February 14, 2014
Toronto, ON

Happy Valentine's Day Lovers,

I hope this finds you all well and weathering the wild winter like troopers. I've been in hibernation mode here at Casa Sweetlandia working hard and writing up a storm. I've just finished an article for my brilliant pal Aurora Jane's new arts and culture website mojojunction.com.You'll find within the tale of my recent Polar Adventures In Sweetland and accompanying photographic series. Plus artist interviews, delicious recipes and much more...

I'll be crawling out of my dark hole soon enough however for a big show on February 19th at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (as part of their new Bare Bones and Upfront Indie Music Series.) Joining me on the bill for the evening is the handsome and talented Paul Reddick. Have a peek at the hilarious promo video the TCA shot with me here. 

Stay warm out there,

xo
Sweetheart

Hope to see you on February 19!

February 8, 2013
Toronto, ON

Salut from under a scintillating snow blanket ... I reckon that most of you in Eastern North America know what I mean. I've just returned from a wee tromp out in the wilds of the urban arctic, and am once again curled up with my new best friend - the hot water bottle.

The snow storm gave me crazy dreams last night. Zombie apocalypse, anyone? Seriously. Then I was baptizing a baby (not mine) all St-John-in-the-river-like, but in an Amsterdam canal. That was followed by a dream of wandering through an old mansion, where everything in every single room was the colour red: Red wallpaper, red furniture, red glitter fireplace. I suppose it was an unconscious response to all the Valentine's bling of late. But I cannot tell a lie. I would totally live in a monochromatic Valentine's glitter mansion. Obviously.

And speaking of Valentine's bling, I'm so very excited for our upcoming Ladies In Waiting "Lovesick" album release this Tuesday, Feb 12 at Lula Lounge in Toronto. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this amazing collective of vibrant and insanely talented Toronto female musicians. Performers include Scarlett Jane, Andrea Ramolo, Cindy Doire, Sarah Burton, Melanie Brûlée, Tricia Foster, Yours Sweetlandishly, an ode to currently-touring-overseas Lady in Waiting, Faye Blais, and burlesque performances by members of Love Letters Cabaret. Also be excited for our kissing booth, and polaroids with pinup doll Pastel Supernova.

Get your advance tickets here, and have a peek at our gorgeous new Ladies In Waiting website. 

Also, be highly entertained by my latest masterpiece video "Lovesick - A Sweetlandish Melodrama." (And darn that heartbreaker, Remington Steele.)

In other news, we are getting close to being finished the new Captain Dirt & The Skirt album, at last! It has been a long and incredibly enjoyable process for us, and we can't wait to share it with you. Just had a superfun album cover photo shoot with amazing photographer Kevin Kelly the other day. I will not blow any of our secrets, but you simply cannot wait to see!

As for my own photography, you'll find all the latest photos from my eternal Adventures in Sweetland here.

I bid you aurevoir for now, but be expecting my Sweetlandish treatise on love, dark matter, and other such ponderables before aforementioned day of crimson bling.

Snowkisses,

xo
LadySweet

Hope to see you at the show!

Photo by Jen Squires. Design by Faye Blais.

February 14, 2012
Toronto, ON

Mes Cheries,

Happy Valentines Day! I'm back in bed, watching the X-files and drinking coffee with my Valentine. Who has dog breath. She's still asleep, but any moment now Ursa la Sweetland will decide it's time to get up and walk around the corner to the dog park, where I'm destined to throw her little blue ball over and over again. But for now, she's snoozing and I'm the early riser, awakened by my dream in which I was writing a song! It's a melody I was working on already, but now I know where the story takes place... And it's only a matter of time before I figure out what happens.

It's been a lazy few days in Sweetland. I came down with a touch of the plague this weekend, and I suppose it's no wonder. For the last six weeks I've been such an impressively high-functioning workbunny. My efforts culminated at the Sweet Soirée Valentine's Cabaret show I hosted last week at The Cameron House. To say it was an incredible evening would be an understatement. Every performer was so unique and amazing. And I think we all left feeling significantly sexier, and decidedly more romantic...  Not to mention, I got to tell the mysterious tale of  St. Valentine, doctor and priest, with his magical eye ointments and abject martyrdoms. All to the tune of a Captain Dirt & The Skirt song we'll be recording for our upcoming new album!

