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

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

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

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

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

Even after a week it’s still weird to write 2010…it makes me gulp, slightly panic, want a drink, and want to book a flight to Mexico..but there are a lot of awesome things happening already this year so I really don’t want to escape..it’s just stressful lol.

First on that list is my new album “Painting With Tides” which I’m recording right now! I have a lot of friends joining me on this album which makes it mean that much more. I’m also recording with Charles Austin who is the most chill, down to earth dude and he’s an absolute joy to work with. Echo Chambers is my kind of place…the kind of place where recording is just what you do live being documented in a room full of random instruments and dim lighting from 70′s lamps….the kind of place where the best takes are the first takes where you were completely in the moment. It’s like a little dungeon I can escape to immerse myself in music and not think about anything else.

I have fallen in love musically with so many people since moving to the East Coast and there are so many musicians that I truly respect. Old Man Luedecke and Joel Plaskett are definitely on the top of that list and I am so excited to say that they are both a part of the album! It means a lot to have these two on “Painting With Tides”…I can’t even tell you.

There is no date set for the release yet but I can tell you that you will have to wait a couple months at least! Let’s just say recording is the easy part..and it’s not easy. lol… I’m also opening up pre-orders Painting With Tides today, so you can help me out by ordering a special, just-for-you personalized copy of the new album here right now!

Also! In the Dead of Winter is approaching fast! Ani Difranco, yes..the woman who is the second greatest female influence in my life besides my mom and sisters, is opening the festival to a sold out show on the 26th! I play:

Thursday, January 28th at 9:00pm
FRED on Agricola
with Jon Bryant before me at 8:00 and Ria Mae after at 10:00!

It’s gonna be a killer night at FRED so I hope to see you t here…I’ll also have some special guests joining me.  Find out more info and get a list of the full the schedule at www.inthedeadofwinter.com!!!

For those of you in the Wakefield, Quebec area, In the Dead of Winter is also coming to the Blacksheep Inn for February 4-7th!  18 of us in fact! Find out more information and the list of performers at www.inthedeadofwinter.com! I’ll be playing a song circle with Ruth Minnikin and Pamela Underwater Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm and a solo set Sunday afternoon at 5:30pm where I will bedazzle you with my newly learned skills such as flame throwing and I’m just kidding but I have a few new killer songs from December that I’ve been meaning to share! Ah! I can’t wait to show you the new album!!!

Ok…focus Kim…after Wakefield, I’ll be heading Toronto for a festival called Winterfolk! Check out all info at www.abetterworld.ca !!!

Now…back to recording.  Anyone interested in booking a house concert for the upcoming album release, please feel free to shoot an email to booking@kimwempe.com!  I have some free dates in southern Ontario between Febuary 8th and 11th and am starting to put together dates across the country for the spring! Hope to see you all soon…and my best wishes to all of you for the year 2010. Much Love.

Kim

P.S. – Don’t forget to pre-order Painting With Tides.

I am currently sitting in the Halifax airport and my flight is only delayed 40 minutes due to the storm last night which is awesome!!! I even have a straight flight to Calgary with no stop overs in Toronto, Ottawa, or Montreal!! This does not happen often people!! I’ll be chillin’ around Alberta until the 24th and then off to Saskatchewan to see my sisters and the rest of the family!

I just started recording “Painting With Tides” and will be finishing the rest off early January! Even though it won’t be comin’ out til June…it will be well worth the wait…this album is going to be awesome!!! I’m so excited for you to hear it!!

I want to wish you all Happy Holidays filled with family, friends, and rum and egg nogg with a touch of nutmeg…the most important things of the season lol. Seriously though…a time when you can see old friends, eat as much as you want, and chill with all sides of your family is a rarity these days. If you are spending the holidays away from family, get on the rum and egg nogg and surround yourself with friends..you’ll be fine

Love, Joy, and Peace to all….Hope to see you in the New Year!

Cheers!
Kim

I was just informed that I am nominated for Female Artist of the Year and Rising Star of the Year for the ECMA’s in March! Now…I did flip out, jump up and down, then get really nervous and developed an eye twitch but I think I’ve got it all together. Oh wait. Ani Difranco is playing In the Dead of Winter Festival in January and so NO! I’m not ok!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! I have always greatly admired and respected Ani…it’s safe to say that she has been the most inspirational female figure in my life next to my Mother and my Sisters. Put it this way…the last time I saw Ani was at the Calgary Folk Festival. We were in the beer gardens and she was walking past on the other side of the fence. I was 5 feet away from her, all I wanted to do was say “Hey Ani!”  My mouth was daggling open, nothing came out of it, and I looked like my best friend had just slugged me in the face…I may as well have had my arm outstretched to the love of my life in a bad chic flick….my friends and sister were like “What’s wrong?!” because I had stopped all conversation at this point and oh yeah, my mouth was still hanging open. It took me about 5 minutes to explain that Ani had just walked right past the gate and I didn’t even say hey. They didn’t quite comprehend the significance of the moment for me, but I was devastated lol….I just kept saying to myself, “What’s wrong with you you freak!!? Why didn’t you just say hey!” lol…The worst thing was that when she got up to play, she explained to the audience that she had never been to a festival where this many people had just left her alone, that she had wondered around all day and not many people even said hi, and that she was questioning whether she was that frightening or if we actually just didn’t know who she was!! I think people either just wanted to leave her alone or couldn’t talk like me lol lol….oh wow….so what I’m saying is that I hope this doesnt’ happen again..lol…(gulp).

