Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Canada Day Pancake Breakfast!

Looking for something to do this Canada in Edmonton?

Come out to Renaissance Community Church Pancake Breakfast!

10 am - Noon
11525-35 Street

Fun for the Family!

Pancakes, Petting Zoo, Firetruck, Worship Band

Post Concert Blues :(

It’s been post concert week and I’ll have to confess, I’m feeling a bit lost.

In addition with working full time, this winter and spring was busy with part-time, night classes for my Public Relations Diploma as well as getting ready for the showcase. School was finished at the beginning of the month. The showcase was the last big commitment that took up a lot of my time.

With everything wrapped up, I’m finding now that I’m a mixture of being exhausted and needing to recoup; having no energy to do anything and wondering what to do with my time.

I’m also a little sad. Even though preparation for the showcase was busy, it is my major performance activity for the year beyond my involvement with worship at Church. Again, it’s like Christmas; done again for another year. It does leave me wondering what else I could be doing with music. I think I’m addicted to the adrenaline rush of being busy.

The upcoming long weekend will probably be good for me.

All that being said, tomorrow is Canada Day and Renaissance Community Church is hosting a community pancake breakfast. For the first time, the worship team is involved. If it’s nice out, and it’s supposed to be, we are going to be doing a couple of sets during the breakfast. From the number of songs, it looks like each set will be about 45 minutes.

And the song list! LOVE it! We will be doing some of my favorite worship songs that just fill me up and I completely love. I won’t be singing but I’m playing keys and it’s going to be so much fun. It should be a fantastic morning! I’m pretty excited.

It starts at 10 am until noon at 11525-23 Avenue if anyone wants to come celebrate the day!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

When the music's over...

So Friday's concert has come and gone. It's almost like Christmas morning - you wait and wait and wait...and the just like that, it's Boxing Day! *L*

I think the concert went really well. I did my normal thing and panicked about lyrics throughout the other performer's sets until it was my turn. I know it's silly; I've been singing without lyrics those 5 songs for over 2 months now.

Firstly, I have to say I was really impressed with Martin Kerr and his opening set for the show. He is extremely talented and I really liked his voice. He even stuck around to hear my set, which opened up the second half.

During intermission, I sat by myself behind the big curtain, sitting at the piano, praying that the set went well, especially conveying my emotions during 'Keep Singing' by MercyMe and my song, 'Gypsy Soul.' I was really nervous about Keep Singing because it would be the first time I accompanied myself on the piano for a larger audience. I had done something similar for my sister at her wedding last summer but this was taking it to a whole new level. Besides one bad note on the piano, the song went really well.

I got a bunch of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' when I declared my life would suck without my hubby and then went into Kelly Clarkson's song with the same name. Then came 'Gypsy Soul.' I almost cried. Not quite but almost. I couldn't see beyond the first row, which was full, and I couldn't tell if people liked it or not. More about that in a bit...

It was an amazing experience though and one I would take with me for the rest of my life. That song was inspired and I really haven't been able to write anything since. Maybe this summer I should try. I don't know. :)

My next song was 'Bringing it all back home' by Luba. I love this song. I love singing it and getting into the emotion of it. I loved performing every note. By the end of it, I couldn't believe I had one song left and it would be over for another year. The set went by so fast!

It wouldn't be a "Paula set" if I didn't sing a Suzie McNeil number. This year I chose 'Supergirl.' I had wore jeans and a buttoned up jean jacket with a very special t-shirt underneath. The plan was to go to the back of the stage, turn my back and take off the jacket and THEN start singing.

What did I do??? I cued the band before I started taking off the jacket and of course I had to sing and take it off at the same time. AND of course, the buttons stuck! Ugh! But it worked and when it came time to sing the chorus, I turned around to reveal my Supergirl t-shirt. So corny. So much fun!

And then it was over. Just like that.

I spent the rest of the concert in the audience with my family. The best moment was the last song when my soon-to-be 7 great-niece and 12 year old great-niece got all excited about the song. The 12 year old exclaimed "this song is EPIC!" *LOL* Epic. I love it. And they knew every single word. It was so cute.

Once the show was over, someone came up to me and told me how much they loved 'Gypsy Soul.' It was a girl from the front row. And as I thanked her, she got all choked up and walked away.

It was one of the best gifts someone has ever given me.

Now I know why song writers write.

Friday, June 25, 2010

In the News! *LOL*

Well...I got my 15 seconds of fame! I officially made it into the Sherwood Park News! If it's in print, it must be true! ;)

I was at our final dress rehearsal yesterday at Festival Place. There were copies of this week's Sherwood Park News in the entrance way of the theatre. Low and behold, the showcase was a story in the paper along with a (very) small billing of my set.

