MYSTERY FLUTE GIRL RAMBLES

Lots of Good News

2010-01-17T09:37:00.001-05:00

Lots of good news to share here…

I will be touring across Canada and throughout Germany in Sept/Oct/Nov 2010 with the lovely and talented songstress/accordion goddess Marie-Josee Houle. Marie-Josee and I have been talking about touring together for years now. It’s a match made in heaven. Dates will be announced shortly.

And recording has begun for my new EP, It Is What It Is. If everything goes as planned, I will be releasing it in May. Can’t wait!

Thoughts From Newfoundland

2009-09-07T21:29:00.002-04:00

Wow, I think I totally forgot that I even had this blog until like 5 minutes ago when I stumbled upon it and was embarrassed to discover that it's been over a year since I last posted! I'll try to post more often from now on. : )

Lots has changed since I last posted here. For one, I've settled down in St. John's, Newfoundland to start recording the new album which I will be calling, "It Is What It Is." I've also completed two cross-Canada tours since last summer and experienced some pretty amazing places.

I initially moved to St. John's for the summer but that soon changed to staying until December and now, well, I'm making it home and I wouldn't be surprised if it's for many years to come.

St. John's is amazing. They've got an amazing indie scene here and I am in love with the people. I have a great apartment in downtown St. John's where I have been enjoying lots of quiet time to focus on making music. Been writing lots of new material and composing music for film while waitressing to save up for the album. It's great to be enjoying the simple things in life again.

North Ontario

2008-06-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

Here' some footage from Danielle and I touring through North Ontario to Toronto.

North Ontario rocks. It's one of those parts of Canada that every Canadian should drive through at least once in their lifetime.

During our 5 days of driving, we saw a moose (sorry folks, no footage of that), drove through a snowstorm as we reached Marathon, met this crazy character who sang to us at a gas station in Schreiber (got video of that!), witnessed some wicked thunder storms and more.

On the way to Calgary - WOW

2008-05-19T16:40:00.003-04:00

This one was an adventure. Still can't believe that I just drove from Vancouver, to Jasper to Calgary in one day! It's so nice to be at Marco's, with nice clean sheets and good talks with my dear friend. I'm soooo looking forward to the show at the Ironwood tonight.

Podcast - Thoughts of You

2008-05-18T00:58:00.003-04:00

This one's emotional folks. Very raw and honest. I just wrote a new song and I share the lyrics with you...it's written for vocal loops and flute.

Podcast - Week 1 in Vancouver

2008-05-14T05:33:00.001-04:00

Here we go! Not so exciting this time around but I promise to post lots more soon...

Alone with an Update

2008-04-25T01:58:00.005-04:00

Howdy Friends!

Wow, what a month. Is it just me or does it seem like there are not enough hours in the day lately to get everything done?

With less than three weeks until I leave for my six months of touring across Canada, I must report that I am currently overwhelmed with all that I have to get done before I head out of Victoria!

It's been a crazy juggling act of trying to manage a full-time waitressing job while heading to Seattle on my days off to work on Ableton Live. I've also been taking guitar lessons, working on getting my car repaired and focusing on the remaining touring details whenever I have a free moment. Us artists have to wear so many hats. I wonder...When will I ever find time to play some music? I am exhausted but remain optimistic and excited as there's so much to look forward to.

Imagine an old boat of a car with three lovely ladies and many instruments, traveling across our gigantic country. Pretty soon Calgary's Danielle French and Toronto's Karen Kosowski will be joining me for the first part of my tour. We'll be starting in Vancouver and heading in my '91 Buick Century to Toronto, touring the entire way. Am I ever looking forward to sharing shows with these two remarkable women. We've put all of our passion into booking and organizing some really fun shows at some fantastic venues. There will be many guest musicians joining us on many stages and I'm really looking forward to meeting up with old friends.

I better get back to it but before I go, here's a special treat for you. Victoria filmmaker Scott Amos wowed me with another short film called, "Alone." I wrote and recorded some music to it this morning before rushing off to work. Enjoy!

http://www.dustyfilms.com/2008podcast/alone_final_web.mov

OK, So I've Changed My Mind...

2008-03-23T00:04:00.003-04:00

Photo: Kelly Duncan

As I almost complete the design of my new website, I've decided that my Blogger page is just too much a part of me. It's gotta stay.

A link for this Blogger page is now included on the BLOG page of:

www.rozalindmacphail.com

Smiles,

Rozalind

Long Time No Speak!!!

2008-03-19T17:38:00.008-04:00

Howdy Friends,

Sorry it's been such a long time since I've written here. I'm actually in the process of moving this blog to my new and improved website but will be keeping this one up for the past blog entries that I'd like to keep.

The new and improved www.rozalindmacphail.com should be up and running within the next fews weeks! Yippee!

From now on, if you'd like to keep in touch, please visit:

www.myspace.com/rozalindmacphail
www.rozalindmacphail.com

See you on the road soon!

Smiles,

Rozalind

A Bit of a Rant

2007-03-08T03:20:00.000-05:00

I'm not usually one to complain but this one is seriously irritating me right now so heck, I'm just going to write about it and get it off of my chest. I'm sure a lot of you will be able to relate to what I am about to share. We've all been there way too many times.

So we've all done it before. You get this email from someone, either requesting something from you, asking a question that you don't feel comfortable answering or maybe asking a question that's really difficult to answer. Maybe they're really into you and you're just not that into them. Maybe you're so busy right now that you just can't seem to catch up and so you only reply to the "important ones." Whatever it is that stops you from responding, there are those moments when you choose to ignore the situation or in the back of your mind, you plan to write to that person at some other time so that you can give it more thought. Before you know it, the email that you were going to send eventually gets lost in cyberspace and the person on the other end is wondering why you never responded. And what's worse, the person on the other end is often left feeling unimportant and ends up taking your lack of response personally. I've been guilty of doing this to others way too many times and have been the one that has had this done to me as well. And I am now learning that it is not a good way to behave if you want others to respect and trust you.

But for some reason, our society allows this behaviour to be tolerated. I'm left wondering...Is it a Canadian thing to be so passive or does the rest of the world behave this way? Is it mostly within the music industry or is this behaviour in every industry? I'm curious...

I could list a number of reasons why I am left feeling irritated by these things right now but instead, I'm going to spend some time tonight making sure that I've replied to every single email I've gotten today, even the ones I don't feel like responding to. Afterall, they took the time to write me and it only seems fair to be respectful and write back, even if they are really short ones. A response is always better than no response.

So let this can be a reminder that it's always good to respect those who put in an effort to be in touch. Don't leave people wondering on the other end. It's just not fair.

End of rant. : )

New Song - Tofino Kiss

2007-02-10T23:08:00.000-05:00

These pictures are taken from a recent trip I made to Tofino, on the west side of Vancouver Island. My friend Pat from Vancouver needed a bit of an escape from the big city so he rented a car and picked me up for a fun and relaxing road trip. It was an amazing experience. I just wrote a heartwarming song about our trip after Pat sent me his beautiful poem.

TOFINO KISS

Lyrics by Pat Meehan and Rozalind MacPhail

Can't stand the lessons

Of my sad obsessions

Need to get away from my today

Take a slow boat West

To be a guest

Enjoy some gentle served up sober

Get my first sight

Of the beach at night

A little scared but not alone

Stopped in our tracks

Woods at our back

By One. Sweet. Shooting. Star.

And a Tofino kiss

That's a little amiss

Love but no sparks flying

A Tofino kiss

As we make our wish

Don't know how to let go but I'm trying

Wake up with the day

Start back on my way

Took too much from a friend

Leave much more aware

Soul laid bare

Many memories now mine

And that Tofino kiss

That was a little amiss

Love but no sparks flying

That Tofino kiss

As we made our wish

Don't know how to get there but I'm trying

Eastern Canadian Musicians Rock!

2007-01-31T06:17:00.000-05:00

Matt Mays and band performs in Victoria - Jan 30, 2007

Eastern Canadian Musicians Rock!

I've been reminded of this fact time and time again and was ever so happily reminded of it again tonight.

I just returned from seeing a stellar performance by Dartmouth's Matt Mays and Halifax's Museum Pieces. It was just another reminder of what is so darn special about those talented Eastern Canadian musicians...

There's nothing like seeing an amazing show to really get those creative juices flowing. It gets you feeling good about living life and gets you really thinking about things that matter. After seeing tonight's show, I was totally inspired to start writing some new songs and I can't wait to pick up my guitar in the morning.What was it that made tonight's performance so darn good? It's hard to say and even harder to put into words. I guess you just had to be there to experience it for yourself. One thing I can say for sure is that everyone's love for the music and for performing radiated from that stage tonight. All the musicians performing were having such a great time which in return made the audience totally enthusiastic. What fantastic musicans! I loved the songs, I loved the musical dialogue, I loved the rhythm, I got goosebumps from the vocal harmonies and can I repeat myself when I say that I absolutely LOVED the songs! The stories were great too. It was a great show from beginning to end and I left that bar feeling on top of the world. It made me feel special and proud to be a part of such a beautiful and talented musical community.

It especially made me feel good when Matt dedicated a song to all the musicians dedicating their life to music, especially to the ones who are on the road. At that moment, I realized that I am not alone, that there are many of us out there and that we all have a special purpose. It's not an easy life to be a musican and it's really wonderful when others acknowledge the sacrifices that us musicians make on a daily basis to continue sharing our music with our world. Matt, you gave me hope and you also reminded me of why I am doing this. Thank you. : )

It's getting late here but before I go, I thought I would give you a list of links to some Eastern Canadian musicians who I greatly admire:

In Flight Safety
Matt Mays
Museum Pieces
Jenn Grant
The Novaks
Rose Cousins
Down With The Butterfly
Tanya Davis
Ian Sherwood
Mark Bragg
Dave Carmichael
Old Man Luedecke
Sherry Ryan
Jill Barber
Don Brownrigg
Buck 65
Amelia Curran
Air Traffic Control
Drea MacDonald
Hey Rosetta
Julie Doiron
David Myles
Joel Plaskett
Shotgun and Jaybird

There are so many others but that's a good start...

Many Smiles,

Rozalind

Edgework...The Rough Mixes and the Making of the Album...

2007-01-16T17:09:00.000-05:00

Well this is a mighty exciting day. I just completed recording all of my tracks in Seattle for my new full-length album, "Edgework" and am now back to settle and rest for the winter in Victoria. It has 12 songs in total, all written and arranged by myself for voice, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, loop samples, flute, glockenspiel and keyboard. It's totally different from anything I've ever heard in the indie world before and I'm very excited to share the completed project with you by the end of summer 2007.

I have spent on average, 16-20 hours each day on this labour of love ever since I finished up touring in early December, obsessively recording it in my producer's North Seattle recording studio. I recorded all of these parts on my own, with lots of Tony's guidance as I had never used recording gear or recording software entirely on my own before beginning this project. Tony taught me a great deal throughout this process and I now feel like I am well on my way to being able to be the recording engineer for my own session recording projects here in Victoria. Eventually, my goal is to set up a home studio so that I can record flute parts for artists all over the world without having to travel so much or pay for studio time as well as have the freedom to work on recording my own music whenever I am inspired to do that. It makes a big difference to be able to record when you feel like it and to be able to take the amount of time it sometimes requires to really get a part just the way you want it. With the time ticking on the clock in a paid recording studio, it's not always possible for us to get our very best out at that very moment. I have noticed how much of a difference it makes, especially when recording vocals and guitar parts as I vary greatly from day to day, sometimes even from hour to hour.

My time recording this album was a real moment of living on the edge as I had just finished touring for four months and was still living out of a suitcase which I was hating. I had just quit smoking and was totally worn out from all the amazingly overwhelming experiences I had recently gone through. The initial reason for recording these songs was to have an EP that I could send to the people I love as a gift to them for Christmas. I soon discovered that there was no way I could complete the project in time and when I came to that realization, I decided to keep working on it, record tracks that I could use for a full-length album and send those gifts out when I knew it was something that I was truly proud of.

I chose to focus on including songs that I wrote during this special time of being on the road. Songs about places that have made a huge impression on me, songs about lovers that I have met and missed, songs about how lonely and dark it can really get on your own and all those feelings that are so raw when you're living on the edge. The album includes 6 "flute loopz" which you understand if you've ever seen me live and 6 singer-songwriter style songs for vocal, guitar, flute, keys and glock mix. It also includes loop samples of instruments I have tried all over Canada, like a thumb piano I borrowed for a few nights in Berwick Nova Scotia and a vintage keyboard I tried with an effects pedal on an autumn Sunday morning in Toronto. I am so excited to share it with you as I think it's my best recording yet and I don't think there's anything out there that sounds anything quite like it. Chapter three of my songwriting journey is almost completed. : )

The two songs I have uploaded onto my MySpace page is only a small taste of what's to come. Please keep in mind that they are only the very rough mixes of my recorded parts. No effects yet, just the rough mixes of what's there so far. I have found an excellent Ottawa bassist who will be adding parts and I'm currently searching for the appropriate indie drummer. If you are interested in recording parts or have some ideas for me, please send them along. I am open to suggestions.

After all the parts for the album are recorded, the mixing will be done by Jason Jaknunas, one of my favourite sound engineers and someone who I greatly admire. You may know of the work he's done recording Trevor Tchir and Souljazz Orchestra recent albums. I also have a great person from Toronto in mind for the mastering but I'll leave that as a surprise until it's officially confirmed that he'll be taking on this project.

I know this has been a bit of a long read but I have one more very important thing to include here before I end this.

It's about the amazing people who have helped me along the way, especially over the past 6 months of my life and in particular, my producer Tony Fabris who I am parting ways with after completing this part of the project. Tony has been such a pleasure to work with in every way. He has been a good friend, an awesome producer and a great mentor. This amazing man, who took faith in my music last summer as my world was crumbling to pieces, spent many hours recording and producing "Seattle Sessions" with me and introduced me to the Seattle music world. He then gave me a place of refuge when I really needed it in December and taught me everything he could in a very short amount of time to get me working independently in his studio, spending the nights with me helping me edit my recorded parts and showing me how to use his software so that I could continue working alone in the day. He was such an amazing mentor the entire way and a good friend. I wasn't always the easiest person to deal with. None of us artists are and I admire the folks who offer to help us achieve our dreams considering what we sometimes put these people through. As I have learned in the past with my classical flute mentors, there comes a time when you know that you have grown apart from your teacher and that you now need to be set free, to explore the world on your own and find a new source of inspiration. It's now my responsibility to share all of that great musical knowledge I have learned from Tony and pass on that goodness to others who need my help.
Tony, if you are reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart as you have been a huge source of inspiration to me. No words can ever truly describe how grateful I am for your dedication in helping me achieve my dreams. You are another beautiful angel in my life. : )

Thanks for reading to the end folks. Please give these new tracks a listen and let me know what you think.

And now for some sleep!

Smiles from Victoria,

Rozalind

Antonio Gonzalez - Our Dear Friend

2006-12-29T02:06:00.000-05:00

My final recital at the Banff Centre last March.

From left to right: Cheryl, Fred, Antonio, myself, Eugene and Catherine

Antonio Gonzalez, playing bassoon on "Pretty Girl" at my final Banff recital, a moment which brought tears to our eyes as it was too beautiful for words to describe.

Antonio and Vincent partying it up in downtown Banff

Antonio and myself after one too many drinks!

This is rather sad news for those of you who were at the Banff Centre last winter.

Our dear friend, Mexican bassoonist Antonio Gonzalez, passed away last Friday. This news came as a surprise as I was not aware that Antonio was ill. My heart stopped when I read the news. Antonio was far too young to die. I still can't believe that he is gone.

For those of you who didn't know Antonio, this post probably doesn't mean much to you but to those of us who knew him, he will be sadly missed. Antonio was one of those most beautiful people I have ever met, one of those folks who brought sunshine into every room he entered. He was also one of the most amazing bassoonists I have ever heard. Antonio had the most gorgeous sound and played with more passion than I have ever experienced. He also had a way of giving me goosebumps whenever he played. He did a bunch of recording with me while we were in Banff and although I have never shared the recordings of what we did due to my own insecurities of my vocal performance on it, I think it's important to share it with you now. I have posted one of the recordings on MySpace, the song, "Pretty Girl" which is a song about losing my best friend last winter, my dog Sadie. Antonio recorded this song in the studio with me and later performed it with me at my final Banff Centre recital, a moment which brought tears to many people's eyes. It was a moment I will never forget.

Not only was Antonio an amazing musician, he was also a good friend. He was a wonderful listener, a spontaneously fun friend and really knew how to have a good time! I will never have another shot of tequila without thinking about him. Maybe it has something to do with those many bottles of tequila he brought with him from Mexico which got us all in the fun party mode every time! So many amazing memories. I shed another tear...

I will miss you Antonio but wherever you are, I know that where you are is now a happier place to be because of your presence. : ) So long, my friend and we'll meet again, some other time, some other place. Rest in peace.

Love Rozalind

Life Does Turn Around, Especially When You're in Seattle - Part Two

2006-12-08T17:16:00.000-05:00

Laura Gibson performing at the Sunset Tavern

Adam Selzer, main singer of Norfolk & Western

What a fantastic night. Yup, it does make a difference to just get yourself out there experiencing new things sometimes. Not only did I get to listen to some amazing live music last night, I got to meet some wonderful people from the Seattle indie music scene. None of that would have happened if I hadn't gotten myself out of the house and stepped outside of my comfort zone.

Last night, I went with my Seattle friends Courtney and Peter to a show at the Sunset Tavern. Portland's Laura Gibson and Norfolk & Western were performing as well as a band from Seattle called The Stares.

The night began with beautiful Portland songstress Laura Gibson blowing us away with her intimate and goosebump inducing set of songs for voice, classical guitar, musical saw, violin, banjo, trumpet and keyboard. Laura was magical and impressed me with her gentle, modest and inviting approach to performing. Her bandmates Peter Broderick and Cory Grey were such sensitive musicians who played gorgeous arrangements to Laura's songs. They complimented her performance and added much magic but without ever taking away the spotlight from Laura. It was something magical to experience and it reminded me that we CAN play music that is mostly melodic, beautiful and mellow and still fully captivate our audience. It's all about the music and how you approach the audience.

I spoke with Laura after her performance and offered my flutistic services at a future show. She told me that she's never tried flute out on her stuff before so now I'm extra excited to be the first flutist to collaborate with her. When she gets herself to Canada, we're going to try something out at a live show. Can't wait as I think Canada will love her.

Then a Seattle band called The Stares played a gorgeous set as well. The female vocalist who also plays keys had a voice that turned heads, especially on one song which I only wish I knew the title of as it really stood out from all the rest. Apparently they have a new CD coming out soon and I'm excited to hear it when it's released.

And then there was Norfolk & Western. These folks blew me away in every way. I especially loved the unique and captivating vocals of Adam Selzer and the fantastic drumming of Rachel Blumberg who just happens to be the ex drummer of the Decemberists. I always admire female drummers as I think it takes a lot of guts to play that role in the indie scene. Rachel was amazing and was everything I would look for in the ideal drummer for my own music. It especially blew me away when she picked up the banjo for a song! I was also taken back by multi instrumentalist Peter Broderick who played so many instruments last night, I wondered whether there was anything he couldn't play! These folks did an unbelievable set that had everyone in the audience excited. I expect to see and hear a lot more from these fine and talented musicians.

And you know what really impressed me about these folks as well? They were really friendly people. I went up to Adam Selzer at the end of the night, letting him know that I'd love to try flute with them sometime and asked if there was any way that I could buy one of their CDs with Canadian money. He said yes to both! That warmed my heart. Thanks a bunch Adam if you're reading this. : )

I also have a really good feeling about the indie vibe in Seattle, especially the folks I met last night. When I smiled at people in the bar, they smiled back, and with a warm and genuine smile! It warmed my heart to feel so welcome in a new city and a new scene. I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time in Seattle over the winter. It's only a three hour ferry ride to get here from Victoria afterall.

So you see, things really do turn around if you just put yourself out there.

I am so excited to see what happens next as I continue my fun visit in Seattle. I'm sure there will be many crazy moments. I'm going to see Jonathan Richman perform on Monday! I can't wait...

Life Does Turn Around, Especially When You're in Seattle

2006-12-07T18:04:00.000-05:00

So I know I'm supposed to be sharing all those revealing stories from my past four months of touring but that's going to have to wait for another rainy day. I'm too much of an optimist to be whining about what's wrong in my life and I'm learning that life does turns around if I'm patient enough to let that happen. Today is a good example of that.

