I am very excited to let everyone know that the backup vocals for my single ( the re-worked 80’s dance track ) were recorded a few days ago.  The best part is, the man who came into the Studio this week, is someone I have admired for a very long time.  Darryl Kromm, probably best known to many from his time in the 80’s Band, “Strange Advance”  ( which had such hits as “We Run” ) is involved with our current project, in several ways.  This, in itself, is absolutely amazing to me, but the fact that he agreed to sing backup vocals for one or more tracks has me nothing short of over the moon.

      Darryl has a phenomenal voice, and is a consummate professional.  He is able to nail a song in a number of minutes, and is a producer’s dream to work with in the Studio.  ( just ask my producer, Jarome Matthew ) Not only does he still have an ethereal voice, but he is an accomplished songwriter - something he has continued to do over the years.  I have been fortunate enough to hear several of the songs he has written that have not yet been released, and they are nothing short of brilliant.

      It is an absolute honour to be working with someone of his calibre in the music industry, and I would like to publicly thank Darryl for being involved with our current project.  I am very much looking forward to working on other tracks with him.  Thankyou, Darryl, for sharing your talent ( and time ) with us - it is very much appreciated !!!

       I went into the Studio a couple of weeks ago, and recorded the 80’s dance track. It went really well.  I have to say, working with Jarome is  such a pleasure.  He made me totally relaxed and comfortable, and gave me as much time as I needed.  Luckily, we even had time left over to go for our usual lunch, and some dessert, to celebrate recording our first track together.  What a great day.  I am so fortunate to be working with someone I consider a good friend -  someone I have known and trusted for many years.  It makes such a difference when you feel completely at ease.

      Once the backup vocals are done for the dance track, I’ll let everyone know.  Right now, we’re working on an 80’s Power Ballad, and after that … well, that’s a bit of a surprise ….

      I just wanted to let everyone know that some new photos from my recent Photo Shoot have now been added to my website. There is also a new banner at the top of the main page.  The shots are a little “edgier” than some of my older ones, but they better represent the ” feel “of the cool 80’s music I’m currently working on.  Besides, it’s always fun to mix things up a little …

     Well, it’s been almost 5 weeks since I have been at the “day job”, and I am  glad that I took some time off, in so many ways.  The first week and a half or so, I was struggling to let go of everything associated with the job - stress, expectations, pressure etc., and it really was a process for me,  and wasn’t easy.  I am the kind of person that needs to feel that I am always getting things done, accomplishing something -  and the word “relax” is not in my vocabulary.  Even though I was purposely taking time off work, I was still writing myself long lists of things I felt “needed” to be done each day.  In essence, I still felt the need to be “working” in some way, since I was still so tightly wound at the time.

     After that first week and a bit, I finally started to “let go” of all the negative stuff, because I actually had the time to do so.  I didn’t have to set my alarm clock each morning, I didn’t have to get up at a stupidly early hour, and I didn’t have to “accomplish” anything specific on my time off.  It was, after all, my time off.  I chose to take it because I felt I needed a bit of a break from the daily routine, and the associated stress.  I needed some time for me. What I didn’t realize at the time, was that it was going to turn out to be one of the best decisions I’d ever made for myself.                                                                       

We ended up hopping in the car, going on a few road trips around B.C.,  visiting both sides of the family, and not worrying about a single thing.  We went out and saw things, did things, that we normally would never have the time to do.  We had fun, and we packed so many things into our days, yet they still seemed to go on and on.

     I had time to go out for breakfasts, lunches, coffees etc. with many of my girlfriends that I hadn’t been able to spend quality time with in ages.  It was a lot of little things, but important things, to me.

      I can honestly say that I have never felt truly “relaxed” before this time off.  Tropical vacations get me close, but this is a whole other level.  I have had time to visit places I’ve never been before, I’ve had wonderful visits with friends and family, and I’ve had a lot of time to think about my life,  what’s really important to me, and how I can make this great feeling last.  This is going to require a lot of effort on my part, but at least I am now absolutely clear on which things in my life will have to be changed.  I am now prepared to move forward, since I have a clear head, and a well-rested body.

