“Summertime and the livin’ is easy…”

Hola Folks!

It’s been awhile for sure! Things have been busy. I moved to the woods just outside Antigonish, finished recording, signed with a label, played for my first time at the Rebecca Cohn, had two loads of family come visit, and now we’re planning the release of “Painting With Tides”…life is good.

Summer is here and so I’m trying to soak up the sun and do things that I love since I have some time. Camp, sit by the fire, wakeboard, watch movies… I actually have time to write again too which is fascinating lol! I finished my first song since “Painting” started just the other day…it’s been 5 months! Had a little bit of writer’s block but I tried not to freak out too bad. I’m just glad it’s over, put it that way. lol…

I’m keeping busy with the release coming up..lot’s of things to do. Approve artwork for the album, get photos done, book gigs, get the final master of the album out to people, etc. etc. etc. I do have a few gigs amongst the craziness though…make sure to check out the gigs link to see if I’m near you. If I’m not, I will be soon, and I hope to see you! The release tour for “Painting With Tides” will definitely cover some serious ground. Up next for me is Cavendish Beach Music Festival which is going to be amazing! So many great acts! I play twice on Saturday, once at 2:00 and once at 3:30! Check it out if ya can or tell anyone you know who is going.

Preorders are still available for the album and we still need your help always. Check out www.kimwempe.com/help and pick a package. If you already preordered, please spread the word. Thank you thank you thank you!!! As soon as we know a release date, I’ll scream it at the top of my lungs!!! lol…I’m impatient by nature so this album has been helping me with that characteristic. lol.

Next weekend I’m headed to Stanfest to check out some wicked acts…I’m very much looking forward to Kathleen Edwards, The Deep Dark Woods, Baskery, The Stanfields, and so many more. Hope to see ya there! Happy Summer everyone…make sure you put the things you love to do on your to do list.

Much Love!
Kim

Back to ‘Painting’…

Hey Folks…

Well these past months feel like a blur…some of them I question whether or not they actually happened and some of them are blurry like a bad drunken night…by that I mean they were blurry with excitement and endorphins that caused me to relate them to an experience or two I may have had with a bad drunken night…just to clarify lol.

From Halifax’s In The Dead of Winter Festival (IDOW) to Wakefield Quebec’s IDOW to Toronto, Ontario’s Winterfolk to a Valentine’s Day show in Antigonish, Nova Scotia to the Atlantic Canada House for the Olympics in Vancouver British Columbia to Sydney, Cape Breton for the ECMA’s… I needed a good break lol. So that is what I did…I spent a week in a wooded area with a wood stove and a house that kind of looks like a ski lodge (also my soon to be home in June lol).  Although I was supposed to do nothing…I filled up my time by constructing to-do lists in my sleep for fear of sitting still and going crazy.  We fixed and painted and bought and drank and walked and drove and visited and when the week was over I realized I had done nothing close to relax or take a break.  My body is naturally set on go mode due to my Mother’s upbringing (If you met her, you would understand…and here is where all my friends laugh)  (Oh  yeah..and if you met my sister’s…and my Dad…so yes my whole family is like this).  To sit still is to be tortured.  Don’t get me wrong, I think I’m abnormal and crave to be able to one day sit down in the woods and have nothing float through my mind but “what shall I drink…a beer or a spiced rum?” but highly doubt I will see the day.  lol (bahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahha…that one’s for Adam)

So here I am back in Halifax and back to ‘Painting’ my album.  It feels like months since I’ve been in the studio and “Painting With Tides” is one of those things where I question if it really happened.  The good thing about this is I can listen to the recording and know for sure that yes it did. lol.

Yesterday I had Phil Sedore play some guitar…nicest guy ever and sure knows how to make a guitar seep into a song instead of sit on it..I like that a lot lol.  And I also just found out I get another special guest on my album…Geoff Hilhorst from The Deep Dark Woods playing that amazing organ he does!! I’ve been listening to these guys non-stop for these past two months of craziness and they have kept me sane.  LOVE their music…so to have him play that sweet sweet organ means a lot..and they are from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  Love it.