I had gotten myself really down in the dumps over the past few days. My last post is an example of that. Guess that's normal when you've been on the road for this long and when you're feeling stuck. With all the darkness that I was feeling, I was questioning why I was pursuing a life as a musician. With an industry that is so harsh and so competitive, especially to it's emerging artists, I was losing faith that I had a special place in it. I was ready to give it all up as it all felt too damn difficult and I was tired of struggling.

It was at that moment that I remembered what one of my musical mentors said to me last winter in Banff. She explained that life as an artist can be such a huge sacrifice and that there would be many moments when I would want to give up. She explained that as I continue to climb the success ladder, I will feel lonelier and lonelier towards the top and that many people will want a piece of my success and will do anything to get it from me. She explained that I will make people react more and more, that I will make many enemies without even knowing what I did wrong. She said that I will see the ugliest sides of people and that people will let me down when I least expect them to. She told me that it is important to always keep going in those dark moments and that I must believe in myself. I think we all need to be reminded of that stuff sometimes and it was comforting to be reminded of her words.

Well I thought long and hard about what she said yesterday and decided to take control of my life, to turn things around for the good. I did and it was easier than you think.

I looked online at Seattle's weekly, The Stranger. Checked out the concert listings and started checking out the websites of so many artists that I knew nothing about. It was really fun to do and got me all excited about discovering a bunch of new artists and a totally new music scene. Seattle's just buzzing with important musical institutions, especially for indie music. This is the home of Sub Pop Records afterall, a label I dream of being signed to.

Through my curiosity, I discovered an American indie folk artist who I had never heard of, the beautiful indie folk songstress from Portland, Laura Gibson. I immediately fell in love with her music as soon as I heard her stuff on MySpace. She reminds me a lot of Eastern Canada's Julie Doiron.

Then it hit me... I thought about all those moments when I just put myself out there and true musical magic came of it, like the recent moment in Edmonton when I ended up performing flute with Raising the Fawn. And even though I don't have an American cent to my name and have no idea how I'm getting to Laura's show tonight, I've already sent her an email to offer my flutistic services and am really excited about seeing her show.

Who knows what will happen tonight but I've lifted my spirits just by deciding to put myself out there. I'm also confident that tonight's show will be a fantastic one and that many new musical friends will be made by the end of the night.

This Crazy Life That I Live - Chapter One - Where Do I Begin?

2006-12-06T05:41:00.000-05:00

This Crazy Life That I Live – Chapter One – Where Do I Begin?

I just finished watching the movie “Almost Famous,” the revealing movie about what it’s like to be on the road as a touring musician. It’s so honest in it’s portrayal of the touring lifestyle that it’s almost scary. Nothing like being on the road for a while to show you the most ugly and nasty sides of people and of the life we live.

And now I sit here alone in a house that’s not my own, on a couch that’s not like the one I own and in a neighborhood that I don’t know. Just two more weeks to go and then I finally get to go home for the winter months. I can’t wait. I may have chosen the life of a musical gypsy but I had no idea that it would ever feel like this and now I’m questioning why I’m putting myself through this mess. Is it really worth it? I was searching for those answers when I put on that movie tonight and now all I’ve got are a whole bunch of new questions.

I write to you from Seattle. Just another place to crash along the road, another couch to sleep on and another bunch of sleepless nights to get through. My suitcase rests in the corner of the room and my instruments beg to be played as they restlessly sleep in their unopened cases. I crave the familiar yet only the unfamiliar exists.

It’s 2am and I can’t sleep. Too many thoughts are rushing through my mind and I just wish the world would stop for a bit so that I could finally catch up and take a moment to breathe. There’s nowhere left to hide and nowhere left to run. I feel lost.

I quit smoking a few weeks back. Part of my goal to living a more healthy lifestyle yet I wish so badly that I had enough American money to buy a new pack so that I could just numb my mind for one more night and not have to deal with the current reality which faces me. I’m alone, I’m exhausted, I’m broke and my heart is so fucked up that I have no idea if I’ll ever be able to fix it. I can’t help thinking that this is the perfect moment to reflect and write about what’s happened over the past four months of touring on my own across Canada on that Greyhound bus. It’s been one hell of a long ride.

What you are about to read my friend is not going to be pretty nor will it be flattering in regards to the current state of our music industry. Not everyone is going to be happy with what I am about to share but those who get it will understand why I’m sharing it and they will admire my courage. Hopefully a few of us will even learn from it. Heck, I’m sure a lot of you will probably relate to a lot of the madness included in these pages. Eventually it’ll be included in the book that I am writing. Life has been that crazy and now its time to share it with you.

So where do I begin? Anyone who has spent lots of time on the road can relate to my current dilemma as I begin to type my thoughts out late into the night. I mean, is it a good idea to reveal the truth about what it’s like out there or should we keep it all a secret in order to avoid hurting anyone? I’ve decided to share it all because really, I have nothing to hide.

More to come…

The Sidetrack Gig in Edmonton w/ Trevor Tchir

2006-11-17T16:27:00.000-05:00

What a blast it's been hanging with Trevor Tchir and Kristy McKay in Edmonton. I'm uploading these pics as I listen to an LP that Trevor bought last night, by the old Edmonton band called, Jr. Gone Wild called, "Less Art More Pop" which was recorded in 1986. A very cool album and a fun soundtrack as I upload these pics for ya.

Soon I'll be back in Victoria. I can't believe that it's almost been four months since the last time I was practicing my guitar by the Pacific Ocean with the harbour seal keeping me company. I still haven't figured out where I'm going next as I have two weeks until my Victoria show and I want to make the best use of my Greyhound bus pass. Maybe Calgary, maybe Nelson, maybe Vancouver...maybe all three. It's nice to finally have a bit of time to chill out.

Here's some pics from my show with Trevor at the Sidetrack. It was one of the best shows I've done yet. It warmed my heart to share the stage with Trevor and his brother Stephen who also plays in a band called 5 O'Clock Charlie. What a fantastic show! Trevor played harmonica with me on "Life's Gonna Turn Around For You" and Stephen played some ambient electric sounds on "Crying on the Inside." It was pure magic. I played flute on Trevor's "One by One," from his album, "Wooden Castles Fall." You can hear my flute solo on that song by going to Trevor's MySpace page: www.myspace.com/trevortchir. All of Trevor's albums are fantastic but "Wooden Castles Fall" is my fave.

Trevor Tchir, Mickey Valee (Trevor's accordion player) and bro Stephen Tchir

This cracked us all up! Nothing like your hometown club getting your name wrong!

Trevor Tchir

Trevor and band...Allyson on drums and you already know the rest of the boys.

Me getting ready to perform with Trevor on "One by One." Man, I need a haircut!

Trevor playing on "Life's Gonna Turn Around For You"

Touring Pics - POP Montreal, New York, Ottawa and Toronto

2006-11-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

Let's start off with POP Montreal. What a fantastic time it was to hang out at Abigail Lapell's place and party it up with so many talented indie folks from all over Canada. This pic is of Halifax's Museum Pieces who put on a great show at the Main Hall. I spent a bit of time with drummer Andy in Halifax so it was great to hang out in Montreal as well.
Twins Sari and Romi from Halifax's Ghost Bees. I stayed at their place in North Halifax the first time I toured through there. We were supposed to share a gig at Gus's Pub. It's a long story and a good one. Romi and Sari are angels for helping me out that strange day. These girls have such a unique sound and I really dig their current EP. Expect much goodness from these girls very soon...

Abigail Lapell and myself hanging outside after we played together at POP Montreal. That was such a fun night. Abigail blew the folks away with her intense performance. I love performing with that girl.

Abigail performing at POP Montreal.

The Sunday morning I headed to New York. It was a full moon and I was totally taken back by the magic of this particular moment. It was so quiet and peaceful as Montreal was sleeping...

"No ringing cell phones!" This was the first thing I saw on the bus as I headed to New York City. I loved it. The whole cell phone culture drives me nuts sometimes. Best to remind folks to be polite when using them in public.

The biggest cockroach I have ever seen in a cold climate and of course I had to witness it in New York. It looks smaller than it actually was in real life. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the shadow that it created on the sidewalk!

My best friend, classical flutist Conor Nelson (left) and boyfriend Dave who is a freelancing classical violinist in New York City. I had so much fun hanging with these boys.

Wandering around Times Square, looking for a music store to buy some guitar picks and get help changing the strings on my guitar.

Columbia University, only a 5 minute walk away from where I was staying. That is such a beautiful campus. I sat on the grass and played my guitar with my best friend Conor in the sunshine one afternoon as the students rushed to their classes.

The Sidewalk Cafe Open Stage in the East Village. I couldn't believe how packed this place was. I showed up to sign the list at 8pm and I was already too late. The host who looked like a younger version of Woody Allen gave me #35 on the list and I ended up having to wait until 2am to play one song! The list went up to #47!!!

A Japanese singer that I played with at the open stage from this band called, "Sam." She had a fantastic voice. I played my flute with them for a song as I sat in the crowded audience which was such a magical musical moment. I met so many amazing musicians that night and definitely look forward to hanging with them again next fall when I head back to teach my touring workshop again at NYU.

This pic was taken from the subway platform close to Conor's place. He lives just outside of Harlem, close to Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University.

My new friend Marianne who I met at the train station the day I was teaching my touring workshop at Stony Brook University. We had so much fun hanging out in Greenwich Village. It was pouring outside but we didn't care as we got soaking wet. Marianne studies European History at Columbia and plays a mean classical clarinet! A very cool gal.

Ah, the New York subway which I really fell in love with and spent a lot of time on. This is the stop to get to Greenwich Village, Washington Square and New York University. Did you know that the New York subway is the same age as Alberta? Craziness!

My one pic of my second visit to Ottawa...Not many pics as I was sick as a dog with a cold. On my last day in Ottawa, I went into the Gallery Studio with Dean Watson of Coqi Records to record some flute tracks for Steven Sheehan's new CD. Some of you may know of Steven from Ottawa's funk band "Stairwell K." I used to play flute with them on and off back in the day...
Now to Toronto...Toronto Island. This was a special night on the island when I performed with my sister and friends at the Ward's Island Halloween Dance. They had lots of carved pumpkins in front of the stage which looked so cool.
My sister, Jessican MacPhail on the left, Ivy, a girl I used to babysit in the middle and Doug, one of MY babysitters when I was a kid! We has such a great time performing that night.
Me and my sis all dressed up at the Halloween Dance.
Yummy chocolate!!! I don't know who ate more chocolate on Halloween. Any excuse to eat chocolate!
This was the pumpkin that my Mom's boyfriend Scotty carved for Halloween. He spent two days carving this one which comes as no surprise.
One of the girls my Mom babysits, Charlotte. I got such a kick out of seeing all the kids in costumes on Halloween night.

Westwardly Thoughts and a New Song

2006-11-14T17:27:00.000-05:00

Westwardly Thoughts and a New Song

I'm writing to you from cold Winnipeg. It's a beautiful sunny day here. I took a nice walk and checked out the surroundings. Looks like a cool city. Too bad I didn't get to perform here during the tour but next time.

I crashed at my friend Ryan's place (Tumbleweed Entertainment) last night after a long bus trip from Wabigoon. Where the heck is Wabigoon you ask? It's close to Dryden, Ontario. What a gorgeous spot. It was there that I extended my trip for a day and wrote a new song called, "Writing Postcards from Wabigoon." Performing at The Green Achers of Wabigoon was one of my favourite performing experiences so far. Talk about a supportive audience and such beautiful people.

I'm heading to Edmonton tonight. I am so excited to perform at the Sidetrack tomorrow night with one of my good friends, singer-songwriter, Trevor Tchir. It's been a long time since we've been able to hang out and he's never heard me perform my own songs. Can't wait. Getting excited just thinking about it. That's one of the nice things about touring, getting to hook up with old friends you miss. I'll definitely be wanting to tour lots next year to see all the new friends I have made on this trip.

Two weeks left to go before I head back to my home in Victoria...

I'm going to say goodbye for now but before I do, here are the lyrcs for "Postcards from Wabigoon." I will be performing it at the Sidetrack tomorrow night, with my new Realistic toy keyboard from my childhood years which my Mom gave me last week during my visit to Toronto. It even has lion, laser gun and dog sounds on it and a sampler!

WRITING POSTCARDS FROM WABIGOON

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

Writing postcards from Wabigoon
and it's just one of those nights when I'm missing you
I'm missing you, babe
I'm missing you tonight

I'm missing all the ways that you make it feel so right
I'm missing your voice that soothes me late into the night
I'm missing your smile
and the way that you hold me tight
I'm missing you tonight
I'm missing you tonight

And you don't push yourself upon me like so many others have tried
You invite me into your world as my friend
and you leave it up to me to decide what I'd like
and you leave it up to me to decide what I'd like

That's the kind of love I'd like in my life
That's the kind of love I'm willing to try

And now I'm missing you, babe
I'm missing you tonight
I'm missing all the ways that you make it feel so right
I'm missing your voice that soothes me late into the night
I'm missing your smile
and the way that you hold me tight
I'm missing you tonight
I'm missing you tonight

Writing postcards from Wabigoon
and I'm missing you, babe
I'm missing you tonight

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading to the end friends. I'll be in touch again soon...

Hugs and Smiles from Winnipeg,

Love Rozalind

Letting You Go

2006-10-29T23:24:00.001-05:00

I wrote the music and lyrics to this song after spending a relaxing day in September on the beach in Seaforth, Nova Scotia. For the entire afternoon, I had this beautiful beach to myself as I practiced my guitar and sang my heart out in the warm sun.

I wrote this song after experiencing a disturbing dream. This dream had left me crying in the middle of the night in my Victoria home just days before I left for the tour. It was about an ex boyfriend who had never treated me well. He had left quite a bit of relationship baggage in my life and I wondered how he still managed to have control over me in my dreams. It seemed wrong. By writing this song, I was able to begin letting him go once and for all...

"Letting You Go"

Music and Lyrics by Rozalind MacPhail

It's been a few years since I've heard your voice,
Longer since I've seen you
Yet you were in a dream of mine last night
And you had me weeping like a baby

I'm wondering how it is that you still have the power to hurt me so
I thought I said goodbye to you a long time ago,
A long time ago

In my dream,
You had me crumbling just like old times
And you still had me thinking that your life was far more important than mine
You were in love with another girl
And I stood hurting inside as you ingnored me
And time stood still,
And time stood still

And now I'm letting you go
I'm gonna let you go now
I'm gonna be on my own
I'm gonna let you go now

I'm gonna let you go
I'm gonna let you go now
I'm gonna be on my own
I'm gonna let you go now

Back in Montreal

2006-10-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends,

Now that I've shared some pics, I thought I would get you up-to-date on all I've been up to.

So I just travelled for 16 hours from Charlottetown, PEI to Montreal, Quebec. I'm spending a few days here for POP Montreal and then head straight to New York City! I'm so excited! It's been a few years since I've been to New York so I'm really looking forward to spending Canadian Thanksgiving there. I'll be giving a bunch of touring workshops in the music schools and hanging out with my best friend, classical flutist Conor Nelson. I'm sure there'll be some pretty outrageous stories about my times there. Conor and I always experience crazy fun times when we hang out together. I'm already charging up the batteries to take lots of pics with the camera and I have a new journal in hand...

My touring out in Eastern Canada was a blast. Fave spots was playing in St. John's NFLD, Seaforth NS, Berwick NS, St. Andrews, NB and Charlottetown, PEI. I am thinking of touring out east again next summer and spending more time enjoying the nature out there and the fun company of my new friends. It was sad to say goodbye to the east yesterday and very sad to say goodbye to all the beautiful folks I recently met out there. There's something about being so close to the ocean - it's food for the soul and inspires me so much. I wrote a whole bunch of new songs while I was out there and they all have this different sort of feel.

Having met so many beautiful people along the way always makes it very difficult to say goodbye. Guess that's the good part of touring - knowing that I will see everyone next time I'm passing through.

Well, that's it for in regards to touring rambles. I'll write again when I get a chance...

Love Rozalind

Eastern Canada Pics - Part 1a

2006-10-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

Meet my Dad, Ron, a man who I have only met a handful of times in my life. I hung out with Ron for a few days in Sussex, New Brunswick . So what do you think? Do we look alike?

The Mersey House in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. This was a really cool spot and the first spot I performed during the eastern stint of my tour.

Thought I should take a pic of The Upstairs show board in Sydney, Cape Breton. I performed with Antigonish's Air Traffic Control guys on flute all night after I arrived in Sydney a day early. We had such fun times jamming it out that night...I then got to do my own show the night after, hours before I caught the ferry to Newfoundland.

So how did I get to St. John's? Well, a kind trucker offered to drive me after I asked around on the overnight ferry as we were docking that morning. What a long trip - 11 hours of straight driving from the ferry to St. John's. It was a great experience though. I got to see what being a trucker is all about. It's a hard life, that's for sure and requires way too much coffee for my liking.

My fave spot in Newfoundland...Hiking, on the way to Signal Hill.

Eastern Canada Pics - Part 1b

2006-10-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

And there's more...St. John's, Newfoundland. I think every Canadian should get to experience Newfoundland for themselves at least once in their lifetime. The beauty of this Canadian gem brought tears to my eyes during my long drive to St. John's. There's a real sense of history in this place. You've got to experience it for itself to truly understand.

A puzzling tourist moment on my way to Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland . I walked through this really cool spot where there were colourful homes everywhere and all with interesting things to look at. What a magical hike it was that day. I got to see the most beautiful spots in the sunshine as I picked and ate wild blueberries the entire way!

More interesting signs in the same hood and only in St. Johns!

Enjoying the most eastern tip of North America - Cape Spear. That night, there was a huge storm from the remnants of the hurricane which brought the rain down like I've never seen before. The trees were holding on tight to their roots. We went out drinking.

Me and my good friend Evelyn. Evelyn is living in St. John's where she is doing her Doctorate in Music. I spent four glorious days with Evelyn and her boyfriend Peter in their beautiful home.

Playing at The Ship's open stage in St. John's. Love that spot.

The Tall Grass Festival in Seaforth, Nova Scotia! This place was heaven on earth...

The magical musical lineup for the festival.

What a lovely mermaid!

Halifax singer-songwriter and good friend Ian Sherwood. Ian did an amazing set as the beautiful sun was setting. It was a special moment amongst special people. I don't think you'll ever meet a nicer fellow than Ian. Ask anyone who knows him. They will agree.

Halifax's talented and inspiring Jenn Grant. I really enjoyed Jenn's performance. We'll be seeing and hearing much more from Jenn in the near future...

Eastern Canadian Pics - Part 2

2006-09-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

Sitting on the beach, only a ten minute walk from Krista's property in Seaforth where I sat all afternoon and practised guitar, writing my new song, "Letting You Go." I was in heaven! I was on the beach, entirely alone for hours.

My good friends from Seaforth, Nova Scotia, artist-in-residence Eva, Sandy (Krista's Mom) and Krista herself, the music director of the Tall Grass Festival

The Underground Cafe and Alternative Bookstore gang in Fredericton. These folks rocked. We partied it up all night at their place, watching Devo videos, drinking beer and having great chats.

George, part of the Underground. Awesome guy. One of the folks who was cleaning while we took the last pic so I caught him in the morning before I left for Berwick. Gonna miss those folks...

My fave show sign so far...

Hosting the Open Stage at the Union Street Cafe in Berwick, Nova Scotia. (Heather, Rozalind, Tyler and Darrin, left to right)

My new Halifax friends Lindsey and Claire. Thank goodness Lindsey was home when I called her that rainy night in Halifax. I had just played a show at the One World Cafe, the night the Rolling Stones took over the city. One of my least favourite gigs ever and one of those moments when I was questioning why I was subjecting myself to this lifestyle that I currently live in. I had nowhere to stay and was soaking wet from having to hitch a ride into Halifax earlier that day. Let's just say that I was relieved when Lindsey answered the phone...

Yes, this was a special treat. Seeing Sloan perform at The Seahorse was some serious fun! They put on an after party at tone of their old stomping grounds. One of the folks at the show commented on how nice it was to see the Seahorse back to life again.

Exhausted in Eastern Canada

2006-09-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

So I'm now at the other end of Canada. Even got myself to the most eastern part of North America...Wow, someone pinch me as I can't believe I'm actually here and really can't believe that I've travelled this far.

