We just finished an exciting weekend.

We did a couple of pop up shows right here in Newfoundland. Our producer, Mark Neary, asked us if we were going to get a chance to do any of our new material in front of an audience before we went into the studio. Well our answer was ‘no’, so it got us thinking. We contacted Shelley Chase our manager and also Manager of the Year at the 2011 ECMA awards, to tell her that we wanted to get these songs album ready and that we needed to do the show asap. The very next day she called with her idea of a ‘pop up’ show. We would do 4 shows in 4 very unexpected places. We hammered out dates and places and got the ball rollin. Jud Haynes designed a poster for online. We plastered Facebook and our website and sent out a press release. A week later we were performing in Newfoundland to two sold out shows.

The first one took place on Friday in Quidi Vidi at the Inn of Olde. It was amazing. 67 people squeezed into this quaint little bar where your eyes can never get bored for all the knick-knacks in there. The bar counter is made up of old drivers licenses and various other I.D.’s. You can tell which bathroom to go in by looking at the male and female Flintstone characters, Fred and Wilma. The floors are all uneven. A place where you walk straight when you have too much to drink, so I’ve been told. It’s a wonderful gem of a place. Linda, the bartender and owner, is an amazing woman who picked up painting late in life after her bout with cancer. She is super talented and has hugs for everyone and does screech ins on a regular basis. Oh and there’s a wood stove in the corner. Super cozy.

Saturdays show was held in the downtown area. Right on Water Street. It’s a new place called, the Rocket Room. It’s right above the new bakery, cafe called Rocket Bakery. An incredible place. The acoustics seem to get better as people fill it up. I didn’t know that was even possible. On our break, Dave Hopley, store owner served cookies and coffee and tea. Yummy baked goods from the finest bakers on the planet. Mmmmmm. I’ve eaten there s few times now and it’s amazing! Dave and his lady Kim are working really hard to maintain character in the downtown area. Places like, Johnny Ruth, the Living Planet, Pi and now the Rocket Bakery.

We performed all of our new songs amongst the old ones. 7 in total. There are more being ironed out now and those will be performed in June at two more ‘pop up’ locations. Details coming soon.

Thanks to all who made this weekend possible and for coming out and supporting The Once on such short notice.

Thanks to Leslie, Rick and Susan for your help at the shows. Thank you Wallace for guiding us through the sound on Saturday.

The award show is tonight. We are nominated for three awards, Trad Album, Vocal Group and Emerging Artist. As I sit here at the Fairmont in Winnipeg, I can’t help but look back on the year.

The last year has been mind blowing. We are the most fortunate group of people.
We have traveled to Memphis where we recorded at Sun Records. We flew there directly from the Winter Olympics, where we got to see Hockey at it’s finest. We have toured eastern Canada twice. We have hopped around the whole country and we have even made it to Ireland for a short but amazing tour of a place that I have never been.

Here is my/our speech in case we don’t win any awards.

Garrison Hill Entertainment (Shelley, Bob, Teresa, Karen) for booking, managing and scheduling our lives in such a way that we can enjoy every moment we are out on the road. Honestly I don’t think we could do it without you. We get to focus on so much of the world around us and our work. We appreciate everything you do. Thank-you!!!!!

Borealis Records (Bill, Grit, Linda) for loving what we do and helping us keep on doing it. Your passion for artists and music is inspiring to us.

CBC and BBC for continuing to play our music in Canada and beyond.

Fred Records and O’Briens Music Store. You have supported us from day one.

Music NL (Jen and Denis) for supporting us with advice and money for album #2

Mark Neary our producer and Don Ellis our engineer. You made studio time easy, fun and memorable. Laurence Currie for mixing it to our very specific liking.

NLAC (Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council) and the City of St. John’s for supporting the Arts in NL.

Danny Williams (personally, not politically) who is an amazing supporter of the Arts.

