A Blog Written About Me!

Well this is cool...Amanda Earl, a talented Ottawa writer/poet wrote an article about the Rozalind and Friends CD on her blog today. Thanks Amanda! That made my day!

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Music! Rozalind and Friends-Live at Cafe Nostalgica

I'm just relistening to this after its launch this time last year. It's gorgeous. Two poems by Kristy McKay, editor of Spire and former classmate of mine, plus she started and ran the poetry open stage at Nostalgica. Harmonizing with Rozalind Macphail's sweet and skilfull flute sounds are a great sample of Nostalgica's music open stage, which follows the poetry on Thursday nights. From Trevor Tchir, Kristy's mate, to the amazing Genevieve Legault, the funky sounds of Purple, Peter Web's fine lyrics on his song, the jazzy piano and sexy crooning of John Gilles, this CD is sublime. I consider it to be a bit of a spin off from Thursday Heroes, the first compilation recorded at Cafe Nostalgica. I went to Nostalgica's open stage regularly for about two years, before I grew old, now it's past my bedtime. This CD really demonstrates the blossoming and increased professionalism of the regulars and includes some guests from Montreal, that I would never have heard of if it hadn't been for Rozalind's CD. Rozalind Macphail herself is really becoming a talented artist, flutist, flautist or whatever it's called.

posted by Amanda @ 9:20 AM

The Rest of My TO Adventures...

OK, so here's the rest of my adventures in TO...

Saturday was so much fun. I was hanging out with Matt Barber and Lindsay Ferguson in the morning. Lindsay and I had crashed at Matt's place the night before. We sat around drinking coffee and eating fresh pastries as Lindsay serenaded us with her "Mosquito Song" and other favourites. Good times...Smiles all around.

Then my mom picked Lindsay and I up to drop off all our stuff at Lindsay's van. Lindsay was leaving for Belleville that morning to go to a party there while I remained in Toronto. Well, here comes the sad part. Somehow Lindsay's guitar was left on the street after we unloaded it from my mom's car and Lindsay ended up driving to Belleville without it in her van! She only realized that it was missing by the time she got there and called my Mom in an absolute panic. Lindsay's guitar case not only had her favourite guitar in it, but also a number of other things, including her songwriter's book which had over two years of writing. Needless to say, this was an extremely devastating moment for Lindsay. The good news is that since then, the guitar has been found, thanks to an honest stranger who found it and reported it missing through an online classified. Just found out the news this afternoon and I was relieved along with everone else who was worried sick. We had already started planning a fundraiser show to get Lindsay a new guitar.

So back to my Saturday...I left my mom and Lindsay to go meet up with other Ear to the Ground programmers at Exhibition Place. Man, Ear to the Ground is going to be a great festival, I can feel it already. I'm so excited. I can't tell you what the main acts are yet but let's just say that it's a great lineup.

Then it was off to meet Yael Wand at University of Toronto's CIUT radio. We recorded three of Yael's songs and were interviewed as well. That was such a great experience. I really love playing for college radio. It's always such a different experience everytime. I was sad after it was over as I realized that it will be a long time until I see Yael again. She's off to Hamilton next and continues her Canadian tour until she reaches BC to play at a few summer festivals. It's always such a wonderful experience playing with that girl. Her music soothes the soul. I miss her already.

Well my day didn't end there...

I was supposed to have a photo shoot with the In Support of Living boys but it was cancelled last minute. So what did I do instead? I made plans to go out and have a good time! Pete Carmichael of The Diableros had invited me to a birthday party/concert out in Oshawa and so off I went with those folks to party it up. Oshawa is definitely not a special place but the bar we partied at that night certainly was! It's this small cozy bar called the "Velvet Elvis" which reminds me a lot of Ottawa's Cafe Nostalgica. The place had the coolest vibe and was well worth the trip to Oshawa. The Airfields, The Diableros and Jon-Rae and the River all performed an amazing show that night. I even performed a tune with Jon-Rae at the very end which made my night as I love those folks. Well, we all partied until the wee hours of the morning and then went back to Toronto where I ended up partying with the ISOL boys when I got back.

