happy new year everyone. here is a drawing by my friend scot (my name is scot). here’s to another exciting leap into unknown territories.
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howdy folks. just thought i’d let you know that the hand doctor says i’ll be just fine, so long as i wear my fancy new splint for 6 weeks solid. such a relief.
also, i am going to be singing a bit at the theatre replacement DC6 party this saturday night at the russian hall in vancouver. tickets are only $5! entertainment! art auctions! and you can get a look at my splint. splint splint splint. that’s one of those words that gets weird if you say it over and over. try it! maybe just in your head if you are at work.
ok, turns out my finger is actually broken. from taking off my socks. watch out people, danger is everywhere.
so i won’t be playing at the doxa event, or the clancy’s angels event, or even the theatre replacement event. rest and relaxation, and jeez i should probably stop typing too.
xv
hey gang
i seem to have bunged up my finger while taking off my socks (!?!), so i’ll make this quick. my good old post box, 4763, which i’ve had since 1996, has expired. i was too busy with anders to notice that i was late on payment, so it has gone away from me. oh well. for now, send things to me via gary’s postbox (check the contact page, i’m too lazy).
and once again, you can vote for lucklucky and many other great musics at the cbc radio 3 bucky awards! this is a fun one, go check it out. and no kids is in there too, and christine fellows and new pornographers and black mountain and chad van gaalen and lily fawn and all my faves. ok. gotta run, my burger is ready.
hello there folksens. i call greetings from the milky island where i live now, where time is crazy elastic. the days are long and very little gets done, yet we are all exhausted from being so busy. anders is asleep for a moment, so let me tell you about the upcoming things i am attempting in the Outside World.
i’ll be playing music at the fundraiser for the doxa film festival on november 22. that’s at the vancity theatre, 1181 seymour, in vancouver. tix are $35, should be pretty darn chic and fun.
i’ll also be playing at the theatre replacement annual benefit DC6 on dec 6, location to be announced. maybe a sneak preview of our 20 minute musical…have i even mentioned that? i’m writing a 20 minute musical with the honourable bill richardson. it’s called Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata. other people writing little musicals are nick krgovich, juana molina, and geoff berner. all premiering at the push festival in jan/feb.
what else? oh, i’m going to guest with Clancy’s Angels on Dec 13 at the wise hall. a christmas party! i’ll be performing lucklucky with a 20 person choir! and maybe a little zeppelin as well. who says that being a parent kills your rocknroll cred?
happy thanksgiving to you all! (in canada, we are thankful a whole month before the americans, the results of which are murky but we do tend to have nice weather for our turkey dinners.) thanks in particular to everyone who diligently voted for lucklucky and the echo prize, which ended up going to my friends and excellent songsmiths, those upstanding fellows in the weakerthans. and thanks to them, because they have very kindly cut me in for some of the prize money. so i have the multiple happinesses of being voted for by friends, fans, and fine musicians. does it get better?
hello friends! i am happy to say that my son anders hille kellam was born on september 23, a healthy 6 1/2 pound boy with lots of hair, dark eyes, and an ability to make a sound like a baby eagle. we are all doing well, even nucat who has been displaced from his baby-like position in the family.
this of course was the reason that i had to cut down on touring this year, so i am pleased to finally be able to let you know that i have not been ill, i was just in the mothering way. and he was worth all the caution, believe me. just look at his little philosopher’s face! same birthday as coltrane, ray charles, and bruce springsteen, by the by.
i’ll try to keep up with posts, but my hands are often full at the moment. i’m sure you understand.
til next, xx veda
photo by nick “annie liebowitz” krgovich
isn’t it amazing how the first day of school still feels like the first day of school even when you are not going to school?
my song lucklucky has been included on the list for the Socan ECHO songwriting prize this year, which is very nice. very good company on the list too, weakerthans, sandro perri, wintersleep, and socalled. and now the winner is determined by a public vote. you can log on to www.echoprize.ca and register, and then vote once a day every day. until september 29. vote for any of us, just get out there! it’s nice to have these prizes that are unattached to any kind of conventional success. works for me, anyway. plus i happen to know that the 5 grand in prize money would be well used by any of those artists. if i should be so lucky i promise not to squander it.
oh, and last night i dreamt that i wrote a song about israel, and managed to fit it into my children’s opera about trees. the only lyrics i can remember are “israel, israel”…..i also dreamt i had to make 100 paintings of the letter S.
i continue to sort through a million things in our house this summer, and i found this photo from around 1999 i think. why on earth did i not use this photo on our poster? i used the “we are serious musicians come to kick your ass” photo, but really, this is us. at least i hope so. i seem to recall barry taking issue with the apparent length of his arm, but i love the long arm of barry. i love clinging to it, like a raft in the middle of the sea.
