tell you stories

2009-06-15T17:14:00.003-04:00

feeling overwhelmed. Gotta send stuff off for dates starting in 8 days!!!! Will be so fun once I get away. As Mike B and I always say. . ." can't wait to get to work so I can have vacation" . Ha ha . . .hilarious!!!!!

So Rick Neigher did manage to get here for some recording and it turned out soooo great!!!! New tunes. . .three of them available at summer shows. . .some NOT. Will decide when to release them . Mike Borkosky plays all over them too and Creighton produced so. . .all good.
Gonna rehearse this week and will be so great to get EAST. Playing lovely theatres. What a super treat.

Neil Young concert at Massey Hall last week was a great time. Singing with Emilie-Claire and Kathryn Rose. . .well. . . it's my favourite. Pictures are reportedly on the way. Could hear overtones and octaves resonating in that old concert hall while we sang. Wacky and WEIRD! . . .(good weird.) Loved it.

new tunes

2009-02-25T21:12:00.002-05:00

Have been recording! So fun. Have more work to do but hope to have new tunes ready for Spring and summer shows. My buddy , songwriting partner and producer ( Adam's Rib and You Are What You Love) Rick Neigher is hopefully gonna make it to Toronto to play on some of the new tracks. We wrote 4 of the new tunes together . Looking forward to that.
also. . .
My song keeps getting played on Being Erica ( AND I'm diggin the show!) so that's fun too.

Being Erica

2009-01-11T10:56:00.002-05:00

My song Every Little Thing is going to be on the new CBC show Being Erica. I think episode three.
It's episode 2 tonight at 9pm, sunday. My friend Michael Riley is on the show ( you may remember him from many hit shows and movies but. . .of course who could forget him as my awful boyfriend in BLACK SWAN!) The show is supposed to be great so . . .note to self. . .watch BEING ERICA.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T09:19:00.002-05:00

I'm home again. The ground is still moving ( as if still on the train) . . .
I miss everyone terribly but I guess you can't live on a train forever . Was a great trip and so much money was raised and food gathered. I felt so good to be part of it and especially this year when it seems that more people are struggling for just food and shelter. Hard times.

I'm heading into the studio today with Creighton ( brother , producer) to do a vocal and look at some other new material I'm planning to release soon. Feeling excited about music and life.
Thanks to all who came out to see the Holiday Train and to those who have written lately. I hope to be out performing as much as possible in the new year.
See you then.
md

Juno

2008-12-12T09:34:00.001-05:00

Had an awesome day off in Chicago yesterday. Felt funny to be off the train . Have three shows today and the rain is going to change to cold cold soon. Our train has maintained heat and power so far. . Fingers crossed. Canadian train not so lucky.

People in the audience here keep asking what I did in the movie JUNO.

Since they keep reading "JUNO award" in the paper but have no idea what that is. :)

(sent in from train land on Dec 9)

Train Days

2008-11-28T23:49:00.002-05:00

Nov. 27th

Here I am in Scranton PA, on Thanksgiving day here in America. We are celebrating on the train with a day off! Wow. . . so fun. Have been rehearsing the show and getting to know each other . Fun to play with a new band. We are a fantastic bunch of singers and are thinking up fun stuff to arrange and sing on this trip. I'm missing my kids but will get to see them when we hit Southern Ontario in a few more days so I'm hangin in there.

Love that I'm getting to see this part of the U.S. I've traveled in Canada A LOT, so it's very cool to play here and being on the train makes it that much more fun. It's a perspective that you can't get driving on the highway. I love it.

Arts Rally

2008-10-20T20:54:00.003-04:00

Me and Eric Peterson both speak at the Arts Rally prior to the election...

eTalk wants to hear what we're so mad about!

Mark McKinney is great!

xo
mel

Learn more at:

Toronto Star - Arty elites firing back

The Chronicle Herald - Culture proves to be 'mainstream issue'

Globe & Mail - Artist ready to take political centre stage

Mediacaster Magazine - Arts and Culture Rally Says Industry Worth Billions

City TV (with video)

Hollywood Reporter

CTV News

CBC News - 'Vote culture, eh?' artists urge

Sick Kids Rally Photos

2008-10-01T20:32:00.005-04:00

Me and Emilie-Claire Barlow!

(Mel wears Fashion Crimes)

Matt Dusk and Emilie and me...