      As for the music, I am also now better prepared to dedicate myself to this path.  I always knew I wanted to pursue it seriously, but often got slowed down by the fact that I was literally emotionally , physically, and creatively drained by the end of a day at work.  I guess it’s about priorities, really, and now I know that some choices must be made.  I will keep you posted on this.

      I met with Jarome a couple of days ago, and things are going well.  He is hoping to have backup vocals for my single done soon ( an 80’s dance track ) and is already working on the music for my next song, an 80’s ballad.  We are both really excited about this project, and now that I am in a better place about things, we look forward to accomplishing a lot in the next couple of months.

      Things are going to be very different in the next while, but that’s alright with me.  I may be going back to the “day job” for now, but at least I have a fresh new perspective, and I know that it’s only a matter of time …

      Most of us go through life working at our “day job”, because we need to pay our bills.  We often feel that the whole ” work, eat, sleep ” routine that we go through on a daily basis is just normal, and “part of life”.  I was brought up to believe that if you work hard, are reliable, honest, and all those good things, you will get somewhere in your job.  Well, that may have been the case back in the day, but many of us are now fully aware that the world has changed, and more often than not, it’s not always the “good” workers that get places.

      I find it very sad that most people I know ( including myself ) feel the need to stay at a job, simply because it pays the bills, and gives us a sense of “security”.  Of course, the bills don’t magically pay themselves, so we often feel we have no choice.  We go to the day job, day after day, month after month …. and it all blurs into years.  There is no intellectual stimulation after a certain point, and not much incentive to change anything, since we are lulled into that sense of security, knowing those bills are paid.

      I happen to know a lot of creative, talented, highly intelligent people, who say they are content to stay at the “day job” until they retire.  If that is really true, then I am happy for them.  However, it’s the other ones - the ones who I know deep down have secret desires to express themselves in much more fulfilling ways - that I wish would have the courage to “take a chance” on themselves, and have some faith in their abilities.

      I am not one of those people who could ever be happy at “the day job” until retirement.  I absolutely believe that whatever job you may have, like it or not, you must always do your best, while you are there.  However, if we are not happy, it’s up to us as individuals to do something about it.  Obviously, quitting the “day job” is not financially feasible, especially not at first.  We do owe it to ourselves, though, to ask, “What would I love to do more than anything in the world ?” or “What brings me the most joy?”, “What do my friends always say I’m good at?” …

      I think far too many people sell themselves short, hold themselves back, limit themselves, even define themselves by their job.  Yes, it’s great to have the security, the familiarity etc., but what about quality of life ?  Are we happy going in to work each day?  How many of us can honestly answer “yes” to that ?

      I hope that my friends of whom I am speaking will recognize that it is them I am referring to.  You have so much more to offer the world than you know - so many wonderful qualities just waiting to be allowed to shine through.  It doesn’t matter how much money we make, if we’re not happy, what good is it?

      I only have this time to reflect right now, since I have taken some time away from “the day job”.  It has drained me, emotionally, physically, and creatively, for far too long now, and I simply needed a bit of a break.  I need to catch up on my sleep, let go of some stress, maybe read a book, visit with friends and family, work on my music - you know, the important stuff.  It’s far too easy to lose sight of the things that matter most to us when it’s all “work - eat - sleep”.  I sincerely believe there is more to life, and I am going to do everything in my power to find out.

      Well, after a few months of trying to imagine what Jarome was going to come up with musically for our 1st single - a “re-worked” version of a fabulous 80’s song - I finally got to hear what he’s been working so hard on, this past Wednesday.  Jarome is much like me - we both like to make sure that things are absolutely right, and until they were, I wasn’t allowed to hear anything at all.  Needless to say, the suspense was building up inside of me - I couldn’t wait to hear what he’d done with the song.