I've been all over the place. Got myself to St. John's, Newfoundland when a friendly Newfoundland trucker offered me a ride from the other side of the island. Spent some crazy times in Halifax (do I ever have some good stories for you) and I caught Sloan perform an intimate show at the Seahorse after the Rolling Stones concert which took over the entire city! I had a yummy lobster dinner with my father in Sussex New Brunswick who I have only met a handful of times. Partied it up with many fun folks in Fredericton at the Underground Cafe and Alternative Bookstore. Had the most beautiful experience playing at the Tall Grass Festival in Seaforth, Nova Scotia. Been writing a bunch of new songs. I've been busy alright.

I am writing to you from Berwick, Nova Scotia, where I am resting up before I head out for a few more shows. The wonderful folks at the Union Street Cafe offered me their apartment for a few days to catch up on paperwork and get a little R&R. Thank goodness for the kindness of good people.

It's been an exhausting part of the tour. So much travelling on the bus and not enough time to rest up in between shows. I'm totally wiped. It's pretty lonely being on the road for so long and I'm really craving some time with close friends and family. It feels like I've been on the road forever. It's a real blessing to have the opportunity to be touring but it definitely eats away at you after a few months.

Things that make the difference while being on the road: dentalfloss and my travel toothbrush, trail mix, good tunes (listening lots to Final Fantasy, Ghost Bees and Museum Pieces), long distance calling cards, wireless internet and fresh veggies.

Now it's time for the pics. I'll write a more detailed entry about the tour on LJ when I get a chance.

Much Love,

Rozalind

The "Whirlwind" Tour

2006-09-08T00:18:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!

OK, so it's been a while. I promise that I'll try to write a little more often as once a month is a little bit silly if I am to keep in touch on this thing. I'm actually thinking of starting to write a book soon, about my adventures on the road. Too many people have been suggesting that I do that and it does feel like the right time to start. There's just too many crazy experiences to write about and I'm scared that I'm going to forget about all of them if I don't write this shit down soon.

I'm currently writing to you from St. John's Newfoundland where I am staying for a few days with my good friend Evelyn and her boyfriend Peter. St. John's is such a unique place and you can just feel the long history of this city in each step you take. This place has a lot of nightlife for a city of it's kind. Music everywhere and definitely my kind of place!

Getting here was a real experience. It took a 9 hour bus ride from Halifax to Sydney, then an 8 hour overnight ferry to the other side of Newfoundland and then an 11 hour drive from a very kind Newfoundland trucker to St. John's. I didn't have enough money for the bus trip so you can imagine how grateful I was when all worked out! Apparently my Greyhound "Discovery Canada" bus pass does not include Newfoundland!!! Hummm....not sure what I think about that one as my pass includes all of the major destinations in the US. I think I've made my point. Well now I'm here and loving every minute of it. Only one word to describe Newfoundland: sublime. I think every Canadian should visit Newfoundland at least once in their lifetime as there's no other place in Canada quite like it. I feel very fortunate to be here.

The tour has been a serious whirlwind. Just amazingly fun in every way and I am learning so much about life, about the way people live, about myself, about music and so much more. I think the touring lifestyle was made for people like me. I thrive on the excitement of meeting new people and seeing new places and just love performing so much. People seem to be really digging the new EP and are excited about the looping pedal as well.

The trip across the country on the Greyhound bus was crazy long. Three days on that damn bus. I had the most swollen ankles once I got to Toronto. Never experienced that before so now I know to be a bit more careful next time around. Toronto was great. I got to hang out with the In Support of Living folks, this awesome musical collective from Toronto that I recorded some new flute tracks for a few months back in Vancouver. I even got to perform a show with them at the Silver Dollar which was a real musical highlight. I've missed those guys so it was really nice to hang out with them in the Annex. While in Toronto, I got to meet up with many missed friends and family members. I even got to spend some time at home on Toronto Island with my Mom and Sister. I performed a show at the Rectory Cafe with Peter Webb which was a blast. I've come a long way since I last performed in Toronto and it felt good to be sharing that.

What I mostly experienced during my time in Toronto was this huge feeling of nostalgia for home as I used to remember it. The special magic that is such a huge part of Toronto can be so intoxicating. I miss Toronto very much as it is a very exciting place to be but I also feel the need to be away from it as well. It can get a tad overwhelming and the pollution makes breathing for my asthmatic lungs not so easy. Visiting is just fine by me although I wish I could transfer all those amazing bands, family members and friends off to Victoria instead. There's just something about Toronto that I will always miss. I'm going to be back there for a few weeks at the end of October to hang out with the In Support of Living folks some more and have a looping pedal lesson with Owen of Final Fantasy. He finishes his tour opening for Arcade Fire at the beginning of November and we're going to meet up after that for some dinner and a lesson. Can't wait as I know that he will have lots to show me in regards to how he uses his looping pedal and how he writes for it. I'm already looking forward to it.

Ottawa was a serious whirlwind. With four shows, teaching private flute lessons, session recording and catching up with old friends, I barely had enough time to eat or sleep! Sounds like a complaint but it actually warmed my heart to experience. It was great to play with so many fine Ottawa folks who I've missed very much. I performed with Marc Charron, Peter Webb, Neil Gerster, Lindsay Ferguson, Johnny Eden, Andrea Simms-Karp, Souljazz Orchestra, Abigail Lapell and Mike Yates. All were amazing and I had such a beautiful time. Catching up with old friends was a hoot too and I even managed to fit in a bit of time to walk around the city as well. I'll be back in Ottawa again for the OCFF Conference in October but it will be a very short visit. I may be playing at the Manx with Lindsay Ferguson on Oct 15th so I'll keep everyone posted.

Montreal. Oh Montreal. Can't say enough good things about Montreal. I love it in every way and can't wait to live there for a bit. Even pondering on being based out west for the winter months and in Montreal for the summer months. Anyone who's been to Montreal truly understands my dilemma. That place is so hopping with culture in every way, especially the indie world which I love so much. From amazing food from all cultures right at your fingertips to the special communities of Mile End and the Plateau, to the tam tam Sundays on Mont Royal or the fun nights hanging out in the indie clubs on St. Laurent...It just rocks in every way. I wrote four new songs while staying in Abigail Lapell's funky apartment in Mile End, played a few fun shows (ask me about the Zeke's experience sometime), met so many amazing artists and had a wonderful time hanging out at the Osheaga Music Festival. I fit in a guest fluter appearance with Montreal's Shoot the Moon at Casa del Popolo, played a great show with Abigail Lapell and Daniel Khan (from Berlin) at Divan Orange where we partied it up with the ever so talented and outrageously fun Geoff Berner. I played a house concert at the amazing Elizabeth Bruce's place. Just amazing times. Can't wait to get back there. I'll be visiting Montreal twice more on this tour to do lots of recording and performing as well as checking out Pop Montreal.

And then there's out east. Pics coming soon too...

I'll save that for next time though....So much to catch up on!

Hugs and Smiles from Newfoundland,

Love Rozalind

Hello Canada, Goodbye Victoria

2006-08-10T02:30:00.000-04:00

This is my new home for the winter, 426 Kinver Street in Victoria's beautiful Esquimalt. It's a great spot. I am staying in the basement of Juliana and Douglas McCorison's home. Although I have only been living here for a short bit, it already feels like family and it feels good. Definitely going to miss my cozy bed while I'm on the road, as well as all my new Victoria friends.
This is the fisherman's wharf, a two minute walk from 426 Kinver. I go there to practice my guitar and pick yummy blackberrries off of the bushes! : ) Felt a picture of the Canadian flag was in order considering what I am about to embark on very soon.

A gorgeous spot where I sit by the ocean. This pic was taken on my last night in Victoria before heading out on my cross Canada tour. Breathtaking. At the same time I was admiring the sunset, I was also visited twice by the local seal who was just as interested in checking me out as I was him. A very cool moment...Gonna miss the magic of this place but many adventures to come...
Goodbye Victoria, hello Canada! Am I ever excited and scared to hit the road. Never been touring on my own to so many unfamiliar places and for such a long period of time. Four months to be exact, travelling with a Greyhound bus pass.

Lots of stories soon, that's a promise. Wish me luck! : )

Love Rozalind

Seattle Sessions and a Personal Update

2006-08-03T04:30:00.000-04:00

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

New Pics by Jason Felker

2006-08-01T05:42:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends,

I got some cool new pics that were taken of me in Victoria last week by the extremely talented Jason Felker. I met Jason in Nanaimo during my last tour. He used to do the cover shots for the Montreal Mirror. Here's a link to his website: www.jasonfelker.com

Bye for now...

Love Rozalind

Recording in Seattle!!!

2006-07-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!

I am writing to you from Seattle, Washington, where I am recording my new EP, titled, "Seattle Sessions - Less is More." Just finished recording my first song for it with recording engineer Tony Fabris. Things are going really well so far. Think I have a great new EP in the works and am having a wonderful time working with Tony.

I was planning on recording my 5 song EP on Gabriola Island (one of the Gulf Islands) last week while I was visiting there but the recording engineer totally flaked out and never showed up! Never been more frustrated as I eagerly waited for the engineer to show up each day. I finally gave up on waiting for him after the seventh day of being promised that he would show up and living in conditions that were less than tolerable. It's a long story that is better shared in person and it's a serious doozy.

Just as I was thinking that I would have to put off my recording until after my three month tour was completed, I got an offer to head to Seattle to record with Tony Fabris. Bigger and better things always seem to come to those who are patient and to those who are willing to wait. Now I am super happy that things didn't pan out on Gabriola as I never would have had the opportunity to work with such a talented recording engineer like Tony and never would have been able to visit the super cool city of Seattle so soon. This place rocks!

On that note, I better get back to it. I'll get our new recordings up on MySpace as soon as they're ready...

Love Rozalind

TransCanada Fluteway Tour

2006-07-01T20:37:00.000-04:00

Well it's official and it's exciting news. I will be embarking on my first TransCanada Fluteway Tour!

I am making my next solo singer-songwriter tour a truly Canadian adventure! It will take me all the way from beautiful Victoria to friendly Halifax and back to BC where I will be spending the upcoming winter months recording my full-length album.

Yup friends, I'll be spending lots of time on the Greyhound bus, travelling to most parts of Canada in between the two oceans from August 15 - November 13. It took lots of brainstorming and much encouragement from my music supporters to finally decide that I was ready to tour the country. I'm completely excited and thrilled about this opportunity. Can't wait to share my new tunes with all of you soon!

If you have venue ideas in your town/city, want to throw a fun house concert at your place or even would like to offer me a warm cozy bed to rest my head for the night, please get in touch. Every little bit helps.

I am also interested in pairing up with various local singer-songwriters in each city/town I visit so if you're interested, please get in touch with me: rozalindmacphail@gmail.com. I will be touring through Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia from August 15 - November 13 and am open to any ideas you throw my way.

All show dates and locations will be announced soon.

Smiles from Victoria,

Love Rozalind

My New Victoria Friend

2006-06-29T18:10:00.000-04:00

As many of you probably already know, I'm a serious sucker for wildlife. I get such a thrill out of watching animals, to the point that when I was a young kid, I used to go on the TTC by myself to the Toronto Zoo and watched the animals for hours. Times haven't changed and I still get excited to be in the company of various wildlife.

This is my new Victoria friend, a seal that I watched for hours as I was practicing by the ocean in Buxton Green Park, only a two minute walk from Juliana and Douglas's home. Seems like I met another performer : )
Oh how cute!
Quit staring at me!
This is the real reason why these critters keep coming to this spot. The fishermen who dock their boats here sometimes give fish scraps to them. You should watch the seals follow the boats that are coming in to dock. It's pretty entertaining to watch.

Hello From Beautiful Victoria

2006-06-29T17:37:00.000-04:00

Howdy Everyone!

I'm writing to you from Vancouver Island's beautiful Victoria. I am going to be based here for the rest of the summer months as I just love it here so much.

My good friends Juliana and Douglas recently invited me to stay in their lovely home and I would have been very silly not to have taken them up on their generous offer! Picture this: the ocean only a two minute walk away with a gorgeous view of the mountains, lush and beautiful gardens everywhere with many roses of all sorts releasing their intoxicating perfume, seals playing in the water as I practice my acoustic guitar by the ocean, stargazing into the clear night sky with the refreshing and cool ocean air blowing on my face... I finally feel like I have a place I can call home and it feels good.

The one thing I have really learned about being on the road is how hard it is to always be on the go and to not have a place I can call my own. Juliana and Douglas invited me to stay in their home after they found out that I was having a bit of a difficult time. I was getting really tired of constantly couch surfing, tired of not having my own personal space and exhausted by always being on the move. After talking with Juliana over the phone, we both agreed that it was time for a rest. I knew I made the right choice the moment I hopped on that ferry. It was meant to be.

Last night, I went out for the first time in ages. I played at the Logan's Pub open stage. Met Clay George, this amazing singer-songwriter who had me in awe with his soothing and sexy voice. We played lots of tunes together throughout the night and a fave moment was when I got to jam with him to my favourite Bob Dylan tune, "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." I had a blast performing on my own as well and got a very positive response. People were even dancing to my tunes!

So life feels good again. Time for some new songs... : )

Love Rozalind

Johnny and Roz's Greyhound Tour - Memorable Friends

2006-06-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

I thought I would add some pics of the many fine folks we hung out with while we were touring out west... Super fun times...

Can't wait to hang out with you all again soon!

Miss you. : )

Love Rozalind

Coming Home, Well, Sort Of...

2006-06-12T21:20:00.000-04:00

Coming Home, Well, Sort Of...

I still haven't posted a new blog and my Greyhound 30 day pass just ended! Yikes. Thought I better write something...

Happy Full Moon Day Everyone! (What is this girl on?) Not sure if any of you folks celebrate that sort of stuff but I must admit, every full moon, I go for a walk and think about the people I care about and think good thoughts for them. It may be a bit strange but it's my ritual. : )
Just about to take a hot tub outside at my Aunt's, with the full moon shining bright...Just returned today, after a very fun time in Nelson BC.

More stories soon...

Some new lyrics that I wrote recently:

WISHIN' THAT I COULD HAVE STAYED

Words and music written by Rozalind MacPhail

So I left you in June, on that rainy day
with my Greyhound bus pass in my hand and a very sad face
I just met you, yet I can't stay
I've got some livin' to do and I gotta be on my way...

And now I'm wishin' that I could have stayed
kinda wishin' that I would have stayed
thinking that I should have stayed
kinda hoping that I'll see you again, someday

You see, we met in the Rockies
we spent two magical nights together and a beautiful day
and we both knew that we were right for one another
as we held each other tight,
listening to those rocking indie tunes, way into the night
oh, those moments when it feels so right,
those moments when you're wishing for nothing more in life

And now I'm wishin' that I could have stayed
kinda wishin' that I would have stayed
thinking that I should have stayed
kinda hoping that I'll see you again, someday

That time kept flying by and before we knew it, we were saying our goodbyes
feeling empty inside and wondering why...
why you?
why here?
why now?

And I'm still wishin' that I could have stayed
kinda wishin' that I would have stayed
thinking that I should have stayed
kinda hoping that I'll see you again, someday, soon.

Outrageous Greyhound Tour - Pics

2006-06-03T23:18:00.000-04:00

Ah, Johnny and Roz's Greyhound Tour. What a great time...

I have many pics to share but here are a few...

This is me smiling with my good friend Maureen in Campbell River. Johnny and I stayed at her place and played at her awesome seafood joint on the ocean, called Patis Finns. We played as the sun set and ate freshly caught prawns and salmon! Talk about being spoiled.

Me saying goodbye to Campbell River. What a gorgeous beach. I picked up beautiful pieces of driftwood while I was there. I just didn't want to leave...
The Three Sisters in Canmore, the view from our room in The Drake.
Hey, if it was my name, I'd be excited! : )
My Canmore friends who came to see me at The Drake in Canmore.
My musician friend (cool beard) who sold me an omnichord in Lethbridge. I had so much fun trying it out with a looping pedal. I've already written a new song with it.
Johnny playing at the Tongue 'N Groove in Lethbridge, Alberta. What a great night. Johnny sounded awesome.
Me playing with Brunner at the Karma Local Arts House in Calgary. Some good friends of ours came out to this show so it was a really special time. Did I ever have a blast jamming with Brunner!
My new gig bag which makes my life sooo much easier on the road. I picked it up in Calgary, as I was staying at my friend Marco's.

My new omnichord! What a fun instrument.

Upcoming Tour Dates and Pics

2006-05-11T04:21:00.000-04:00

Johnny Eden and Rozalind MacPhail
BC / Alberta Tour

Saturday May 13 -The Minstrel Cafe, Kelowna, BC

Monday May 15 - The Railway, Vancouver, BC (w/Kyle Cameron)

Tuesday May 16 - Spiral Cafe, Victoria, BC

Wednesday May 17 - Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan, BC

Thursday May 18 - Cambie Cafe, Nanaimo, BC

Saturday May 20 - Grand Central Emproium, Galiano Island, BC

Monday May 22, Victoria Day! - Pattis Finn's, Campbell River, BC

Wednesday May 24 - The Drake, Canmore

Thursday May 25 -Tongue 'n Groove, Lethbridge, Alberta

Friday May 26 - Karma, Calgary, Alberta (w/Brunner)

Saturday May 27, 4-6pm - Black Dog Freehouse, Edmonton

This is quite the entertaining photo! Meet my tall Chicago friend Shaun and my tall Vancouver friend Kevin. Here I stand with them in the pouring rain after a full night of partying it up at the Emily Carr Institute's graduating party...We were soaked!

Catching the Broadway "99B" bus to Emily Carr...This was one of the most fun trips I have EVER had on the bus! We had everyone singing Happy Birthday to this complete stranger...You had to be there...

A really cool art exhibit at Emily Carr...

New Recordings

2006-05-05T05:10:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends!

I finally have some new recordings uploaded on MySpace and I invite you to have a listen.

www.myspace.com/rozalindmacphail

These recordings were done at the Banff Centre as a collaborative recording project with audio engineer Jeong Seon Choi. I wrote these three songs while I was doing my residency there in songwriting from January - March 2006. There are two other songs that I may eventually share with you as well.

These recordings represent chapter two of my songwriter's journey. They are a good representation of where I was at last March, after exactly one year of playing the guitar. It's funny - it's now May and I already feel like a totally different musician than what I hear in these recordings. I think that's why I value recording every part of the songwriting journey so much. Gotta document the journey, that's for sure.

I wonder, what will chapter three be like? : ) I'm pretty excited to get in the studio again soon as I have lots of new songs to share...

About the Songs:

All The Sweet Things That You Do

I wrote this song after a very sexy night with a very sexy guy.

Crying on The Inside

I wrote this one as I sat in my Banff Centre music studio in the middle of a winter night, candles burning and the wind outside fighting to stay alive ...It was one of those moments when I was thinking about how tired I was of always having to put on a happy face for people, even when I was "crying on the inside."

Life's Gonna Turn Around For You

This one came to me on a sunny Saturday afternoon after I met Sarah Slean who was at the Banff Centre the same time I was. There had just been a beautiful snowstorm and I was having a fun moment, making a snowman outside. I kept thinking that I'd be alright if I could just remember the good moments and remember that life always turns around, even in those dark moments. I decided to put it into a song to always remind myself of the good stuff.

Thank you:

To Jeong Seon Choi, Josh Tidsbury and everyone at the Banff Centre who contributed their time and energy to making these recordings happen. A huge thanks goes out to the talented Banff Centre musicians, especially Fred Demers, Catherine Thompson and Antonio Gonazales for their beautiful performances.

How I Love Vancouver!

2006-05-01T22:03:00.000-04:00

What can I say? I LOVE Vancouver. It feels so great to be in a city where I can connect with so many cool artists from all different backgrounds. So far, I've met dancers, singer-songwriters, bands, visual artists, photographers and actors...The list of fascinating people I have met since I've been here is huge.

This is The Stills performing at Richard's on Richard's last week. They did a great set.

And the main reason I went to see that particular show - to see my friends from Toronto, The Diableros who rocked the house that night, so much that I was dancing during their entire set. Good times...It was great to see them again. How I love the new album.

Pete Carmichael, the man responsible for me beginning to learn the guitar. He gave me his classical guitar to use last March and I have been passionate about it ever since.

My friend Wes, Wesley Knight of the Vancouver band, Trike showing me how to play chords with a more relaxed left hand position.

Stephen, the other half of the Vancouver band Trike, is taking a nap in this pic with his best friend beside him...We had a really fun night last Friday, checking out the town and going to art parties on Main Street. It was a late one though so the next day wasn't pretty...

This is a shot from an artist's party I went to. It was an interesting evening...People all dressed up in costume, interesting artistic displays, performances by musicians with film...you name it, it was there. This was a cool room that had interesting lights...

The two women who were putting moles on people at the same party. Very interesting...