Newfoundland and Labrador cause we couldn’t have the band we have without our incredible backgrounds. I am proud to be from a small town in Burin where I am supported so well. Every part of NL I go to feels like home. How is that possible? Make no wonder I couldn’t leave home for more that 6 months at a time.

Duncan and Jud for every artistic bone in your bodies.

Our Angel Investor who wishes to remain anonymous. Without him we would probably have our day jobs. With him we will soon be in a position to pay it forward.

Our Families (including the new) and friends for EVERYTHING! I wish you were here. Mom and Dad, you taught me how to feel blessed and to enjoy every moment. It took me a while to get it but trust that I got it. Dad your life example was the greatest reminder and parting gift I have received.

Our Fans.

Phil and Andrew. How would I even be here without you? I wouldn’t. I love you both so much. Your work ethic is just unbeatable. Honestly!! How lucky am I to have come across you both?? Come on!! To a lifelong career!!

Ok. Done. The list is long cause you don’t get places on your own. Every step of the way someone is there to help you along. Every Step. Be grateful for everyone who reaches out. It’s the least they deserve. The least you can do.

Fingers Crossed!!

I can’t dress myself.

I’m the daughter of a fisherman. Running around on old beat up boats and boulders didn’t warrant much fashion. Living in Path End, Burin, a community with a population I could count by name, didn’t call for much fashion either.

Hand me down jeans, t-shirts and my Reebok pump sneakers suited my days just fine. I wasn’t into sports. I just liked the high tops for my ankles. They were a little better than dad’s boots. Although when dad wasn’t working I did shove my Reebok into those rubbers to wade in the water. I wonder how many times they were soaked for him when he went fishing in the wee hours. He never once complained. I can’t believe I never thought of it until now.

I grew up in ill-fitting clothes that suited me just fine. I am the type that needs to be told to dress nicely and upon presentation of a self-chosen outfit, am usually met with an audible sigh and a simultaneous headshake.

So when the idea of a red dress theme crossed my path I thought, “Awesome. That’s Perfect. I will use it as a costume in every show” and “My God! It’s genius!! Only one suitcase for travel! How smart am I at all! One dress that looks fantastic. Sure, I will buy three and take one on each tour I go on and keep rotating them til I need a new one.”

I’ll be like Johnny Cash, only I’ll be the ‘Woman in Red’.

This year, The Once, started touring outside of NL for the first time in our Folk Career. I got to see PEI and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on our first tour. We ended it with Stan Fest. At Stan Fest you perform about six times in a three-day weekend. The audience follows you and you get to build up a rapport with them because they see you everyday, sometimes twice, sometimes thrice. It’s a steady go-go-go. And oh, aren’t I the smart one for only having the one costume and not having to worry about how much time I am wasting trying to find an outfit to wear at each and every show. Why do girls carry so many suitcases? It astounds me. Why don’t they just do what I do and bring a costume and a couple t-shirts, jeans and sandals and maybe a raincoat?

My manager asked me if she could take me shopping for the next band tour. I thought what the hey… Maybe a new costume might be in order. I could rotate four instead of three costumes.

We get to the first store and she is going on and on about how to make one outfit two by adding a jacket or sweater and how to mix it all up with accessories and how to make clothes eveningwear and daytime wear… My brain does not compute. She talks about all the outfits that we are going to buy and states that maybe it’s time to retire the red dress. I tell her that I kind of like the red dress. She looks at me sighs and shakes her head.

“Do you know…”, She Says, “that at Stan Fest, a fella called me up and told me to tell me that you have to change your outfit. For the Love Of God.”

I tilted my head and thought about this for a second. It was then and only then that I thought of my appearance to everyone that weekend. Then I laughed. It was then and only then that I thought that maybe wearing the same dress three days in a row might make me look like a dirt bag. I never thought of it until then.

I am not sure I want to retire my red dress. But I am ready to learn how to dress myself and maybe take two outfits on the road.