As we all know, things don’t always turn out like you plan.  It’s looking like the album will not make the May release date we would have liked. Some great opportunities came up these past two months (like spending two weeks at The Olympics) and set the process back a bit.  We are also thinking about staying away from summer, as most do, as there are festivals and hopefully I’ll be playing a few.  So I’m sure you can guess that you may have to wait a little longer that you may have liked, but….I can guarantee it will be worth it! And to all of you who have pre-ordered the album and showed your support and helped fund the recording, I will be forever in debt to you…literally. lol Just jokin..seriously, I hope you feel good like you should knowing that just by pre-ordering the album, you’ve helped directly in the making of it..and that’s pretty special…so special that your name will be in the credits.  And for those of you who haven’t pre-ordered the album but want to and want your name in the credits, because we still need help, you can do it right here or click the right hand side of the page on “Help Kim Make Music”….literally. lol

Til next time…I must get back to ‘Painting’…thank you for all your support…without you, none of this would happen.

Much Love…

Kim

Yup…life is good.

Hola Folks!

Comin’ at ya from my Dad’s house in London Ontario.  I’ve had a pretty chill week here…resting before things get crazy…eating cabbage rolls, perogies, and sausage from Saskatchewan lol…these three things make me very happy…

Last weekend I played In the Dead of Winter Festival in Wakefield Quebec and it was a riot.  Such a great crew….big thanks goes out to Heather Gibson, Amelia Curran, Don Brownrigg, and Tanya Davis, the infamous organizers!  Also big thanks to Paul at the Black Sheep! My new favorite after the past weekend is Del Barber from Winnipeg! I’d never heard him before but he is a 26 year old John Prine…and as you may all know…that is hard to come by.  Check him out or go see him live…he’ s hilarious, a great picking guitar player, and  a pure folk voice.

I played Grooves Records yesterday in London and had a great time! Great staff and thanks to all who stopped by! There ain’t nothing like playing a good record store as your afternoon activity….very chill.  I hope to see these guys again very soon…

Now today I’m headed to Toronto to play Winterfolk! It’s all on Danforth Street and there is plenty to see…for FREE even! So come out if you’re around Toronto!!

Friday, February 12, 2010
Winterfolk @ Willow Restaurant (back room)
193 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON
Set: 8:00 PM

Saturday, February 13, 2010
Winterfolk @ Mambo Lounge
120 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON
Set: 1:00 PM

Saturday, February 13, 2010
Winterfolk @ The Black Swan Tavern
154 Danforth Ave , Toronto, ON
Set: 2:30 PM
All Ages

When me and Carmel were in Toronto, we didn’t have a lot of time to check out Kensington Market, but today I’m heading over there after my radio interview.  If you can’t make it out to the show but want to tune in..Corby’s Orbit on CKLN 88.1 FM!

On Saturday I head back on a flight to Halifax! Sunday night is the Vday show at St.FX with special guest Carleton Stone! It’s gonna be a great show…and me and Carleton have songs for everyone so if you’re single, in a relationship, in 5 relationships, or never had a relationship..come out! I’d love to see ya.  You can buy tickets just below this blog on paypal, or the sub at St.FX, or XFM radio 98.9 website.  Hope to see ya…

Then Monday morning at 6:40 a.m…I head to the freakin’ OLYMPICS!!!!  Can you tell I’m excited…lol…I have never been to the Olympics and this is going to be one amazing experience..and the Atlantic House Stage is hosting the most unreal music for 2 weeks straight!!!  Go East Coast! I’ll blog you all from Vancouver…til then…take care!! And I hope to see you at one of the upcoming shows.

Cheers!!

Kim

P.S-Don’t forget to preorder “Painting With Tides” if you haven’t…and if you have tell someone else!! Just click on Help Kim Make Music on the right side of this page or hit up www.kimwempe.com/help.  This record is sounded unreal and I can’t wait for you to hear it! Much Love Folks! xo

Gonna Hit the Highway…or the Airlines…but airlines doesn’t have the same effect..

Hey Folks!

I thought January was good and now here is February, full on ahead. I’ve been recording all of January, then I had In the Dead of Winter Festival, and I got my first licensing deal with a televison series on Showcase called “Crash & Burn” in which “Oh Heart” was featured! (Apparently it’s “cutthroat corporate culture that is big insurance; the con artists that make a living claim by claim; and the city-wide infiltration of organized crime.” “Oh Heart” comes on and then someone gets shot in the head so I’m interested to see the episode since I don’t have cable lol lol).

