tag:kateweekes.com,2005:/blogs/blog?p=2Blog2022-06-01T03:32:31-04:00kateweekes.comfalsetag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/64637692020-10-26T17:54:17-04:002020-10-26T17:54:17-04:00Adaptation<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>I have been working hard since the 'lock down' back in spring, to take advantage of the things that I can do while sheltering in place, that I haven't been able to do while living out of a backpack for many years. </p>
<p>Here's what I've been up to. I....</p>
<ul> <li>Joined a 'make your own sourdough starter' club. </li> <li>Grew a garden. </li> <li>Cut my hair off without looking.</li> <li>Had my first summer in the south in 17 years. </li> <li>Caught up on my taxes. </li> <li>Floss regularly.</li> <li>Canned my own cucumbers.</li> <li>Learned to teach guitar lessons effectively on-line.</li> <li>Improved my sight-reading skills.</li> <li>Acquired many banjos and have begun to understand how they work.</li> <li>Expanded my fiddle repertoire and learned to play in 'calico' tuning.</li> <li>Have been playing in DADGAD and open D tuning</li> <li>Have been working on my alternating thumb, finger-picking</li> <li>Canoed in new-to-me parts of Canada including: the Gammon, Bloodvein, Mattawa, Ottawa rivers</li>
</ul>
<p>I am grateful for all that I have and my heart goes out to all the people who are on the front lines, who are unable to see their families, who are facing personal loss. </p>
<p>take care folks,</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/60ca2f6185fcedb51835fda9adcd0591127c17c8/original/early-morning-paddle-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/5edaa01d53b1666bc9ec2d0df7edf37bf40e155e/original/img-5728.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/9d5441c4b6097c329e573ba3986ef3f82c9ea097/original/img-5694.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/b8f90bc5c22712cc4c6b2b4eec0c17c6d93b2e68/original/img-5692.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/b67ec7b79b5f5bd6a041c6bd667c272d0f80b681/original/img-5703.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/a4ebdb07c4c1dc63d196be6b65433558dc015392/original/img-5732-srgb.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/61678412020-01-24T13:06:21-05:002020-01-24T13:06:21-05:00BC Tour: Winter 2020<p>Hello kind folks of the wintery world. </p>
<p>I’m leaving on tour imminently. It’s a blustery eve in the Gatineau Hills and I’m sitting here with a bag of chips and plenty to tell you about. </p>
<p><strong>BC TOUR </strong></p>
<p>Most importantly – the tour dates! I’m going to be playing in northern BC as part of a Home Routes house concert circuit with James Stephens. Check out <a contents="www.homeroutes.ca&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.homeroute.ca">www.homeroutes.ca </a>for or check out my calendar page for ticket info and show details. </p>
<p><strong>Kate Weekes BC Tour 2020 </strong></p>
<p>January 26, 2020 Prince George, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>January 28, 2020 Chetwynd, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>January 29, 2020 Mackenzie, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>January 30, 2020 Miworth, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>January 31, 2020 Fraser, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>February 1, 2020 Terrace, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>February 2, 2020 Prince Rupert, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>February 5, 2020 Smithers, BC: Bulkley Valley Brewery </p>
<p>February 6, 2020 Burns Lake, BC: Old and Bold Café </p>
<p>February 7, 2020 Vanderhoof, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>February 8, 2020 Hart Ski Hill, BC: Home Routes House Concert </p>
<p>February 11, 2020 North Vancouver, BC: House Concert </p>
<p>February 12, 2020 Parksville, BC: Ground Zero Acoustic Lounge </p>
<p>February 13, 2020 Duncan, BC: Duncan Showroom </p>
<p>February 14, 2020 Brentwood Bay, BC: Empourium Cafe </p>
<p>February 15, 2020 Gabriola Island, BC: Songbird House Concert </p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/ce5c19bba9b12d0a7c4626d0a1023d78f9d16732/original/bc2020-tourflyer-lowres.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><strong>FUN TIMES AHEAD</strong> </p>
<p>When the tour is over, I have some fun gigs coming up including a show in Almonte as part of the FolkUs Concert Series. The show is sold out and I looking forward to playing this double bill with Campbell Woods. </p>
<p>On March 27th I’m going to be playing a show with Stephen Fuller in my hometown of Smiths Falls. There is a new little venue there called Bowies. Stephen plays the kora and is a songwriter with a beautiful voice. </p>
<p>Citizen Jane is a duo from Toronto that I will be teaming up with in the spring to play shows with. Things are coming together for the first weekend in April and the first weekend in May. Lots of fun collaboration to look forward to. Have a look at <a contents="https://www.citizenjanemusic.com/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.citizenjanemusic.com">https://www.citizenjanemusic.com/</a> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>FUN TIMES BEHIND </strong></p>
<p>I’ve been playing fiddle! I joined the Fiddleheads Musical Theatre group in Chelsea and have been playing my little fiddling heart out. Here is a shot from our big December concert. </p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/cc3561f171c4c38ea387864b95938db04d21270f/original/fiddleheads-chelsea.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lots of fun gigs happened in the fall including a tour with James Stephens, Emilyn Stam and John David Williams. We played collaborative double bills around eastern Ontario and western Quebec. I feel lucky to get to share the stage with these folks. They are all such fine musicians and it was inspiring to hear what they are up to musically. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/e551a5c4c9a3d4c1f89918ca540bd8ab41d00973/original/img-2608.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">(photo credit: Christine Peringer) </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I got to play a few shows with James Stephens and Brian Sanderson in December. We worked up a western swing tune and some trad swing tunes as well as some of my originals. Brian played horns on my ‘Taken by Surprise’ album. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/5a9941eebdde854d925c1ef3e2eb10670ed43871/original/mill-rd-w-brianjames-margo.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">(Photo Credit: Margo Doucet) </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/77cb6c0746f27f58c9cb597f340c49b2b25503cf/original/katebrianjames-at-earles-hall.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">(Photo Credit: Chris White) </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Another nice thing that happened was that Roots Music Canada reviewed ‘Taken by Surprise’ AND listed it in their top picks for 2019. </p>
<p>Check it out: <a contents="https://www.rootsmusic.ca/2020/01/04/the-mooses-10-favourite-discoveries-of-2019-in-the-roots-music-canada-mailbox/&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.rootsmusic.ca/2020/01/04/the-mooses-10-favourite-discoveries-of-2019-in-the-roots-music-canada-mailbox/">https://www.rootsmusic.ca/2020/01/04/the-mooses-10-favourite-discoveries-of-2019-in-the-roots-music-canada-mailbox/ </a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here’s a picture from years back in the Yukon. I’m missing the Yukon and dog mushing, especially in these snowy times. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/80cfc588b1491a35649cf3fa050b8be7574f69b3/original/kate2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Okay, I’ll go make a cup of tea and perhaps you would like to as well. </p>
<p>Yours in long johns, </p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000532019-03-30T20:00:00-04:002019-03-31T03:47:02-04:00The new album is RELEASED!<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>I'm catching my breath after a busy winter releasing the new album, 'Taken by Surprise'. I played shows throughout Ontario and also in Wakefield, QC. The first concert was in January on a minus 23 kind of day with fierce wind and blowing snow. The radio was advising people to stay home and still we had a packed house at Irene's in Ottawa that afternoon. I was so excited to share the stage with a hot band and officially release these new songs. It was a great kick-off to a run of gigs throughout Ontario that followed over the coming months.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/af29613dda35b5c5cc873ecb2a293928b70ecea1/original/img-1098.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzcxeDIzNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="236" width="371" /></p>