The ISOL boys were going strong when I arrived at 3:30am! They didn't stop partying until 7:45am when the birds were singing and the sun was shining bright. I had to get up at 8:45 for a family brunch and was hurting a little when my Mom rang the doorbell, that's for sure! But hey, it was worth it as those guys were so funny that night. We played lots of great vinyl, had an interesting piano fight and laughed the night away. More good times. Not sure I could ever go as hardcore as those boys go but I try...

Then it was a quick stop to Chinatown for some yummy fruit and then to Acton (It's worth the drive!) to visit my oma and great aunt who was visiting from the Netherlands. Although I hardly slept the night before, I still managed to stay awake the entire day for a lovely visit. I heard so many amazing stories about my oma and opa growing up in Maastricht. So many amazing stories and I soaked it all in. Sunday was the first time I had been in my oma's house since my opa died last September. It made me miss him so much and I wished so badly that he could be there. He would have loved to have seen his sister again. We had a beautiful bottle of wine from my opa's wine cellar that afternoon, a 1989 Mouton Rothschild. I savoured every drop and kept the bottle for my candle collection. It was such a lovely visit. I'm hoping to see my great aunt at least once more before she leaves. She's a truly special lady, one I admire very much. If I can be half as beautiful, graceful and loving as her when I get older, I'll be happy.

After a yummy meal of seafood gumbo which my mom made for us, she drove me to the bus station and I was off on the bus to Ottawa. Time flies when you're having fun...

OK, so there you have it. You got all the details of my trip, even if it bored you to read it all. Can't wait to do it again in a few weeks at NXNE!!!

Love Rozalind

Day One of my TO Adventures!!!

CanI just say that I am soooo looking forward to hitting my pillow as soon as I'm finished writing this blog! I didn't have time to check my email while I was in Toronto and so I've had lots of catching up to do ever since I got home. It's nuts how stuff piles up so quickly in a just a few short days...

My trip to Toronto was a lot of fun. Where do I begin? 3 days of being on the road felt like 3 weeks of fun adventures...

Highlights:

Lindsay Ferguson and I driving to Toronto in her big white van...listening to Joel Plaskett live on CBC radio, Lindsay eating DQ ice cream and spitting it out her window on the 401 because she doesn't like too much of the white stuff! (you had to be there to truly understand just how funny that was!)...lots of great talks and tune sharing (I have many new sources of inspiration)...being so caught up in our conversation that we missed the DVP exit! Good times and a great start to our journey.

Then it was off to Ward's Island...The lilac trees were so sweet smelling...I remembered my childhood - fond memories of playing outdoors and picking lily of the valley bouquets from my neighbour's yard (got introuble for that one a number of times but I did it anyway)...oh, and my favourite tree that has those amazing white flowers that remind me of freesia were everywhere! I was in sensory heaven! My Mom's garden was looking so gorgeous as well....a gardener's paradise...Can you tell that I love flowers? Not me! : )

Now for the show...Lindsay Ferguson, Yael Wand and Matthew Barber all joined me at the Rectory Cafe for a truly magical show. What a beautiful experience we had performing to a full room of smiling faces. Lots of my family came to the show, including my great aunt from the Netherlands and my Oma. That was so special for me. I savoured every note during that performance. The time went by so fast and before I knew it, I had to rush to the city side for my next show! My sister's amazing boyfriend, Phil, drove us back to the city in his boat, playing lots of amazing reggae tunes. Everyone on the boat had such an amazing time. The viewof the city was pretty spectacular. It was so much fun to have my own personal boat ride to the city certainly made me feel pretty darn special!

Lindsay and I got to the El Mocambo right on time. I had another great experience performing with In Support of Living. Got to play my piccolo, my bansuri and classical flute all in one show which was a real treat. I love playing with those guys. Can't wait to start recording our new album. The Poets did an amazing set as well. Good to see Ottawa folk showing the good stuff that they're made of. I really love what the Poests are doing. Can't wait to do more shows with them soon.

