Woah baby, the Junos! What a trip. What a joy to play on a stage for 13000 people. What a treat to get to know Nathan, The Waking Eyes and Fresh I.E., and to play with such gracious legends as Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, riding on the incredible energy of rock and roll.K.D. Lang sang so beautifully, so powerfully, she had our emotions all churning. It was a wonderful blast of soul food that will keep me going for a while.And that was just the telecast. It's been a mad week of festivities, performances and media. On friday before our show at the West End we stuffed ourselves at a dinner provided by the wonderful SOCAN. Ron Sexsmith was there but I was too starstruck to say hi.I did have a nice non-verbal moment with the lovely Sarah Harmer at the party after the Gala event, as she gestured me towards the abundance of the free-flowing bar. I wasn't ready to indulge yet though, had to have my head together for the telecast the following night! So I just smiled. I could have said hello, u rock, but didn't. She seems very human and down to earth though. That was good for me to see. The hype machine of T.V. pumps the glamour of it all, makes people into momentary super-heroes, but really, we're all so gosh dern human.After the telecast we went to a party hosted by one of the big five record companys. I had a blast grooving with the kids from MARIA, and Nicky and I shared a nice dance with the charming Kieth Urban. At that point I was a bit less shy, in part thanks to some very fine single malt scotch provided by the company. I regretted the abundance on monday however. All those misdirected artist royalties contributed to one very nasty hang-over. Never again I say. And I've only ever said that maybe two or three times before.Anyway, the Junos were a blast, Winnipeg was awesome and the celebration was welcome. My band-mates have worked hard, and I am so happy and proud of them, so glad to be able to jump in to help keep the ball rolling. When the win was announced my heart pounded so hard, the oxygen gushed through and every beat made me dizzy. I got all choked up.
SXSW Report
Hey all,We're back from SXSW and happy to report that we had a fabulous time and a successful showcase. The Austin Chronicle chose us as a pick of the festival so we actually had a lineup down the block for our showcase! It was surprising to say the least. There are just so many bands there - this year I think they reached the 1400 mark.We also had a chance to see some great bands - I was thrilled to see that Son Volt was playing (looooove Jay Farrar) and I was also treated to sets by Robyn Hitchcock, Spoon, Calexico and Hot Hot Heat. And of course, I was happy as always to catch my partner's band Novillero. It was certainly a wonderful thing to hang out with Grant in Austin and after all the performing we took in some art galleries and lots of Mexican and Cuban food (check for upcoming food entries for Austin, Fernie, and other locations from our last tour). Austin is an impressive city and everyone we met there was incredibly friendly and had an interesting story to tell.So now we're back in the Peg and we're gearing up for the Juno festivities. We hope everyone can tune in to the telecast and catch us rocking out with fellow Winnipeggers - should be amusing.We've also added some new dates so check out the On Stage page for tour dates in BC and Ontario. We expect to be adding more summer festivals very shortly as well as a few more US dates for May.Hope everyone has a good spring and here's crossing our fingers for a hot summer in Canada (with no forest fires).See you all soon!
