kd-lightful!!!

By  Pam Hadder

There may be many times that life disappoints us a little - part of it is our own expectation and/or our response to circumstances.  Then every once in a while, we literally live our dreams - the kind of magical times when you slide into this slipstream of ease, where it all goes so smoothly, the colours are pure and bright, your senses are attuned to razor-sharpness, and you feel simply invincible! And, if you are like me, you are afraid to exhale in case the bubble bursts!  (lol!)

Front row and centre stage for k.d .Lang's recent concert at Winnipeg's legendary Pantages Theatre was one of those moments.  I have been privileged to see k.d. Lang live before, and each time has been excellent, stellar, breathtaking.  I had some momentary regrets that I didn't take more photos, but face to face with a legend, it didn't seem right - I wanted to soak up every syllable of sound, every visual clip.

k.d. Lang is unique not only in her talent - charisma, vocal range, perfect pitch, musicianship - but she also gives 150% out there; it's really something special to experience her fusion of passion and music in live performance.  I have to admit, when I snapped up my VIP Nation tix, I was concerned - a previous VIP concert in California was a bit of a downer - my friend had treated me to this luxe event for my birthday, and we did not receive what was promised, and (unwittingly) paid for (at least!) FOUR tickets!

But VIP Nation was fabulous - our host, Hugo, was warm and welcoming, and proved to be as cool as his name (Hugo is one cool name, don't you agree?).   There were so many highlights, and I can play that concert in my mind, from my exceptional vantage point and it feels like it was a private concert - just for me. How great is that?  One especially memorable part was hearing Big Boned Gal while a gaggle of middle-aged babes grooved in the makeshift mosh pit - on the third (yes, THIRD!) encore - I mean, who does that any more?  Coincidentally, I had been enjoying listening to some older Lang albums this summer, and Absolute Torch & Twang is a def my nostalgic love child!

After the show, my friend and I got to attend a meet and greet with k.d.  I presented Ms. Lang with FemFest 2012 t-shirts for her and the guys, and we each got guitar picks from her and had two items autographed.  For me it was my songbird scarf (a natural choice to have your fav songbird sign your fav scarf!), and my beloved FolkFest patchwork purse.  We got our picture taken with k.d., and we will receive a link to download the pic from VIP Nation/Live Nation in a day or two (do you smell an update coming....)??? Gracious and friendly, she puts you at ease, and yet is focused and exacting - even with autographing and "small talk" - years of practice, and learning from mistakes, I suppose.  She is kind with even the more obnoxious requests - like the dippy couple in their 60s with a garage sale guitar, covered in maple leaves..."Well, they'll know where you're from..."

The cherries on my vegan cupcake were k.d. telling me "I like your hair!", and getting a big hug from her.  How does it feel to hug k.d.?- well, pretty damn fine... she's about my height (5' 5" - 5'6"), she's fit and when she hugged me  it was like when football players do that celebratory chest bump! Kaboom - before I knew it, it was over and I was asking, did that just happen?  lol  She's about a size 12 or 14 - so I don't get why people go on about her weight etc. She looks fantastic, has gorgeous, youthful skin - and, surprise, she's not 20 years old anymore!  She does not smell like incense, or rose petals or cookies - k.d. is odourless.

What's next? A self-professed "slut for k.d. luxury", I  want to inquire about Sha-Lang-grila time shares...omg, YES!!!

For Love...

By Pam Hadder


This year I gave myself the ultimate birthday gift - I attended a folk music retreat organized by the Winnipeg Folk Festival.


Open to all ages and levels of musicianship, the four day experience was a dream come true.  The mentors were Abigail Washburn (banjo and vocals), Kai Welch (guitar, keyboards, song writing and more!), Martyn Joseph (guitar, song writing) and the amazingly talented, Willy Porter (guitar, song writing and vocals).  


Doing this was a real push out of the comfort zone for me - I am an introvert for whom "being on" and taking the first step with groups of people is terrifying and exhausting, to say the least!  And I really didn't know what to expect from the retreat - I mean, was I worthy to be among these talented professionals? 


I knew that many areas were of interest to me: song writing, vocals, guitar and having the opportunity to interact and learn from other musicians. What I didn't know was how it would all go down - or if I would be totally out of my league!  The great news is that it was wonderful and a complete affirmation of my love of music.


By far, the highlight was succeeding in writing lyrics and music to my very first original song - it's a whole new level of passion when you create something and sing/play it from your heart (a big WOW!).  It was the most indescribable, humbling and exciting experience to interact with and receive guidance and encouragement from respected professionals - the grace, talent, enthusiasm and generosity of Abigail, Kai, Martyn and Willy was consistent and true. They each gave fully and honestly throughout the retreat -- both in performance and in mentorship.


Abigail: you encouraged me to push my voice to max volume, and hey, you were right - it's powerful and it won't break!  You were also so joyful, intelligent and passionate about life, music and people; you have redefined love, life and beauty for me. Yeah  - it's a very big deal :)


Kai: you could see my shyness and coaxed me into the spotlight; your feedback and encouragement with vocals, guitar technique, and my first song lyrics meant so much - I didn't know where to start with song writing,and now I can't stop! It's like this back log of musical expression is bursting out of me - and it's so much fun and so energizing to let it loose!


Martyn:  you showed me that even experienced performers can be painfully shy, and yet they can work within that and be successful, and you taught me that you don't have to be a highly proficient musician to write songs - you just have to get started. And... you made me look at Bruce Springsteen with appreciation - who could have guessed that was possible?


Willy: you are supernatural - and I am so glad that I was able to tell you that and to experience your beautiful spirit and positivity!  Your recorded music doesn't capture your amazing talent - what a treat to know you and to hear you perform in an intimate setting, and your feedback and suggestions for my song writing were so appreciated.


Highlights of the folk retreat were overcoming my shyness and writing my first song.  The down moments were minor (and kind of laughable in hindsight), and any bummer moments  ended up being eclipsed by the good stuff.  (Some of the young ladies were very high-school clique-ish.  And one or two of these kicked that up a notch and were simply stage whores... it was all about them... so that sucked for the band sessions where you need to feel a little "we"!)


So...yeah, I felt a bit robbed with the band sessions, because I was partnered up with these self-absorbed chickies...But it turned out to be not a big deal, because the over all experience was so fantastic!  Most of the other participants were wonderfully cool, friendly and eager to connect and share.


I've exchanged contact info with several of the people I met an hopefully some of the good musical connections will take root and I will have some regular folkie jamming to look forward to - so far I have one invite; it's a start!  If not, I know that with time, persistence and just by being consistently "true to me", I will be nudged to where I need to be musically and personally.


It feels a bit like losing your training wheels on a bicycle... I am proud of what I have achieved, I am excited to be riding fast and free with renewed purpose...and I just have this great optimism and joy - it feels amazing to be open to newness and moving forward!