June 15, 2011 

Brooklyn, NY

Word up from the heart of sunny downtown Brooklyn! Me, myself and my metro card have been roaming the streets of NYC all week on a bit of a working vacation. I left lovely uber-rural Rappahannock county Virginia and rolled right into the concrete innards of the big city... A bit of a polar shift. But balance in one's life is important. My memories of my time in the country are so sweet. The silhouettes of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the periwinkle dusk... The sparkling of the fireflies, the twinkling of stars... Not to mention I got to drive a truck though a field down a mountain. And then back up! I also went kayaking, rump bumping, and had a Virginia mud bath. After which my friend proceeded to catch me a fish and then cook it for dinner. All in a day's work.

Here, a day's work is a different thing altogether. I put on my Sweetlandish heels and take on the town. Went on rainy adventures to Central Park, had a fantastic gig at Banjo Jim's, made strange new friends and caught up with some old ones, hid in dark alleys, waited on a thousand trains... And of course, made a few excellent purchases. As well, it must be noted that the gentlemen on the streets of downtown Brooklyn are quite friendly indeed. Canadians on street corners are far too polite to tell you how much they like your outfit, or how attractive you look on any particular day. Judging from the amount of times I heard the phrase "Lookin' good, white lady!"  I think it might have to be the name of my new album.

I also got to see some great music while in town.  Particular mentions to The Silver Daggers from Tallahassee, FL who played a set right after me on Friday night. They were amazing and so lovely that I had to go see them again the next day! And hier soir, I celebrated my last evening in NYC with pals Blackie and the Rodeo Kings for their CD release show at The Living Room. They were brilliant as always and it was one hell of a time.

And now it's time to pack the van and hit the road. Next stop, Newport, RI! I have an appointment to keep with a certain sailor...

Anchors aweigh,

x

K

 Central Park in the rain...

More photos from my recent adventures here!

July 17, 2005
Cranberry, PA

At Motel 6... encore. Soooo sleepy again, but at least no odeur de wet doggy this time. Adventures have been seriously good- and highly adventurous. Left the holler this morning en route back to my home and native land. Yayyy Canada. Spent the last week at Paul Reisler and Julie Portman's Songcamp intensive in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I had the most incredible time, learned absolutely tons and met the most amazing people. Wrote some damn fine songs too... I highly recommend this experience for songwriters of all levels. It was so good for me! Next stop: Torontonia for a little Canada AM morning television... and I ask- why can't morning television be on in the afternoon? ... Zz z z z z z z z z z z z 

At the Blue Ridge School for boys... (don't ask)

February 9, 2004
Sperryville, VA

I must say, 'tis rather brrrr down here in the frozen Virginia holler! Have been visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains and steeping in the glory of rural Virginia yum. Played an amazing gig down here on Saturday night at the Smokehouse Winery. Got to sing all night in a gorgeous little stone cottagy thatched roof medievally inn-like room in the middle of the beautiful Virginia Nowheres... Deliciosa. Now I'm off down south for some time in sunny Georgia, and some hopeful warmer-than-here-ness... talk soon

love,
me

April 1, 2003
London, Ontario

Greetings sweet lovelies, 

Happy April Fools!! Ahhh the spring it comes finally.... Even tho it's a wee bit of a brrr one today, Raven the dog and I are still supremely psyched at the excellent meltingness of snow (which means WAY more forest walking fun and other said goodness.) Have just returned home from a lovely trip up to Ottawa for gigs and friends and art gallerying and museum visitation. There's a "Mysteries of the Bog People" exhibit on at the Museum of Civilization and I could not resist the lure of the illustrious Bog Man. Was a bit of an archaeology girl in University and have written many a serious bog body epic essay in my time ('tis true!) Had a total intellectual bronze age blast. Also, I've been listening to the "Life of Emily Carr" book on tape by Paula Blanchard while driving and am SO incredibly passionately in love with Emily Carr and her story. It's even more exciting for me cause it's set in Victoria, BC in way yonder day (late 1800s early 1900s) and I have been learning much craziness about the history of my old neighbourhoods and haunts. In other news I have been keeping busy with much music work, but also finding time for the ever important fun and I just can't wait for warm weather and tank tops and rolling in grass... Mmmnnnn grass rolling.... Altho, I am quite enjoying the slowness of spring and am loving every second of the end of my first full (and totally frickin' brr) winter I've spent in Ontario in over 8 years! And I even got to have a true Canadian maple moment the other day when my darling friend Mary Beth took me out to her family's sugarbush-in-the-woods. It was my first adventure of the maple syrup shack variety and I was truly overcome by the glorious goodness of it all. Imagine: big blazing woodstove in little shack in the wood cranking out the heat with simmering vats of maple sap steaming up the air with sweet sugary yum. The ultimate steam bath of heavenly goodness! I am sure there is nothing so delicious in this world as wood smoke and maple steam. Mmmmnnnnn delish!

So, in terms of my upcoming travels, I'll be heading to Toronto this weekend the play with James Keelaghan at Hugh's Room, then it's off to Michigan for "Ladyfest"and then down to the the Blue Ridge mountains of sweet Virginia for some May Day bonfire extravaganza... Hope to see y'all out in the yonders.

xo, k

Little Raven and her Alligator on my bed.

July 20th, 2001
Sperryville, Virginia

I am hiding away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, somewhere between the crystal fairyland caverns and the civil war battlefields. and as they say in Virginia "I reckon it be hotta than a fire storm in hell." And ain't it the truth! Me and my dear friend Jenny have been sitting on her porch watching the lightning bugs like Christmas lights as they dance across the mountain. Today was spent with much hiking, tequila and veggie corn dogs . YAY veggie corn dogs! I have been having such a crazy adventure. Today I hiked far into Shenandoah park's white oak canyon and found beautiful waterfalls and swimming holes... It is so glorious here I can hardly believe it and I am thinking of coming back sooner than later to live with Jenny again in her big lovely converted sleazeball motel apartment by the river...

July 2nd, 2001
London, Ontario 

Hey y'all.

Like the new website??

It's been quite the summer so far! I have moved away from my home on Vancouver Island and I am heading for the oceans of the east… Me and Esmeralda the van drove across Canada and next we are heading south to the Shenandoah Valley. I am taking some time out to write and rehearse in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I am SO looking forward to finally having time to practice my banjo in the holler with the copperheads and the Virginia creeper (so long as the snakes are nice…). After that it's Nashville for guitar shaped nail clippers and sleaze ball motels. Hooray! I am also so excited for the Newport Folk Festival 'cause lots of my heroes are gonna be there (Emmylou Harris, Patty Larkin and the Indigos to name a few…)
I will be back in Ontario in August for a couple festivals and then off to the east coast in search of a new home…(Halifax?… Atlantis?… Amsterdam?…) Who knows. We'll just have to see.

Hope to see you somewhere out there.

All hail Queen Xena