Daisy to Rachelle, 10-4 Tall Buddy
The King of Gonzo said it best:
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. "
Hunter S. Thompson
and another brilliant man:
" We shall overcome"
Because we always do.
Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEING IN A BAND IS SO HARD!!!! Well, not all that hard. BUT IT AIN'T FOR SURE UNTIL IT'S FOR SURE. THE INDUSTRY IS FULL OF FLAKES AND MEAN PEOPLE WHO CAN CRUSH YOU LIKE A BUG. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Okay my bread is almost out of the oven and I just needed to vent a little.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Say 'NO and 'GO' and tell someone you trust! Or was it stop drop wnd roll when someone screws you over? Oh, I don't know. I love you girls. Thanks for the meeting. We will perservere. I love you fans. Have a good sleep and don't let the bed bugs bite. No, I am not losing it. Now did I make multigrain or whole wheat? I ground my own flour you know.
We LOVE YOU Valemount!- Rockfest a Success
Okay. My heart is back in rock n' roll. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive as we pulled into the fairgrounds for the first ever Mountain Rockfest in Valemount, B.C. I felt out of place as band after band of boys raged and rolled as the crowd of Sleeman's drenched enthusiasts moshed on. However, by 11 pm I was thoroughly ready for whatever was to come our way. I had on my newly acquired mink coat (it was dead, yes. Probably killed in an inhumane way by a hard up trapper but the coat was free and a lender) and my one green pick was stashed in my pocket ready for some fast pickin'. My team mates were ready as well. We hadn't played together for a whole month so I think each of us had a need for speed. The set was fast and furious with "Church of Cosmotology" and "Carpal Tunnel" as our first two songs. I think I split my pants in song 2 and pulled both my quad muscles in song 3. I just turned ?? so these things are bound to happen. The crowd was so enthused that we could hardly hear our amps. Now I know why Gordie of Big Sugar uses 4 Marshall Stacks! After Daisy's behind the back solo in "Go Fish" and Carolyn's killer bass solo in "Walking Home Lately" and Kim's stick flick in "Ina Godda Davida" and my pant split in "Khartouche" the crowd was completely sold. Our show had come through even though my stage banter dwelled on love, peace, harmony, and the beauty of the moon. These are slightly riskee subjects when large amounts of beer are at quick disposal to young, energetic youth.
So we went home today with are heads high. Thank you to the great crowd for giving us a good ride and to Sean for booking us.
Francois Lake- Home of the Trout
Only 2 more sleeps and then we get to play with Wide Mouth Mason. I am sooo excited as i have not seen them play for a long time. The farm has been a good place to heal. I can now officially sit on a bike seat so life ain't all that bad. The weather has been great but the drought is causing quite a strain on the local farmers and the forestry crews. The spruce beetle his now infesting even the juvenile trees and our whole area is turning red instead of being evergreen. What is going to happen? The fires are flaring up here and there which could be a natural solution as long as it doesn't take the houses and animals with it.
Well I am off to pack for the festival. I can't wait to play with my band again and turn to eleven.
Bars and Lighting Aug 16 2004
Well, you would figure, from all the Bars, clubs, and the occasional strip joints that I have played over the years, I would be used to the lighting. "Not the Case". I am righting this email in a smoky, poor lit bar, close to were I live. Oh I wish I had a computer. My life consists of working and working, and now I just got myself a second job for September. Well, at least until we record our next cd. Until then. Work, play, and Eskimo games are on the way. Ha Ha.
Talk to you soon.
Kim
Back from the Humbling Rockies
I am sitting on my left butt cheek and wheezing like a cat. I have pneumonia and my body feels as though I have been put through the extra long rinse cycle. I have finished the TRansRockies Bike Race with about 30 hours in time penalties but a finishing time none the less. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and my bike, Veronica (a Rocky Mountain ETS-50), stood strong while bikes all around us were snapping to pieces. 22,000 metres in climbing, 600 something kilometres of mud and cow poo and trees and mountains passes and freezing rivers and now I am home. It was like giving birth after a 7 day labour. I cried and was happy and couldn't remember the pain once it was all over. I have soooo much to tell you but need a few days to collect my thoughts. I just remember crossing the finish line and crying like a baby while my good friend Trevor Tyre held me in a bear hug. He bought me double stuff Oreos and made me a veggie burger while I regrouped. I won't be able to sit on a bike seat for at least 2 weeks due to the lack of skin on my butt, so until then I will walk. Thanks to all of those amazing people who supported me by playing the fundraiser (Daisy, Kim and Carolyn), buying raffle tickets, selling me cheap parts (Redbike), encouraging me on the trail (Rick, Marshall, Alyssa, Guy, Eric, Marie, and many more people). OH AND I GOT TO MEET WADE SIMMONS!