<p>Photo Credit: Alan Weekes</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/0ee41f36c2463274e9ff148780a885be0cb88d0e/original/img-1074.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAweDIyNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="225" width="300" /></p>
<p>Photo Credit: Alan Weekes</p>
<p>I've had some great press for this new album. I've been working with publicist Eric Alper and ended up with live performance spots on CTV and Rogers TV in Ottawa. I had a full-page spread in the Ottawa Citizen with an article by Lynn Saxberg as well as a write-up in the Kingston Whig Standard. I was on CBCs All in a Day chatting with Alan Neal as well. </p>
<p>You can hear the CBC interview here: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/all-in-a-day/segment/15671839">https://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/all-in-a-day/segment/15671839</a></p>
<p>Here is the Ottawa Citizen article: <a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/after-a-decade-up-north-kate-weekes-comes-home">https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/after-a-decade-up-north-kate-weekes-comes-home</a></p>
<p>I've got some time right now to gear up for gigs that are happening in the Yukon in May. I'm going to be playing a CD release on May 2nd with James Stephens in Whitehorse and then James and I will be doing a school tour to Faro, Ross River and Carmacks. It'll be great to see folks up north again and soak up that midnight sun. I'm also playing at Hamilton & Sons as part of a songwriter's series on May 14th, hosted by Gordie Tentrees.</p>
<p>I've been working with Nicole Colbeck of Little Acorn Management and we are meeting regularly to make plans for the coming year. It feels great to have her focus and input on realizing my creative goals.</p>
<p>Here are some shots from the Toronto show that were taken by Imran Babur:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/411fbfc4d6284f8a09af40f2df8b9eced13befa6/original/img-2077.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDU3eDMzOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="339" width="457" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/c5b465efbbc4472ec7f454ef8a06519aae33fcb5/original/img-2112.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDMzNCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="334" width="500" /></p>
<p>I have a couple of shows coming up before we head north:</p>
<p>April 18th is a double-bill in Trenton with Moonfruits</p>
<p>April 27th is a house concert in Toronto</p>
<p>We still have heaps of snow in Wakefield, and fresh snow came down the past couple of days. I'll get out skiing today and soak up the last bits of winter.</p>
<p>all the best,</p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000522018-12-25T19:00:00-05:002020-02-24T16:29:26-05:00The Danes Have Landed<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>I've made some lasting relationships with people I've met in a wilderness context. When I travel through the bush, meeting other humans is significant. A chance meeting on Shipyard Island at the junction of the Yukon and Teslin Rivers brought me to Denmark, led to my canoe trip on the Big Salmon River and inspired the song 'The Danes Have Landed' from my 2019 album Taken by Surprise.</p>
<p> I paddled the Teslin River with friends in the summer of 2014. The conversation one afternoon was about my Danish ancestry and my desire to go to Denmark. Later that same day we were camped on Shipyard Island and saw a canoe pull up to shore. Out stepped two men in matching plaid shirts, their canoe sporting the Danish flag. Sometimes life is like that: ask and ye shall receive. We camped with the Danes and leap-frogged them on the river over the next few days. In Whitehorse and they came to see our sled dogs. Kasper said that if I ever came to to Copenhagen he would take me for a tour of the city in his cargo bike. Well.... when I finished my mushing contract in Norway a couple of winters ago, I sent Kasper a note saying I wanted to come to Copenhagen and he wrote back saying he wanted to uphold his offer.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/558d198b4f8397c5cff134f155216892898fbe84/original/img-4278.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/20061c946018f89b70bea9e9638942e4809ddd43/original/img-4261.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p>Hanging out with Nick & Kasper in Copenhagen was tonnes of fun. I have a childhood friend who has moved to Copenhagen and works as a sound engineer. I recorded 2 of my newly written songs with him and generally loved my time in the city. Kasper took me to Kronberg Castle. In the bottom of the castle sits Holger the Dane. Holger is a Danish hero who will awake when Denmark is in need. It was striking to see Holger. Looking at him with Kasper I realized that I don't feel particularly Danish and Holger does not feel like my hero. Identifying as a Canadian has always been complex for me. I thought I would take comfort in visiting the land of my ancestors, seeing people who looked like me and connecting with my Danish roots. While I was glad to see where my great-grandfather came from years ago, a big ocean of time must be crossed to know that connection more personally.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/3a306974873038d444a47e75c517f3065e39b8a6/original/img-4354.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mzc1eDUwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="500" width="375" /></p>
<p>In the spring of 2018 Kasper and Nick came back to the Yukon and we paddled the Big Salmon River together. One of my best buds from childhood also came on the trip and we had an amazing time exploring this new path through the Pelly Mountains and Big Salmon Range. Its been a joy to watch one adventure spawn another, to see a chance meeting on a river turn into a lasting international friendship. Here's to going with the river's flow.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/06ad36be03d2fe998fcaa94e6e09f4a9350aa46d/original/dsc9444.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzE4eDIzOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="238" width="318" /></p>3:44kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000512018-12-05T19:00:00-05:002018-12-06T02:24:01-05:00Taken by Surprise<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>Today is a big day. I've just received the mastered copy of my new album 'Taken by Surprise'! Yesterday the artwork was finalized and sent to the printers, and tomorrow reproduction begins on the CDs. Its been a huge journey and I am ready to celebrate!</p>
<p>'Taken by Surprise' is the title track of the new album. As I was writing for this album I wanted to capture some of the surreal beauty that I experienced on the Lofoten Islands in Norway. I travelled to the Lofoten's with my roommate from the Malangen Resort, where I worked during the winter of 2017 as a dog mushing guide. We went in early April when our contracts had finished. We rented a car and drove on narrow roads that arched up into bridges, connecting the small fishing villages perched on the rocks. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/3dc79104703d85a140cb62fd62483efabefea3c4/original/img-4195.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDk4eDMzNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="335" width="498" /></p>
<p>One of the aspects that was most striking to me was the combination of snow and mountain and beach and ocean. Seeing sand in the winter was new for me. Standing by the ocean with mountains across the water made me feel like I was on the edge of the world, at the edge of the arctic. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/4a36aa5dea43b3b7d4ebbaf12a2401c6adc21d91/original/img-4142.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDUweDMzOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="338" width="450" /></p>
<p>It was cod season on the Lofoten's while we were there. All over the island were drying racks for the fish and the air was thick with the smell of it. We were travelling in the off-season and things seemed pretty quiet. I enjoyed that aspect of it. After living at a resort all winter it was a contrast to head out and see how people are living in this part of Norway. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/9cf387cefa35c290d6afd27d9f9110e8bf37b83f/original/img-4189.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDUweDMzOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="338" width="450" /></p>