      For the past while, I’d been running different versions of the song through my head, wondering if anything I could imagine would be anywhere close to what he was creating … and it made me really curious.  Patience is not always an easy thing, especially when you are waiting for something good, something that’s important to you, but I have to say, when I sat down in the Studio on Wednesday, and he started to play the music, I knew instantly that it was absolutely worth the wait !  Quite frankly, I was completely blown away !  It was so much more than I could have imagined - utterly amazing !

      After I listened to it a couple of times, we recorded some “rough” vocals,  just to hear what my voice would sound like with the music, and that was so much fun!  It felt so good to be recording again.  Being in a Studio with those headphones on, and that mic in front of me, is one of the most awesome feelings in the world.  Other than being on a dancefloor, dancing to 80’s Music, there is no place I’d rather be, than in the Studio, singing.  It’s such a natural high, kind of like downhill skiing.

      I am so impressed with what Jarome has done with the song.  It is going to be fantastic !  Now, it’s up to me to practice it for a while, then we can record the real vocals in a few weeks - I can’t wait !!!!!  I am so excited !

      My favourite job ever was working at Sam The Record Man on Seymour St. in Vancouver, which I did between 1989 - 1991.  I loved working there for the obvious reasons - I was surrounded by music, I was able to hear new music as soon as it became available,  and I met a lot of artists by working there, since they often did in-store promotions etc.  It was probably the happiest I have ever been at a job, because it was actually something I cared about, and was interested in.  I looked forward to going in to work each day, which is not something I can say about many other jobs I’ve had …

      In addition to the “perks” of working at Sam’s, I got to meet a lot of great people -  who, like me, loved music, and really liked working there, too.  It was amazing to be surrounded by people who shared my interests, and who were genuinely happy to be working there.  We became a very close-knit group of friends, and would hang out together after work, go dancing on the weekends, and just generally ” be there ” for each other.  To this day, a core group of us are still in touch with each other.

      One of those friends and  former co-workers is Jarome Matthew.  Jarome was a rather quiet and shy guy back then, and was very intelligent - all qualities I admire in a person.  ( I don’t like loud and obnoxious, that’s for sure. )  He and I became friends fairly quickly, and had a group of mutual friends we would hang out with on a regular basis.  Jarome was just one of those innately “cool” guys - really friendly, easy to get along with, and although he didn’t say a lot, you could always see that incredibly imaginative brain working away, behind that ever-present glint in his eyes.  He was just a really positive person to be around, and his love for music was infectious.

      After I left Sam’s in 1991, I moved back to Ontario for a few years, then eventually, came back to B.C.  It wasn’t until 2007, when I was convinced by some of my younger, more computer-savvy friends, to join Facebook , that I was put back in contact with some of my former friends and co-workers from Sam’s.  Jarome was one of the first ones to find me on there, and we started chatting casually about the past 16 years, and what we’d been up to.  We started to hang out again, and realized that we were still the same people we remembered each other as, from “back in the day”.  We are friends again, and I feel so comfortable around him - I can just be myself, all the time, which is the way it should be with real friends.

      Jarome has been a successful Music Producer for many years now, and when he found out that I had been doing some singing, he wanted to hear what I had done so far.  After listening to my 1st CD, “I’m Beginning To See The Light” he felt that I should be doing more, so after several meetings, and a lot of long chats, we decided to work together on a new music project.  Things are going really well so far, and I am very excited to be working with such a talented, kind, caring, creative person like Jarome.  It’s a bonus that he is also a dear friend, whom I know well, and trust completely.

      This post is dedicated to my wonderful friend and Producer, Jarome Matthew, who restored my faith in myself as an artist.  It is because of him that I am now able to move forward with my music, after much disappointment in the past.  Thankyou, Jarome, for believing in me - it is a real honour to be working with you.  I can’t wait to hear what we will come up with together!  ( good thing we are both perfectionists !!!

