June 19, 2014
Toronto, ON

Hello at long last,

And happy almost summertime! I know I've been a silent Sweetland for quite a while now... There is much to catch you up on. As the solstice nears on Saturday, I'm getting prepared for all my upcoming plans for the warm season. I have a few adventures in store with Captain Dirt & The Skirt, as well as some sweet solo sojourns.

First on my agenda is Fiesta Flamenca! my year-end flamenco dance recital with the amazing Esmeralda Enrique Academy of Spanish Dance. We've been working hard on our choreographies since September and I have butterflies of excitement just thinking about it. Not to mention I have my very first castanets solo and a beautiful new flamenco skirt I can't wait to show off for you. For more info about the performance on June 28th please visit the ASD website.

My next gig is a Canada Day party on July 1st at my favourite tiniest bar in Toronto, Not My Dog. Joining me for the soirée are dear friends Andy White and Maria Ryan. Because what better way to celebrate being Canadian than with a tall Irishman and a beautiful American? Hope to see you there.

Soon after that I'll be heading out to hook up with my musical gypsy road sister DarlenYa for some shows and shenanigans. We'll both be back to Toronto in time to rock the Cameron House with Captain Dirt & The Skirt and Dede and the Dreamers July 16th. That will be a show you definitely won't want to miss!

And I'm very much looking forward to Captain Dirt & The Skirt's performance at Blue Skies Music Festival this year. That festival is a truly magical place and I can't wait to behold its glory once more. We're on the mainstage Friday, August 1st at 9:30 pm.

After Blue Skies I head East on the train via the VIA Rail Artists On Board program. I'm riding the rails from Montreal to Halifax and back again. In between I set sail for beautiful Newfoundland - a place I have yet to visit- on a seriously Sweetlandish adventure. I'll also be playing the Company House in Halifax on August 14th with local pal Jont.

Upon my return to Ontario I'll be pointing North for a big show in Lavigne, ON, with my magnificent Ladies In Waiting. For more details about all my upcoming performances please visit my tour page here.

And here's some news, kristinsweetland.com is going to be getting a makeover soon! I have some exciting projects coming up over the rest of the year -both musically and photographically- and the new website will make it easier for me to share them with you. Stay tuned.

Speaking of photography, my latest Adventures In Sweetland self-portrait series is called Space and Time and features my recent fascination with Astrophotography. As we know, I've always been a space nerd, but I've really been getting into my studies lately. So keep your earthly eyeholes peeled for new Sweetlandish star photos and an article I'm writing about all my recent astronomical adventures... Coming soon.

Till then,

xo
Kristin

Self-portrait with Meteor.
At the Carr Astronomical Observatory near Thornbury, ON.
More Space and Time photos here.

January 12, 2011 

Toronto, ON

Bonjour from Casa Sweetlandia. I'm all curled up in my new favourite perch chez moi, up the stairs on the landing by the window. I feel like a cat. Me, myself, the white sheepskin rug, the damask cushions, three beeswax tapers, a vase of red roses, a cup of strong coffee, and a jar of moonshine cherries are all enjoying the snowy view! It's been two and a half months since I got home from my last tour, and it feels so strange to not be packing up the van and driving away! I'm settling in well to my life in the city, to my new home, new neighbourhood and friends. This is what I wanted. Time to rest, write, focus, develop relationships, take lessons, go to classes and get lots of exercise ...  I guess I will always have the wanderlust. For the more I sit here, the more I dream of desert highways, truck stops, sleazy motels, mysterious strangers and new adventures.

Then I remind myself I can have all those things here. Except maybe the desert highways. "Les Aventures" is a state of mind which I seem to inhabit perpetually. I love strapping on my boots and setting off into the snowy streets with no particular plan or destination in mind. I've been wandering a lot lately down by the Don River. Along the train tracks, through the old abandoned lots and across the old abandoned bridges. Sometimes I meet foxes, and feral kittens. Sometimes I see footprints leading strange places. You can find the new Sweetlandish photos from said wintery adventures here.

As for the rest of the winter, I certainly have no lack of plans. I'm taking advantage of this long block of time in one place to focus on my studies. Operation Woodshed. I'm also hoping making two records this year! One with Captain Dirt & The Skirt, and the other a new Kristin Sweetland solo album that is so exciting, thoroughly plotted and still a secret. Other than that I'll be focusing on my dancing, and twice-weekly classes at the amazing Esmeralda Enrique Academy of Spanish Dance. It is soooo good for my musical brain, not to mention my thighs. I also start another class next week of a different variety. I'm going back to school for real! This time for Fundamental Music Theory and Ear Training. Yikes. I am going to be so smart come spring...

Till we meet again,

x

K

 Down by the river ... More winter photos here!

November 25, 2010
Toronto, ON

Just home from an incredible night out on the town. Went to see my flamenco dance teacher Esmeralda Enrique's company's performance "Espejo de Oro" at the Harbourfront Fleck Dance Theatre ... It was absolutely brilliant and beautiful. I'll be dreaming of those costumes for the rest of my life. Not to mention, I am so inspired to practice my moves now. Olé!