Aug 16 Milano
Hmmm.... Switzerland is freaky. I am a musician. I've had to hang out in many sleezy clubs over my career, and endure many sleezy and odd people. For some reason, sipping an iced tea by the water in Geneva, I saw more bizzare, sleezy and just plain weird people than I've ever before seen in one place. Dirty money, nasty people, I guess. Very beautiful locale but... scary. Spending the night in Lusanne, I was awakened by the tiny octagenerian hotel keeper screaming "Au Secours! Au Secours!" She was being attacked by the large man who had greeted us as her grandson at the front door. It was horrible. He was threatening her with a knife and demanding money we found out in the morning. He spoke many languages, was talented in many feilds, and choose to invest his enegeries on preying on old ladies. Hhhhhh....
Another odd occrance later the same day where a distressed girl on a bike was being hassled by a man claiming to know her, claiming that she stole the bike, insisting that she give him her attentions. Crazy. I'm out of time... bye for now.
Some day, somewhere in France
This is my last day in France, and about fourth to last day in Europe. My trip has been wonderful, perhaps the most wonderful part was Paris, my home for the past week. Yes, everything is grand and wonderous and (often over-) decorated and rich and buttery and.... I miss Canada! What an experience it has been, touring through the grand houses and palaces. My last comment before leaving Fountainbleu, however, was "I'm glad we don't have this in Canada." Give me an acre of forest over a palace anyday!
What it takes...
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival was just this weekend. I believe in giving back, so I volunteered for the Airport Shuttle Crew. This is a super-intense as there are changes all the time and you've got to be on your toes. I am barely awake as I write this as I believe I put on just as many km's as some of our tours. The crew I worked with were amazing - YOU GUYS ROCK!!! I'm coming back next year - I want to drive Van Morrison. I drove Rodney Crowell, Linda Tillery, Blue Rodeo, Laura Smith, Lhasa, et al. The common thread was they all had amazing life stories to tell and they are all good good people. Laura, I hope you find a horse to ride when you get home and Linda, I hope George "BubbleHead" Bush doesn't piss you off too much. That's it. I'm going to lift some weights and sleep forever.
Fernie, B.C.- Nervosa
Hi. I am sitting in my hotel room in Fernie, happy that I have one night in a hotel to try and break my nasty cold. The race starts on Sunday and I will be living in a tent in the cold for 7 more days. I am really excited and nervous for the race but I am treating it much like a big show. I am saving all of the nervous energy for the explosive start. My first 10 minutes of riding will be much like the intro to "Church of Cosmotology". My team mate is hydrating himself and I am trying to eat a big ass wrap. I am having a hard time carbo loading because when we are on the road, I avoid carbs due to the long sit times in the van. I now have to force myself to enjoy a sandwich.
My bike is ready to rumble. She is fully tuned and dialled. My prayer beads are hanging around my neck to protect me from the unkown. ACDC is in the Cd player and I am going to begin my stretch routine now.
We did the draw for the cruiser bike and Kendra from Regina won it. Congrats girl! You will look hot to tro with the new Electra Hollywood Cruiser.
We celebrated Kim's birthday yesterday. It is actually today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SLIM. Ik hou van jou met heil mein hart.
Haying's Done- Aug. 3
The haying is done and not a drop of rain. That is a blessing let me tell you. If it rains on the hay before it is baled, my dad loses a gasket.
I did 30 min. of standing hill training this morning. Only five more sleeps until the big TransRockies Challenge. "The Ride Guide" television show emailed today and asked if they could tape my progress over the seven days of racing. I said yes cuz I am bound and determined to finish each stage and heck press is press. Let's see if the rock star can make the first day! I WANT THE FINISHER T-SHIRT. So thie next five days is going to be about eating VERY healthy, getting rid of my cold, drinking lots and lots of water, and fixing my bike. I took my 73 year old grandpa out for a spin yesterday. I was so excited about my Rocky Mountain ETS-50 that I said, "Gramps...you take my bike and I'll take the CCM." The next thing I knew gramps was end over end laying in the grass. I felt horrible and he felt even worse as my front brake rotor was sounding slightly bent. I told him that it was cool to wipe out and that he should be proud.
I have also been finishing my new songs for the next album. I have a solo show 2 days after the race ends so I have to bring my guitar to the race to work on the repetoire in the evenings. Hopefully Hans and Frans won't be mad at me for playing some git in the down time.
Alright, back to hay hauling.
July 30th (I think), Florence, IT
The small towns that I've driven through have really been the highlight of this trip. I've been taking all the small windy roads and getting lost at every third turn. I've been "following my heart", though the sun has also been extremely useful for navigation purposes. This is love. Tuscany, where Iàm camping now, is cool enough for sleeping (quite unlike the site I was at near Venice). Happiness, and way too much chocolate gelati (the only cold thing in Italy).
I splurged the nine Euros today and saw Michelangelo's "David". It was wonderfully more amazing than can be determined through phototgraphs, and definitely worth it. Bye for now.