A cool spot on Commercial Drive, around 2 in the morning...

Can you tell I'm happy?

Life is good... : )

Love Rozalind

Painting of Rozalind

2006-04-23T18:05:00.000-04:00

"Roz" was painted by British Columbia visual artist Stephen Dobson. 12x16 oil canvas.

Stephen painted it from a photo he took at a show I performed at The Railway Club in Vancouver.

Mountain Pics - Cascade Ampitheatre

2006-04-23T17:44:00.000-04:00

These were some mountain goats licking the salt off of the highway as we approached Mount Norquay. We were headed for the Cascade Ampitheatre. It was such a beautiful sunny day and the snow was so deep! What a great hike.
The view at the ampitheatre.
Uel and Joe having a smoke and admiring the view...
This is heaven!

Mountain Pics - Chinaman's Peak

2006-04-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

This is the spectacular view going up Chinaman's Peak. What a magical place, although I was scared out of my wits! I went with my mountaineer friend Uel. We didn't make it to the top as I was moving a little slow and the sun would be going down in the next few hours...
Taking a break...
Uel
This pic shows the steepness of this part...
Taking another break to catch my breath and admire the view...
On we go...
This isn't what I expected! This is scary!
Roz's famous bumslide, making it easier to go down in a hurry. I threw out my pants after that one, from all the holes in the butt!

Saying Hello From Mission BC

2006-04-18T22:00:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends,

Today is the first day I am able to check my email on my own laptop. It's been a very busy time being on the road, the story of my life! I am now safe and sound in Mission BC, at my aunt Marion's place. It's heaven here: two horses, two awesome dogs, an outdoor hot tub, a provincial park with a lake and waterfall next to their property and lots of beautiful fresh air.

Melwood and my tour went awesome. I met so many amazing people and drove through a lot of gorgeous spots in Alberta and British Columbia. Some fave spots: Field, Slocan, Enderby and Victoria. I loved every place we played at but those were some of my most memorable places to perform. So many great memories and lots of great photos coming soon!

I'll be writing again soon...

Love Rozalind

On The Road and a Recent Article

2006-04-05T17:17:00.000-04:00

Hey Friends,

I have a few minutes to send an update before heading out to Canmore for our show tonight at The Drake. What a fantastic time Melwood and I are having on the road! Lots of pics and stories to share as soon as we get settled somewhere for more than a few minutes. It's been a blast. I LOVE life on the road!!!

Here's a recent article that was written about me in Banff's Crag & Canyon:

Crag & Canyon: Flutist Overcomes Personal Struggles and Finds Her Sound by Sabrina Fabian (Banff's Crag & Canyon, April 3, 2006)

http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/story.php?id=222690

I'll write again soon!

Lots of Love,

Rozalind

New Pic - A Taste of What's to Come...

2006-03-28T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is a pic from London artist Trish Lyons. Many more to come...

Couch Surfing and Upcoming Tour Dates

2006-03-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends,

Well I'm now done my residency at the Banff Centre. Been crashing on my friend Uel's couch in downtown Banff for the past few days. There has been so much to take care of in regards to tour planning. It's been a tad overwhelming. Everyone here keeps asking me if I'm excited for the tour yet and I keep replying saying no as I haven't even had time to think about it. Just so much to catch up on before I leave Banff.

Lots of stuff in the works...Just got a whole new bunch of photos taken by a fantastic artist named Trish Lyons who is currently at the Banff Centre as an artist-in-residence. I'll post them as soon as they're ready. They're going to shock a lot of you!

I'll also have some new demo recordings on MySpace in the next little while. I recorded 5 of my new songs in the Banff recording studio with my audio engineer friend Jeong seon Choi. I'll post them as soon as they are ready...

And here are Melwood and my tour dates:

March 30 - Calgary @ The Ironwood
April 1 - Calgary @ Karma
April 2 - Field @ Truffle Pigs
April 3 - Golden @ Packers Place
April 5 - Canmore @ The Drake
April 7 - Slocan @ Little Slocan Lodge
April 8 - Enderby @ Lorenzo's - Concert and Improvisation Workshop
April 9 - Vancouver @ The Railway Club
April 12 - Kelowna @ Minstrel Cafe
April 13 - Hope @ Blue Moose Cafe
April 15 - Ashcroft @ Ashcroft Opera House - Evening Concert
April 16 - Ashcroft @ Ashcroft Opera House - Matinee Concert

Hope to see you there!

I'll write more while I'm on the road...

Love Rozalind

I'm a Mountaineer!

2006-03-18T01:05:00.000-05:00

These are pics from a Thursday mountaineering trip I did with my friend Uel. I am now officially a mountaineer!

We took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain in Banff and then we went along the ridges of the mountain. I've never been mountaineering before so it was a completely new experience for me. And what an experience it was! Simply amazing! I have never been so high up in the mountains, never climbed with my hands and counted so much on my upper body strength to pull myself up over those rocks, never used all that special gear for treking in the snow and ice, never felt the power of the wind and the warmth of the sun from the reflections against the snow. And don't get me started about the snow...The snow was so beautiful. We called it "goofy snow" as that's how it felt to play in it. Often, I would take a step in it and half of my body would be immersed in it!

The really cool part about this trek is that hardly anyone ever takes it in the winter so we were the only two people on the mountain the entire time. I can't wait to do it again as it was one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced!

Uel treking away in the snow...

Taking a rest by an inukshuk by the summit.

My first snow angel in the mountains!

Uel - loving every minute of the mountains!

Me heading back down. You can really see how steep it is in this pic. That was a pretty scary part of the trek

Me - loving the mountains!

Looking back...I just didn't want to leave. Man, I climbed all that?!!!

This is a pic of me after doing my famous snow jump! It's like doing a canon ball in a swimming pool. So much fun!

ChartAttack - Calgary Buzz - Rozalind MacPhail Hits All The Right Notes

2006-03-11T01:57:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends,

Check out a new article written about me in ChartAttack, titled, Calgary Buzz: Rozalind MacPhail Hits All the Right Notes by Trevor Morelli

Visit: http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2006/03/1002.cfm

Love Rozalind

It's an Evening of PJs and Cozy Warm Blankets

2006-03-03T21:55:00.000-05:00

Photo: Rozalind MacPhail

Yup, me in my PJs...Hanging out in my room on a Friday night instead of going to concerts and partying...A nice change from the norm! : )

Hey Friends!

So it's Friday night and I should be at the Rolston Recital Hall listening to a classical concert right now with the rest of the Banff Centre musicians but hey, I'm tired and feel like taking the night off. I'm calling it a lazy night and I'm going to stay in my residence, chill out, wear my flannel pjs (already on), watch some crappy television...It's a nice change.

I haven't written a journal entry in here for a long while so I thought I would give an update on all that's been going on. Sure, I've been posting lyrics and pics but I thought it would be nice to write a bit about what I've actually been thinking about and experiencing lately, kind of like what I write about in my personal journal...So here it goes...

I've been thinking lots about everything I have been learning since I arrived in Banff two short months ago. As with every other time I've been in Banff, I feel like a different person. A new me has emerged.

Three years ago, I remember telling my ex boyfriend all about that "life changing experience" that one goes through while being here. He didn't believe me and made me feel pretty stupid for sharing my thoughts with him. He said that when I came back home, he hadn't seen any change in me and that I was imagining it. I found that very hard to believe. It totally threw me for a loop as I felt like a totally different person and just didn't understand how he couldn't see all the beautiful changes that happened in me while I was away. People who have never been here just don't understand the immense personal growth that one experiences while being in such an intense program like this one. Funny, the same guy who couldn't see all the change that I had gone through also couldn't remain in a relationship with me once I had returned from Banff. He ended up breaking up with me the day before I returned home over the phone! It seems as if Banff is a place that either brings people together more or ends things in a very dramatic way. I've always noticed that about this place.

So talking about changes, I have been through many. I remember when I first got to Banff at the beginning of January, I was so stressed out. Call it the Christmas blues, the fast pace of being in a big city like Toronto or the fact that I packed and moved all my stuff into storage. Whatever it was, it was eating away at me and I was no longer able to enjoy all the beautiful things that surrounded me. I felt depressed, physically sick and just not in a good place in my life. That changed a few weeks into my Banff residency and now I seem to be a far more relaxed and happy individual with great excitement for my future. I have brought the joy back into my life which I was missing just before I came out here. I really like the laid back atmosphere which is such a big part of the Western Canadian culture and I adore the people. It is a far healthier lifestyle around here, that's for sure and I find the people to be far more open-minded.

With only three weeks left of my program here, I am now facing a different set of exciting challenges. I will be touring as an opener for two different singer-songwriters: Melwood Cutlery and Johnny Eden. Both tours are taking place in April and May and will take us through Alberta and British Columbia. Since I have done most of the booking and tour planning on my own, it has taken a huge amount of energy and has been an intense process of figuring out how it all works. What a great learning experience though. It feels so good to be able to book my own tours now and to take control of my future. No more depending on others for my livelihood. I am also excited about the idea of performing my own music for so many different people and in so many different places. I think the touring lifestyle was created for people like me who want to connect with others through their music and want to see the world.

With that being said, there are also ugly things about the touring lifestyle which I am learning lots about during my stay in "transitory" Banff. A dear friend of mine, Josh and I were talking on the phone earlier this evening (great inspiring chat BTW) about the touring lifestyle and how it's sometimes so lonely and a great challenge in regards to relationships. It's true. I often find myself spending many nights alone, when I wish I could be sharing special moments with someone I care about. But I guess with everything good comes some sacrifice. I am learning that there are many others just like me who wish to build a relationship yet cannot because of their difficult musician lifestyle that so many people find so unattractive...and I wonder...Should us musicians go for that "safe" person who has the day job and doesn't have this crazy lifestyle of ours or do we go for the person who is travelling and seeing the world just as much as us? Or do we put it all on hold and just observe for a while, to let time tell us what's right? I think for where I'm at right now that I'd like time to tell me what will happen in regards to my relationships. I'm in no rush and it's really nice to be developing special friendships with people I care about over the long term. I think the most happy couples in the long term are always the ones who develop their relationships from their beautiful friendships so I'm willing to give it a shot and be patient. With this being said, catch me on a day where I am feeling really lonely and I'll complain about why I hate being stuck in this situation... : ) Just like the weather in the mountains, wait a few minutes and I may feel totally different about all of this!

Now back to what's been going on...I have been writing a lot of new material and really growing as a performer. Most of what has been coming out is from personal experiences that I have been going through while I've been here. I thought that I would be reflecting more about my past but only a few songs were actually focused on matters from the past, and most of them were things that I really needed to get out. The real doozy that I had been working on for so long (Everything Changed in Just One Night) is now out of my system and I'm looking forward to writing more about what makes me love life and what I'm experiencing during the present moment. The thing I really love about songwriting is the fact that it enables me to keep a musical journal. It is far more personal than just sharing my thoughts through words and I really love experiencing all the growth that comes from developing a new craft. Sure, with all that being said, it has been a very humbling experience but as with everything, there are good and bad days and I can feel that my songwriting is improving.

And then there are the true signs of growth as a performer, like how I can use my looping pedal so much better in live performance and how I am feeling more confident singing! I have created lots of new song arrangements on my looping pedal and feel like I am really starting to create my own sound. And the audience is noticing the change as well...I performed at Props Pub last night, a much longer set than usual (11 songs) and kept the attention of my audience so much better. There were the obvious things that show that I am getting better at what I do as well, like how a bunch of different strangers approached me to congratulate me on a beautiful performance, to ask how they could purchase a CD or to sign my email mailing list.

And then the biggest compliment of the evening was at the very end when the bartender went on about how she sees amazing things in my future and how she loves my CD, even playing it when she's cleaning her house. When I complained to her about the fact that I am totally broke and only have $2 left in my bank account, she said, "Rozalind, don't even question itas you're on the right path. You're doing amazing. Just keep at it. Money is only money and it will come. What matters is that you're doing what you love and you're making people happy by sharing it." Do you know how many times people have said the same thing to me lately? And these are people from all different backgrounds, from music professors, professional musicians, to administrators and other business professionals and more. It's hard to have faith in our abilities sometimes, especially when we're so broke but I am going to try to keep the faith going and to believe that there are great things coming my way.

Yes, it seems like the big growth this time around has been personally and through observing my relationships with others. I have been learning so much about how I need to truly believe in myself in order to attract others to what I do. I have also learned that I must be true to myself and true to others. I must have faith that all will work out and through all that, if I am able to speak from my heart always, I will find the path that is meant for me. I can't wait to see what I learn next...

So there's a bit of personal sharing for y'all.

Have a great weekend everyone... : )

Love Rozalind

Lyrics - Everything Changed in Just One Night

2006-03-01T02:01:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends,

Well this is a bit of a sad entry. Not sure how many of you know about a personal experience I went through seven years ago but I might as well share it with you now as this song took seven years to get out of my system and it's pretty intense. I won't go into details as it still hurts to talk about it. My only wishes are that through sharing this experience, I will be able to help other rape vicims not feel so alone and will be able to let the ghosts go, the ones that have haunted me for so long...

Seven years ago, just a few weeks before I moved to Ottawa, I was raped by a stranger who had considered me physical prey in a downtown Toronto bar. The man had put a pill in my drink and you can finish the rest of the story. It was a terrible experience which changed me forever. Unfortunately, this experience is shared by too many women.

Everything Changed in Just One Night

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

Everything changed in just one night
When you chose to hurt me with your predator delight
And I didn't even know your name
When you slipped that pill into my drink
That left me unable to move or to think...

And things will never be the same
'Cause you took away my innocence
And replaced it with many years of shame
And I didn't realize that you were playing a selfish game
And I pray everyday that I was the only victim of your cruel ways

I can never go back to being the same girl that I was.
I can never feel as safe as you violated my sense of trust.
I can never look at another man in the same loving way.
I can never open myself up in that childlike, beautiful place.

'Cause everything changed in just one night
When you chose to hurt me with your predator delight
And I didn't even know your name
When you slipped that pill into my drink
That left me unable to move or to think

I will try to move on and let the past go.
I will try to remember the beautiful moments that I used to know.
I will try to forgive you.
I will try to be brave.
But please be careful of my tender heart
As I'm scared that it will break.

Things will just never be the same again.

Lyrics - Have a Nice Life

2006-02-23T00:42:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends,

This song is a little bitter about relationships gone wrong so stop reading now if you're not into reading about that kind of stuff. I've been through a few gold medal winners lately so I've had lots of inspiration! You know, after all the shitty relationships I've experienced recently, I've got many songs like this one brewing. I'm sure some of you girls can relate. The dating world is just not a pretty one these days or at least, not for me. Has it ever been? Let's hope for happier times...I'm keeping the faith that a special someone will come out of the woodworks someday, when the time is right. Maybe I'm just not ready for it yet...

With that being said, don't worry guys, I am well aware that not all of you are shitheads and that there's a lot of really great guys out there who deserve recognition. I've got lots of great guy friends in my life to prove it. Unfortunately though, in the dating scene, I just haven't met many good ones recently. I'm also aware that a lot of women can be pretty nasty to men as well and so guys, you can take this as being a song for those shithead women as well! : )

Just had to get it out I guess, especially on a night like tonight. I'm in one of those moods...

Have a Nice Life

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

I got many stories about relationships gone wrong...
I thought I would share one of them with you as you may relate to this song
It's about a guy who I once liked, who I hadn't dated for that long
Just a few weeks of fun and great inspiration for this song.

You made plans to meet me for coffee,
I was looking forward to seeing you all day
I'd been working really hard and was ready for a break
The moment I saw you, something in my gut told me something was wrong
And I chose to ignore it, even when you wouldn't look me in the eyes for that long

And then you blurted it out,
You have feelings for another girl
You've liked her for the past six months
Yet you've never told me about her before!
I bet the moment she found out about me,
She's been wanting you more and more
And now she can have you
As I'm not going to compete for your attention
If it's her that you adore

So I walked out of that coffee shop, feeling like crap in every way
If he was still around to listen, this is what I'd have to say...

Have yourself a nice life and now get out of my sight
It's been nice knowing you, au revoir, goodbye
You're just the asshole type,
The kind of guy that I really don't need in my life
I deserve so much better than you
Really, thank you for leaving
And now have yourself a nice life

Don't try to call me when you finally realize that I'm gone
Don't write me letters apologizing for all that you've done wrong
You made your decision the moment you chose to leave
And now I wish you the best and please, just leave me be.

Heck, at least you gave me some inspiration to write this song
Now I'll put all those harsh feelings into the trash where they belong

WOW 2006 - Jasper and Edmonton

2006-02-20T02:26:00.000-05:00

WOW 2006, the two day trip I spent on the road with my good friend Fred that took us from Banff to Jasper to Edmonton. We called it WOW 2006 because that seemed to be the most popular word coming out of our mouths the entire time we were travelling together! I don't think I've had that much fun on a road trip ever!

This pic was taken just outside of Jasper, on our way to Edmonton. The sun was beginning to set and it was a spectacular view. I was just amazed by how many elk were in this one spot! I stood there for ages, soaking it all in and never wanting to leave. What beautiful animals.
Same place, with a view of the mountains and more elk. On this trip, I also saw a female moose and a coyote. Talk about a truly magical place!
Fred in Jasper, standing by the town's cutest cartoon character. You find these guys everywhere in Jasper! It's well worth the drive. In just over three hours from Banff, you get to experience some of the most beautiful mountain driving I have ever experienced.
Just hanging around!
The Columbia Icefields. You should see this for real. It was spectacular and so beautiful with the sun shining bright. The picture misses the blues that were so striking to experience in person!

Edmonton's Velvet Underground, this really cool indie spot that just happened to be a block away from our downtown hotel. We stumbled upon it after I read in the weekly music listings that a Vancouver band I've always wanted to see, called, You Say Party! We Say Die! was performing there. Am I ever glad we checked it out! The band in this picture is an Edmonton band called, The Frosted Tipz. Their main singer just happens to have the same name as me, Rosalind! How cool is that? Man, they really rocked. They reminded me of what I've been really missing since I moved out to Banff - indie rock! Got a good dose of it that night and more in Fred's truck as we were driving.
This was a guy I met at the Velvet Underground, named Dan who is a science student at the University of Alberta. Super cool guy. Fred and I had such a great time hanging out with him. I look forward to hanging out again with Dan when I'm in Edmonton at the end of March. He's gonna take me to all his fave spots...
The headlining band, You Say Party! We Say Die! They put on a fantastic show.
More band pics of You Say Party, We Say Die!...
And another one of Dan and I. Fun times! How I love meeting new people on the road. It's amazing how you can connect so easily with folks you hardly know if you're open to it.
Me and yet another glass of Crown Royal on the rocks. The night became pretty hazy after a few too many! I even forgot the fleece of my jacket that night and luckily was able to get it the next morning when the cleaning people were there at 9am!
Fred's getting the boot out of Edmonton! This was taken close to the West Edmonton Mall.

Other trip highlights:

Wandering around the West Edmonton Mall and shooting video. What a huge place and they have EVERYTHING and I mean, EVERYTHING there! You got to experience it for yourself to truly understand....Listening to awesome tunes the whole time we were driving in Fred's truck and all those great talks...Eating candy and popsicles on the way back to Banff...and so much more...

I have so much more footage of our trip, including amazing shots of the mountains while we were driving but it's all in video format. Got to figure out how to post video on my blog soon so that I can share more stuff with sound. It's pretty entertaining to listen to all the dialogue, that's for sure!

Fred, thank you for such an amazing trip. You are an angel for taking me hostage and showing me this beautiful province.

That's all for now... : )

Some Neat Pics from Valentine's Day

2006-02-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

I took all of these pics yesterday, during a very fun Banff Valentine's Day. Thought I would post them in case some of the folks who I spent such a fun day with are looking at this. : )

Some of my friends from the Banff Centre. We were outside, celebrating the opening of Paula's ice hut creation at the "G Spot." We danced, played music, drank dark rum in cups made out of ice and burned a lovely campfire as the sun set behind the mountains. A very magical time.

My good friend Fred

Contemplating...Or at least trying to...It was soooo cold!!! I'm with my composer friend Damien.

Johnston Canyon, such a magical spot. My friend Adam took me for a really beautiful hike earlier in the day. You wouldn't believe how blue the ice was, just like a beautiful blue sky. Simply breathtaking.

You can see the blue better in this pic...

