Gotta Move Soon...

I was reading all the Canadian weeklies online today as I always do ever Thursday and noticed that one of my favourite Toronto bands, Great Lake Swimmers is featured in Toronto's EYE this week! Does it ever make me happy to see my music friends getting good press and of all people, I think Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers is most deserving of press attention right now. He's a magical performer and one amazing songwriter, that's for sure. He also has been working very hard on getting his stuff out there, performing lots in Canada and touring in Europe. His second CD, "Bodies and Minds" is to be released on March 15th and I'm confident that it will be just as magical as his first. Congrats Tony! I am so proud of everyone on the weewerk label as I think all of those folks are doing an amazing job at getting their music out there.

I was fortunate to perform with Great Lake Swimmers last October for their mini tour which ended at POP Montreal. I had the most amazing time. Reading the article of their newly-released CD and of this year's CMW lineup just made me want to pack my bags and move to Toronto as soon as possible. I'm really starting to miss all the great shows that are happening in Toronto these days and feel that I'm missing many performing and recording opportunities as well. Every week I am reminded of how much I am missing when I read those damn weeklies. I see all the concert listings of shows that I wish I could be going to. Gotta move, January 2006 is just not coming soon enough.

Not to say that Ottawa doesn't have a great music scene. Last night for example was a blast. I got to do two guest appearances, one with Kelp Record's The Acorn for their song "Books" and the other with a Dutch band called We vs. Death. I had so much fun performing with both of the bands. The We vs. Death guys have already invited me to perform with them when I get my butt to the Netherlands. So yes, there are great opportunities in Ottawa but it just seems that there's so much more in Toronto. Cry me a river! I know, I probably sound pretty pathetic right now but I'm sure that all of you who are currently experiencing the same "should I move" dilemma can relate to my whining. I love the smell of the air in Ottawa, the cleanliness, the nature at my doorstep. I like the smallness of it all but as a musician, it's simply not enough to keep me here. I need more opprtunities.

On that note, gotta get ready for tonight. Going to Café Nostalgica for some fun jamming. Haven't been there since we first started our tour. I am pretty excited about tomorrow as I will be mixing Yael Wand and my recent recordings for our Banff Centre proposal with Craig Simon in the Gatineaus. I also am also super hyped about our last "Love songs we can relate to..." show in Montreal on Saturday. Abigail Lapell, Melissa Laveaux and Lindsay Ferguson will be joining me at the Yellow Door. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories for you when I get back...

Love Rozalind