Some models in little shorts at the rally. Lucky for everyone I did not wear this same outfit.

xo
mel

Sick Kids Car Rally

2008-09-26T13:54:00.002-04:00

I was asked to participate in a car rally a few weeks ago. The idea was that people would bid on the chance to drive a cool car and the top bidders would pick their "celebrity " to ride in the car and do the rally with them.
My friend who invited me informed me that I was one of the "celebrities". Glad she told me cause I woulda been looking all around otherwise . . .watching for the celebrities which included Goldie Hawn ( love her) , the guy who played Carlton on Fresh Prince ( Alonzo. . .that guy who can sing really well and is super funny) and Curtis Josephs ( former Leaf's goalie who had his picture taken with my date Emilie-Claire Barlow!) to name only a few.

Luckily someone picked me early on in the "draft pick " and i got to ride with a great team the following day. We went all over Toronto and did some pretty silly stuff but the highlight was finding out at the end of the day that over $1,000,000 was raised during the weekend for cancer research at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. Not bad.

so much fun

2008-09-05T23:12:00.002-04:00

What a great few weeks in the Maritimes. Thank you to all who came out to the shows in Truro, Guysborough, Halifax and Charlottown. It sure was a fun time. I enjoyed so much, doing what I love to do and this show we're doing now is very satisfying. Mike and Creighton are brilliant and they give me all the room to play all the instruments I wanna play , and sing and showcase the new album and also go back and do songs from albums I released 5 , 10 and 15 years ago. I'm proud of all that work and the many ,many songs and it was just a great couple a weeks.

Tour Pics

2008-09-02T23:36:00.002-04:00

Mel, band, and kids at the airport...

Creighton doing jazzy preshow warm up...
Mel and Creighton post show in Charlottetown...
Mel doing preshow warmup...
Mike doing actual warmup!

md

2008-08-22T20:55:00.001-04:00

more on baggage. . .

I attempted my first trip, with kids , traveling solo ( adult wise that is) for a few shows and some days off with the children . I've traveled alone with them many many times so that is nothing new and I've taken my huge amount of gear on many flights before but combining the two things was a new horizon I hadn't reached before. By the time I was getting the kids from the taxi into the airport to check in I was already sweating , pushing two carts and the kids each carrying a violin. We looked like a crazy hippy family. . .me with my guitar leading a nutty parade around the airport and all this stuff and the kids tagging along . . . .with their own violin cases and we musta had at least five people comment. . ." are you the Von Trapp Family?" . . ."what do you have there . .some prodigies or something?" . . ." what's in those violin cases. . .MACHINE GUNS?!" ha , ha. . .Always a funny one in the airport , that I hear EVERY SINGLE TIME I fly anywhere.

We made it to N.S. just fine.

East Coast

2008-08-06T15:05:00.002-04:00

Looking forward to my East Coast shows so much.
Mike and Creighton will be joining me and we'll get a chance to do this new show in some very lovely Theatres.
I've been hanging with my kids and enjoying the summer . Songs from Little Shop of Horrors and the original Star Wars soundtrack are the reigning favourites right now. ( I've been searching for those original Star Wars disco remixes but. . .no luck so far )
I still define the summers of my childhood by the albums we were into. . .
Abbey Road
Sir Duke ( we had the 45)
Elvira ( also on 45. . . . . .giddy-up)
Jesus Christ Superstar. . .then later Joseph and the Amazing. . . .( not the Donny Osmond production ! The original with the male narrator who sings kinda flat. . . . . . )

shows etc

2008-07-13T21:01:00.002-04:00

Have had a fun few weeks. Lots of rehearsing and good times with the band. Creighton Doane( drums, vocals), Mike Borkosky ( guitar, vocals), Damien Arokium ( guitar) , Dennis Mohammed( bass) .
Did some CBC appearances both radio and t.v. and then played the Glenn Gould Studio on Sat. the 5th. It was a pretty special night. . .great audience and super nice way to launch this new record. Thanks everyone who came . I enjoyed myself. Also thanks to my special guests, Ted Dykstra, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Kathryn rose and Andrew Burashko. You guys were spectacular and I loved playing our tunes from the new album.

Video for Songbird is next and will send some shots ASAP.

pics from out west...

2008-06-29T22:06:00.001-04:00

backstage in calgary...

calgary show...

mike and creighton...

radio promo in edmonton...

baggage

2008-06-25T15:25:00.002-04:00

heading out west.