And the ultimate part of the hike, just at the very end. you gotta experience it for yourself to truly understand...Thank you Adam for taking me to this special spot! : )

So this is my friend Adam who made my day such a fun one. He called me up on Valentine's morning, letting me know that he was in town and we ended up spending a really great day together. Thanks Adam! You helped make my Valentine's one of the most memorable ones I've ever had! : ) And thanks for the guitar lessons! Adam taught me how to play bar chords as well as taught me how to play a few great tunes. Adam's from Port Dover, Ontario and is out here working on the oil rigs. I met him in Banff after a Bruno's jam and we've been partying it up and playing lots of fun music together ever since. This picture was taken in my music hut late at night while we were jamming...Man, that was so much fun! It's the first time I've tried to play with another guitarist. Wasn't very good at it but now I know what I need to practice - quicker chord changes! Can't wait to do it again...

Well that's it for now folks. Thanks to all of you who made my V Day so special. It was such a memorable one... : )

Happy Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

Photo: Rozalind MacPhail

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I hope everyone has a special day on what has usually turned out to be the least romantic day of the year for me. But I'm taking Valentine's by surprise this year and am all excited to share the love this morning. Just spent the night making Valentine's cards for everyone at the Banff Centre and am about to walk around the campus to hand them out. I feel like a little kid again, all excited to see everyone's excited smiles and spread the joy. I'll see what I can muster up around here.
So I thought I would include lyrics to a song which is one of my faves called, "All the Sweet Things That You Do." I wrote it for someone very special back in Ottawa, someone who has never read the lyrics before. I told him that he would have to wait for the CD to come out before hearing the song I wrote about my experience with him but hey, it's Valentine's Day and it feels like the right time to share it.

Love Rozalind XOX

All The Sweet Things That You Do

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

All the sweet things that you do
Been thinking about you, oh yeah
All the sweet things that you do
Gonna miss you, oh yeah

Waking up beside you,
Your warm breath teases my neck,
The intoxicating smell of your skin,
Leaves me craving more of you in my bed
I never want this moment to end...

You excite me, like no other man
Talk to me, talk to me sexy
Talk to me, like I know you can...
Like I know you can

All the sweet things that you do
Been thinking about you, oh yeah
All the sweet things that you do
Gonna miss you.

Chasing Sunshine - From Mystery Poet Boy

2006-02-12T21:49:00.000-05:00

Photo: Rozalind MacPhail

So I met an Australian guy at Bruno's a while back. We've had the nicest chats each week and I keep asking him when he's going to perform at the Open Stage. Last Wednesday, we chatted as we always do and I asked him if he would write a title for a new song in my songwriting book. He kept my book for a very long time and gave it back to me just as he was leaving the bar. I didn't look at it until much later in the evening and was just blown away when I did! It's strange when someone you hardly know anything about writes something that is so revealing about who you are. He was dead on and I thank him for his words as they have taught me a huge life lesson. You also must see the gorgeous handwriting that MPB used to put his poem in my songwriting book. It is artwork in itself. I still don't even know his name, hence, Mystery Poet Boy for now... : ) Last night, as I was admiring the moon while practicing in my hut, I wrote the music to his poem and plan to perform it at Bruno's this Wednesday, for solo voice.

Chasing Sunshine

Words by Mystery Poet Boy

Music by Rozalind MacPhail

So go now be happy

and enjoy these days

Smile for the weather if fine

We can't let the notes, lead to material antidotes,

because we can't buy back our time!

For me happiness is the ultimate,

yet many people spend time

doing things that they believe

will lead to happiness in the

future.

Why not be happy now?

Chase dreams

Break boundaries

Burn to Shine.

Lyrics - Life's Gonna Turn Around For You

2006-02-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

Photo: Rozalind MacPhail - taken on Ward's Island, Toronto

Life's Gonna Turn Around For You

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

Woke up this morning...
Feeling so damn blue
Didn't know quite what to do
Feeling like the world's hanging over my head
Wondering why I even got myself out of bed

And then the phone rings
It's my Mom on the other end
I tell her my story and she listens like a good friend
She says, "Now listen up, I got some good advice for you.
Remember these words when your feeling the blues."

"Don't you worry, Life's gonna turn around for you
I swear, I promise
It always happens when you least expect good news
Life's gonna turn around for you, yeah
Out with the old and in with the new
Life's gonna turn around for you."

And then the phone rings again
It's my very dear girlfriend
She's crying like a baby on the other end
Her boyfriend left her with nothing but a broken heart
and now she's wondering where she's gonna start

and then I said...

"Don't you worry, life's gonna turn around for you
I swear, I promise.
It always happens when you least expect good news
Life's gonna turn around for you, yeah
Out with the old and in with the new
Life's gonna turn around for you."

We always like to give good life advice to those we love
But we hardly apply that advice to our own lives
So remember these words when you're feeling blue
Remember what I am sharing with you...

"Don't you worry, life's gonna turn around for you
I swear, I promise.
It always happens when you least expect good news
Life's gonna turn around for you, yeah
Out with the old and in with the new
Life's gonna turn around for you."

Lyrics - Crying on the Inside

2006-02-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

Photo: Rozalind MacPhail

Crying on the Inside

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

I'm crying on the inside

So I gotta be on my own for a while

While I'm crying on the inside

I'll keep watching that candle burning bright

as the wind gives up the fight outside

Why do we always want what we can't have?

Why do we never want what's actually possible to find?

I say, why do we always want what we can't have?

Why do we never want what's actually possible to find?

Sometimes I just feel so blind...

Sometimes I really can't remember why...

Sometimes I just want you so damn bad...

Sometimes I realize that I just don't got a chance...

So I'm crying on the inside

and I gotta be on my own for a while

while I'm crying on the inside

I'll keep watching that candle burning bright

as the wind gives up the fight outside

Banff Pics

2006-02-04T02:17:00.000-05:00

Mount Rundle, my favourite mountain. I get to see Rundle every morning when I venture to my music hut. Talk about being spoiled. It's breathtaking out here!
My practice hut in the woods, hut #3
Inside my practice hut
A cool sculpture I discovered on a snowy hike through the woods. Did it ever freak me out from afar! I was walking on my own and was a little spooked until I discovered what it was...
The teddy bear snowman I made outside my hut the first day we got lots of snow. I felt like a little kid again!
And later that day, I excitedly discovered two more snowmen had been made by fellow music hut dwellers!
Bruno's open stage, every Wednesday night. Erik the Viking is playing the guitar. What a fun time and some seriously talented musicians come out to play each week. It reminds me of Cafe Nostalgica in Ottawa. It's so great to meet up with so many local folks.They play solely for the love of music which I admire so much. One guy, a pianist named Greg actually drives all the way from Calgary to come and play each week!
A male deer. This one walked right by me on my hike with my friend Larry!
This was a sign that was on the bathroom door of a gas station just outside of Lake Louise. I thought it was hysterical!
Cross country skiing at Emerald Lake, a magical spot.
Another shot of Emerald Lake. So beautiful. Winter Wonderland.
A female deer! This one was right outside my residence door as I walked outside in the afternoon.
The same deer a little further away...Oh how I love those deer!

That's it for now folks. I'll post more pics soon...

Love Rozalind

Banff - Week? February 3rd, 2006

2006-02-03T02:15:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it's been a while. I got myself awful sick with a bad virus that was a mixture of the flu and a really bad cold and then pinched a nerve in my neck to top it all off. Made for interesting times. The good news is that I'm back at it and feeling great! I wrote two new songs tonight, titled, "My Life Sentence" and "Crying on the Inside." You would think from the titles that they are really dark and I guess parts of them are but they needed to come out. This is supposed to be a personal blog so I might as well share what it feels like to be a musician, on the bad days...

Photo: Rozalind MacPhail

My Life Sentence

Words and Music by Rozalind MacPhail

Catch me on a good day and I'll say I love what I do
I'll share my proudest moments and maybe even share a tune with you
But catch me on a bad day and I'll sing a very different tune
I'll call it my life sentence and I'll share stories about what makes me so damn blue...

It's my life sentence to do what I do
I just don't see any other way of life
It's my life sentence to do what I love to do
And I choose to stick it through

Call me stubborn, call me persistent, call me motivated
Call me whatever you choose
I'm here for good
and I will always remain,
I'm here to stay.

So many highs, So many lows
Unexpected moments,
Never knowing where to go
Obstacles as high as mountains
and disappointments that can crush the soul
Meeting assholes who never seem to tell the truth

But the good moments are rays of sunshine
and make every bit of pain worthwhile
The adrenaline of the stage
It's an addiction,
that I cannot give up
for it is fruit for my soul...

News From Banff - Week Two

2006-01-16T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks,

I know, still no pictures! I have taken lots of them since I arrived in Banff. I can't wait to share them with you but unfortunately, I can't seem to figure out how to download the computer software I need in order to get them on my blog! In due time, I promise as it's driving me nuts not to share the visual beauty.

So my time here is still as magical as when I first got here although I heard some bad news last night that has made today a little tough. Since I like to be open about my personal life as an artist, I must share the good and the bad with you...

Last night, I found out that I didn't get the Professional Development Grant that I had applied for through the Canada Arts Council. I was asking for $5000 to help me get through my time here at the Banff Centre for the Arts and am now stuck with the reality of only having $80 left in my bank account until I start making some money. Funny, it's the same amount of money I lost when the Ear to the Ground festival was cancelled last September. Losing that money last September has really created problems for me in regards to my current financial stablilty. I get frustrated even thinking about it...

It's so frustrating at times being an artist. We are always striving to be in an environment where we can thrive, create and share our art, yet so many times as artists, we're forced to work jobs that have nothing to do with creating or sharing our passions. I know, some of you are thinking, well, that's what the real world is all about. I know that most people I know think that having a day job as an artist is the only way to go when it comes to achieving a bit of financial security. I want to believe that there will eventually come a time when I am able to focus on my art without the financial worries haning over my head. I don't believe that artists should always struggle financially in order to do what they love. There must be a way to find a balance somehow. I am determined to find a way...

On a different note, I must get back to happier things. I am learning more and more with each new day and just love it here...There's just no way to put how I feel here into words although sharing it all with you through my music seems to be working well.

Here's a taste of what my life is like here in Banff this week:

- Three deer greeting me at my music hut one afternoon when I went to practice
- Being inspired by all the amazing conversations I am having with musicians from all over the world as well as discussions with poets, visual artists, aboriginal storytellers and recording engineers. I heard a wonderful story today about the Zulu people from South Africa that made me want to experience the beauty of the people there.
- Performances galore! I went to four concerts last week and performed at one as well. The audiences are so supportive here and they get really excited about new ideas and new music. I saw The African Guitar Summit perform on Saturday which was a real treat.
- The magic of the full moon, high above the mountains...simply breathtaking. We had a party in one of the Leighton Studios last Saturday night and I kept going outside in the cold just to catch another glimpse of the moon...
- Lots of fluffy white snow that remains white (unlike the major cities)! I made a teddy bear snowman during a snowy afternoon hike and later discovered that two other snowmen had joined him after he was created! (pictures coming soon...)
- Sculptures in the woods, made from materials of all sorts and discovering a swing hanging from a tree which I had so much fun swinging on in the snow! (got pictures of this that I will share soon as well)
- Writing lots of new music, a new happy song called, "Life's Gonna Turn Around For You." (I'll share the lyrics with you in my next post)

So much more to share but that's enough for now...

Warm Wishes,

Love Rozalind

Greetings from the Banff Centre

2006-01-09T01:56:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good one. I brought in the New Year with my best friend Conor at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. Elliott Brood rocked the house as always and I had a blast performing as Mystery Flute Girl with The Sadies. One of the best New Year's I have ever experienced. Think this year's going to be an exciting one.

I am writing to you from the Banff Centre for the Arts, my new home for the next three months. Does it ever feel great to be here. You can check out the Banff Centre website: www.banffcentre.ca

This place is more magical than words can express. I have a wonderful music studio in the woods and have been practicing lots, writing two new tunes in the past few days. My first performance here happens next week and I'm getting really excited about it already. I am meeting the most talented and inspiring people here from all over the world and am learning so much. There's lots to take in. In the next few days, I will post some pictures that I have taken with my new digital camera (which I absolutely love) so that you can all experience the beauty for yourself.

Today I saw three elk searching for food right outside our dining room window. Such beautiful animals. And tonight, as I was walking home from my music studio, the winds were so powerful and the moon was shining bright above the Rocky Mountains. I was wondering what the winds were telling me as the energy felt quite strange. My friend Greg told me that the strong winds are from a Chinook. That means that we will be having much warmer weather tomorrow. You gotta love that about the mountains...

On that note, I got to get to bed. I'm still adjusting to the new altitude. Lots of us have been sick this week from altitude sickness. Sore throats, headaches and nausea are some of the lovely side effects. For myself, I have been feeling quite out of breath and very tired which is apparently very normal. You'll hear no complaints from me though as I love it here already.

I'll write more soon,

Love Rozalind

Goodbye to this City...

2005-12-23T05:40:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends,

Well today is the official day. I am moving out of Ottawa and starting my new journey as of this morning. I was supposed to leave on Wednesday but my Aunt was unable to come and get me that day so now it's my awesome cousin Tyson who will be helping me move. Thank goodness I'm moving a little later than planned as I only finished packing this morning! Yikes! Isn't that always the way...

I sit here at my desk one last time as I type this email to all of you. It feels strange to have everything in boxes around me and my apartment has such a huge echo from all the empty space. Very strange. Man, it's sad to be leaving this place. Can't put it into words just yet but I'm working on it.

What an experience this has been saying goodbye to so many of you. I know that I am going to miss you all so much. I've been enjoying every special moment we've been able to share together. I'll admit that I'm a little nervous to be starting this journey on my own but I am optimistic that it's going to be a great experience and that I will find what I'm looking for along the way. It really feels like the right time to be leaving and I'm excited to see what happens.
The only part that makes it a bit sad is knowing that things will never be the same after I have left here and also knowing that I will be gone for such a long time. It's really starting to sink in...

This has been such a special time in my life and I am so happy to have spent such a beautiful seven years in Ottawa. Thank you to all of you who have helped me along the way and especially to those of you who have made my last few days here so special. It's been magical. They always say that you learn who your true friends are during times like this and it's certainly the truth.
It seems appropriate to be saying goodbye with the lyrics of the song I wrote to say goodbye to Ottawa...I wrote the lyrics to this song as I was walking my dog Sadie in the park last spring, thinking about how much I was going to miss this place.

Goodbye To This City...

Lyrics by Rozalind MacPhail

It was seven years ago when I moved to this city...
My flute, my dog, my boxes full
and my heart willing

Gonna make it in this whirl of a world
Gonna make my loved ones proud
Gonna be that "Mystery Flute Girl"
Gonna sing with my heart out loud!

And I say goodbye, goodbye to this city
The time kept flying by and now I'm leaving
Oh I'll miss you so
But good times come and go
Time to be back in that flow
Time to move my show.

Bye for now everyone. I'll be in touch soon. For those of you who want to contact me before I reach Banff, I'll be staying at my Mom's on Toronto Island: 416-203-0776. I'll put a mailing address and phone number for Banff on my Contact page of my website as soon as I have it available.

Warm Wishes for a healthy, happy and outrageous year ahead! And for those of you who will be celebrating Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! : )

Love Rozalind

Moving in less than two weeks!

2005-12-10T12:34:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks,

Can't believe it! I'm moving out of Ottawa in less than two weeks now...

I'll be packing up my stuff and storing it all in my Oma's (Dutch for Grandmother) basement in Acton (it's worth the drive!) just before Christmas. Then, it's off to Calgary I fly on Jan 4th! Exciting times. I'll be in Toronto from Dec 22 - Jan 4th. New Year's in Toronto it is!

So I'm sure a bunch of you are curious about whether I've found the money for Banff yet. The good news is that I have! A very dear friend of mine has offered to lend me the money to pay for the remainder of my Banff Centre expenses. Guess it was meant to be afterall. Thank goodness for those beautiful folks who offer to help us artists in our times of financial need. It really makes the difference. Without my friend's help, my dreams of going to Banff in January would have been shattered and my future dreams would have been greatly altered. Thank goodness I don't even have to think about that anymore as it was making sleeping at night a little harsh and my days even more stressful. I was so worried that I wouldn't find a way to work it all out and was beginning to give up. But in the end, money is still just money and it should never hold us back from what we really want in life. What's more important is living our lives in ways that we can be truly happy.

I'll be here in Ottawa until December 21st. Sad and happy to be leaving this city. It's definitely time to be moving and time to share my music in new places and with new audiences. Yet, with that being said, I will miss this city so much and the friends I've shared so many magical moments with. It is a really special place and I have met so many beautiful people along the way...Gonna miss you all.

Instead of saying goodbye, I have decided to say "I'll see you soon." Although it will never be the same again as I don't think I'll ever be living here again, I already am looking forward to touring through Ottawa and keeping in touch with everyone.

If you would like to find out what I'm up to when I move, I suggest that you sign up to my Yahoo Group mailing list. You can get to it by visiting the main page of my website: www.rozalindmacphail.com. I'll be sending updates about my adventures every few weeks as well as letting you know about future shows.

Warm Wishes,

Love Rozalind

I Need Your Advice

2005-11-28T18:15:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks,

Long time no speak for some of you and others are hearing from me after spending a beautiful night together! : )

I am sending this message to you as I would like to ask for your advice. Thanks in advance.

So I did my big last show in Ottawa last night. Many of you who I am sending this to were there. Thank you for coming out and for helping me get to the Banff Centre. It was a great night. Man, I could have played for longer! 6 hours actually felt too short. But I got to play many of my favourite tunes with many of my favourite singer-songwriters. Playing on my own with guitar and voice was such a magical experience for me. I can already see that I am growing from all of this which is so much fun...

So how was the night for the benefit part of it? Well many people who came out were so generous that it was really touching. All of my paintings were sold and I sold a number of Gas Station Sessions - seven songs for seven years CDs as well. The unfortunate part was that not enough people came out to the show. That was the part that kind of upset me. It was a magical night and so many people who I admire and greatly respect in our creative community simply missed out and did not venture to experience the magic happen. That's alright, I'm not upset about it, only disappointed as I need to find a way to raise this money and am currently not successful with raising what I really need in order to attend one of the best art centres in this country. This puzzles me, especially after I had numerous articles written about me (ChartAttack, Ottawa Citizen (like Toronto Star), Ottawa Xpress (like NOW or EYE), Centretown News and the Charlatan. I did many radio interviews (CKCU and CHUO both twice), was on television twice (CTV and Rogers Cable). All of these articles were beautifully written and presented. One in particular, Fateema Sayani of the Ottawa Citizen put in a huge colour picture (Ami Jarvis) in her touching article. I could not ask for better from the media and radio. They were all so much fun to talk to and made it a really great experience.

In the end, I raised $720 dollars. This was after having to pay for sound ($150). I also have to pay a lot of that back to folks I borrowed money from. Unfortunately, I needed to raise a whole lot more than that ($5000 in total) and have been putting in 16-20 hour days (sometimes sadly more than that) already. I simply cannot do more. I have recently applied for a Canada Arts Council Professional Development grant but only find out in January whether I got it or not. I am now attempting to find some office work to do until I move (third week of December). I have until the end of the month to find the rest of the money I owe to The Banff Centre or I won't be able to go. Needless to say, I'm devastated by this recent dose of reality. It's been a challenging time lately, just lost my 12 year old dog, best friend Sadie. Anyone who's lost a pet seems to understand why that's a difficult one to handle. Needless to say, I was confident that the Ottawa creative community would want to support an artist during their special departure and new beginning. It certainly was a beautiful night and I do see a very bright future ahead for me. Anyone who was there truly understands what that means. For me, it was the connections with so many talented people on the Zaphod's stage one last time (for a little while at least). Gonna miss you.

I am writing to you to ask what you would do if you were in my shoes? I need some advice. I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to think about this and sharing your helpful incite.

Thanks again,

Love Rozalind
www.rozalindmacphail.com
(613) 244-7234

The Charlatan

2005-11-28T13:24:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends. Bet you don't know a lot of this about my past...