<p>While the imagery from the song 'Taken by Surprise' comes from the Lofoten's, there is an emotional weight to it that seems to have emerged from a place I reached last winter in an effort to move back to my home turf in Ontario. I had turned 35 and something about being in my mid-30s represents to me what my adult life has come to look like. Its hard to make a general statement about this but I did have some expectations of what adult Kate would be doing and how things would play out. While I still have alot of ideals and high hopes and am in many ways quite satisfied, I've also come to realize that not all of my dreams will come true and some parts of life will be hard and sad. And this is okay - its part of the journey. Its coupled with beauty and adventure and love.</p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000502018-11-12T19:00:00-05:002022-04-21T01:17:44-04:00Johnny<p>Hi Friendly Music Folks,</p>
<p>I’ve decided to blog about some of the songs that are going to be coming out on my new album, ‘Taken by Surprise’ on January 20<sup>th</sup>, 2019. This week I’m focusing on ‘Johnny’. </p>
<p>‘Johnny’ was written in February of 2016 in Stutvik, Norway in my bedroom at the Malangen Resort. I was working as a dog mushing guide for the winter and living in a cabin that overlooked the fjord. My room had French doors with glass windows. The light that played on the water, the storms that blew in and the ever-changing ice were fantastic to watch. I brought my guitar with me to Norway and was attempting to keep up a writing practice despite feeling far away from any musical associations in my life. I saw that the FAWM (February Album Writing Month) was happening and I decided to participate as a way of staying musically connected to the rest of the world. ‘Johnny’ was the first song I wrote in February and I think that its whimsical style of story telling that centres around a fictional character came from a place of ease. Many songwriters agree that the ones that come most easily to us are often our favourites. ‘Johnny’ was one of those for me. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/cf47fde370030fb6239544d315d5b01da8e32c04/original/img-3702.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘Johnny’ is a love song. It’s the tale of 2 people who love each other deeply, build a boat and head out to sea. Their boat sinks and as Johnny lovingly coaches the protagonist to swim to shore, she hears the Sirens call and turns away. When she looks back, Johnny is gone. The song is sung from her perspective as she stands in front of an icy fjord, mourning her loss and blaming herself. Oy. </p>
<p>Kinda heavy, but its fictional – right?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/5690a4e455da00b27e58cfb2f72c2807feb77f00/original/img-3859.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>I’ve loved working this song up with James Stephens for live performances since my return from Norway. The chorus holds tension with minor 7 chords and an ascending melody line. There’s a stormy instrumental bit that leads us into the verses, which tell the story as a ballad. For the album we decided to have Brian Sanderson come in and play sousaphone and flugelhorn on it. James is singing harmony and playing mandolin. Alden Roberge adds percussion. I’m playing guitar and singing the melody.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/b3c34f60054c96bc328c5f0cb18bd5b49cf4a649/original/brian-sanderson-sousaphone-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mjg4eDUxNCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="514" width="288" /></p>
<p>Can you hear it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>“I stand at the shore of a broken fjord</em></p>
<p><em>Frozen no more, this beckoning sea</em></p>
<p><em>My hand from yours was silently torn</em></p>
<p><em>While I was distracted by beckoning sea”</em></p>
<p>- Kate Weekes, ‘Johnny’</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/4d62f54867fadb97dde6bfc8b2d26741bd69086a/original/brian-kate-walter-listening.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDI5NCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="294" width="500" /></p>3:18kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000492018-09-25T20:00:00-04:002018-09-26T07:45:24-04:00'When autumn leaves start to fall....'<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>I've just finished up a busy season of canoe and hiking guiding. I've been working in the Yukon, NWT and BC this summer. Its been a week now since my last trip and I am just starting to catch up with myself a bit. I've loved getting to spend the summer based out of Whitehorse. After living up here for so many years, its great to be able to step back into the music scene and catch up with friends. The timing worked well to be able to play some gigs early in the season and in between trips too. I had the opportunity to be part of a songwriting workshop that connected writers with elders in the community. I was paired with Jim Patterson and feel honoured to have been able to sit with him and hear about his life. It was a challenge to come up with a single song that could capture his story. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/2109aad810f2985b0f12d12b9a587ddf02802725/original/dsc9386.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="266" width="400" /></p>
<p>I began the summer with a canoe trip on the Big Salmon river. This was a personal trip with one of my best buds from Ontario as well as 2 dear friends from Denmark. We laughed and laughed and saw many moose. It was a cold trip with rapid water, crisp mornings and beautiful mountains. </p>
<p>I played at the Yukon Women in Music cookshack session at Drury Lake near the beginning of the summer. It was a great way to kick things off and to hang out with musical pals Keitha Clark, BJ MacLean and Kim Beggs. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/cf5391fb3e62382fcf8343c06fd43c513d779994/original/kate-keitha-drury-creek-cropped.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI1NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="255" width="400" /></p>
<p>One highlight of the summer was paddling on the Keele River in NWT. I got to travel to Norman Wells and fly into the Keel with Canoe North Adventures. The Keele is a gorgeous mountain river, high volume with some pretty big wave trains. I discovered the joy of paddling with a spray skirt. I'm going to be playing at a Canoe North Alumni event in November in Orangeville, ON. </p>
<p>There was a jazz jam back in July where I got to play with Keitha Clark, Lonnie Powell, Rob Bergman, Anne Turner, Boyd Benjamin and Andrea McColeman on a few trad standards as well as some Home Sweet Home fiddle classics. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/1c38ee33903673a3f92f09bc359a6d91fd1e83f4/original/hsh-jazzjam.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mzc4eDIzOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="239" width="378" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/9f2db3d22fc3bf27ffe29c94214d3c63d9fd8123/original/kate-keitha-jazzjam.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>With the guiding season over I landed back in Whitehorse in time to do a birthday paddle on the Takhini river on a beautiful fall day. This is us in the 'the Jaws of Death'. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/c5d91af1480bd4af46255c2643938b49f2622540/original/p9185625.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzExeDE5NCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="194" width="311" /></p>
<p>I have a few more days up here to hang out with the sled dogs, do some hiking and squeeze in last visits with friends. I'll be back in Ontario for the fall to finish up work on my new album. I'm excited to dive back into that process and step back a bit in the seasons to hit up the beauty of fall in eastern Ontario. </p>
<p>I've been lining up CD release dates in Ontario for January and February of 2019. Let me know if you're interested in hosting a house concert and check out the calendar page for details.</p>
<p>all the best to you and yours,</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/2713eaa48655b5b816f3d495941be6290eeb0f02/original/img-5071.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000482018-03-22T20:00:00-04:002021-03-03T03:53:57-05:00I'm making and album & I've launched a crowd-funding campaign.<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>I have begun to record a new album of original material and I've launched a crowd-funding campaign to help raise the money for it. My goal is to raise $8,500 in 30 days. So far the campaign has been incredibly encouraging with letters of support accompanying contributions from friends, fans and family. I feel grateful for the enthusiasm about this project and it is wonderful to have a team behind me, cheering me on as I dive into this endeavour. The campaign is through Indiegogo and you can watch a cool video shot at the studio by Stephen Fuller Intermedia to learn more about the process and goals. Click on the "NEW Kate Weekes Album" text below:</p>