I did a good amount of proper historical research in the name of my Valentine's story (not that it affected what actually came out of my mouth) and learned there were 14 saints named Valentine in all. A coincidental number perhaps... We know for a fact that one of them was executed on February 14th, 270 AD and buried on the Via Flaminia near Rome. But that's all we know. The rest of the tall tales that have surfaced over the ages, are most like just that. It was the Roman pagan festival Lupercalia, celebrated on the 15th of February, that was linked with romance. During this festival young single men would draw a small piece paper with the name of a woman, who would be their destined partner for a courtship game. So once again, the merging of pagan traditions with Christian names has given us our modern-day holiday. Poor St. Valentine was removed from the Roman Calendar of Saints in '69 (dude) as they claimed there was no historical proof of his sainthood. But it's possible he had just gotten a little too sexy for his hair shirt.

And speaking of sexy, as we speak agent Scully had been tied up and unceremoniously thrown into the trunk of a car. I think she's about to meet her maker. Or at least, some aliens. Sadly there is no romance in her near future, as her and agent Mulder don't make out till season 9. But I'll get there soon enough. As there is no plague in the world that cannot be cured with the judicious application of hot toddies and an X-files marathon. This is pretty much my plan for the rest of the day.

Love love love,

Sweetland. ♥

 The last rose of the season from my Aphrodite garden!
It now hangs above my bed. For good luck...

February 14, 2011
Toronto, ON

Happy Valentine's Day! I am celebrating said most torturous of Hallmark holidays in true Venusian splendour. Had a delicious dinner tonight at Tati with my friends. Black Cod is a fantastic Valentine's date in lieu if an actual human man. It's been a very wintery month chez moi and somewhat of a challenging one. I seem to have come down with that heinous plague of a flu that's going around. And it just ain't leaving quickly enough for me. Cough cough. So I've mostly been doing a good job of lying around in bed and moaning. However,with the judicious application of many hot toddies and much vitamin TV, the patient seems to be improving. Please send eucalyptus rub, and Florence Nightingale.

Honey & ginger,

xo

La K

 True Love ... And the Last Rose Standing

February 14, 2006
London, ON

Happy Valentines Day, my sweeties. Am hittin' the road ASAP southwards to Virginia. My best friend Jenny is getting married to singer-songwriter compadre Chuck Brodsky this weekend in a wee special ceremony down in the holler. So looking forward to all the celebrations! Will certainly report on the adventures that transpire and will be posting photos for sure (u know me.) Wishing you all beds full of roses and wine.

xxx Kristin

February 26, 2005
Victoria, BC

Greetings again from my bright sunny kitchen in the glorious Victoria morning... Not a drop of rain has fallen since before Valentine's Day and Vancouver Island has been positively drenched in golden sunlight. This is indeed strange weather behaviour for the Pacific Northwest in winter- but I complain not! I guess the desert down in the Southwest US has just been getting pounded with our rain... not to mention LA. And I heard around Death Valley the desert has started turning green! Seeds that have been dormant for thousands of years are suddenly growing... oh my. (Like, climate change anyone?) Yet I suppose climate change tends to happen on planets sometimes- think Ice Age.

In other more artistically-centric news, how do you like my new wedding photo? I've started working on a new self-portrait series in the vein of the one I did (now) years ago... See here. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of the images for new-album booklet design and other such endeavours. And who did I marry you ask? I'm thinking it's probably my guitar as we seem to be the only ones there....

adieu for now- and more photos soon! 

xo ks

The beginnings of my new self-portrait series...
 

February 14, 2005
Victoria, BC 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Being the true daughter of Venus that I am I cannot help but enjoy this day immensely. But really, any good excuse to buy myself some fine wine and roses is so ok with me... Was going to take myself on a fabulously nerdy Valentine's Day date to the Dominion Observatory here in Victoria, but they strangely seem to close before sunset. What possible good could that be I ask? I oh-so require dark skies for my glowing orb viewing. In other affairs, all is going magnificently well. Have been working hard on new-album writing, website fixing and conspiring my fine and illustrious future... Stay tuned for extreme yumminess coming soon!

kisses, xo K

February 14, 2004
Shreveport, LA

Happy Valentines Day, kittens. Today I woke up in my Mississippi sleazeball motel and decided to make a pilgrimage to find myself a Valentine. Drove all through northern Louisiana past Shreveport -almost to Texas- through some pine bayou or another and down some dirt road or two while big fat juicy snowflakes fell on my head. Then finally, I reached Shiloh Baptist Church and there I found Leadbelly's grave. Brought him the stalk and bud of cotton I was given after playing my Hugh's Room Leadbelly impersonation show as his Valentines present... Thanks for writing all those precious Timeless tunes Huddie Ledbetter. I know there was the small problem of you bein' a bit of a murderer and all... But, you know, at least you did it for the passionate torturous glory of love (altho it was still very wrong!) But you know, I believe it was that intense passionate edge you had that really made your songs stand the test of time. And they do. Thanks for that.
 

Onward Ho to Texas in the morn'!

xo

LadyValentine