Love Rozalind

A singer/songwriter’s rebirth

Rozalind MacPhail is starting a new chapter in her life, and the Charlatan was there to hear her speak about her past, the good and the bad

by Rahul Kalvapalle

Flutist Rozalind MacPhail grew up in a small but creative community in Toronto Island, a tiny piece of land off the harbour.
She suffered from severe chronic asthma as a child. Surprisingly, the ailment actually led her to the flute. A newspaper article describing the positive effects playing wind instruments can have on asthmatics led her parents to make her start playing the flute.
Initially though, MacPhail was reluctant to take up the flute because “the whole idea at that age of spit was really disgusting.”
But she soon got rid of her spit inhibitions and developed a passion for the flute, as well as other arts, such as painting, sculpting and acting.
“I had a really lonely childhood. I didn’t fit in and didn’t have many friends in public school,” says MacPhail. “I wanted to be in an environment that would be very creative for me and would accept who I was.”
It was this passion for the creative arts that lead MacPhail to pursue a diploma, majoring in flute performance.
“It was there that I found my group of friends and was able to feel accepted and part of the community for the first time as an artist.”
Soon after, MacPhail decided to pursue a classical music career as an orchestral performer. However, after completing her degree at the University of Toronto, she realized orchestral playing wasn’t for her. She then decided to move to Ottawa to study contemporary Canadian music under nationally renowned flutist Robert Cram, a professor at the University of Ottawa.
However, just weeks before she was to leave for Ottawa, catastrophe struck. MacPhail was raped by a man who slipped date-rape drugs into her drink.
The horrific incident nearly destroyed her entire life.
As MacPhail points out, most rape victims display suicidal tendencies and veer toward alcohol and drug abuse.
“And lets just say I dabbled in quite a bit of all the above.”
To make things worse, she also had to work two full-time jobs while studying in Ottawa. The excrutiating pressure became too much and after completing only a year of her studies with Cram, she left.
Soon after, she quit playing the flute for six months — a period she describes as “probably one of the most miserable times of my entire life.”
The situation soon started to change for the better. MacPhail began staying with flute teacher Tina Fedeski to “get myself playing again.”
Fedeski helped MacPhail regain her love for the flute and classical music.
“Since then,” reflects MacPhail, “I made a 100 per cent — 200 per cent maybe — turnaround.”
MacPhail soon started visiting open stages across the city, where she gradually began to discover her previously unearthed talent and passion for improvisation.
“I really enjoyed not having the written page in front of me. There was just a type of freedom in improvisation that I wasn’t able to get with classical music.”
After playing with a band called Lighthousekeepers for two years, MacPhail was left high and dry when the band songwriter Neil Gurster decided to pursue a solo career, effectively breaking up the band.
It was after the break up of Lighthousekeepers that MacPhail began making unplanned guest appearances on stage with bands such as the Great Lake Swimmers and The Constantines, the latter in front of 6,000 people in her hometown.
She has also performed with world-renowned musicians such as Yo La Tengo and indie-rock great Lou Barlow. Again, both performances were spontaneous and unplanned.
Soon after, following advice from a member of the Great Lake Swimmers, MacPhail decided to start writing her own tracks and began to develop an aptitude for songwriting.
After learning to play guitar in order to back up her songwriting, MacPhail began penning her own songs. Not long after, the Gas Station Sessions EP was conceived. MacPhail collaborated with singer-songwriter Lindsay Ferguson on the seven-track EP — “seven tracks for seven years in Ottawa,” explains MacPhail — all under the wathchful eye of producer Dale Morningstar.
The EP includes four of MacPhail’s original tracks, which feature her on the flute and guitar as well as vocals.
The EP celebrates the seven years MacPhail spent in Ottawa and marks her last album before she relocates to Alberta in January and joins the Banff Centre for the Arts, where she will take part in a songwriting residency while also learning about and studying her latest obsession, the North Indian bamboo flute, or bansuri.
Her plan is to eventually release a full-length album after completing the residency in Banff.
So after three recordings and working with numerous musicians, the question remains: What genre does Rozalind MacPhail belong to?
“Alternative folk with an indie vibe,” says MacPhail, who learned about indie-rock from her ex-boyfriend.
MacPhail says he left a strong but dubious mark on the Gas Station Sessions EP. “He gave me a lot of inspiration for the CD actually, not in a good way though. He’s not written about in a nice way, let’s put it that way.”
It’s also worth mentioning that MacPhail successfully negotiated a difficult audition with the world’s most prestigious circus company — Cirque du soleil — and is on their list of potential performers.
So if the offer does come from Cirque du soleil, would she leave her songwriting aspirations behind for the dazzling lights, high-roller audiences and big money of the circus?
“No.”
“I don’t think so, ever, because I don’t think I ever want to be in a position where I’m sitting and playing the same show for a year straight on contract. I think it would suck all the creativity out of me. It would be great for income by all means, but it wouldn’t help in any other way.”
MacPhail says her eventual dream is to go to India and study under Indian flute maestro Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia.
“I just love the haunting sound of the bamboo flute, and I want to incorporate that into my alternative folk sound, eventually.”
The Gas Station Sessions EP is set to be released Nov. 27, following a six-hour CD release and benefit concert at Zaphod’s, to be performed by MacPhail along with her numerous friends from the Ottawa music scene.
On the EP, MacPhail asserts that “people will appreciate it if they listen to it not for technical expertise and not listen to it for perfection, but more to really go inside and see what it’s like for a singer-songwriter at the beginning of their songwriting journey.”
“I want to document everything that I’m doing, you know. Every CD that I record, I treat as a chapter of my life. It’s my musical journal, and so this is just another part of my musical journal.”
WHO: Rozalind MacPhail and friends
WHERE: Zaphod Beeblebrox - 27 York St.
WHEN: Sunday Nov. 27, 5-10 p.m., $15 at the door

Sexy Sadie Takes Her Own Journey...

2005-11-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

Sadie, my bestest friend, my dog, passed away late this morning. Many of you met her or at least knew about her. She was one cool dog! I wrote a song for her this morning, before she passed away. She was cuddling up to me on my bed as I was jamming away on the classical guitar.

Here are the lyrics:

PRETTY GIRL

Why so many goodbyes?
I just don't want you to leave.
But the time seems right,
fate plays its role...
And us best friends bid farewell for now...

Will you run with me on my adventures around the world?
Will you stick with me in the hot and in the cold?
Will I feel your warmth, your unconditional love?
Will you keep me safe?
Will you watch the world?

I stare at you, hold you tight.
Don't want to say goodnight anytime soon
Can't imagine the world without you.
Your time's up too soon.
Gonna miss you.

Will Opa meet you at the gate?
Will you visit me when it's getting late?
What will life be like without you?
That time has come far too soon.

Love Rozalind

ChartAttack

2005-11-21T19:33:00.000-05:00

Here's the first article...Let me know what you think!

Love Rozalind

ChartAttack.com - Ottawa Buzz: Rozalind MacPhail Moves Beyond The Flute
Friday November 18, 2005 @ 05:00 PM

Rozalind MacPhail Moves Beyond The Flute by Caitlin Crockard

Rozalind MacPhail is facing both a beginning and an end. Her new Gas Station Sessions EP marks the first set of self-penned songs that she's ever released (along with a few from friend Lindsay Ferguson). It also marks a departure. After seven years in Ottawa, MacPhail is ready to head off on new musical adventures.

"It's a new journey for me, and I really want to give a gift back to Ottawa," MacPhail says. After all, it was the capital that helped transform her from a classically focused flutist to the "Mystery Flute Girl" who has jammed with both local and international indie rock bands, including Yo La Tengo.

MacPhail may have just seven months of songwriting and guitar playing under her belt, but she says that it's important to get the songs on tape. "It's completely honest. It's the first chapter. People can now hear a songwriter actually developing her craft."

The EP includes a lot of melodic flute lines, of course, as part of MacPhail's plan to bring about a "wind revolution" that will "make the flute more visible in the indie rock industry." One way she'll do it is by moving to Alberta to spend three months in a songwriting residency at the Banff Centre For The Arts.

As a farewell to Ottawa, MacPhail will release her EP and raise funds for her trip at Zaphod Beeblebrox on November 27. Also on the bill are a bunch of friends and supporters, including Marc Charron, Melissa Laveaux and Melwood Cutlery.

Pics of My New Guitar!

2005-11-06T20:07:00.000-05:00

These are some cool pics from a recent trip I made to Toronto.

These pics were taken by a photographer I met named Victor who was shooting pics in Trinity Bellwoods Park that sunny Saturday afternoon. I had just bought a used acoustic guitar from the generous and helpful folks at Capsule Music and had excitedly dashed across the street to try it out. These are pics of me practicing my tunes. I was feeling super tired after staying up until 3am recording the night before...hence, tired Rozalind pics but a special moment nonetheless. It was such a beautiful day and I was so happy to have an acoustic guitar I could call my very own! Man, my fingers still hurt when I practice... I can't wait to get better used to those steel strings. What a suck I am! : )

Pics of Lou Barlow, Snailhouse, Mahogany Frog, Melwood Cutlery, OCFF Friends and Elliott Brood...

2005-10-26T11:16:00.000-04:00

I performed and hung out with a bunch of awesome creative folks during the beautiful month of October. Here's are some shots I have to share with you from those trips...

Ian Sherwood (left) and Greg Hobbs (right) are playing their guitars at Kingston's OCFF Conference Saturday night hotel jam. Karyn Ellis is to the left of Ian...What a fun jam!!!

I'm performing with Melwood Cutlery at the OCFF Conference's awards ceremony. Melwood won first price in the Song From the Heart competition this year for his touching song, "Ballad of the Moonlight Lady." Congrats Melwood!

Elliott Brood at their Six Shooter Records showcase during the OCFF Conference. They rocked!

Mark and Casey rockin' it to a packed house at Ottawa's Zaphod's for their "Ambassador" CD Release Party. The CD is absolutely amazing!

Ottawa's The Acorn and Elliott Brood fooling around in front of Zaphod's after the show. Where's Steve? Great times...

Some of the Brood boys...myself, Steve and Mark. Love you guys! : )

Casey! You always put a huge smile on my face! : )

Ok, another really fun trip...This is on the way back from Montreal after a night of performing with Lou Barlow and partying it up with Winnipeg's Mahogany Frog. The MF guys were so sweet to give me a ride back in their van. This was one last pic before we said our goodbyes. Those guys are pure gold...

jp (left) and Graham (right) of Mahogany Frog at the Green Room in Montreal, having a few drinks after their show.

Jesse (right) and friend at the Green Room after their big show...

Snailhouse (Mike, right) and Lou Barlow (left) after the show on the stage of Montreal's La Sala Rossa...Mike (Snailhouse) did an amazing solo set that night opening up for Lou, it gave me goosebumps.

Lou Barlow and myself saying our goodbyes after the show. That was one magical experience for me to get to play with Lou, that's for sure! Won't ever forget it...

That's it folks. Hope to take more pics soon...

Love Rozalind

website currently down

2005-10-22T16:42:00.000-04:00

Hey Folks,

My website is currently down. It will be back up by Tuesday or Wednesday at the very latest, when I have been able to get a new host.

Love Rozalind

Upcoming Shows

2005-10-22T12:15:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends,

I wanted to let everyone know about a few fun shows that I'll be performing:

Saturday October 22, 9pm
Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield
Peter Katz

Sunday November 6, 9pm
Manx Pub, Ottawa
Ronley Teper

Sunday November 27, 5pm - 11pm
Zaphod's, Ottawa
Rozalind's Last Show in Ottawa...

A very special gathering of musical guests from my past 7 years of performing flute in Ottawa.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. $15 gets you my new EP and a ticket to the show.

Confirmed Acts*

Melwood Cutlery
Lindsay Ferguson
Neil Gerster
Kevin Grant
Melissa Laveaux and Rob Reid
Ana Miura
Patricia Rodi

* more names to be added soon

This will be my last show in Ottawa before I move to a new city. The time has come to go exploring different music scenes around the country. The first stop, Banff, Alberta!
I have been invited to attend the Banff Centre for the Arts for January 2006. I need to raise $5000 in order to attend this special program. Although I received a $5600 scholarship from the Banff Centre, I still need to raise another $5000 to cover the remaining costs of the program. During my time in Banff, I plan to focus on my solo songwriting project as an artist-in-residence as well as collaborate with other visiting artists from all over the world.

I'll be releasing my new EP at the Nov 27th show, titled, "Gas Station Sessions" which was recently recorded on Toronto Island with producer Dale Morningstar. It includes my song, "Into Me, a first-ever for me on guitar, flute and voice. Other tracks include original tunes by songstress extraordinare Lindsay Ferguson with me on flute.

Come join us on November the 27th to celebrate my seven years in Ottawa and to hear lots of very special Ottawa music one last time.

That's it for now folks. Thanks for reading to the end. I hope to see all of you very soon...

Love Rozalind

www.rozalindmacphail.com

Pics from In Support of Living Tour...

2005-10-10T03:35:00.000-04:00

Picture taken in the haunted "orange" room of the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield. From left to right: Brad, Rob and myself

Me performing with In Support of Living with Rob Tyler's films being projected in the background at Kingston's Grad Club, the first night of our tour.

More pics soon...

On Lou Barlow's Message Board!

2005-10-08T00:51:00.000-04:00

So I'm trying to get back on top of stuff after a crazy fun week! I'll probably be posting a number of things over the next few days so check back soon...

Was checking out Lou Barlow's site after having so much fun performing with him the other night in Montreal. Smiled when I read this, from a fan named Krispy:

(Anyone know if this show was taped, board or otherwise? I'd love to buy a copy). Lou Barlow put on a fine show last night at La Sala Rossa in Montreal. Playing acoustic guitar and a trippy keyboardy instrument (with a neat set-up allowing him to man both simultaniously), the songwriter extraordinaire sang new and old, Sebadoh and non-Sebadoh, showcasing a strong voice full of confidence and command. The only low point came when some dolt requested "Happily Divided" which put Barlow in an apparent funk, but a couple of minutes later all was good again. Early on a flutist whom Barlow had met the night before in Ottawa, joined him for a couple of tunes and what a treat that was. She played expertly and in all the right spots. (Future recording in the works??) A pleased Lou later remarked it was the first time he'd performed with flute. I'm a bit pissed cuz I couldn't remember the name of the song "Tree" during request shout outs. Would have been cool to hear something off of "The Sebadoh" - an underrated album in my opinion. Instead I had to settle for yelling out that Lou should go see the Expos play, after he told the audience he had a day off in Montreal. (Amusingly he said he wasn't into sports, preferring porn instead, which must be true cuz I'm not sure he knew the Expos are no longer!) Tons of good tunes were heard though - "On Fire", "Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)", "Mary" and one that mentioned something about war and his love of singing (or was that two different songs?) being among my faves. Opener Snailhouse - one guy on electric guitar - impressed as well. While his winning percentage was bit lower than the headliner, there were some gems, including the newly written set-opener about kings and castles and one titled "The Drugs Make my Heart Beat Faster" (or something like that), a tune about dying. Very strong vox. (Though he might wanna sound-check the beat-box portion of the set, as there was some crazy distortion going on there). Wicked musical value for $15. Oh yeah and Barlow's guitar playing was, as the kids used to say, the bomb. -Krispy

Thanks Krispy!

Talk soon,

Love Rozalind

Gas Station Recording Sessions on Toronto Island

2005-10-06T23:35:00.000-04:00

Recording at the Gas Station on Toronto Island, the place where I grew up and went to public school from a young one until grade 8...The studio used to be my old Island Public School portable! It's a lot cooler now. You can see the path which leads to the beach behind me. Such a beautiful place...

Me recording my guitar track for my song, "Into Me."

Lindsay singing her vocal track for, "Nice to Meet You." How I love that song...

Lindsay Ferguson and I about to ride my Mom's cart with guitars to the other end of the Island to start recording...

It was an awesome experience recording with Dale Morningstar at the Gas Station. Lindsay and I recorded four songs in total, three of Lindsay's and one of mine, to be released at the end of November. I was sick as a dog with a bad cold and a bad fever the day we recorded. It made for a not-to-nice vocal recording for my song, "Into Me." I'll be recording that track again as well as two other songs I've recently written. I'll be recording again at the Gas Station with Dale at the end of October. Look forward to hearing our 6 song EP, titled, "Gas Station Sessions" on November 27th.

Playing with Lou Barlow

2005-10-06T23:33:00.000-04:00

What an amazing experience it was to perform with Lou Barlow in Montreal!

For those of you who don't know who Lou Barlow is, here's a biography I pulled off of his fan's myspace page: www.myspace.com/loubarlow

Lou Barlow has been writing and recording songs, sometimes obsessively, for over 2 decades. His name is practically synonymous with this thing that some would call indie-rock. Hopefully we don’t have to waste too much time telling the back story. Barlow has been an integral force in some of the most successful and influential underground bands of the last two decades—Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion. A Google search will provide plenty of background in two seconds. But the past is the past and the future is now. And now is the time for Emoh.

Emoh is for all practical purposes, the first official solo album by Lou Barlow. There have been other collections and compilations to be sure...some under his own name, some under the moniker of Sentridoh. But those parts did not always make up an integral whole. Collections of songs, often recorded under the sparsest of conditions, do not always an album make. Emoh is an album. Conceived and executed as such, and it is a wonder to behold.

Recorded in studios as far flung as western Massachusetts, Nashville and Los Angeles, Emoh captures the essence of a talent that has made Lou Barlow one of the most respected and influential songwriters of his generation. There are not a lot of bells and whistles here, no extended guitar solos, no studio trickery or production gloss—which is not to say that production is anything less than extraordinary. The songs are distilled to their essence, acoustic guitar with subtle flourishes—cellos here, pianos there, tape loops and sparse percussion—all meticulously crafted, capturing the listener’s attention without distracting from the most important thing...the songs themselves. And these songs are signature Barlow— full of emotion, angst, hope, intelligence and a wry sense of humor. For good measure Lou throws in his own interpretation of a classic hair metal anthem of the 80’s, which is priceless to say the least. He gets some help here and there from a variety of friends, including former band mates Jason Lowenstein (Sebadoh), Imaad Wasif (The Folk Implosion) and Russ Pollard (Sebadoh, The Folk Implosion).

Lou Barlow might not be a household name, but in the world of indie-rock he is a superstar; no matter that this probably makes very little difference to him. But music this good, this subtle, this honest, this damn catchy, deserves an audience, the larger the better. One listen and you will know. Pop songs don’t get much better than this. Lou Barlow is here to stay. And we are all a little bit better off as a result.

***********************************************************************************

Everything seemed to be in the flow as I got a ride to Montreal with Lindsay Ferguson and her brother Jeffrey the day I was to perform with Lou Barlow... I had missed his soundcheck although Lou was kind enough to meet me at 9pm to try out a few of his tunes. I showed up at La Sala Rossa after saying a quick hello to the Mahogany Frog guys at the Green Room. The two clubs are very close to one another, both on one of my favourite Montreal streets, St. Laurent.

I was pretty nervous when I opened that door to the green room behind the stage where Lou was practicing. I just didn't know what he was going to think of my playing and since I didn't know his tunes all that well, I was nervous of messing something up. Lou was great with me though and immediately made me feel at ease. We both loved the acoustics of the room and commented on how fun it would be to record there. We ran through a few tunes, my favourite one being "Legendary" which is off of his new album EMOH. It was so much fun to jam together and felt so natural, like we had been playing together for years. He kept commenting on how much he liked my playing and he even lost his place a few times in the song because he was listening too much to me! We had so much fun that I ended up performing with Lou a few hours later to a packed audience. Another dream of mine was about to come true...

Our performance was magical. I played two songs with Lou about two thirds of the way into his set. Holy goosebumps! I discovered through our performance together that the synth is a great duet partner for the flute. The two sounds blend so nicely and really compliment each other. Gotta try that again sometime soon. Lou uses a synth from the early 70's which I would just love to get my hands on sometime.

The Montreal audience seemed really into my flute playing. I must admit, that was one of the most exciting moments on stage I've experienced in a very long time! I never wanted those two songs to end. Lou commented to the audience after my performance with him that it's the first time he's ever collaborated with a flutist. That made my day. I hope we get to collaborate together again someday soon. I plan to visit Lou in LA next spring so you never know what may happen...

If you are reading this Lou, I thank you for putting your faith in me when you hardly knew anything about me. You must have thought I was pretty nuts when I approached you in Ottawa! Well, thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt and trying out something completely new. That takes serious guts. You are a great inspiration to so many of us and I can certainly see why. Thanks again.

I'll have pics posted soon from the show...

Go buy EMOH! You'll love it, I promise.

Love Rozalind

Feeling Better

2005-10-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends,

Well it seems as if life is taking a turn for the better. Thanks to each and every one of you who went out of their way to make sure I was doing ok during this very challenging time. The good news is that I'm back on track and feeling much better.