<p> <iframe frameborder="0" height="445" scrolling="no" src="https://www.indiegogo.com/project/new-kate-weekes-album-music/embedded/18322206" width="222"></iframe></p>
<p>I am recording the album near Old Chelsea in Quebec with James Stephens. This is my first time recording outside of the Yukon and its already been a great process. We have mostly been working on pre-production so far: work-shopping my songs, coming up with ideas for instrumentation and arrangements, lots of listening and lots of playing. The next step will be to lay down bed tracks with bass, guitar and drums. We're hoping to dive into that in the first part of May.</p>
<p>Please share the Indiegogo page with your friends and help get the word out about this campaign. </p>
<p>Thanks for your support everyone,</p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000472018-01-21T19:00:00-05:002018-02-01T09:41:21-05:00Cultural Adaptation<p>Hi team,</p>
<p>I have found that great geographic upheavals take time to adapt to, but coming home has often been the greatest challenge. When I head somewhere new, I expect to meet with difficulties. I expect that I will not necessarily find my way and that it will take time to learn the ropes, to make friends. Coming back to Ontario, although I have spent most of my adult life away from this place - I still somehow expect that I will easily fit back in like a missing puzzle piece. That things will come together and more than anywhere else, I will feel a sense of belonging. After all, this is where I am from. These are the people I grew up with, who raised me. This is the landscape of my youth.</p>
<p>I spent much of the fall wondering why I had come back to Ontario and feeling like all that I know about how life works is false in this place. This is understandable. I had just come back from a summer in the north-west, where although I was still in Canada, the culture is discernably different from that of Ontario. I spent the summer in the bush, away from cars, concrete and the internet. I arrived quite abruptly in an urban environment: a corner house with a stream of university students walking by, bars on the window and the sound of mid-week parties echoing down the street.</p>
<p>Intellectually, it makes sense that I would go through some culture shock upon my arrival in Kingston. Nonetheless, I think that feeling out of place in my home town is much harder than feeling out of place in a foreign country. Its difficult to describe this experience but it is something like walking around in a strange dream where everything seems wrong but everyone is acting like all is as it should be.</p>
<p>Despite battles in my head and heart I took some tangible steps like paying rent and having a studio space for music. I bought my very first car and I realized that I was two thirds of my way through this list I compiled while in Norway last winter of 'life goals'.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/68a080d2f3c1c9298156477f7794bc2a4b767109/original/img-4739.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAweDI1NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="257" width="300" /></p>
<p>In some ways it seems like a funny list but it does represent what I felt was lacking as I bounced around the world. It also explains how I came to find myself paying rent and buying a car in Ontario.</p>
<p>This is the view from my music room with a stain glass of my cabin in the Yukon hanging in front of the bars on my window. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/fab74502a1eda7a1bc1f8e5f6097486697c30ed3/original/img-4684.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzUweDM0MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="341" width="350" /></p>
<p>I turned 35 this fall and moved into my new space with no furniture. It is my first time having a place of my own since I moved out of my cabin up north a few years ago. It made me laugh to think that this is what my adult life looks like.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/2601fb01e8c78503367dd8805199ce8b6e577077/original/img-4674.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAxeDI2MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="261" width="301" /></p>
<p> Many things have come together since I landed here in September. I attended the Folk Music Ontario conference in October and received the 'Songs from the Heart' Award in the political category for my song "Sing it to the Hills". What an honour to be showcased along side the writers who won in the other categories. It was a fabulous weekend over all of making musical friends and reconnecting with the Ontario folk music community. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/fd824814437dc0b308fb06f1e6e8b85e17d6e741/original/img-4752.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzI1eDI1MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="253" width="325" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/11d00a01a446bba704764ccb20b863912cc84086/original/img-4754.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzI3eDI1MyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="253" width="327" /></p>
<p> I played some gigs in the fall including a double-bill here in Kingston with my pal Ali McCormick. I've got some gigs lined up for this winter with other musical friends including Christine Graves, Ian Tamblyn, James Stephens, Emilyn Stamm and Paul Clifford. Partly why I was excited to spend time in Ontario was for the opportunity to play with folks down here and I'm looking forward to playing shows with these folks and building new musical relationships. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/4dc00b9f1070dd31ac7c3fd156b2ee49f637f8cc/original/resized-20180105-202733-818.jpeg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjcweDIxNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="216" width="270" /></p>
<p> I've been writing up a storm these past couple of months. Its been great to have some routine and a quiet work space for this. I'm going to be recording an album this winter with James Stephens as producer. It will be my first time recording outside of the Yukon, and I'm excited to work with James. I will be launching a kickstarter campaign soon to raise funds for the project, keep your eyes peeled! This will be my 3rd solo album of original material. </p>
<p>And so, it has been a great adventure thus far of learning how to stay in one geographic space for many months at a time. This has felt more terrifying to me than waking up with a grizzly bear at my tent but I am stronger and braver for it. </p>
<p>I wonder what I'll write to you about next. Likely: many things that I am grateful for as that has been my focus of late.</p>
<p>All the best from this rainy town in eastern Ontario,</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/2f9ff140b8fc99cac1460c7b069b95fb4dd380de/original/group-shot-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="268" width="400" /></p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000462017-09-23T20:00:00-04:002017-11-06T03:49:44-05:00Grizzly Bears and Awards<p>Bloggitty Blog Blog Blog.....</p>
<p>The big news is that my song 'Sing it to the Hills' won the political category for the Songs from the Heart songwriting competition through Folk Music Ontario! I am humbled and delighted to receive this news and also wish to congratulate the winners in the other categories. </p>
<p>You can view a live performance of the song on my 'videos' page or listen to the studio track on my 'Listen' page. </p>
<p>Beyond that.....I've just moved to Kingston Ontario. Ahhhh Kingston. I last lived here as a 20 yr. old, just before heading up to the Yukon for the first time. I'm excited to spend the winter focusing on musical projects and reconnecting with the arts community here. I will be working on my writing, offering guitar lessons and considering my creative objectives. Its been interesting be backin my old stomping grounds and to walk past the street corner where I spent a winter busking to pay my rent. </p>