Hello from Alberta
Hi everyone,Sorry for the gap in journal entries - we are now in Calgary taking a bit of a breather with our friends Jon and Jodi Ouellette. We just enjoyed three great shows in Kamloops, McBride and Spruce Grove. Thank you to everyone who came out to those. And thank you to Katherine, John, Robin and Lauren Sutherland in Kamloops, Christine Richardson, Wes and Ashley in Edmonton, Kjell Valestrand, Herb and Greg and the gang from CMH Heli-Skiing and the North Country Lodge in McBride for your generosity and pampering. We are so lucky to know you all and we never cease to be amazed by the wonderful people we meet and the great care we receive on the road. Thanks to all of you for making us feel at home. We'll definitely have some new food entries up after this tour!We have a couple of days off which is a welcome break as Annabelle is just getting over a rather nasty cold. She's been a trooper through the shows, though and is looking forward to having her voice back. Soon we'll be heading off to Fernie, Red Deer, Hinton and Grande Prairie and then to Austin for SXSW. Woohoo!As many of you know, the Jennys have been asked to perform as part of a Winnipeg tribute on the Juno telecast and we are getting excited about that. The whole Juno week is going to be a blast and I hope to have the details of those shows on the website very soon.Check back soon for more website additions and thanks to everyone for sending congratulations!~ Nicky
Highlights from the UK
Hey everyone,Well, we're back from the UK and getting ready to embark on some more touring through Canada and the States. We're sorry we weren't able to write a journal entry while we were in England but we actually weren't around computers that much (plus we were probably too busy stuffing our faces with chips or various products derived from clotted cream). Fortunately our hosts were much fitter than we were and took us on killer hikes.We did have an amazing time there, though, and were bowled over by how many people made repeat appearances at shows across the country. To be fair to our Canadian superfans, most distances were under three hours so most were more reasonable treks than what would be the norm in Canada. We do thank everyone who took a risk and caught the shows knowing nothing about us - and we thank those people who became fast devotees and familiar faces. Hi to all of you!Some of the highlights of the tour? Witnessing the "sleeping elephant" fells of Cumbria; not having to drive; the fabulous team at Emerging Music (Ken, Charles, and Sue); the encore cry of Britain, "More"; the pints; the chips; the cream teas; the beautiful lush, green countryside; going back to Rochdale to visit my Gran's old house and the pub she used to frequent and having a pint for her; the incredible history in the least obvious places; the strangely lovely views from motorway rest-stop restaurants; the roaring fires in pubs; the narrow, shrub-lined country lanes (but only because we actually survived them); the realization that more great music has come out of this tiny island than most places in the world; performing in the same room that the Beatles once graced!!!!; performing on BBC Radio 2 on the Bob Harris show; our gracious hosts in Stroud, Glossop, and Northwich; the beaches of Devon; the sunset-lit drive into Glossop; saying the word toque just to confuse people; lamenting the fact that Brits can't enjoy their own fabulous accents; being appalled by our own lack of manners and boorish pronunciations; trying to follow directions without being able to locate actual street signs; watching back-to-back episodes of Eastenders and Coronation Street; Nolene's wonderful cooking in Ireby and Nerys' porridge and salade nicoise; Annabelle's experience with cheaper violin strings in Leicester (look for the video to turn up on the site); my sheep friends on the motorway to Cumbria; seeing my friend Nicola in Chatham for the first time in 8 years. Ah, the list goes on but I don't want to bore anyone.Anyway, we plan on returning in one year's time so hopefully we'll see everyone again. In the meantime, we have some shows in Ontario and then we head to Montreal to play an official showcase at Folk Alliance. AAAAHHHHHH! I'm just a wee bit nervous but I'm sure it will be fine. Haha.And as many of you know, we were nominated for a Juno which is a very cool thing. You watch those shows when you're 15 and never imagine you might be a part of it. Strange. I will be happy if any of the bands nominated win since most of them are good friends.Check above for a couple of older messages from Ruth while we were in England. The one about discovering clotted cream was actually written on February 5th, and the other entry about flying to Toronto was written on January 21st.Bye!~ Nicky
Clotted Cream, We Love You