So what's been going on? Well, I just got back from a tour with In Support of Living, recorded some new material with Dale Morningstar at the Gas Station on Toronto Island for my upcoming EP, I'm working on putting together one last big show in Ottawa before I move away from Ottawa on Sunday November 27th (mark your calendars) and today, I get to play for Lou Barlow during his soundcheck in Montreal and maybe even the show! I am so excited to be heading out to Montreal today. Last night, I met Lou after his magical solo set at Ottawa's Babylon Nightclub. Just like I was taken back by Yo La Tengo a few years back, I just had to offer my flute services to Lou after hearing his amazing set. What a fantastic songwriter! I knew lots about Lou but had never heard any of his material. I was blown away. When I talked with Lou, he was super cool with me, offering for us to try something out together during his soundcheck this evening in Montreal. If he likes what he hears today, it looks like I'll be playing at La Sala Rossa with him tonight! Crazy how that kind of stuff happens in this musical world of ours. I had already rescheduled everything today in order to see Winnipeg's Mahogany Frog at the Green Room in Montreal as they were so amazing when they performed at Ottawa's Zaphod's last Sunday. Now it looks like I have two reasons to go to visit Montreal...Wish me luck! : )

I'll write about my adventures when I get home. Check out my blog on the weekend and I should have the stories up by then as well as many others I have been promising to share...

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Love Rozalind
http://www.rozalindmacphail.com

My Thoughts on Ear to the Ground

2005-10-03T14:20:00.000-04:00

OK, this one is finally here. I know I took a while to write about Ear to the Ground but I think for good reason. I needed lots of time to think about it and reflect on all that went down. Life came crashing down for me on that dark Wednesday afternoon at the end of August. And lots happened during those two weeks before the festival was cancelled that I had to digest...

First of all, I'm going to ask you to read an article published in Toronto's Eye Weekly that I think is the most honest portrayel of what went down during the last moments before the festival was cancelled. I will then attempt to comment on my end after everyone has read the facts. Please feel free to send me your comments about what I've written. Hopefully by sharing all of this information in the most honest way I know how, we can learn from past mistakes and can create a future indie arts festival that can thrive for years to come.

EARACHE - Toronto's EYE Weekly - September 15th issue

At press time, we learned that all Ear to the ground shows were being cancelled. Go to http://www.eartothegroundfest.com/ for more information.

When it was first announced, the Ear to the Ground Festival sounded like an indie utopia -- not only were there dozens of killer music acts in the lineup, but also a visual art, theatre and dance component to boot. But it appears organizers of the event had more ambition than funds: after several days of rumour and confusion, it was announced on Sept. 12 that the festival, which was to take place this weekend (Sept. 16-18) at Exhibition Place, had been scaled back and relocated to the Opera House, the Phoenix and other venues in the Broadview/Queen area.

Speculation that the festival would be cancelled -- due to a raise in Exhibition Place's rental fee and insufficient advance ticket sales -- was fuelled last week by an email circulated by local Ear to the Ground participant In Support of Living. That was quickly shot down by organizers, who insisted that the City of Toronto had stepped in to lend a hand. However, the negative buzz picked up steam again last weekend on the local forum of popular indie-rock message board http://www.stillepost.ca/, with several festival acts and patrons demanding to know exactly what was going on.

Ear to the Ground founder/producer Craig Logue says that at the end of the day, the festival simply couldn't afford the rental fee of $92,000 Exhibition Place was asking for.
"I have a lot of choice things to say about them," Logue says. "I went in there months ago, got an estimate, then the estimate kept changing on me. They're a very heavily unionized environment, so the unions kept saying they needed more people here and there. Being a project trying to maintain some sort of indie credibility, we didn't have a lot of sponsors, so we needed to sell a lot of advance passes. We only sold 700 passes, and we needed to sell 2,500 to cover our costs."

Organizers were still trying to find a home for most of the festival's acts, but said most of the music would play on. Of the headline acts, Kid Koala, RJD2 and Zoobombs will play the Phoenix Sept. 16, while Sleater-Kinney, The Organ, The Hidden Cameras and Republic of Safety were scheduled to rock the Opera House on Sept. 18.

Death From Above 1979 have pulled out of the festival, leaving Whitby rockers The Mark Inside waiting to hear what would become of the festival slot they were scheduled to share.
"We're not really frustrated about the situation; we were just excited about the chance to play. It doesn't really matter much where we play, as we were planning on attending all three days of the festival anyhow," says frontman Chris Levoir.

At press time, we learned that all the above shows were being cancelled. Go to http://www.eartothegroundfest.com/ for more information.

TABASSUM SIDDIQUI

So what really went down you ask?

On Wednesday afternoon, August 31st, I was contacted via phone as I was teaching a flute lesson by ETTG founder Craig Logue. He seemed extremely upset. For the first time, he told me that ETTG was in jeopardy of being cancelled due to some serious financial obstacles. I absolutely freaked. I had booked over 40 slots for this festival and had many musicians counting on me for their gigs. Many of us had even organised tours surrounding the dates of our ETTG appearances. In Support of Living had even gotten Portland Oregon filmmaker Rob Tyler to join the band for their tour and he had already purchased his plane ticket.

Craig told me the full story about a $104 000 invoice that was sent to him by the CNE, to be paid in full by the Friday before Labour Day weekend, only two days away. He assured me that he had found over $11 000 in errors on the CNE invoice. That lowered our number in the
$92 000 - 93 000 range. Yikes.

At that point, there were only a few solutions to the problem...

1. try to get a payment extension and increase ticket sales as well as find sponsors or high risk investors
2. move the festival to another location
3. cancel the festival altogether

Since we were not willing to cancel the festival without giving it everything we had, we decided that the only option was to try to get a payment extension and increase ticket sales dramatically as well as find sponsors or high risk investors.

I decided to cancel all of my students for the rest of the week to focus exclusively on raising money for the festival. I spent a minimum of 20 hours a day trying to save ETTG. I called every single person who I respect and admire in just about every important position in our music industry, from the very helpful folks at the Canada Arts Council to private investors in Bermuda. People were so helpful and extremely supportive but noone had the money to give. I worked so hard during this time that I even sacrificed eating, walking my dog (my neighbour took her out for me) as well as living off of next to no sleep. I was determined to save the festival and was going to do everything I could to make that happen.

Well sometimes as hard as we try, we can't stop outside influences from creating obstacles for us. No matter how hard I tried during those two weeks, I was not able to raise one penny to save the festival. I did everything I could and would not take no for an answer from anyone. We managed to get an extension for the CNE but by the time our money was due, we had not raised a cent and had to back out of the CNE. Then we proceeded by moving as much of the festival to the Opera House and the Phoenix and neighbouring bars.

At that point, it was the agents who would not cooperate with us. They pulled out some of our most important headlining acts three days before the festival was to begin. At that point we had no choice. We had to pull the plug. That day was one of the saddest days I have ever experienced.

So what have I learned from all of this?

First of all, you cannot start a festival without a substantial financial sponsor, investor or person who has a large amount of cash that they're willing to invest on the board. I also learned that as a music programmer, I will make sure that all the finances are in good working order before I commence my work booking musical acts. I just trusted that they had the money thing in order. Never assume anything. Next time, I will look at the books to ensure that it's true what they're telling me. I will also make sure that I am paid for my time that I've worked next time around, and in advance. After checking my books, I discovered that I had invested over $5000 into ETTG in long distance phone bills for the past 9 months as well as travelling expenses to and from Toronto each month. I was supposed to be reimbursed for a large amount of that after the festival happened. I did not see one penny of that and am still at a loss for that money. Now my time at the Banff Centre for the Arts in in great jeopardy as I was to use that money to get myself to Banff. That also does not include the number of hours I volunteered booking for the festival in which I wasn't paid for. So yes, it was a very valuable learning experience in regards to money.

I also learned that you need to have a strong board with a great track record of experience in making good decisions and that one should research the board member's backgrounds before getting involved. During the final weeks of the festival, I learned that ETTG's board was not making the best decisions and it was impossible to make any changes happen without their consent. In order to have a good festival, you need an experienced board which is comprised of people who have backgrounds in all areas, from law to management to promotion to fundraising just to name a few. The board did the best they could but it simply was not enough to have the festival succeed.

I also learned that it is important to involve the arts councils from the very beginning of planning a festival. When I was calling the Canada Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, FACTOR and the OCFF to ask for their help, they were surprised to hear from me and didn't even know what Ear to the Ground was. Maybe if we had been in touch with those folks at the beginning, they could have helped us. It's always best to keep people of importance in the loop, especially art organisations.

Also, I learned that it is important to start small when starting a new festival. Ear to the Ground was way too huge for it's first year. If the board had started smaller, they would not have been confronted with the same financial issues and obstacles. They also should never have booked it at the CNE as their rates were unbelievably high.

And lastly, I learned that Toronto is not a great place to start a new festival. Torontonians are pretty unsupportive when it comes to buying their tickets in advance. The board should never have counted on ticket sales as a way to pay for their production costs considering that fact but they simply did not know that ticket sales would be so low. Of course, there were other factors too, like the festival taking place right after school began and people thinking that since it was at the CNE, it wouldn't sell out but it's not enough to assume people will buy tickets, especially in the festival's first year. I don't know any festival that didn't lose money in it's first year.

With all that being said, it is now time to close this chapter of my life. Through my experience programming for Ear to the Ground, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I'm really good at booking, great at promoting artists, I'm very organised with my bookkeeping, I am awesome as a publicist and that I have really great phone skills. I also learned that I work great under pressure. Those skills are worth gold to me and are skills that I can use for the rest of my life. I also learned so much about the music industry and made very valuable contacts in which I can now use to help promote my own music career. Sometimes the hardest lessons in life can teach us the very most.

I want to take a moment to say that I am truly sorry to all of you folks who were supposed to perform at the festival. It was the musicians who lost out the most from all of this in the end and that's a real shame. They did not deserve that. I also feel bad for the booking agents that we booked through and the fans who had already purchased their passes for the festival. And I feel a great loss for all the other Ear to the Ground programmers who volunteered their time to the festival and lost money as well as their reputations. In the end, too many of us lost out in Ear to the Ground being cancelled which wasn't fair at all.

I still think that if the board was able to pull it off financially, it would have been an amazing festival that we would have had for years to come. It's a real shame that it didn't happen. And to make me even more upset, it was the most beautiful weather all weekend long when Ear to the Ground was set to happen. Murphy's Law that it had to be so beautiful out as we were all crumbling inside from the great loss.

Thank you to all of you who offered amazing advice and who dedicated your valuable time to helping me save the festival. All was not lost as someday, I will be in a position to program for a festival again and I'll be using all of these valuable lessons to ensure that the festival will be a true success.

Love Rozalind

Sick as a Dog

2005-09-28T14:51:00.000-04:00

I know, I promised to share stories about our ISOL tour and explain my side of things in regards to Ear to the Ground but I just can't right now. I'm sick as a dog. Ever since I got home from touring, Murphy's Law has it that I've been battling a really bad cold. I fear that it may be turning into pneumonia as my lungs aren't feeling so hot. I am prone to getting pneumonia anytime I have a cold and I may have to go for chest x-rays this weekend if I don't feel better by then...Yikes. How I hate being sick.

On that note, back to bed I go.

I'll write again when I'm feeling a bit better...

Love Rozalind

Home Sweet Home

2005-09-25T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!

I am finally back home in Ottawa after experiencing a very challenging few weeks of touring, recording and crazy busy times. I'm super tired right now and can only think about one thing - going to BED!!!! So, I promise to write about Ear to the Ground's cancellation, my tour with ISOL and recording on Toronto Island very soon. Hopefully I can muster the energy to write a bit by tomorrow as I have so many stories to share with you...

I have never looked so forward to sleeping in my own bed as I do at this very moment! On that note, time to get those z's and sweet dreams...

Love Rozalind

Ear to the Ground - Officially Cancelled

2005-09-14T01:32:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends,

Well today has been a very sad day for me.

First of all, for those of you in Ottawa, the Ottawa Ear to the Ground Launch Party which is happening Wednesday Sept 14th at Babylon is still happening and I invite you all to attend. Doors are at 9pm and the music starts at 10pm sharp. Cover is $5. All the money made at the door is going to the artists performing that night. Performers include: As The Poets Affirm, The Department of Foreign Affairs, Lindsay Ferguson, Ana Miura, Phil Lafreniere, Melissa Laveaux, Marc Charron, Neil Gerster, Tanya Janca and myself flutin' with a number of folks. We will all be partying it up in style and I hope you can make it out to support our artists, especially considering what I am about to write to you...

For the past 9 months now, I have been volunteering my time as a music programmer with the indie arts festival called Ear to the Ground. I volunteered my time for this festival because I wanted to find a way to get performing opportunities for all the talented young folks that I believe in and who I think deserve more recognition and exposure from our Canadian music industry. This festival was to take place from Sept 16 - 18 at Toronto's Exhibition Place. As of 9pm tonight, I received word that the festival has officially been cancelled. It is a truly sad day for the younger indie arts community. I could go into great detail about how all of this happened and I do plan to write about it on my blog but at this very moment I am exhausted and need to get a good night's rest. I promise to write about this once I've had time to catch up on sleep and reflect on all that has happened.

For the past three weeks, I put my entire life on hold trying to save Ear to the Ground. Many of you who were in touch with me during this period are aware of how much energy, time and money I invested into this project. I even put food and sleep on hold during the most crucial days of the past three weeks, doing everything I could to make this festival happen. I had convinced myself that if I gave 150%, I would be able to save our festival. I was wrong. Many of you angels warned me that I may not succeed in saving the festival from it's financial troubles but I still persisted. You see, I have often learned in my past that true magic sometimes happens during the toughest and most challenging moments. Miracles can sometimes happen but not this time around. The real breaking moment came to me today when I was notified that one of our headliner's booking agents cancelled three of our most important acts in the festival lineup for the Opera House, only two days before the festival launch was to happen. It's awful to think that we were so close to succeeding in making this festival happen, only to have one agent decide the entire future of our event in one brief phonecall. At this point, I have decided to close this chapter of my life and move on to bigger and better things both as a songwriter and as a performer. I know that I did the very best job I could considering the challenging circumstances and just like any problems I've faced in my life, it's now time to move on and move forward. I know that this experience has been a huge period of learning and personal growth for me and that sometimes the best lessons in life are learned during our periods of great struggle and pain. I thank each and every one of you who have been supporting me over the past little while. Your encouragement has been wonderful. I cannot thank you enough for believing in me and helping me in every way that you did. I also want to thank the performers who I have worked so closely with over the past bunch of months. You have been an absolute pleasure to work with and a huge source of inspiration!

With that being said, I will write about my Ear to the Ground experience on my blog in the next little while but I want to take some time to think about all that has happened and reflect on it all before I write. That way we can all learn something valuable from this experience. I will also be giving you an update of my upcoming performances in the next few days as lots is in the works right now for this week and beyond...Lots is happening and I promise that you'll get all the details very soon.

Love Rozalind

http://www.rozalindmacphail.com/

"Hop the Fence" - Fri Sept 9 @ 5pm - Ottawa's CHUO 89.1 FM

2005-09-09T01:31:00.000-04:00

I'll be interviewed tomorrow on "Hop the Fence," Ottawa's CHUO 89.1 FM - Fri Sept 9 @ 5pm

Check out what they wrote about me for their show...

Classically trained Ottawa flutist, Rozalind MacPhail, is a music teacher by day. But after school, Rozalind likes to get down with some of Canada’s best indie bands. This year she has booked over 40 artists from different fields (music, visual, lit …) to appear at the first annual Ear to the Ground Festival taking place in Toronto next weekend. That is quite a feat. The festival includes lots of other great bands (DFA 1979, Most Serene Republic, Kid Koala, Sleater-Kinney to name but a few). Here in Ottawa, we are getting our very own preview of the show this Wednesday (September 14) at Babylon, with As The Poets Affirm, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ana Miura, The Flaps, Lindsay Ferguson and more. Rozalind is “Hopping the Fence” with us today to tell us all about it.

Let me know what you think!

Love Rozalind

Pics of May 22nd Manx Show

2005-07-18T17:52:00.000-04:00

Photography: Jean-Claude Batista

May 22nd show with Trevor Tchir, Yael Wand and Friends

What a fun show! I played a bunch of songs with Yael and performed Trevor's "One by One" with Trevor, Phil Lafreniere and Lindsay Ferguson. I always love performing at the Manx, especially when it's with two of my fave singer-songwriters! : )

I'm Playing Ottawa's Bluesfest!

2005-07-04T12:18:00.000-04:00

I just found out last night that Lindsay Ferguson and I won a Zaphod Beeblebrox Ottawa Bluesfest Showcase! For over six weeks now all the best musicians in Ottawa have been auditioning on Sunday nights at Zaphod's for a chance to perform at this year's Bluesfest. The competition was unreal. A lot of my favourite singer-songwriters and bands were competing against each other and noone really knew who would be chosen to perform.

Well the good news is that Lindsay Ferguson and As the Poets Affirm were the two top bands picked to perform this year. You know what that means. I get to play at Bluesfest with Lindsay! It seems as if our dream last year of performing on that stage instead of being in the audience will be coming true!

Show Details:

Thursday July 14, 6:15pm
Lindsay Ferguson and band with guest flutist Rozalind MacPhail - opening for The Dears
Black Sheep Stage, Cisco Systems Bluesfest, Ottawa

I just can't wait to get up on that stage!!! See you soon...

Love Rozalind

Canada Day in Wakefield

2005-07-02T11:52:00.000-04:00

Happy Canada Day!

Well it's over now and my neighbourhood is beginning to feel back to normal. The Market was nuts yesterday!

I made an attempt to busk the entire day at the Market, first on my own and later with my singer-songwriter friend Kris Mullaly. Busking by myself in the morning went really well but in the afternoon, busking with Kris was a super frustrating experience. It had nothing to do with our playing together. That was a lot of fun. It had everything to do with the heat and the thousands of drunken individuals who ignored us as they passed by us. I just despise performing when noone's listening.

Kris and I called it quits after this drunken guy harassed Kris to play his guitar on two different occasions. At that point, we feared the safety of our instruments. It was at that point that I thought, "Fuck it, I'm going to the country." I knew Lindsay Ferguson was playing out in Wakefield and so Kris was kind enough to drive us both out there.

What a great time I had. We first went to see Lindsay perform at the Community Centre. She called me up for a few songs which was so much fun and a total surprise as I wasn't expecting to perform. The Wakefield audience loved her set, calling her up for two encores!

And then there were the fireworks. Wow, they were so beautiful. I haven't seen fireworks like that in a long time. And the coolest part of it all was seeing all the kids running around playing as well as the whole community cheering the whole time.

We then went off to a popular bar in town. Everyone was dancing and having fun times. I totally loved the vibe.

We also wandered over to the raft. The raft you ask? Yup, a bunch of Lindsay's friends had spent over a month building a two storey raft for Canada Day. It was pretty amazing! They were burning a beautiful campfire on it while I was hanging out on it. Apparently the whole community was excited about the raft project and encouraged the hardworking bunch to complete the project. Wakefield is such a special and creative place. I could feel so much love and support for Lindsay all around me that night. More communities need to encourage their artists in the same way.

And the night did not end there. The Fiftymen were playing at the Black Sheep. Everyone was dancing and there wasn't a person in the room who didn't have a huge smile on their face. Do I ever love hearing that band. Such energy and such a tight unit. I also love Jake Bryce's playing on the kit. I think he's one of my favourite Ottawa drummers.

And that was it. Since I had woken up at 7am to go busking, I was pretty wiped by the end of the night. Did my pillow ever feel amazing last night!

I hope you all had a really fun Canada Day!

Love Rozalind

Oh Boy, This One's a Doozy

2005-06-29T00:12:00.000-04:00

So we fired two members of In Support of Living today. Yup, you read that correctly. Lots of changes coming ahead for the band. This one had been brewing for a long time and last weekend was the final straw.

So what happened you ask? Too many things but this is what happened last weekend.

First, James decided not to show up at Friday night's band rehearsal and didn't even call to apologize. Then both Nathan and James double booked themselves on Saturday, saying they couldn't make the Ear to the Ground fundraiser show because of a barbecue! And then in Hamilton on Sunday, James and Nathan went missing for over an hour and a half after our show ended and we couldn't find them anywhere. After waiting for what seemed like eternity and searching for them in all the neighbouring bars twice, we decided to drive back to Toronto without them. It felt just aweful to drive away without them in the van but all of us were exhausted and we had done all we could to try to find them. Cal, Scott, Brad and myself were worried sick that something bad had happened to them and we didn't know what to do. Nope, nothing bad had happened to them. They had just selfishly gone drinking and didn't tell a soul where they were going. They had pulled a similar stunt earlier in the evening when they disappeared for drinks during what was supposed to be our soundcheck and didn't bother to tell me where they were going. And let's not forget them arriving half an hour late for showtime as well as them performing completely drunk on stage! Needless to say, I was extremely embarrased by my bandmates that night. I wish I could just erase the whole thing from my memory as it left such a bad taste in my mouth.