<p>I had a fantastic summer with guiding trips in the Yukon and BC. I paddled the Yukon River and Bowron Lakes and hiked the Chilkoot and in the Tombstone Mountains. Overall the trips were stunning with a mix of weather and some lovely folks to paddle and hike with. I had an adventurous time on the Yukon River in July when I woke up to a grizzly bear putting its paw on my tent. This led to a few hours of group management as we packed up camp while keeping an eye on the bear who didn't seem interested in leaving the area. Here is a shot of grizzly tooth holes in our water jug:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/1aa6e57d48e74018307aa18a2e750655939b5588/original/img-4573.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>Partway through the summer I flew back to Ontario to perform at Blue Skies Music Festival with James Stephens. Much of my cultural identity comes from Blue Skies and it was grounding to spend time with friends and family dancing under the stars. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/1061a3e92a06ed59096dd4a8fa48cc932cadf178/original/bs-2017-3.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDYzeDMwNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="306" width="463" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/fcf37c2e4a8b22b14d983738938b9a98845c6443/original/21931554-10102192239816839-1424619274-o.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAweDQwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="300" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/652afa202a38d1a9a4a81eabd7f719cdea8bff50/original/bs-2017-2.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>I had a bit of time in August to hike with friends to see the Samuel Glacier in the Haines Pass. The area is part of the Tatenshini-Alsek Park in the northwest corner of BC. The area combines with Kluane Naitonal Park in the Yukon and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska to create a large swath of protected area. The area is abundant with glaciers, mountains, snow fields, rivers and wildlife. We hiked in on a day that was wreathed with mist. We hiked through a plateau to the edge of a valley that stared across at the glacier. The clouds swept through the valley, offering glimpses of two tongues of the glacier and adding to the wonder of the place. I would love to go back and spend more time exploring. The hiking was easy above the tree line in an alpine tundra landscape.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/6f1d173fb842541c9be35df8e7a77c54cf8c8256/original/img-4614.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDA2eDI5NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="297" width="406" /></p>
<p>Before heading to BC to guide my last trip of the season on the Bowron Lakes, I got to sit in on a few tunes with some friends in Whitehorse playing a jazz gig. This is a shot with Keitha Clark, Gord Miller and Anne Turner. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/fc48767f5b0dab336d633a905d99d20dd4fa6fb3/original/img-4664.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAxeDMxOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="318" width="401" /></p>
<p>I've been through a whirlwind of false starts to the winter over the past month. I guided in the Tombstone Mountains at the end of August in the Yukon and was wearing 2 pairs of long johns, a toque and a down vest as snow crept its way down the mountains. Soon after, I flew to Squamish BC where it was 30 degrees and I couldn't stay cool enough. After that I drove through smoke for 12 hours north to the Bowron Lakes in the Cariboo Mountains. We finished the trip with frost on the canoes and sub zero temperatures. Now I am in Ontario where it has been 27 degrees since I landed and I am wondering what ever happened to fall. My body has no idea what is going on, nor does my brain, so I am trying to be gentle with myself as I attempt to adjust once again.</p>
<p>Okey Dokey, time for a cold shower and to set up this music room o mine.</p>
<p>Sat Nam,</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p> </p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000452017-04-23T20:00:00-04:002017-04-24T08:26:23-04:00...and then I went to Norway....<p>I've been back in Canada for a week now and am digesting all that has transpired; searching myself for signs of personal growth, clues of where to steer my heart next. Here follows, the tale of a winter at 69 degrees on the coast of the Norwegian Sea...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/15128b9a8ce2fde805279b596ce9e54d63c4a777/original/img-3512.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p>I paddled on the Wind River this past August, guiding a group of guests through the Peel Watershed in the Yukon Territory. Somewhere between the fast moving waters of the upper Wind and the flood we encountered as it entered the Peel, it became clear to me that I was exactly where I wanted to be. While we camped on a recently-submerged gravel bar in the middle of the Peel, waiting for the flood waters to recede, our group discussed what life would look like as we re-entered civilization. I had made a plan of no plan. Somehow even in my folk musician/wilderness guide life I had found myself inclined toward an over-scheduled, anxiety filled pattern of committing to things that I looked forward to with dread, often wishing I had left room in my schedule to align with my present self. And so, the plan of no plan. I determined to arrive at September 2016 with no home and no work or travel prospects. In my blissful northern river state, it became clear that whatever my future held, it needed to continue on this path of heading straight for the target - living my dreams.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/7ea9f920add09a9238897a7e5e06f5daa82911dc/original/img-3708.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p>In a flurry between the flooded Wind River trip and heading out on a trip in the Tombstone Mountains I sent out a few feelers for dog mushing prospects in Scandinavia, an idea that had been mumbling around for some time. Over the course of a few weeks I had secured a job in northern Norway for the winter. When I received the call that I had been selected for the position of dog mushing guide and would I accept the job, my response was 'I would be a fool to say no'. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/1d0728939da0b121c766a90e9c8aa4fc43d99e99/original/asolo.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p>My winter was one of exploring a new part of the north. After 12 years in the Yukon at 60 degrees north, what a gift to explore life in Norway; to work with 52 dogs and a slew of like-minded and adventurous guides. The work days challenged my body and pushed my leadership skills. I arrived in late November when the sun was already below the horizon, giving off only a dim light for a brief few hours each day. This contrasted with the light that came back in leaps and bounds late January and illuminated the shadows of a world I was exploring by feel. I discovered that we could see the fjord from the dog yard and layers of mountains revealed themselves in all directions.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/0e6765cfcd27dc9b29e90614bc66dd193b68a525/original/me.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjgzeDMyMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="321" width="283" /></p>
<p>It was 'work hard, play hard' as my co-guides and I created a winter wonderland for international guests in the face of a melting north. Although life in the Yukon, away from my home town in Ontario has always been a large geographic stretch, this was my first true experience of living abroad. I experienced home sickness and vulnerability. I realized how much of my sense of self has come from the reflection of the world I have built around me. I revelled in the multitude of international cultures my new friends represented and surprised myself with some deep Canadian nationalism I didn't know I felt. I alternated between fascination and frustration as I experienced cultural differences. I gained insight on how my country is perceived and became aware of the limitations of my own perspective. </p>
<p>It seems that these awakenings are rich and potent and now I am sitting with the cumulative effect of this experience.</p>
<p>I wrote and played quite a bit in Norway and will be sharing songs and stories on my '...and then I went to Norway...' tour in Ontario in May, 2017.</p>
<p>With no conclusions or delusions, I continue to write and play and will be pleased to see you soon,</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/2ddbb145f21a4dd650359cbc2f5557dae6c610d9/original/gig-list-promo-web-res.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzUweDM3NCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="374" width="350" /></p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000442016-09-24T20:00:00-04:002022-06-01T03:32:31-04:00Birthday Blog!<p>Good 'eh Folks,</p>