I had an amazing show at In the Dead of Winter at FRED with Ria Mae and Jon Bryant! Thank you to everyone who works so hard to put on the festival and thank you to all the volunteers. Thank you to all the people who came out to the festival and showed their support.

Now tomorrow it all starts for February…the most full on month I’ve ever had. First I head to Wakefield Quebec for In the Dead of Winter, then Toronto for Winterfolk, then St.FX for a Valentine’s Day show, and thennnn…Vancouver for the Olympics! I’m playing with some amazing artists at all of these events!

Saturday, February 6, 2010
In the Dead of Winter @ Blacksheep Inn
Songcircle with Ruth Minnikin and Pamela Underwater!
Wakefield, QC
Set: 3:00 PM

Sunday, February 7, 2010
In the Dead of Winter @ Blacksheep Inn-Solo Performance!
Wakefield, QC
Set: 5:30 PM

Friday, February 12, 2010
Winterfolk @ Willow Restaurant (back room)
193 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON
Set: 8:00 PM

Saturday, February 13, 2010
Winterfolk @ Mambo Lounge
120 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON
Set: 1:00 PM

Saturday, February 13, 2010
Winterfolk @ The Black Swan Tavern
154 Danforth Ave , Toronto, ON
Set: 2:30 PM
All Ages

Sunday, February 14, 2010
St.FX Sub, Antigonish, NS
Valentines Day Show with Special Guest Carleton Stone!
Doors at 7:30, Show at 8:00

Olympic Schedule to come…

On top of all of this..I’m trying to finish up my new album “Painting With Tides” which I’ll be listening to from the road..or air. We are just in the final mixing stages of the album. I have had so much help on this album and so much support..I want to thank everyone who preordered the album for helping with the costs of the recording process. I COULD NOT have done this without you! Thank you to Charles Austin who is the main man recording this for me, Graeme Campbell who is mixing the album, all the players who did such an amazing job…Geoff Arsenault, Brian Bourne, Rosie MacKenzie, David Bradshaw, Carmel Mikol, Thom Swift, Old Man Luedecke, Joel Plaskett, Adam Baldwin, Mark Currie, Erin Costelo, Kev Corbett. Thank you to Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, and Heritage for supporting me again and again. I love you! Thank you to Music Nova Scotia for your unreal support! Thank you to Warren Robertson for being my human sounding board and for always bringing me back to the root of things lol. Thank you to Adam Lomas, my manager, my partner in crime, who helps get everything in line and rolling so I don’t have to panic and freak out like I like to…sighhh…bottom line..thank you.

We still need more preorders for help in funding the mixing, mastering, and packaging so if you know some folks who may like to preorder the album, please send them a message about this. Click on “Help Kim Make Music” for all the information and preorder packages. Thank you from the bottom of my heart everyone…

Your support means the world.

Kim xoxo

Help With “Painting With Tides”!

Hey Folks and Friends and Family!

I’m working on my new album “Painting With Tides” right now and I’m super pumped to say it sounds wicked so far! This right here is a break for my ears because I feel like I’m going blind listening to the rough mixes! My face is so red is feels like my head is going to explode…popcorn..yes…popcorn cures everything! lol…

Anyhay! I’ve been working with Charles Austin at Echo Chamber Studio and it’s been a riot ! I have some great friends helping me out with this project…Carmel Mikol, Rosie MacKenzie, David Bradshaw,Brian Bourne, Geoff Arsenault, Old Man Luedecke, Joel Plaskett, Thom Swift, Erin Costelo..which makes it mean even that much more! I feel privileged to work with such amazing musicians and people.

Now that things are underway with the record, I wanted to give those of you who would like to be a special part of the making of this record an opportunity to get a copy of it as soon as it’s finished…which with your help should be in the next couple of months. It’s super tough to record an album these days with all the expenses but with your help in the pre-order process, we can get it done like it’s supposed to be done and take the time to make it just right!

If you’d like to pre-order a personalized copy of my new album, Painting With Tides, just click on the image to your right, “Help Kim Make Music”! All the information you need to know is there along with 5 different pre-order packages.

I want to thank you all for your support..it means the world to me…

Hope to see ya soon…

Kim