*Ruth wrote this on February 5th while we were in England.Today we discovered clotted cream. It's a specialty here in Devon, UK. The name says it all - as in the way my arteries feel. We had it on raspberry pavlova (after a huge serving each of the best fish and chips yet) on scones later on in the afternoon when we got to our Bed and Breakfast, and on tiramisu for desert after our show in Torrington. They are going to have to roll us on out of this country...This tour has been amazing so far - we are having the time of our lives. It's the first time we've ever had road managers - our fearless drivers/agents/roadies/friends Ken and Charles from Emerging music have taken on the job and are wonderful to be around. I don't know that they were saying the same about us for the first week of the tour - every time we got in the van we were fast asleep within minutes and out until we reached our destination. Jet lag is real. But we're becoming more and more alive each day - Nicky and Annabelle are exploring the joys of British ale on a daily basis now, and that's always a good sign. I enjoyed whiskey for the first time ever the other night - don't know if that's a good sign or not.We've seen some beautiful countryside - just driving around this country can be a breathtaking experience. That, and you see a lot of sheep. We drove up and down the M6 about 8 times and by the end we knew the sheep by name. We had two days off up in the Lake district where Charles and his partner Nolene live. Charles took us to see an old stone Circle, exploring the shops in Keswick (which he regretted instantly, judging by the look of boredom on his face while we tore them apart), for a lovely walk along the edge of Derentwater, and on a murderously difficult uphill hike where we were rewarded by the view of Keswick and the surrounding hamlets in the valley.Tomorrow, Ken and his partner Sue, also of Emerging music, are taking us on a walk along a beach in Cornwall and to see an old timeless fishing village called Clovelly.It's crazy to think that it's actually coming to a close in a few days. So far it's been one of the best touring experiences we've ever had. And I haven't even mentioned the audiences...we've played for several sold-out crowds, and, contrary to what their quiet behaviour during the show might suggest (we now have a better understanding of 'the British Reserve') they have all been very appreciative of our music. (Thanks to you dedicated people who followed us around to more than one show!) We also played on the Bob Harris show, which by the way will air on BBC Radio 2 on Friday the 11th at midnight. You can tune in on the internet by going to the BBC website and looking up 'Bob Harris', and, if you miss it on Friday, it will be up on the website for a week after, so you have lots of chances to hear it.~ Ruth
Welcoming Annabelle and Hello England
* This was written on January 21st.I'm on the plane from Winnipeg to Toronto. Nicky and I will pick up Annabelle in a couple of hours in Toronto and drive to Lakefield, for the first of two shows in Ontario. In a few days we head to England! I spent about a month there with my family when I was a kid. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago. For our first time ever we have a driver/tour manager so it will be nice to let someone else take care of business for a change. As adventurous as we like to think ourselves, we thought it might be hazardous to the UK population if we attempted driving on the other side of the road on our first time over. Not to mention those round-abouts...I'm happy to report that Annabelle is fabulous and we are thrilled to have her on board. The tour out West was a big success and it was such a pleasure to perform on stage with her. She's bringing some great new repertoire to the mix too, which is exciting. For those of you who have been asking, we are thinking we will probably start recording a new album in the fall. More on that at a later date.That's it for now, thanks for checking in.~ Ruth
Crossing the Pond
Heya Everybody!We're going to ENGLAND tomorrow! YAY! I think joining Ruth and Nicky in The Wailin' Jennys is the smartest choice I've made in a while. These ladies are taking me places! Not only are they great musicians and incredibly hard workers, they are also healthy human beings, full of laughter, joy and hilarity which bubbles over on a regular basis and keeps the Jennys organism happy and functional. Diving into their tunes has been a true pleasure. On top of that, they welcome and celebrate what I bring, adding their own subtle and brilliant colours with precission and artistry. I realize I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but friends, it does feel right and good.Our first journey together had us touring through gorgeous mountain ranges - steep swaths of pine trees, snowy caps, crisp sunny weather and the warm communities of cold northern BC. Vancouver was like some kind of home-coming with Rae Spoon opening and all my people there cheering. The last two nights in Ontario have been sweet. Last night Kingston filled me with intense good vibes. Now we're in Toronto getting ready to fly across the pond.A big thank-you to everyone who has welcomed me so sweetly to this exciting new endeavor. It's good to be here!Cheers,Annabelle
Oh the Lost Luggage
Hi all,We are back out on the road in northern BC and I am loving these drives. We have been warned repeatedly about how hazardous the roads are so I am being cautious, but you couldn't ask for more brilliant scenery.I'm also happy because I finally got my luggage - en route to Vancouver on the 5th, my suitcase decided to take a vacation to Ottawa with the help of a baggage handler who clearly needed another coffee that morning. It took 3 days and a rather frantic shopping trip in Prince Rupert to replace some clothes and eventually get my beloved case back. By the time it showed up it looked like it had been sent around the world. So far on this tour, we have had 7 pieces of luggage not make it to the proper destination on time. Yeesh. Better start carrying deodorant on me.The shows have been great and we have had some wonderful audiences. We have had some incredible meals up here, too. I'll try to get those up on the website as soon as possible. In the meantime, if anyone can suggest good places to eat in Vanderhoof, Houston, Merrit or Port Hardy, please let us know.I think Ruth and Annabelle will be checking in shortly. Stay tuned!~ Nicky