<p>I recently turned 34 on a mountain by a glacier in Kluane National Park. I usually write a reflective journal entry on my birthday but because we were back-packing and tenting, I left my 'morning pages' book at home to cut weight. As I lay in my tent on the eve of my birthday I reflected on this past year and decided it was by far, one of my favourites thus far.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/5c50cdad1e92bf833115b7b8b83ea253e8a9f9be/original/bdaysmall.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p>One of the highlights was writing, recording and releasing the 2016 album 'Fire on the Ice' with Home Sweet Home (myself, Keitha Clark and Boyd Benjamin). The album combines a selection of songs that reflect our cultural backgrounds (Keitha is from Saskatchewan and Boyd is from Old Crow) as well as our current musical interests. We had fun adding twin fiddles to latin rhythms and major seventh chords to old country tunes. We toured the album in March in Saskatchewan and released it up north in May. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/ac6a6353457d9886eb9a82f7b8a951fd2dc04e97/original/hsh-fireontheice-album-cvr-fnl-for-web.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDUwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="500" width="500" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/a9a84c13a3a1993d702d31d4fd77f72ca0213e35/original/hshsmall.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p>I performed in Ontario in the spring time at the Ottawa Grass Roots Festival. There is a photo below of myself and Bob Nesbitt (the artistic director) at a CKCU radio interview on 'Canadian Spaces' with Christ White. I performed in Maynooth while in the area visiting friends and rafting on the Madawaska. I was also excited to play at the Acoustic Grill in Picton with my Dad (Alan Weekes) and my brother (Miles Weekes). There is a potter's studio and art gallery just outside of Orangeville where I played a wilderness-themed show to an audience that was abundant with paddlers. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/deec41852563b0b93218565194726d56040e491e/original/ckcusmall.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/31915f4e2bde218801ce8aab1df70b9add07be3c/original/img-3016.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDgweDY0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="640" width="480" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/4917a9092e3566fc74dccfba2b81282603bdd194/original/img-2995.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDgweDY0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="640" width="480" /></p>
<p>From June through to September I worked as a canoe and hiking guide for a company called Sea to Sky Expeditions. This was a fantastic experience spending time in incredibly beautiful places in the Yukon and BC. Hiking trips included the Chilkoot Trail, The Tombstone Mountains and the West Coast Trail. Canoe trips included the Yukon River and the Wind River. The Wind River is in the Peel Watershed, in the northern Yukon. I paddled this river in 2014 and was thrilled to be out there again with a great group of people.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/754e8ca1264a9744093e8e3bbd9779208bb19c95/original/windeddysmall.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQwMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="401" width="600" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/c008213ff79c58ca03909611c139df9b4d70a81a/original/windcanyonsmall.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p>Now the summer guiding season is over and I have a couple of months to focus on songwriting and booking gigs for the new year. I found out a few days ago that I will be heading to Norway December 1st to be a dog mushing guide for four months! I'm incredibly excited as this has long been a dream of mine. I am winding things up in the Yukon right now and played a gig a few days ago with my fiddling friend Keitha Clark. </p>
<p>See you in Scandinavia!</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/dd28f598644fd4e7a698435a73beffa914add8b8/original/img-3248.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDgweDY0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="640" width="480" /></p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000432016-02-26T19:00:00-05:002016-02-27T12:49:12-05:00Banff, BC and Backpacks....<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/e82ad08f35865f93eb6b28c057ba3265ba5c62ae/original/img-2766.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDYzeDQ0OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="449" width="463" /></p>
<p>Greetings from the melting Canadian North.</p>
<p>I am in Whitehorse right now after spending the first month and a half of 2016 in Alberta and BC. I headed west on the train from Toronto to Jasper at the beginning of January. I played my way across the country and as always, reveled in the experience of soaking up the Canadian landscape from the comfort of the train. I am reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' (Robert M Prisig) right now and one of the lines that stuck with me as I neared my destination was: "Sometimes it is a little better to travel than to arrive." It is my sense of adventure that drives my life, however, sometimes I find myself nervous of life's vicissitudes. I wonder what the next chapter will bring, what will happen next. A friend had told me that the Ice Field Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise was one of his favourite drives in the world. I planned my trip accordingly. I spent a night in Japser and in the cold and dark of the following morning, boarded the bus that would take me down this road. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/eb6cd226e351b8866b17b4e1023a9322bce6dc5a/original/img-2768.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDUyeDQ1MiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="452" width="452" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was a beautiful drive and it led to this...</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/31b9aa9e61959b71e6224f9147ac7d53d93da7a7/original/img-2783.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDUxeDQ1MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="451" width="451" /></p>
<p>BANFF!!!</p>
<p>I was accepted for a Winter Musician's Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts for three weeks in January. I was assigned a music hut, where I had a desk and a piano and 24hr. access to my creative space in the trees. My goal for the residency was to explore my writing and playing and dive deeply into my artistic practice. Success. The Banff Centre vibrates with creative energy. It was amazing to spend time in a place where the arts are so highly valued. I was surrounded by musicians from all over the world, all playing and practicing at a professional level and working independently on projects of their choice. I had the opportunity to work one on one with mentors including: Martin Bresnick: a composer from NYC and Stephen Fearing: one of my favourite singer-songwriters. There were multiple student performances each week as well as workshops and song circles. I collaborated with some of the artists in residence and found some time to go skiing....</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/9c802315d0125aaa23ac4ab78dfc3e40ce6814d0/original/img-2800.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzAyeDMyMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="323" width="302" /></p>
