KIM WEMPE’S STAR RISING FROM COAST TO COAST

Prairie born songwriter’s career taking off thanks to East Coast support

February 19, 2010

HALIFAX, NS – February is a busy month for Kim Wempe, and one she’ll probably never forget. The Halifax folk/roots artist recognized for a voice as fierce and powerful as a North Atlantic storm has been thrown into a whirlwind of her own, crisscrossing the country with a series of winter festival dates and a two-week residency at Atlantic Canada House for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Pavilions.

But it doesn’t end there. The Saskatchewan born songwriter, whose most recognized song tells her story of falling in love with Atlantic Canada and her move to Nova Scotia, returns from her last Olympic gig just in time to finish rehearsals for performances at the East Coast Music Awards where her May 2009 release Where I Need to Be is nominated for Female Solo Artist and Rising Star Recording of the Year.

“The support for emerging artists on the East Coast is amazing,” says Wempe. “Everyone appreciates music, it’s such an important part of culture out here, and that is reflected all the way up to industry organizations like Music Nova Scotia, the ECMA and the funding partners.”

After a digital release of the record in May, Wempe hit the road with pal and musical soulmate Carmel Mikol (the pair formed their bond travelling together to last year’s ECMA’s) on their “Guess Who’s Driving?” Tour – an ambitious series of more than 50 dates from Newfoundland to Gabriola Island, BC and back to Nova Scotia. The adventure netted them new friends and fans, endless stories and a Canada-wide co-write that will be featured on Kim’s upcoming full-length release, Painting With Tides.

Kim hibernated in Halifax’s Echo Chamber with producer Charles Austin (Joel Plaskett, Thom Swift, David Myles) through January to record the new album which follows her more alt-country Where I Need to Be with a folk/roots sound and added influence from some of Atlantic Canada’s best players including Joel Plaskett, Thom Swift, Chris ‘Old Man’ Leudecke, and David Bradshaw. Currently in mixing, the record has so far been funded by fan support and the Province of Nova Scotia through the Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage and is currently available in one of five custom pre-order packages at http://kimwempe.com/help.

While no release date has been set for Painting with Tides, Wempe is offering free downloads of three tracks from her ECMA Nominated Where I Need to Be. The entire EP can be downloaded for $4.99 or fans can purchase a limited edition CD + poster package with an instant digital download for $9.99 + shipping. All are available at buy.kimwempe.com where the record can also be streamed for free.

Kim’s music is also featured on this year’s ECMA Rising Star compilation (Where I Need to Be: The East Coast Love Song), the Atlantic Film Festival Music & Image Compilation (Oh Heart) and Spincount Music’s Best of the East Coast Volume One digital download card (Out of My Closet).

Stream Where I Need to Be
Pre-Order Painting With Tides

Myspace: myspace.com/kimwempe
Twitter: kimwempemusic
Or search “Kim Wempe” on Facebook

ummm…excitement? YES PLEASE!!!

Wow Wow Wow!!!

What a month, what a summer, what a time….I just found out that I got a Music Nova Scotia award nomination for Folk Recording of the Year for my “Where I Need to Be” digital EP I put out in May!!!!!!!!! I’m so excited it’s ridiculous!!! Voting opens September.17th but it’s only open to Music Nova Scotia members! (It’s not much to become a member so check it out!! http://www.musicnovascotia.ca/) If you haven’t checked out the EP yet then you should!! It’s on iTunes and available at all of my shows!!

Alsoooo…I uploaded my “Where I Need to Be” video for the “iLove Nova Scotia” contest!!! To vote, and I hope you do because I reallllly need your help, please visit http://bit.ly/ilovens!!! You can vote as many times as you want, just reopen your browser!!!

Other news…well…there have been many setbacks with the recording of “Painting With Tides”, and after much thought, I’ve decided to officially release in Spring instead of this Fall. I still need to do a lot of work and if we miss the Fall deadline, then it’s Winter and I don’t think the feel for this album is very Winter at all!!!! It has spring written all over it!! For those of you who were really lookin’ forward to the album, I’m very sorry you have to wait another 8 months or so!! I hope you understand and once again I’m so sorry! For now…it’s just my EP that I am working on promoting, getting out there, and touring! And if you got the “All Access Pass” digital EP, which is only available at my shows, then you get all the exclusive monthly downloads, new every time, with live cuts and touring footage! I highly recommend these! I love sending them out every month and getting responses.

On other news still! The “Guess Who’s Driving Tour” hits New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario in November just after Music Nova Scotia Week in Yarmouth!! Dates for this tour will be coming soon!! I’m looking forward to seeing even more of Canada with Carmel and hitting the road once again! This means that me and Carmel will have only missed two provinces on our tour! Hopefully we get to those two very soon and then we’ll have cleared Canada!!

I’m also looking forward to attending so many events coming up in the exciting months ahead!!! I love Fall! Atlantic Film Festival, Wolfville Deep Roots Festival, Celtic Colours, Halifax Pop Explosion, and then Nova Scotia Music Week, which Carmel and I are showcasing on the Saturday!!! These are all killer festivals and you should check them out if you have a chance!!! Amazing music at all, guarunteed!!!

Well folks! Congrats to everyone who got Music Nova Scotia Award Nominations today!!! I wish you all the best of luck and thank you to Music Nova Scotia for all your support! ;P Also thank you to everyone who helped me out and supported me over these last two years and made the “Where I Need to Be” EP possible! Adam Lomas, Scott Ferguson, Krista Keough, Kurt Firla, Mickey Quase and Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture, and Heritage, my family, my friends, and so many others…thank you!

Continue to support live music wherever you may be…it keeps the world goin’ round and a smile on our faces…

Lotsa love and yes…excitement!

Kim