You can see the article on page 30 or on their website:

Students showcase talent at Festival Place

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Very Vocal Preview! Interview with Martin Kerr

I was lucky enough to sit down with Martin Kerr, guest performer at this year's Very Vocal Showcase 2010, to talk about his life, music and upcoming performance at the showcase. Martin was a very gracious host and has lead a fascinating life following his passion for music.

Along with the interview below, check out a sneak peek of Martin and his music!




Paula: How long have you been playing and singing?
Martin: I can't remember a time when I wasn't singing. I started playing guitar and writing songs at the age of 13.

P: Have you had any formal training?
M: I've had a bit of formal training but I've never really enjoyed it.

P: What are your biggest musical influences?
M: I've always loved singer-song writers; anything where the lyric and melody are front and center. My favorite artists growing up were Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon. Later on people like Radio Head, Smashing Pumpkins and Jeff Buckley.

P: What has been the biggest surprise about the music industry?
M: Discovering that it really is possible to make a living in the music industry. That's what I've been doing. Growing up, anyone I told I wanted to be a professional musician would say I would have to have a Plan B and maybe you can do that in your spare time; I would need a real job to pay the bills until you get your big break.

It seems to be the only business where you have to have a big break. If you say you want to work in IT (Information Technology), nobody says you need a real job until you become "Bill Gates." It's the only business in which success seems to be only the top 1% of people and if you are just making a living, its not success. But I think it is; making a living doing what you love.

P: Have you been able to make a living?
M: Yes. Like any small business, it takes a year or two to get off the ground. I'm through that hump and things are going well.

P: You were on Canadian Idol. Can you talk about that experience was like?
M: There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes you don't see on TV. There is a whole prequel to the show that goes on to get from the 10,000 that show up for the auditions to the 1,000 they have time to film for the auditions you see. Basically, they file you into a room five at a time to sing in front of producers of the show who make the initial cuts. So the bit where they walk in seemingly off the streets in front of the judges doesn't happen until a couple days into the process.

P: What was the best part about being involved in the show?
M: By far, getting to meet, perform with and jam with really talented and lovely people from all over Canada.

P: Did the show help you with your career?
M: I think so. It's definitely a foot in the door to say you've sang in front of 2 million people on television.

P: You've recorded a couple of albums. Can you tell me a bit about the recording process?
M: The first one I did was when I was 14 and its out of print now. That was a great experience to make my own album at a time when not everyone had their own CD. It was pretty cool. That was a great experience to cut my teeth in the recording industry.

Later, when I went to record an album of my own songs, I was living in China. I had a friend who had a little bedroom studio in Hong Kong. We put down an album and it actually did really well as an independent.

P: Sounds like you've been all over the world. Where have you performed?
M: I really started taking music seriously as my career when I moved to Canada. Before that, I was travelling mostly around China as well as Central America and South Pacific. I went to New Zeland, Samoa and around the US and Europe; Northern Africa, India. I've been to 30 countries so far.

P: How has the music from those countries influenced your work?
M: Philosophically, seeing the world challenges you and challenges your prejudices. I was lucky to be brought up believing I was a world citizen and the world is my home. You get to see there are good people in every place. I think what it taught me is you need very little to survive. A lot of our fear about your career and about success and survival are based on the assumptions we need a lot more than we do.

P: You did a children's album. Can you tell me about that project?
M: I was working in a Montessori school in Beijing. Some friends of mine had built this school and they wanted me as a teacher. My traveling and reading of the Baha'i faith, I came to believe that influencing and guiding children as they grow up is a very powerful way to improve the world. With the school and reading Maria Montessori books - she has amazing ideas on revolutionizing education.

They asked me to write and record a whole album of children's songs based on character development and the virtues of human character like kindness and helpfulness. I got together with another writer remotely. He would write some; I would write some and we would edit them a bit. I flew out to Beijing to record the tunes. It is being used in schools all over China for their moral education curriculum.

P: What kinds of projects are you currently working on?
M: I'm in the midst of writing a new album. I'm collaborating with some new musicians.

P: How do you get inspirations for your song writing?
M: I'm still learning the discipline of channeling the inspiration when I find it. When I have a powerful idea or feeling, the first thing I want to do is write a song about it. I'm not sure I have an exact method to share. Being ready and available for the feeling is the trick.

P: Do you have any hints or tricks for the young musicians performing at Very Vocal Showcase 2010?
M: The most obvious thing for me is to focus on what you love. Choose songs that you love. If you do that, you won't notice the hours you spend practicing and improving. Take every opportunity to perform. I don't think there is anyone who doesn't feel nervous but you learn to cope with it.

P: Where can people find out more about you and your music?
M: Visit my website at http://www.martinkerr.com/. I'm also on Facebook and MySpace. The website has a newsletter you can sign up for as well.

P: Thank you for sitting down with me!
M: You're welcome!