Matt, Lindsay and I ended up leaving the Elmo shortly after the Poet's set to see a Led Zepplin cover band at Healey's. I know, you're asking what the heck? Why would I ever want to do that after such a special night of performing? Well for two reasons. First, Matt's friend was playing in the band. Second, sometimes it's so much fun to go see a show where you know all the tunes and can just have a good old-fashioned dancing and partying night of it. We certainly had a great time! It made a perfect close to the evening...

See why I feel like I've been away for weeks? That was only day one of my trip! So much more to share but I think I'll save that for tomorrow...I have a lot more stories to tell you about, that's for sure...

Nighty Night,

Love Rozalind

Magical Nights During a Rainy Long Weekend

Can I just say that I am so happy that Trevor Tchir and Kristy McKay came to visit us Ottawa folks for the long weekend! It was so nice to see their friendly faces once again. I was reminded of all of the fun and magical times we shared over the past few years while hanging out at Cafe Nostalgica.Trevor and Kristy now live in Edmonton where Trevor is currently working on his PhD in Political Philosophy at the University of Alberta. Trevor released his third CD, "Wooden Castles Fall" on Saturday to a packed house of loyal fans and friends at Zaphod's in Ottawa. It was one amazing party. I am so proud of Trevor. We all had such a magical time. Performing on that stage was a blast. When I wasn't dancing on stage, I was dancing in the audience and loving every minute of it! It's such an amazing experience when you look at the audience and see them singing all of the words to the songs including the ones off of the new album!

I've had many more special moments this weekend, having performed four concerts within the past three days. I'm exhausted now but it was all worth it as every moment on that stage was truly special.

Playing at the Manx on Sunday night with Yael Wand and Trevor Tchir was such a fun time. Just as I thought - Trevor and Yael were the perfect match for a magical musical evening. I was singing and smiling along the entire night, playing a bunch of songs with Yael and Trevor. Fun times, that's for sure. I have missed performing with Yael so it was a real treat to perform with her once again at my favourite Ottawa pub. We get to play on Toronto Island together next Friday along with Lindsay Ferguson and Matthew Barber which I am super excited about...

Earlier on Sunday evening, I performed with Melissa Laveaux for her Bluesfest audition. The audience absolutely loved it and we had a packed house. I definitely think Melissa deserves to get into this year's festival and will be keeping my fingers crossed for her. We had such a great time performing together that evening despite the gloomy rain lingering outside. I've been working lots on the rhythmic aspects of my improvisation lately and definitely felt a great step in the right direction during Melissa and my performance. I had so many audience members approach me afterwards to compliment me on my flutin'. My favourite comment was from an older woman who told me that I was one of the most soulful musicians she has ever heard. Won't forget that one anytime soon, that's for sure. It's interesting how so many people have approached me over the past three days to tell me how much they enjoy my flutin', much more than usual. Maybe that's a good sign... It makes the world of difference to hear that sort of stuff, especially at a time like this when my confidence is at an all-time low. I've had a number of personal blows over the past week which has been a real challenge but those moments when a stranger has complimented me have been golden and has really helped me out a lot.

This story probably will be kind of funny to you...So I'm not sure if any of you are aware of the fact that I am always wearing a hat these days. Trying to grow my hair out and so the hat has become a standard part of the Rozalind look. I absolutely hate growing my hair out as I currently feel like the ugly duckling everywhere I go! The hat sort of makes me feel invisible, even though everyone tells me that it looks good. I think everyone's just trying to be nice. I just can't wait until my hair's at a point when I can let it out of that damn hat without being totally embarassed with how it looks. Almost chopped it off this weekend but many friends coaxed me out of it, encouraging me to stick with it. Well, once again, a total stranger really saved the day today with his kind words. This charming French guy who I met was chatting with me... When we exchanged names, he totally made me smile by telling me about the meaning of my name in Spanish. Apparently the equivalent of Rozalind translates closely to "beautiful rose." Imagine a cute guy with the most charming accent and the most beautiful smile, sharing that with me during one of my most ugly duckling moments of all! It felt so good and warmed my heart. I'm telling you, that guy put such a smile on my face and it remained there for a number of hours afterwards. He probably never had a clue how magical those words would be for me to hear but the timing could not have been more perfect. It just goes to show that we can often touch another person's heart without even knowing it, just from sharing some kind or meaningful words. We can make such a difference in someone's day with a simple smile or a kind gesture. Food for thought...

