Painting with the Tides of 2010…

Heya Folks!

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.

Happy Holidays!!!

Hey Folks!

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 have only two words…thank you…

So folks…

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

The Carleton!! The Coming Home Show…

Hola Folks!!

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

It could be worse…an optimistic view.

Well folks…

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