Catch Up

Hmm, I haven't updated my bloggins in a couple of days.  Here's what I've been up to...

The show in Hamilton was a no-go, so I took the bus back to Toronto and stayed at my brother's place again.  I had a nice relaxing afternoon on Friday.  Here I am having some quality time with Ella.

Then around 2:30, I met Dog is Blue, who were doing the London and Ottawa shows with me.  They have a car!  I didn't care that it was tiny, it was still better than the Greyhound.  Paul is very funny and Laura is a real sweetheart.  We got stuck in brutal rush-hour traffic getting out of the city, but made it to London in time to do the show.

This was a house show put on by Paterson Hodgson, who is doing lots of amazing things for the London music scene.  She also excels at sass-talking performers in a hilarious way.  We had a good time playing an intimate little show in her living room.

We stayed with my aunt and uncle at The Farm, their beautiful old house and property just outside of the city.  I find that place really inspiring, so I took lots of pictures.  Bear with me here!

My aunt Muriel (my mom's sister) and my cousin Sylvia.

Kira!  She's a lovely dog.

So many gorgeous flowers.  Muriel is quite a gardener.

Cows next door!

Frog pond!

Yesterday we drove to Ottawa.  I managed to fall asleep for a while so it didn't seem like as long of a drive as it was.  Our show was at the Raw Sugar Cafe, which is one of my favourite venues around.  It looks like my dream living room, full of awesome formica tables, interesting lamps, and mismatched chairs.  They also have vegan treats, which instantly makes me love a place.  

We had a great show.  There was a nice turnout of very attentive and sweet people.  I felt very at home.  

Slamilton

Well, here I am in Hamilton, and alas, I have no show to play.  There was a mix-up with the booking and it looks like I am out of luck.  Fortunately, it's a beautiful day and I managed to get some stuff done in this city even without a show.

Last night's show in Waterloo was good, and a bit strange.  I was paired up with two acoustic guitar-playing ladies to do a songwriter's circle.  Things were going fine until the ladies decided to do a raucous version of "Down By the Riverside."  I was promptly booted off the piano bench so one lady could lay down some impromptu religious revival-style playing.  It was confusing, but done in good spirit, I think.  Then HOTCHA! played and they were super entertaining; they make old timey music at fast tempos.

I lucked out on billeting once again.  This time I stayed with Penny, Gary, and their funny dog, Buddha.  Here he is demonstrating his new trick called "Two Paws."

As you can see, he is a very good boy.  Here is Penny sitting with him.  She even gave me breakfast!

I took the GO bus to Hamilton via Mississauga (not the most direct route, but the only one that worked with my timing).  I did a little in-studio performance at CFMU and had a great time chatting with James, the Program Director there.  It's funny how campus radio stations are remarkably consistent no matter where you are in Canada.  

I experienced probably the lowest point of the tour so far when I had to navigate the McMaster University campus all alone with my heavy piano.  I have a hundred broken blood vessels in my shoulders from lifting that thing.  I laid down on the grass and really thought I wasn't going to make it.      This picture is entitled "Why God, Why?"

After I recovered I made my way to the main road and was pleased to find a Lebanese restaurant where I promptly ordered an enormous veggie combo platter.  Tasty food will fix almost anything.

I shot a segment for the amazing Southern Souls website with Mitch Fillion.  He does great work and always finds interesting ways to shoot bands.  

Now I'm sitting upstairs in the bar where I was supposed to play tonight, trying to figure out what to do with my evening in Hamilton.

Waterloony

I'm in Waterloo now, waiting to set up for my show at Maxwell's.  Fortunately, the weather has changed from a humid soup to more of a warm consommé.  The only problem is that the wind keeps attacking my skirt while I'm carrying the piano.  It's a terrible pin-up painting waiting to happen.

The show in Windsor was what I would call small but mighty.  Some great people came out and were very supportive.  Tom at the Phog Lounge is such a hilarious and vital guide to the Windsor experience.  There were sketchbags-a-plenty wandering the streets.  The humidity seemed to flush them out of their hiding spots, and we had lots of laughs watching them amble by.   I regret that I don't have any photographic evidence of these characters, but frankly, I was afraid of them.

I was fortunate enough to stay with the lovely Crissi Cochrane, former Haligonian and fellow craft- and cat-lover.  Here she is, looking good in her deluxe armchair.

Seriously, what a great host.  And her kitties!  This is Connor, who has a large stature and a sturdy muzzle.  He also likes to stick his tongue out.

And this is Jenny, who does a sort of kitty Olympic routine each morning.

It was such a treat to hang out with Crissi and her beasties.  I took the bus to Kitchener-Waterloo and that's all for now.

Kenny Bloggins: My Ontario Tour Blog Begins!

I'm sitting at the lovely Phog Lounge in Windsor, ON, where I will be playing later tonight.  There was a  little dog named Bridget hanging out.  She's an Italian Greyhound and I pretty much wanted to sneak her into my backpack.

So I flew to Toronto yesterday evening, where I was met by my awesome brother, Jamie.  He was nice enough to let me sleep at his apartment downtown.  His girlfriend Lynda made us vegan moussaka, and then we went out for beer on the warmest night of the year.  There were lots and lots of people out even though it was a Monday.

I fell asleep (kind of) to the sound of garbage trucks banging around.  The mattress had a weird denim print! I believe it was the mattress I used as a small child, although I don't think I appreciated the rad design back then:

Here's Jamie having breakfast with me.  We had to sit on the kitchen floor because the mattress took up too much space.

This is his kitty, Ella, or Wobbles, as I like to call her.  She tips over easily.

Today I took the Greyhound from Toronto to Windsor.  The air conditioning stopped working and it was brutally hot.  I thought there was going to be a mutiny, but then they opened the ceiling vents and everyone calmed down.  

More updates to come!

Toronto show update

For my Toronto friends, the show at The Horseshoe on June 7 will be an early one!  I'm on at 8:40 pm, of all times.  So please come by and hear some music and have a drink with me.

Tour Coming Up

My little tour of Ontario is fast approaching, and I'm busy finalizing details.  I will be doing most of my traveling by the oh-so-glamourous Greyhound bus.  Hopefully I can get lots of reading, knitting, and napping done while I make my way from city to city.  I will be taking photos of people and places along the way, so check back for updates!

On Canvas Closing Gala - Apr. 29

This Friday (Apr. 29), I will be playing at  FRED in Halifax.  It's part of the Closing Gala for "On Canvas - Art for the Planet," an event organized by the Ecology Action Centre.  The event runs from 8 to 10 pm.  Tickets are $10 at the door.