OK, gots to go as my bed is calling out my name...Oh, but some exciting news first... It looks like In Support of Living's self-titled album is reaching the college radio charts! ISOL is #4 on CHUO this week. Very cool! Can't wait to play at the Elmo with them on Friday...

Warm Wishes,

Love Rozalind

Beautiful May

Hey Everyone!

Wow, what a great month I have been having so far! I hope everyone has been enjoying all those beautiful smelling blossoms outside. I certainly have been...It's amazing out there.

There has been so much on the go for me lately. I was recently in Toronto where I was rehearsing with ISOL and had a bunch of meetings for the Ear to the Ground festival which I am a part of. So much exciting stuff happening...There's been lots of long-term planning: writing collaborations, recording projects, performances at this summer's music festivals and touring in the fall. Lots to share but I don't really feel like bombarding everyone with lots of stuff here... Instead of giving you a whole bunch to read, I thought I would list my upcoming performances for the next month and say that I look forward to seeing you soon, in person. We all have so much catching up to do...

Sunday May 15, 8pm sharp
Zaphod's, Ottawa
We really need everyone's support for this show so please come out!
Lindsay Ferguson's Bluesfest Audition

Part of how they are deciding who gets to play at this year's Bluesfest is by the amount of people who come out to our show. You know what that means...We need your help and we need it in numbers! Bring all your friends and we'll all be smiling...I remember a special moment last summer when Lindsay and I were both at Bluesfest. We looked at each other, smiled and said that next year, instead of being in the audience, we'd be on the stage. I think it's time to make that dream come true... : )

Friday May 20, 10pm
Cafe Nostalgica, Ottawa
Rozalind and some very special Friends!

Last year on May 29th, we recorded the Rozalind and Friends - Live at Cafe Nostalgica CD. I think it's time for a celebration. What a great year of music we've had all year and there's lots of new songs to share and new faces as well.

Saturday May 21, 9pm
Zaphod's, Ottawa
Trevor Tchir's CD Release Party!!!

Wooden Castles Fall is a fantastic album. Trevor is travelling from Edmonton to release his thrid CD in Ottawa. Lots of guest appearances...What a great time this will be...

Sunday May 22, 7:30pm
Zaphod's, Ottawa
Melissa Laveaux's Bluesfest Audition

Another Bluesfest audition and I really would love to see Melissa get in! You know what that means! We need your support and again, in numbers. Come on out! This will be a great start to the Manx night out planned by many of us so please read on to find out more details...

Sunday May 22, 9pm
Manx, Ottawa
Yael Wand and Trevor Tchir

Well I must admit, I feel truly spoiled. This amazing weekend of music we've had so far will be topped off with a show at the Manx on the Sunday night with another one of my fave singer-songwriters coming all the way from Wells, BC to perform at it! Yael is currently on a six week cross-Canada tour. I've been wanting to get Trevor and Yael on the same bill for a long time now and look forward to playing a few tunes with both of them...It's Trevor's last night in Ottawa so we'll all be partying it up before him and Kristy fly back to Edmonton...

Friday May 27, 8pm
Rectory Café, Toronto Island
A Songwriter's Circle with: Yael Wand, Lindsay Ferguson and Matthew Barber

Any of you who were at the last Toronto Island show will know that this is one not-to-miss. We're all looking forward to an evening of heartwarming tunes...How I love the Island.

Friday May 27, 10pm (doors at 9)
Upstairs El Mocambo, Toronto
As the Poets Affirm, In Support of Living and Off The International Radar

We've been talking for a while now about getting ISOL and ATPA on the same bill. The Poets are performing their second last show of their cross-Canada tour in Toronto. I'm really looking forward to this show as I know that all three bands will put on a magical performance. Two shows in one night...what a lucky girl I am...

Thanks for reading to the end...

See you soon!

Love Rozalind