It was a trick packing this time. I decided to put my electric violin just in my purse. It's kinda small and is almost not weird looking. . .almost.
Then I'm carrying on the other violin as well ( not in my purse) . Creighton was kind enough to offer to carry my mandolin on when he comes in a few days and I sent my guitar thru. ( always a yikes with that , as it rolls away on the converyor belt.) So that just left my pedals and in-ear monitor rig and some cords and tuner etc. . .a whole whack of c.d.'s for the shows and any clothes I might need . . . having to fit on one bag . I'm proud to say . . .I made it happen.

When I was a little kid my folks took us on a train trip from our home town of Halifax to Vancouver. It was the trip of a lifetime and we did packing practices and carrying drills before the big departure day. The main rule being. . ."You have to be able to carry your own luggage". I was in grade 4 at the time but I was well trained to believe that I should always be able to carry my own luggage. . . literally and figuratively.

. . . .another baggage story. When I was on the road doing the oldies circuit with the Mommas and the Poppas ( back in the 90's . . . one of my early gigs when first moved to Toronto) , I would have the pleasure of not only singing with but traveling with Denny Doherty. We did a lot of weekend shows in Germany and would spend many an hour waiting for taxi's, buses, flights, together. What I would give for a flight delay and a chance to hang out with Denny again.
I was quite the worrier and would often concern myself with small details; "where's the hotel? Are we going to be late for sound check? Should I help so and so figure out where the other band members are? "
Denny looked at me one day and just said, "It's not your suitcase."
It was a Denny-ism. ( there are many) . . . .
It's my favourite saying ever,

getting ready...

2008-06-13T19:29:00.003-04:00

Gonna go out with my friend Emilie-Claire Barlow tonight. We were both photographed as part of a Luminato event (a cultural "happening" in Toronto ) and we'll see our portraits tonight. . . . along with the other Milles Femme ( thousand women). Hmmmmmmm, maybe I shoulda called the new album Milles Nuits. Sounds pretty cool en francais.

Have been enjoying getting ready for upcoming shows. Can't wait to play. I'll be in Calgary and Edmonton soon !

in other news. . . .gonna play with the grade 6's from my kid's school this week . I did a songwriting workshop with them back in the winter and as a group we wrote two brand new great songs! They're a great bunch and all contributed something to the project. I'm really proud of them.

later. . . . .

Here's a photo of Emilie looking at her photo. . .and one of me looking at mine ( mine is blurred but .you get the drift of the installation)

Kingston, May 24

2008-05-25T21:42:00.003-04:00

Played last night for a wonderful organization called Buy a Net.
Played with the boys and had a great show but was so moved by the women I met who have been going to Uganda to provide nets to families, in 500 villages now, saving them from Malaria. . . .with these nets that cost $6. It was inspiring and very sad to think of the life we have here in comparison to the families who are crowding into tiny huts at night and hoping for one of these nets so their kids won't die.
Thanks to all who came out and gave and enjoyed the show. Mike and Creighton and I were sure glad to be there.

back to work

2008-04-29T09:56:00.002-04:00

Things are starting to get busy. Planning ahead to rehearsals for the new show and gigs through the summer. Finalizing art work and photos etc.
I haven't had a new album out for a long time and getting it all set up is a part of what I really enjoy. I released my first major label recording Shakespearean Fish at this same time of year in. . . . . 1996 . I didn't know a lot about what was going on then. I knew music. That's what I thought was my job. Turns out, it was for the most part but having the confidence to take on everything else as well, is a pretty great feeling now. Also, the major label mentality has been broken down and creative thinking rules. Makes it pretty fun to be making good music these days.

Spring

2008-04-09T21:08:00.003-04:00

April 9th/08

Wow. I didn't write for a long time.
Things have been busy and believe it or not, the new album is coming.

I've had a busy few months working on a show here in Toronto. My husband Ted is starring in a play called FIRE. The same show we did together when we first met . . . .many years ago. It's a pretty amazing show full of music , although it's a play not a musical, and telling the story loosly based on the lives of Jerry Lee Lewis ( Ted's part) and Jimmy Swaggart . My job this time was assistant musical director ( we couldn't both be IN the show or we'd never see our kids). Ted decided to be the musical director and also be in it so. . .it's been my job to do vocal arranging and just be ears out front cause he's in most of the numbers and that makes it hard to give effective notes so, I do all that.
I've had a great time hanging with the cast, working on arrangements and being at the theatre lots. It's been kind of a flashback to my early days doing theatre in Toronto and meeting Ted and the other people , like Denny Doherty ( Mamas and Papas), who were in that first production with us. It was a special time in my life and shaped all the work and all of the decisions that came after.

The show is running for a few more weeks here in T.O. and then goes on to Edmonton so. . .even though I'm not there everyday, our family is definitely revolving around the show schedule right now.

