Paul Shaffer *
ALL-STAR CAST FINALE: “Oh What A Feeling” by Crowbar
It was a long and crazy night. Tara Slone and Kevin Drew kept pouring me wine. Tara sang the hell out of Loverboy's "Turn Me Loose". Kurt Swinghammer's "Nova Heart" was extremely pleasing and reminded everyone that The Spoons were an important part of Canadian pop history. I first met Joel Kroeker (from the list above) last year when I was hired to sing BGs on various tracks for his solo CD "Melodrama". When he saw that we were both on the bill for this benefit he asked me to sing backups for him on his song choices, which went over really well, and awoke my sense of improvisation after a year of singing the same parts over and over on tour. That night was my first time onstage since my long lasting sicknesses. I coaxed my voice back, and like a best friend it valiantly stood up for me when I really needed it.
As for my song choices, I love Gino Vanelli and what singer doesn't love the chance to sing a power ballad? (Note: Gino Vanelli is a truly great singer... go back and check him out if you need to, but be prepared, it might blow your mind). "The Wheels Of Life" was a nice guilty pleasure for me to sing, but the real fun came singing "It's Raining Men" at the end of the night at the top of my lungs, with the boys in the band singing backups for me, for once:
"It's raining men! Hallelujah!
It's raining men! Amen!"
Good stuff.
Right after that everyone poured onstage for the big finale, and during rousing Choruses of: "Ohhhhhh, what a feeling, what a rushhhhhhhhhhh...", Chris Murphy of Sloan leaned over to me and said, "You are the best singer I've ever heard." When the show was over and we were all standing around talking I introduced Chris to my husband, and Chris said, "Nice to meet you, David. Do you realise you are married to the best singer in the world?"
I love Sloan **, so this made my night.
It's 2:15 AM and I'm off to bed. Before I go, on the subject of my "long-winded stories":
What? Only 5 comments have been posted so far to my last entry?
I know it's a longy but isn't it a goody?
xo KR
____________________________
* Little-Known Fact Korner:
David Letterman's bandleader Paul Shaffer, who is Canadian, co-wrote the hit "It's Raining Men" with Paul Jabara. Jabara wrote "Last Dance" and "No More Tears" for Donna Summer. "It's Raining Men" was made famous by The Weather Girls, from their 1982 album “Success”.
__________________________
** "For God's Sake" Korner:
If you do not know the music of Sloan, look them up (www.sloanmusic.com) and buy their albums, for God's sake. You won't be sorry. Then, when somebody comes up to you and says, "do you have any Sloan?" you can say yes.
posted by Kathryn Rose (aka KR) at 2:51 a.m.
3 comments
