Pumkids Rockin'

Spring ROCKS!
As we finally emerge from what has felt like eternal winter, my world has been sending out shoots & blossoms like everything else at this time of year. As we speak I am in the thick or rehearsing with the Pumkins (who, coincidentally, true to their image, are currently sitting around the kitchen table eating granola for breakfast). I’m going to post a photo of the cover of the new Pumkids CD – with a painting I did (my first) which to my great delight became the cover for the CD. The album has taken on a life of it’s own (thanks to the force-of-nature efforts of Valerie Hennel who produced it AND the tour we are about embark on.) We are LOVING this record, as it seems are all who have received it. Here is a link to Steve Edge’s fine writing in his review of it… http://www.roguefolk.bc.ca/concerts/birthday20.html

The tour is 44 shows across the country – starting now and running to mid June…the dates are below. We are having WAY too much fun putting the show together. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Highly underrated for an abdominal workout!

A few weeks before the rehearsals started, I was asked to score a National Film Board film called “River Of Life” about a group of women – all breast cancer survivors – who participate in the 700 km Yukon River Quest every year. It’s an inspiring and beautiful film by first time director Werner Walcher and it’s been a great experience to create the music for it. I had a couple of weeks of free time there before it came along that I was reveling in, and now I long for the luxury of sitting down with the odd socks box to find mates – or taking a long walk – or watching some inane TV program. Busy is good, but can easily morph into relentless.

Julia turning into more of an independent adult every day and I’m enjoying her SO much. Her sense of humour provides constant entertainment. She and her Dad are spending time every day “jamming” to get her improvising skills up as she’s been getting offers from other bands to tour with them. Ahhhhhh!  

For the songwriters out there, I’ll be doing a couple of teaching stints this summer. The first is The Red Cedar Songwriter Camp on beautiful Pender Island June 21-24 with Mae Moore, David Essig, Lester Quitzau and more… check it out at http://www.redcedarsongwritercamp.ca
I’ll also be teaching a week at Humber College in July with some of my all time favourite writers like Jules Shear, Emm Gryner, and Danny Michel. You can contact them if you’re interested at http://www.humber.ca/ 

Enough nattering for now. Back to rehearsing and scoring….
I sincerely hope we’ll see you somewhere on this tour. Check out the Tour dates for the schedule. There’s a mixture of Children’s festival shows and “regular” shows, (if you can ever use that adjective with the Pumkin).

Please be kind to each other and don’t forget to breathe…
Happy Trails…

Shari