Prairies and Pics

2007-12-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, finally getting somewhere with stupid phone. We're heading thru the prairies. It's bright and snowy and extremely cold. So fun to ride on through in the cozy train . Little bit hard to get out and play sometimes but the people are there and so much food and money is being collected and that makes it all good, not to mention playing with Earl, Shaun, Pat and Mike . Ok, gotta stop and take photo of spectacular sunset. P.s. Cardio cats did jazzercise on board today. Oh yeah. md

ps: thanks to Breanne and Heather for sending in pics :)

Train Updates

2007-12-06T22:52:00.000-05:00

It's Dec. 5th, Woke up in my deluxe room on this beautiful train, in Sudbury. Had 5 shows yesterday. Internet access is limited and I keep writing little entries on my phone (that I can't work yet) and then lose it all . . .anyway. . .the main points are (before I lose my signal again) :This is a spectacular experience. The sight of this train rolling through small towns, waving to people out in their yards, getting off and playing to the crowds that are waiting. It's simply magical. I especially loved slowly going thru the the city of Torotno as the commuters were heading home on the DVP. A perfect contrast somehow.Yesterday we also did two shows off the caboose. (not the big stage and sound system , just one mike, one guitar ,our voices and the approx 200 people standing around the track in the perfect cold still wintery night.)As far as behind the scenes goes. . . .well. . .I sent a pic of my room. (it's out of control. . .I'm SO HAPPY IN THERE!!). The Wide Mouth boys are so great. I love seeing and hearing them play all day and doing tunes together is a treat for me. I usually miss Creighton and Mike and Brad so much ( which I do) but we're making music out here. Under these crazy circumstances. . .jumping out of the train, walking down to the car with the stage on it, hopping up, tuning quickly and starting the show. It's cold and it's fast and guess what, it sounds REALLY GOOD. That makes me so happy. My new BFF Pat Steward ( drummer) and I have started out on board fitness program. Actually JAZZERCISE! 80's style. We're calling ourselves the Cardio Cats. I think we will single handedly bring aerobics back into the limelight where it belongs! mel out

Dec 4...I'm sleeping in. . . . . Well I'm awake now. Left toronto last night. Fun shows at Distillery and then Vaughn. Train is such a spectacular sight going thru the city. Trying to type on my New Phone. Wish I knew how to use it. It's driving me crazy. Couldn't be having more fun on this tour so far. Love playing music with these guys. Today we have all morning and early aft off so I said I'll be doing jazzercise in the diningroom later. Mel out for now...

P.S.

2007-11-30T23:37:00.000-05:00

p.s. I'm spending the night in Montreal looking out of this lovely old hotel at a snowy downtown scene. So beautiful. . .I can see the Cathedral next door and Christmas lights on the street.

Also, there were some mailing list troubles in trying to get the free download of "All The Diamonds" out to everyone earlier this week. We're working on it and we'll have it out a.s.a.p. Hope you all love it.

mel

To Montreal I Go

2007-11-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

Had the most fun Wednesday night at our sold out Hugh's Room Show in Toronto. Thanks Em and Kathryn for the good times. Boys you were all great. Personal Jesus ROCKED!!! My new fave I think.

I'm on the train , first class, to Montreal (it's almost noon and on this full train car, people are drinking already all around me. . . . . . . .who knew) This is the first part of my adventure. I meet everyone in Montreal, do some rehearsal and then we'll board the Holiday Train tomorrow and start doing shows. I am pretty excited. Have a new phone that I can't work and books and tons of new downloads to listen to and songs to finish writing and my knitting (it's not a tour across Canada without your knitting). Tomorrow I can report on what the train looks like inside (it's a vintage train so I can't wait to see and hear about it) I'll try to use my phone camera that I also can't use.

mel

Busy Busy Days

2007-11-24T18:26:00.000-05:00

The days are going quickly now.I'm preparing to leave town on the CP train tour and also gigging with Emilie and Kathryn on the 28th at Hugh's Room. Looking forward to that a lot but I have to have all my stuff together for Christmas before I leave next week and tomorrow night is the opening of my husband's show at Canadian Stage here in Toronto. . .Little Shop of Horrors. Ted's the director. So. . .kind of a lot going on. Of course my main job is actually taking care of the kids ( school, hockey, ballet, piano, violin, swimming) . . .this other stuff is all just what I do in my spare time! Oh yeah, and the new record is pretty much done. A few things left but . . .I'm starting to get excited. md