    Many people I know have asked me exactly when it was that I realized that I wanted to sing, more than anything else in the world. Most of you know that I had my first singing debut in Kindergarten, singing the lead in a Grade 1 Play. That was definitely a memorable experience for me - hearing the applause after my song, and it made me feel happy that people liked it when I did something I really enjoyed. After that, I was in school and church choirs, got involved in Drama, played flute in school, and piano at home , and basically performed whenever an opportunity presented itself. Oh to be a child again, before we learned to become self - conscious and shy, and doubt ourselves…

     Many years went by, and it was 1997 when a lot of things changed for me. I had just moved back from Ontario again, had started a new job, and was taking Acting Classes out in White Rock, from my good friend Scott Wheeler. Scott mentioned this great new young singer to our class - Michael Bublé, and said he was playing at a cool club downtown Vancouver, called Babalu. It just so happened that our Acting Class was on a Sunday night, and Michael played at Babalu on Sunday and Monday nights, pretty much every week. So, a few of us piled into Scott’s car the next week after class, and drove downtown to see what this Michael Bublé kid was like, and took our first step into the magical place called Babalu.

     First off, it was clear this young man could sing. Scott knew him, and his Manager, and his family, so he introduced all of us to all of them, right from the start. Babalu became like a second home to many of us. Michael was quite young then, but he captured the audience’s attention, right from the 19 year old girls, to the 85 year olds … and we all danced the nights away together, in our evening gowns, long gloves, jewels, sipping our martinis, and loving every minute of that beautiful voice. The best part was, Michael and his family were just regular people, good people, kind, decent people, and they always made time for a hug and a chat. We all knew that it was just a matter of time until he outgrew Babalu , since he just kept getting better and better, and the crowds got bigger each week, but we enjoyed every minute of it for those couple of years.

     I used to look up at Michael on that stage ( back then you could get a couple of feet away every week ) and see how incredibly happy he was to be doing what he truly loved. Then, I would turn around and look at the smiles on all the faces, swingin’ and jivin’ to his music … and it truly was magical. It really was at that moment that I thought to myself, “I want to do that, I want to sing, and make people want to get up and dance while I’m doing it”. The way I saw it, that would be the most incredible feeling in the world, to be up on stage singing, doing what you enjoy most, and to have people run up onto the dancefloor, and just let loose, and have fun.

     That was when I knew what I wanted to do, and it all began with Michael and Babalu …

      Since my new website was launched recently, I have been spending a great deal of time writing e-mails, to let my family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who has supported me,  know about the new site, and this blog.  It is extremely important to me that each and every one of you knows how very much your continued support means to me.  You have heard me say this before, and you will keep on hearing it.  You are the ones that keep me going, and knowing that you are behind me 100% on this new music project just makes it that much more rewarding.

      It is obviously going to take me many, many weeks to write to everyone , since I have numerous e-mail accounts, as well as quite a few friends on Facebook, but I am determined to personally write to everyone, rather than just send out a generic blanket e-mail.  I may not always be able to do this, so while I have the time, I am doing it.  The way I figure it, if you can take the time to check in on my site every once in a while, I can make the time to let you know I appreciate it.

      I have already received some great feedback from many of you, either by e-mail, or on Facebook - thankyou for letting me know your thoughts.  Your enthusiasm just makes me even more excited about the music Jarome and I are working on together - if that’s possible !

  So, I’m sitting here in Jarome’s studio, after a great lunch together. We thought we’d be a little bit naughty, and even had some dessert - I had cheesecake, and it was fabulous ! Now he’s tempting me with these little chocolatey cookie things from Japan - yummy ! What the heck, we have reason to celebrate - it’s a brand new year, he’s launched my new website, and we’re working on some exciting new music together.

  I hope that everyone had a fun New Year’s Eve.  I always love the start of a new year - it feels as though the possibilities are almost endless … and they are, of course.  It’s entirely up to each one of us to make things happen, and I fully intend to do just that in 2008 ! 

  I wish all of you a fantastic New Year, and I look forward to letting you know all about the music Jarome and I are working on together.  We are both very excited about our project, and we hope you’ll check in here to find out how things are going along the way …