<p>Every Tuesday evening we participated in the Bentley Circle. This was an opportunity for musicians to present for each other and receive feedback. It was such an eclectic mix of styles and instrumentation. The Bentley Circle gave us a chance to hear each other and find out more about each other. It was interesting and a bit humbling to play for an audience made up entirely of top-notch musicians.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/c68d3df5457bdce824e0dc7badea21629a7dd099/original/img-0998.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDM0eDM4MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="381" width="434" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Friday night concerts were held in two locations. I performed at a venue called The Club alongside Barbara Byers (oud), Russel Sholberg (upright bass) and Paul Jones (sax). It such a fun evening and very exciting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/5c7f56354a3c40d902d2dbf9015d5bc3d765e314/original/img-2835-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDI5eDMyOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="328" width="429" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/1dc9fe5031ec5f6a9b4a4c466a66cf239f77e68b/original/img-2838.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mzc1eDMxMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="311" width="375" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>My 3 weeks in Banff flew by and I was bound for Vancouver Island. I took the bus to Vancouver and on the descent began to realize how high up Banff is. We drove down hill for about 10hrs. I met up with my fiddling friend Keitha Clark in Vancouver and headed to the island for a 2 week Home Routes house concert tour. We played on the island, the Sunshine Coast and the Interior. I love meeting folks at house concerts and performing in that intimate kind of setting. We lucked out with weather for the most part and I managed to ski a few times along the way too.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/e1bfddfe05a5e7f001b71061f8c023bcfd305f69/original/img-2877-1.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDI4eDU3MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="570" width="428" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/857277b1331d717f4161ee43323a15d7e3f25881/original/img-2904.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjA3eDM1NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="355" width="607" /></p>
<p>.... and then we flew back north!</p>
<p>I've been in Whitehorse for the past few weeks and have loved being able to buy groceries, cook and sleep in the same bed for multiple nights. Keitha and I have been rehearsing with Boyd Benjamin because our new album with the band Home Sweet Home is about to be released. The album is called 'Fire on the Ice' and we are touring with it in Saskatchewan in March.</p>
<p>Okay, off to the races!</p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000402016-01-04T19:00:00-05:002016-01-05T05:07:53-05:00Paddling, Berries and a Fiddle Album!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/b0d39556f1bb50484ce8f599867253fc639e707e/original/img-2458.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDQ5eDQ3OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="478" width="449" /></p>
<p>Happy New Year!</p>
<p>I've been looking back through photos from the past few months and it has been a very rich fall. The image above is from a show I played in Haines Junction, YT with Keitha Clark in August. I guided a couple of canoe trips in August on the Teslin and Yukon Rivers, then headed to northern Saskatchewan in September to paddle the Paull and Churchill Rivers. This was a new experience for me. The landscape was Canadian Shield with lakes connected by portages and rapids. Most of the paddling I've done has been on mountain rivers in the Yukon, it was interesting to try a new kind of tripping. The route we traveled is on the map below. We paddled past pictographs and ate as many cranberries and blueberries as we could - there were so many! I played a concert in La Ronge before leaving on the trip and really enjoyed connecting with the community there. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/53463f9aa787fb2fd57840fda83125ce8379c3c4/original/brabant-to-missinipe-overview.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDU0NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="545" width="600" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/f0ceee9c752af7e0779b609ac7efcb6a720ea0d5/original/paull-river3.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/df8c50c47813845887f6c7edc1da2b437f6ca2fa/original/paull-river4.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDYzMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="630" width="600" /></p>
<p>I spent October, November and December in Whitehorse, YT. I was teaching guitar lessons and finishing up a diploma at Yukon College in Northern Studies. I will graduate in May, wahoo! I traveled to Watson Lake and Teslin with Yukon Women in Music to perform a couple of concerts. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/6be271bed0d70f343f065c851807d4e587199d76/original/img-2659.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjQweDQ4MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="480" width="640" /></p>
<p>Keitha Clark, Boyd Benjamin and I have a trio called Home Sweet Home. We've just finished recording an album together and will be releasing it in the next couple of months. I wanted to put a couple of original tunes on the album and spent alot of time working on my writing this fall as a result. Its been a great time in my life for creativity and I look forward to kicking off the new year with a trip across Canada, performing on Via Rail's 'The Canadian' from Toronto to Jasper. After that, I am spending 3 weeks at the Banff Centre for the Arts for a winter musician's residency. From there I head to BC for a Home Routes house concert tour with Keitha Clark. I'm looking forward to all of it. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/b1c87659671ef0748545266404e1a4c5c9606b51/original/img-2616.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjQweDQ4MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="480" width="640" /></p>
<p>All the best and see you somewhere out there in the big wide world!</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/fd2c7fc875c1c1bd12edaf644c8f168615c0ea20/original/8302-10153699808319718-4779855498018349125-n.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjAweDQ1MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000282015-07-29T20:00:00-04:002015-07-30T03:13:49-04:00Long and Lovely Summer<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>Well, I've sure been busy bouncing back and forth across the country. I'm spending this summer playing gigs and also guiding some canoe and hiking trips in the Yukon. I played a couple of shows with multi-instrumentalist, James Stephens this spring and summer, including a show in Battersea Ontario as part of the Pumpkin Pie concert series. Its been fun to play on my home turf and see family and friends at the shows. We played at the Canada Day celebrations in Perth Ontario. It was my first time in Ontario for Canada Day in about 11 years. It was nice to be somewhere dark enough for the fireworks - in the Yukon, fireworks are reserved for the winter months, when its dark enough to see them. Its felt like a really nice, long summer this year because I've spent time down south with warm weather beginning in April.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/1471dacc26e0b5413c4e830f4b04571287dcc572/original/kate-james-perth-july-1-small.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDQyNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="425" width="400" /></p>
<p>I headed to the Yukon in early July and guided a trip on the Chilkoot Trail. It was my third time hiking that trail and I hope to do it again. The landscape is stunning and ever-changing. I'll be guiding trips on the Yukon and Teslin rivers in August, and then heading off on a personal trip on the Paull Rive in Saskatchewan in September. Here are some shots from the hike. The misty one is from the day we went over the pass, and then sunny one is coming down the other side of the mountains.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/ff79c80aeca1ce4764ea73b5c932b5bb00955e0a/original/chilkoot-2015-misty-small.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="370" width="500" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/e224c352dcb30113aa84022e9932f5996a0737eb/original/chilkoot-2015-sunny-small.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="370" width="500" /></p>
<p>I've got some gigs coming up in the Yukon this August including the Watson Lake Farmer's Market and the Village Bakery in Haines Junction, both with Keitha Clark. The last time Keitha and I played together was in Saskatchewan, I'm looking forward to sharing tunes with her. I'm going to be teaching guitar lessons on Monday nights in Whitehorse this fall - you can find out more about that on the guitar lessons page of my website. </p>
<p>Other then that... I'm looking ahead to next year and booking shows for a winter tour across Canada. I'm contemplating going to school for music and keen to work on my playing and writing. I'm staring at a beautiful sunny day in Canmore as I write, anticipating the Canmore Folk Festival this weekend.</p>
