Seattle Sessions and a Personal Update

Seattle Sessions - Less is More is now completed and will be released during my cross Canada tour which begins in Vancouver next Thursday!

I had a blast recording with Tony Fabris. What an amazing man. We worked extremely well together. Both of us are total perfectionists. We worked into the wee hours to get the job done the way we wanted it, even putting in an entire night the last day to get it just right. I was amazed at Tony's level of patience with me as I'm not always the easiest to work with when the pressure's on. I also admired his fine attention to detail as he pointed out all those little things that so many folks don't seem to notice. He's also a fantastic guitarist and an extremely talented recording engineer, one I very much look forward to working with again. Tony's recording studio is called, Monkey Brains Studios and is located in North Seattle. It's a great spot, totally cozy and the perfect vibe. I felt right at home. We spent four days recording, mixing and mastering the 5 songs for the album and I'm really proud of what we accomplished in such a short amount of time. Chapter two of my songwriting journey...

I'm now back in Victoria and am busy working away at getting 200 copies made of the EP for my tour. I'm totally wiped right now and it's only 11am on a Saturday morning! Yikes, so much to take care of before I head out next week. I am quickly discovering that the life of a self-managed artist is not an easy one. Practicing my many instruments, writing press releases, designing and sending posters, phoning and emailing as I book shows, taking care of web updates, doing hours of online research, applying for funding, you name it, I have to take care of it. Lots of work and overwhelming most of the time. With that being said, I love what I do and can't see any other way of life for someone like myself. Can't wait until the day when I can hire folks to help manage my career though so that I can mostly focus on the musical aspects of my career. Hope that time comes soon...

So my touring plans are coming along nicely. I am very excited to get myself on the road and also a bit nervous as four months is a really long time to be completely on your own in so many unfamiliar places. This tour is totally meant to be though which I am discovering more and more with each new day. My very good friends Juliana and Douglas McCorison (bless their hearts) came to the rescue again yesterday when I discovered that my acoustic guitar pickup is totally dead. I went to get it repaired and was told that it would take three weeks to get the job done. What did Juliana and Douglas do? They bought a new acoustic Breedlove guitar which we have already named Anastasia. They are loaning me this beautiful guitar for my four months of touring! It is a gorgeous guitar, one that I could only afford owning in my dreams. I have never been so lucky to have such supportive people in my life. They believe in me and want to see me accomplish my dreams. Words cannot express how appreciative I am. I feel blessed. It makes such a difference to have supportive people in our lives, people who truly believe in us. Juliana and Douglas have been more than that. They have been angels. I have decided to dedicate Seattle Sessions to them which is only a small token of my gratitude compared to all that they have helped me through since I met them two short months ago.

Life as a musical gypsy so far has probably been one of the most rewarding and inspiring times of my entire life. So many highs, so many lows, never knowing which way is next or who I'm going to meet. Very exciting times. Who knows what's in store for the next four months. All I know is that there will be lots of stories to share by the end of it all!

Lots of Love,

Rozalind