A bizarre coincidence:

Cal had just been telling us a story on our way to Hamilton about a touring band that had left one of it's bandmates in Edmonton due to similar bullshit. It took the guy three days to catch up to the band! Luckily, Nathan and James only had to pay $150 to get themselves back to Toronto by cab but not without Brad and I paying for it in nasty threats during the middle of the night. Nathan and James showed up at both Brad's parent's house as well as Cal and Scott's house where they acted extremely aggressive towards both Brad and myself, to the point that Brad ended up calling 911 on them.

It makes me sad that all this went down and that we had to fire those guys. We shared so many great times together over the past bunch of years. Even with all the bullshit, I'm going to miss those boys. Unfortunately, they just went too far over the edge and now there's just no going back.

And just when you thought I was finished, I got another story for you...

My bus trip back to Ottawa on Monday ended up being a serious nightmare. The bus broke down on the 401 and we had no air conditioning the whole time. It took nine hours to get back to Ottawa in what usually takes four and a half hours. Talk about a brutal ride! They always say that bad things happen in threes. I believe it.

Well there you have it. What an aweful weekend I had but hey, sometimes we need to experience the bad in order to truly appreciate the good. Never a dull moment in my life, that's for sure.

Love Rozalind

Fun Times Continue

2005-06-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

So the fun times continue.

Last night I went out to see a show in Ottawa with my friend Lindsay. The Novaks were performing at Zaphod's.

Lindsay had told me about their show weeks back, saying that they were my kind of music. Well she was right! It turns out that Lindsay spent some time with a few of The Novaks folks back when she was living in St. John's. Talk about a small world!

I had a great time listening to those guys perform. Everyone in the audience was totally into it as the guys put on a truly awesome show. I was amazed by their drummer, Elliot, who had the most remarkable energy, spark and skill in his playing. A really good drummer makes a really good band, that's for sure. Mick had the coolest voice and such a captivating stage presence. Mark had the most memorable grooves going on and he sang great vocal harmonies. And Chuck wowed me with some remarkable guitar melodies. Yeah...they're a great band. I look forward to hearing them again and their new CD when it comes out.

So after the show, I continued to have fun times hanging out with The Novaks guys out in Stittsville where they were staying for the night. I had never been out to Stittsville so it was cool to get out there. I was hoping that maybe the stars would be extra beautiful out there and that I could get some fresh air, far away from the polluted Market streets. I learned that night that Stittville is more like a quiet suburb of Kanata (don't shoot me for saying that folks!). I definitely enjoyed all the fresh air in a more peaceful surrounding with some good company and great stories but no beautiful stars! Hanging out with those guys reminded me of all the things that happen to you while you're on the road. You know, the little things, like when your long distance friends always take good care of you, when you meet the most intriguing and beautiful people where you least expect it, when you sometimes get homesick, missing the ones you love and when you grow tired of the many miles of travelling between Canadian cities. I'm glad that I got to hang out with The Novaks folks. Just more the reason to get out to Newfoundland someday and see what St. John's is all about...

It was really nice to meet you Mick, Mark, Chuck and Elliot. Good luck on the road with Sam Roberts guys! See you soon...

Love Rozalind

NXNE and Other Outrageous TO Adventures

2005-06-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

Well the past weekend was the most fun I have had in 2005 as of yet!

Where do I even begin?

NXNE was fantastic. I heard so much amazing music and met a lot of wonderful people. There are too many experiences to write about here so I'm going to give you the highlights instead...Plus, I could get in a bit of trouble for sharing some of my outrageous experiences that I took part in! : )

Thursday June 9

Six Shooter Records Showcase: Elliott Brood @ The Horseshoe

Those guys put on a stellar show. It was a packed house and everyone was dancing. As I have learned, getting people in Toronto to dance is quite the amazing accomplishment. What made the night even more special was that it was Casey's 29th b-day. Fun times were had by all! Six Shooter Records has an awesome thing going on and I'm glad that the Brood boys are part of it...

Matthew Barber @ The El Mocambo

Everytime I see Matt perform, I have such a great time. Talk about one amazing voice and such charisma on stage. Peter Elkas played in the band for this gig which was a real treat. I'm looking forward to hearing Matt's new album which comes out sometime in the late summer. For those of you who don't know this, Matt also plays in another band called Live Country Music. They just released a CD...check it out!

Friday June 10

"G Spot" Remembered - Dinner with composer Scott Good, flutist Conor Nelson and french horn player Jenn Schofield:

Not what you think it is...Scott, Jenn, Conor and I all spent six glorious weeks performing at the Banff Centre for the Arts in the opera orchestra a few years back. We used to drink our beverages on the side of the mountain as we watched the stars after practice. We had a favourite chilling spot called the "g spot." Many fun times were shared there. I haven't seen Scott and Jenn in ages so it was a real nice treat to have dinner at their place, right in the heart of College Street's Littly Italy. Jenn made a fabulous veggie meal as we consumed many drinks in their backyard. Conor had brought a special loquat sake from his recent trip to Japan for us to enjoy. I have never tasted anything like it...it was delicious!

Paper Bag Records Showcase: Fembots, Magneta Lane and The Deadly Snakes @ the Gladstone

This was a super fun show and I'm so glad that I managed to get my friends Conor and Dave in to see it with me! It took some work. Thanks Casey for helping us out with that one! : )
Those are some awesome bands...another label that's got a good thing going on. I just didn't want the live music to ever end that night as it was all so good. I met lots of cool people in the audience, exchanged many friendly smiles with beautiful looking strangers as we all enjoyed dancing to those high energy tunes. Fun times.

Saturday June 11

Playing at the St. Lawrence Market with flutist Conor Nelson

Conor Nelson, the 24 year old classically-trained Canadian flutist who did his Carnegie Hall Debut at the age of 21! What a fantastic flutist. He's on his way to Norfolk after just returning from a competition in Japan. He just completed his Master's of Music in Performance at Yale on full scholarship! Conor is one of the most beautiful people I know...he's been my very best friend in the whole wide world for many years now and I always look forward to our visits together.

We used to busk at the St. Lawrence Market every Saturday morning when we both lived in Toronto over 6 years ago. We decided to get our hung over butts out of bed early on Saturday and busk again! It was so much fun and the goosebump factor was at an ultimate high. People really appreciated our music and we felt so lucky to share such a special moment playing together again. He's my favourite classical flutist to play with as we always end up in stitches from laughing so hard. This time was no exception...Thanks for the fun times Conor! : )

A Hot Saturday Afternoon at Graffiti's in Kensington Market...

The Soundtrack: Justin Rutledge and Elliott Brood just to name a few...

Wow, having nice cold ones all afternoon at Graffiti's in the hot heat was a serious highlight for me. I got to meet so many great people at that showcase, including the folks from Edmonton band AA Sound System. I'm listening to their CD as I write this blog and am loving every minute of it! I had great times hanging out and chatting with Ayla that afternoon out in front of the bar. He was talking all about Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan...I gotta get out there soon. It sounds like heaven. Oh man, did Justin Rutledge and band ever do a great set, just perfect for the hot lazy vibe of the afternoon andthe Brood boys wowed me again. The sweat was pouring off of all of our bodies as we listened to those tunes but we just didn't care as we were having such an amazing time.

Saturday Night...a baked potato and laughing the night away at Casey's with a bottle of whiskey...

From Graffiti's, Conor and I made our way to meet up with the In Support of Living boys in the Annex. They had just finished their barbecue of chicken and potatoes when we arrived. Having not eaten since the morning, Conor and I were soooo hungry and in great need of calories. There was one baked potato left and we claimed it! I have never thought a plain baked potato ever tasted so good! Got to hear a new tune that Brad wrote...flute's gonna sound awesome on it!

Then it was off to meet up with the Elliott Brood boys and friends to go partying at the Horseshoe for the Sadies show. Didn't end up making it out to the Sadies show...we all ended up partying into the wee hours at Casey's place instead. What a great time. I could not stop laughing the whole night. Whenever Casey's around, laughing seems to be the theme. I absolutely love that about him! Picture a room full of smiling people, listening to great tunes, sharing awesome stories while drinking whiskey out of a bottle and passing around scotch out of an old-fashioned flask! It was so much fun. We also got to try a special substance - absinthe from the Czeck Republic which was the most unique experience I've had in a long time. Can't wait to hang out with those folks again as it's always good times when they're around.

A special note to those friends I spent time with while in TO...

- Thanks for the thousands of special moments Conor... miss you already.
- Dave, you rock! Looking forward to more good times and thanks for letting me stay at your awesome place and being my protective "bro" at the Gladstone.
- Mark, Steve and Casey, what can I say, you are an absolute hoot and I can't wait to move back to TO to share more ridiculous fun times together...Casey, keep the laughs comin'!
- Ayla and AA Sound System crew - gotta do that again, maybe on your home turf this time around? and thanks for the final magical tunes of the trip...love the CDs, yours are coming in the mail.
- Colleen, you got some serious style going on! Glad we got to hang...
- Jenn & Scott, I'm so glad I got to see you, let's see each other again soon... : )
- Matt, looking forward to the 22nd at Barrymore's! Good to see you again...can't wait to hear the new CD!

Well there's lots more to share but I better leave it at that for now. Gotta get back to practicing those scales in this super hot heat!

Bye for now,

Love Rozalind

Hiking in Luskville...

2005-06-06T20:04:00.000-04:00

I am so happy right now... Just got back from hiking Luskville Falls in Quebec.

I went hiking along the falls all the way to the very top which was such a beautiful trail. I've always wanted to do that. It was the perfect day for it too, not too sunny and not too hot. I was a bit nervous about the black flies and mosquitos but luckily, I was only bitten once. Of course, it had to be a black fly bite on the forehead and now I have this huge ugly bump for everyone to stare at! It was totally worth it though as I had the time of my life. Played some guitar at the top (I'm getting so much better!), got to smell all the beautiful fresh air, took in some glorious sunshine and watched a flying hawk glide in the wind. Pure magic.

How I love it around here. I'm going to really miss all the gorgeous trails and beautiful clean water when I move back to Toronto in December. I better soak it all in while I still can...

So get out there and enjoy that nature. It's pretty magical out there...

Love Rozalind

Marc Charron's Show...A Night to Remember

2005-06-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

Well I have finally recovered enough to write a new blog entry! Last night was one of those nights that goes down in history...

I was performing last night with Marc Charron for his tour launch show/party at Zaphod's. What a great time and what an awesome night of music. Not only did Marc make the Zaphod's stage look the coolest I've ever seen it (with cool lighting and props), he also had a pinata with the yummiest treats and a slide show where he showed us pics of him skiing behind "cat hill" (behind the parliament buildings). Never knew that it was even possible to ski back there but hey, the pics proved it. The story goes that the "cat man" apparently said to Marc that it's the first time in seventeen years that he's ever seen someone try to do that. Only Marc...

And to top it all off, Marc completely shocked us all by pulling a move I've never seen done in Ottawa. He stripped buck naked for his last song! Yup, we were all completely surprised and amazed as that certainly took guts! Just Marc and his acoustic guitar, it was a pretty cool and fun moment. That one definitely goes down in history.

I want to wish Marc the best of luck as he begins his musical journey across Canada. Have a safe and outrageous journey Marc! You make Ottawa proud. Can't wait to hear the stories when you get home. : )

Well have a great weekend everyone. For those of you living close to Guelph, you gotta check out Track and Field which is an awesome weekend music festival. I'd be there if I had a vehicle to get me there! A bunch of my fave bands are performing at it, including The Acorn, Great Lake Swimmers, SS Cardiacs, Kids on TV and Jon Rae and the Choir. I've been told that Track and Field is an amazing time. I've never been but I plan to go next summer. That being said, there's lots of fun to be had here in Ottawa as well...I'll be drooling over all the funky artwork at the Glebe's Art in the Park. I'm also looking forward to writing some new songs (with better lyrics) out in the good ol' sunshine now that I have myself a new rhyming dictionary. And let me not forget my favourite Bikram Yoga class and my flutin' practice. It ain't no Track and Field but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

Love Rozalind

A Blog Written About Me!

2005-05-31T23:21:00.000-04:00

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...

2005-05-31T22:33:00.000-04:00

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!!!

2005-05-30T02:18:00.000-04:00

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

2005-05-23T02:00:00.000-04:00

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

2005-05-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

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

Being Sick Sucks

2005-04-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

Well I did it again. I managed to run myself down due to staying up late and too many long days without rest. I should have learned the last time I was sick! Oh well, I'm now taking it easy today, practicing my guitar and flutes, writing a song and getting lots of rest. Too much to do to stop altogether but I have slowed down quite a bit from the norm. Colds are never fun but especially not fun when you've gotta perform, keep the business running and attend shows. Luckily, I was able to crash after my two shows on Saturday and I haven't done too much since. I missed the Great Lake Swimmers show at the Black Sheep yesterday but I don't think anyone would have appreciated a coughing individual in the audience. I guess there's always next time but how I was looking forward to that.

I had a very nice surprise waiting for me when I checked my email this morning! It looks like CD Baby online sales are increasing for the Rozalind and Friends album...I was so happy to see that... a fan in Finland and in Quebec both liked what they heard enough to purchase a copy each. That just made my day. It's such an amazing feeling when people demonstrate that they believe in what you are doing. It makes all the difference. Thank you to all of you who have supported me through the years. I appreciate every bit of your help and will continue to make you proud, that's a promise.

Well, time to go back to bed and take care of this cough. I am determined not to get pneumonia this year...

Love Rozalind

Joel Plaskett, Peter Elkas and Matthew Barber

2005-04-17T19:10:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting caught up with blogging! I was feeling so bad this week about holding off on sending my last touring posts. Now that everything's stored in the laptop, it'll be easier to keep on top of it all.

So I had so much fun last night at the Black Sheep in Wakefield, helping out and selling merchandise for the Peter Elkas, Joel Plaskett and Matthew Barber show. Those guys all did amazing sets. It was the first time I had ever seen Joel and Pete play live. Listening to Joel's new CD "La De Da" as I write - pure magic. Those guys had the audience captivated from the very get go. It was something to watch. Joel and Pete's performance of "Happen Now" gave me goosebumps. After last night's show, Joel, Matt and I hung out upstairs, listening to Joel's interesting stories about his recording experience in Arizona and all about how he purchased his beautiful acoustic guitar. I also had a good chat with Pete earlier that evening about the Island as he recorded his CD "Party of One" with Don Kerr at the Gas Station. I'm really looking forward to recording there this summer.

Fun times...How I love meeting all these new folks. Peter and Joel are performing a second show as we speak and I'm sure it's just as magical as last night's was. Definately check those guys out next time they perform in your city. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Not much more to report for now...I'm taking it easy today, enjoying this gorgeous sunshine and working on a new song. Can't wait until I get better at writing lyrics. So far, I feel like a complete beginner and everything's coming out like I'm in grade 3! All my songwriter friends tell me that it gets easier and I certainly hope so as I suck at it right now!

Talk soon,

Love Rozalind

TO...

2005-04-17T19:05:00.000-04:00

in Ottawa, Tuesday April 12, 10am

Wow, fun times in TO…

I am actually writing now that I am home in Ottawa…Had a very busy time in Toronto. Saturday’s show was great. BlueScreen did an amazing set and the Elmo sound technician almost got the sound right for the bansuri. Sound technicians can never seem to get the level right for my bansuri. He did get it really nice for the second song on the classical flute though. I tell you, I just can’t wait until I can afford to hire a good sound person for touring. It makes the whole experience so much easier if you can let someone else take care of those things.

The Disraelis were a real hit at the Elmo as well. What a great band. Lots of energy and such a cool sound. I really enjoyed checking out their set. The guys from Montreal's Brighton had some sweet melodies going as well. Unfortunately, I missed out on Ghostlight as I was showering and eating before the show…Next time…

Saw another great band at Wavelength on Sunday, The Empires. I was really impressed. It was also fun times to hang out with Brad from ISOL and Pete from The Diableros. Great people, good times…what else do you need in life? : )

So now that I’m home, I’m trying to get back on track with all the biz side of things. It never stops but hey, it’s all fun stuff to do. I’ve been so excited about playing the classical guitar lately and it seems as if creativity is pouring out of me right now…very cool.

Gotta embrace moments like these ones and get back to it...

Love Rozalind

The Sleepless Goat

2005-04-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

The Sleepless Goat, Kingston - Saturday April 9, 2pm

How I love having a laptop. I’m sitting at the Sleepless Goat, an amazing veggie restaurant in downtown Kingston. Kingston is such a nice place! It’such a sunny beautiful day…I’ve been walking around downtown, checking it all out. I even stumbled upon a farmer’s market this morning which was pretty cool. I wrote a song about my first experience hanging in Kingston while jamming on my friend Chris’s guitar this morning.

Chris was super sweet to let me stay at his place last night. I am always amazed by the generous hospitality people offer me while I’m on the road. Chris left me the best directions for finding his place when I stumbled in at 5am this morning. It’s the little things that I always seem to notice the most, like how Chris posted signs up on the doors and on the floor to direct me to where I was going in his apartment. Lucky me, I got my own room as the Brood and Acorn guys had to share one small hotel room!!! It really helps to have friends in distant cities.

Us Brood and Acorn folks all partied with a bunch of locals last night after the show. It was a lot of fun. I love meeting new people all the time. One definate advantage of being on the road, that’s for sure. So the show was so much fun last night although we didn’t get as many people out as we were expecting and were really rushed to do the sound. The Brood guys wowed the audience and had everyone dancing to their truly addictive high energy tunes. The Acorn guys are sounding really tight and I’m loving the fast tempo tunes they are now writing. I think the Brood energy has been getting under their skin in a good way as their performance last night was extremely captivating. I had so much fun performing “Books” with them. The flute sounds really nice in it. Never got the chance to play with the Poets as was planned due to a rushed soundcheck but expect a guest appearance in the near future and there’s also some talk of recording as well.

OK, I think it’s about time to go…Gotta meet up with Brad and the other blueScreen folks to get to TO for tonight’s show. Such a short stay in Kingston but how I love this place so much already. I could see myself really enjoying spending some time here…

Love Rozalind

Frog Frog Duck!

2005-04-13T15:49:00.000-04:00

Grad Club, Kingston - Friday April 8, 9pm

What a fun couple of days I’ve been having. Right now I’m in Kingston with the Elliott Brood, The Acorn and As The Poets Affirm folks. We’re just setting up the sound at the Grad Club and as always, there’s lots of waiting around until the sound’s all ready to go. I love being the flutist in the band – not much gear to carry, little to set up with the sound…it’s pretty cool. Most of my work comes from carrying everyone else’s gear which I never seem to mind. It’s good exercise. But right now, I’m chilling out, listening to good tunes and enjoying some quiet time typing to you as I sit in the green room…

Have I mentioned how much I adore the guys from Elliott Brood? Man, did we ever have a good time driving from Ottawa to Kingston today. Casey is an absolute hoot! He had me in stitches all day and I mean, that kind of laughing that makes your tummy hurt. He was playing this kid’s toy keyboard that Steve bought for his child that’s on the way. It had sounds of frogs, dogs, ducks and birds and this hilarious version of jingle bells. We just couldn’t get enough of Casey’s non-stop entertainment and he was actually coming up with some pretty cool sounds. It was the kind of joke that just keeps going and one that you never grow tired of…I’m sure that they will be joking about the frog duck dog sounds for the entire tour. Too bad my time with those folks ends tonight as I’m having suck a good time. Oh well, more good times to come…The BlueScreen folks are picking me up in Kingston tomorrow for their show at the Elmo tomorrow night. I’m really looking forward to that as well…

I’m discovering the true importance of being on the road with people you enjoy spending time with. It makes all the difference, especially during stressful and challenging situations. When you’re on the road, you spend so much time traveling together and waiting around that it’s always nice to spend that time with people you actually like. For example, traveling with the Brood boys today was so much fun that it kept me smiling all day long and now I’m totally pumped to perform a great show.

I’m thinking that tonight’s going to be packed. There have been so many people here since we arrived and they don’t look like they’re leaving anytime soon. It’s that time of year when all the students are out going for their last pints with their professors and drinking themselves silly. Queens seems like a pretty cool place. The Grad Club staff have definitely been wonderful to us so far…very friendly. Can’t wait to have the show start…

On that note, I better get back to helping everyone out…

Love Rozalind