The In the Dead of Winter lineup is announced and it’s killerrrr so check it out!!! Damn I love this festival…www.inthedeadofwinter.com!! And I already bought my Ani tickets so if you love her, then you’d better get on it because I don’t think Ani comes this way very often and I don’t think the seats will last long!

I do not even have words for all of this…this past year has been so incredible. I want to thank everyone who has supported me, helped me, loved me, trusted me, inspired me, listened to me, and given me advice.  I could not have done any of this without my beyond supportive and loving family…Mom, Dad and Rochelle and Krista…you mean the world to me! My manager Adam Lomas, Scott Ferguson who recorded the EP with me, Warren Robertson my man, all my friends who have nothing but love and support, Carmel Mikol, Ashley Broderick, fellow musicians, Music Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, and Heritage, the ECMA’s, Heather Gibson, John Poirier, Carol Anne and Peter McKenzie, all the venues and festivals that booked me, seriously the list could go on forever… point is…I couldn’t have done it without you.  Big ol’ cheers and a big ol’ thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Kim xo

Comin’ at ya from Carmel’s apartment because I have no laptop lol…yup…and it will be awhile before I get one…but…The Carleton is Sunday so I don’t care! We had an amazing jam with friends last night! Rosie MacKenzie on fiddle, David Bradshaw on mandolin, Kev Corbett on bass, Mark Murphy on drums, and Norma MacDonald and Don Brownrigg on some harmonies!! We threw back the couch and turned my living room into one big jam pad..it was awesome lol. Painting With Tides was a total hoe down with stompin and a kick drum that probably woke the neighborhood. Show starts at 9:00 and make sure you reserve some seats and get there a little before hand!!

Reserve tickets and seats by calling the Carleton at 902-422-6335!!!

I can’t wait to spend the night with friends, family, fellow musicians, and fans…sighhh

This past week has kind of been a blur. We did get the car window fixed before doing the 20 hour drive to New Brunswick so thank god!! Duct tape and cardboard are sturdy but not that sturdy in the rain lol. We got a day off in a hotel which was soooo lovely. We watched TV for the first time in months, in fact the “Dancing with the Stars” finale show lol lol, and the hotel had a microwave so we got on the popcorn train!!! There was just something about watching something that involved no exercise of the mind..for once lol..ahhhhhh…now that is a night off lol lol..

We played Plan B in Moncton and Lily’s Cafe in Saint John, and then headed home finally! By this point I was ready for my own bed and bathtub lol….which I sat in until it got cold last night lol.

I want to send an amazing thank you out to everyone who has helped us out on this tour…Adam Lomas, Bev Kreller, Kurt Firla, Alejandra Ribera, my Dad Murray and Connie, Maureen Hayes, Karen Palmer, Natalie Dionne, John and Lisa, all the venues that booked us, CIUT, That Channel, CBC, Here Magazine, Echo Weekly, and the list goes on and on and on…We could not have done this without you…

Hope to see you at the Carleton…

Much Love…
Kim

my car window got smashed in Toronto and my laptop and backpack stolen. Now…this sucks in a big way..but…I could have had the two guitars, mandolin, piano, GPS, 2 ipods, D.I’s, camera, or clothes stolen…so…in actuality, I’m pretty lucky. Two insurance claims, a police report, and duct taped and cardboarded window later, things are settling down. Thank God!!! Man oh man. What a day. We shall learn our lesson. Don’t be in East Coast mode when you’re in Toronto. You have to haul all your gear up the stairs to the apartment your staying at despite the fact that you think “people are generally good.” Yes people…that was sarcasm lol.

Either way, we have been having a good time. I’ve never been to Toronto and I’m like a little girl with my chin dropped. Maybe not a little girl but I feel reallllly young lol. It is so cool to see all of the different cultures and hear all the different languages and taste all the amazing food! I heard today that there is a restaurant in the area that is actually a hungarian thai restaurant. This..is the epitome of multiculturalism. And..I want to eat there. lol.

We had a packed gig at the Press Club last night where the fierce Alejandra Ribera opened for us….it’s so refreshing to see someone who evokes such emotion and passion when they perform. I was even brought to tears at one point as her performance evoked the emotion of an Ani Difranco concert….and if you know how much I admire Ani, then you know this is quite the moment.

It was also so incredible to finally meet my designer Kurt Firla who lives in Toronto! We have only met through email and he has done such great work for me over the past year including the “Guess Who’s Driving Tour” posters and the “Where I Need to Be” EP design! It was also amazing to finally get to meet our lovely publicist for this tour, Bev Kreller of Speak Music. Thank you so much for coming out you guys and so nice to meet you! Thank you to all friends, family, strangers who came out to the Press Club.

We also had amazing shows in London and Kitchener. Kitchener we got to play a record store, Encore Records, and thanks so much to Lynn and Mark for organizing that and testing my morning maneuvering skills that allowed me to back up through two wooden posts over a patch of lawn and not hit your neighbors house. I’m good lol. London was also incredible…lovely natural reverb room where we were able to do an acoustic version of my song “The Grave” which was such an incredible moment on stage that even I got shivers…sigh. lol. And…my Dad got up and played “Painting With Tides” with me and Carmel which was the coolest thing ever! I’ve never got to play with him before so it was also a very special moment. Both of these songs are in the latest video blog posted so check it out!

Now…Alejandra is comforting me with tea and chocolate and Carmel is going to check on the duct taped window lol. I’m gonna hit the hay now and wait for a call from insurance in the morning so that we can hopefully get the window fixed before driving 20 hours back to Moncton New Brunswick and going def from the wind. And…hopefully it doesn’t snow. Seriously.

Much Love and Optimism. lol

Kim