<p>Okay, if I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture...</p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000272015-04-15T20:00:00-04:002015-04-16T04:55:18-04:00Saskatchewan and back again.... a musician's tale<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>I headed to Alberta and Saskatchewan in March to play some shows and release my new album "Frost on Black Fur". I have played in both provinces a few times in the past with Grant Simpson as part of Home Routes house concert tours. It was lovely to connect with people that we had met on those previous tours. This was my first time heading out on the road solo - turns out its a bit lonely out there without a buddy and band mate. I guess that's where all those lonesome songs about sitting in a hotel room missing your baby come from. Here are some sights from Saskatchewan, as well as a shot of the group I led a songwriting workshop with in Buena Vista.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/a47f277bc23222e8e44ce5bf533aeb1d7f9a7892/original/img-0187.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzIweDI0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="240" width="320" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/182984499a255249e51f91e2c6a9d2e365464816/original/img-0186.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzIweDI0MCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="240" width="320" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/e32c62b57cb636e93dceedb19ed1dc95e4b68bfe/original/img-0184.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjQweDMyMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="320" width="240" /></p>
<p>I played some great shows and met up with some friends along the way including Yukon fiddler-friend Keitha Clark. Keitha and I met up in Shellbrook, Saskatchewan and played a CD release concert in a lovely old theatre there. Keitha has recently released an album of fiddle tunes called 'Memories for Harold' in support of the Alzheimer's Society of Canada. We ended the tour with shows in Prince Albert and Saskatoon. We were able to celebrate Keitha's birthday together in PA with a surprise cake and 'happy birthday' accompaniment by harmonica! The day we few out we went for a gorgeous walk along the river in Saskatoon.</p>
<p> <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/3010e05a35022d515e7e2b9e4b5fd56fbb26c046/original/keitha-kate-in-pa.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzM2eDMzNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="336" width="336" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/24ba6bab73fe3fe650c80c711416ff43df23f2a7/original/keitha-cake-pa.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzM2eDMzNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="336" width="336" /></p>
<p>and now...... </p>
<p>I'm back in Ontario trying to figure out what to do next with my life.</p>
<p>yours in the beauty of spring,</p>
<p>Kate</p>
<p> </p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000262015-01-26T19:00:00-05:002015-01-27T04:51:09-05:00Ontario and BC with Grant Simpson<p> Hi folks,</p>
<p>I spent the fall and first part of this winter touring with Grant Simpson. We played shows in Ontario as a CD Release tour for my new album, Frost on Black Fur. It was a full month of playing gigs spanning from Montreal to Kingston to Kingsville in southern Ontario. Here's a shot from our show in Perth, with Japhy Sullivan sitting in for a few tunes. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/ac376a5c75b82d6448edcad9ee33d80fe3bf1661/original/on-stage-with-grant-and-japhy.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p> In January we played on Vancouver Island and traveled by bus and ferry to get to our gigs. It was great to play some new venues and meet great folks along the way. We also had alot of friends and family come out to the shows. We were taken for a hike up a mountain near Cumberland and ended up shin deep in snow after a morning downpour of rain. It felt really good to be outside and near mountains again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/ebdd120c016ead7157f2563d18c411de803a18a7/original/kate-and-grant-bus.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p> This is a shot from the Union Street Grill and Grotto. The food here was amazing. I had a salad that came with a grilled head of romaine top of it, a half an avacado and a pile of quinoa..... we ate here a few times over our 3 day stay in Courtenay. The river in Courtenay was gorgeous too. We went for an early morning walk along it and could see the impact of recently rising waters. I think it would be a lovely paddle out to the ocean - apparently people float down it in tubes in the summer time.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/0f6a1c9c0d228779415b6265ea829b7a5f422ca1/original/courtenay.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p>Our last BC gig was on Thetis Island. We played a fundraiser for a non-profit called School Orchards Africa. It was a huge success with 50 people coming out for a house concert and dinner by the ocean. Grant and I stayed on the island for a couple of days after and had a lovely time with our hosts and friends. We went paddling!!!! I've never been canoeing in January before - it was such a thrill, and really felt decadent to be able to do this at this time of year. Thetis is really protected, so we were on the ocean but it was really calm weather and easy to explore. We had a great time, surrounded by fog and popping into the pub at the marina for a cup of tea on the way home. That felt pretty luxurious after all the wilderness paddling I've been doing.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/babbcb628c5228120fa7af401b85ba33925f4c6f/original/thetis-paddle.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTAweDM3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="375" width="500" /></p>
<p>So....</p>
<p>Now I'm in Ottawa and gearing up for some gigs I have coming up including Ormstown, QC as well as a double-bill house concert with singer-songwriter Ali McCormick. I'm going to be emceeing at the Wilderness Canoe Symposium in Toronto in February, and touring in Saskatchewan and Alberta in March. </p>
<p>Enjoy those lengthening winter days, </p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.comtag:kateweekes.com,2005:Post/60000252014-09-23T20:00:00-04:002022-05-26T02:20:13-04:00New Album! .... new website, new home, new everything...<p>Hi Folks,</p>
<p>Well, here I am launching my new website to match my new album. "Frost on Black Fur" is officially being released Oct. 1st 2014 at the Old Firehall in Whitehorse. I'm going to be doing some CD release shows in Ontario with Grant Simpson in November and December, and then solo across Canada in March. </p>
<p>The new album arrived about a week ago and I'm keen for folks to hear it. Bob Hamilton produced it and a whole bunch of great Yukon musicians contributed to the tracks. The tunes are all originals, many were written specifically for the album. There are songs about mushing dogs in the Yukon, paddling in the Peel watershed, and travelling in Ireland and China. I would still call these folk songs, but they've definitely got a spring in their step. </p>
<p>Speaking of paddling.... I had the opportunity to paddle the Wind and Teslin River's for the first time this summer.... here is the Wind:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/03afdfa8c2ebb97bde1fb3cdcb802123bd3ba2f9/original/wind-for-website.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="269" width="400" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>And here is the Teslin:</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/cc60c13b1b83f5c1d43dcd8c70ae3431de123f6c/original/kwe-on-teslin-website.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDMwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>The other big news is that I'm moving out of my little orange cabin on Squatter's Row in the Yukon and heading east back to Ontario where I am from. I've been up north for 11 years now (which blows my mind) and it feels about time to take stock and perhaps reassess where I'd like to channel my energy. Sometimes its hard to do that when you are caught up in the whirlwind of daily routines. I've loved my time in the Yukon and know I will be back soon, but for now - I'm looking forward to connecting with musicians down south and perhaps partaking in some Kundalini yoga and dining at some thai restaurants.</p>
<p><span style="background-color: #888888;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396936/2f4f6eed2ee525269834111f14ca9026c5797849/original/kate-cabin-for-website.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDAweDI2MiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="262" width="400" /></span></p>
<p>Stay tuned for more on the finer points of southern living,</p>
<p>Kate</p>kateweekes.com