The amazing Heather Hill by the enlightening Life With More Cowbell!
Heather Hill launched her new CD, Leuty Station, at the Drake Underground last night – and what a night!
Met my pal Lizzie Violet out front and we stopped by the merch table to visit Meghan Morrison, who co-wrote “Wading Through Normal” with Hill and producer Orville Heyn for this record. I picked up a copy of Leuty Station, as well as Hill’s NYC recording of her debut CD Listen. Listening to Leuty Station as I write this – and I love that Hill included a lyrics booklet with this CD!
Micah Barnes opened with a fabulous set of jazz and R&B numbers, accompanying himself on a gorgeous baby grand. Sexy, playful and charming, Barnes gave us a few mini-sets, rising in between to chat with the audience from the centre microphone and introduce the next theme. I’m always a sucker for songs about love. And New…
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40 Things I’ve Learned
40 Things I’ve Learned, in no particular order but the one they came to me in, by Kat Leonard:
1. You won’t end up with the friends you started with.
2. Keep friends in whose company you like yourself.
3. I’m lucky. Part of being lucky is realizing that you are.
4. Love feels even better going out than coming in.
5. My gut serves me best but my mind provides a worthy and engaging opponent.
6. Self-Doubt will keep you humble if it doesn’t paralyze you.
7. You can’t blame someone for not reacting the way you would.
8. No one can make you feel any particular way without your permission.
9. Maintain high hopes and low expectations. Also, early is on time and on time is late!
10. If you know enough to say sorry while you’re doing it, DON’T DO IT! Duh!
11. All that glitters can be worn at once.
12. The heart is a muscle: work it hard, permit it recovery, and enjoy it getting stronger.
13. There’s a right time for being right.
14. Camping sucks.
15. Oftentimes, freedom is a state of mind and captivity self-inflicted.
16. Don’t sit too long.
17. Stop eating when you’re full.
18. Be stingy with your time. It’s the most expensive thing you can waste.
19. If it’s feasible and it doesn’t hurt anyone, it can’t be bad merely because it’s unconventional.
20. Relentless hope and joy can be found in the facial expression of a Smurf.
21. All things are equal at the end of the world.
22. Carry sunscreen, dental floss and earplugs.
23. Never pass up an opportunity to drink water, go to the bathroom or brush your teeth.
24. If the day doesn’t feel right at first, take a nap and start over again.
25. People remember both a buoyant smile and a droning whine long after it’s left the room, so execute the one you’d like to be remembered for most.
26. The truth is equally the most exhilarating and effortless way to go.
27. Live each chapter of your life to its fullest. Don’t jump ahead and don’t try to back-edit.
28. Courage is being unnerved and moving forward anyway.
29. The answer is not at the bottom of a bag of chips. But there seem to be quite a few good clues there.
30. The second you think you’re unhappy, you are.
31. Accept compliments promptly and gracefully.
32. Listen to music. Read books! Read books that are more than a thousand pages long! Immerse yourself in another world.
33. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.
34. If you laugh well, your lines will be in the right place.
35. That which you create is real.
36. When the urge to dance hits, succumb to it regardless of where you are. The likelihood of harm coming your way is highly unlikely. Mmm… maybe not in a customs lineup.
37. Participate all you can now, because you’re only going to get more tired as the years pass.
38. We regret the things we don’t do more profoundly than the things we do.
39. If you have to question or analyze it, they don’t love you the way you imagine they do.
40. Kiss. Hug. Keep your socks dry.
I interviewed the lovely ladies Heather Hill and Meghan Morrison on their new song Wading Through Normal being released on Heather’s new CD Leuty Station. Experience their charm and hear the song here! 😀
Love feels better when you give it away!
It’s true, isn’t it?
This past week we held Wonder Women IV and there was so much love and spirit pinging off the walls of The Central Bar & Grill I felt bombarded by joy!
Wonder Women is a series of live events started by the uber-talented and ever-generous Wonder Woman Arlene Paculan. She created it to help promote local talent and also raise awareness and funds for local charities. For WWIV we joined with Red Door Family Shelter and Beverly Webb from Red Door attended the event to share the love and spread the word.
A highlight for me was when the beautiful Arlene Paculan covered my greatest hit Jockstrap and made it sweetly and sinfully soulful.
Here’s a link to the video: Arlene does Jockstrap!
Blurbs and pictures from WWIV can be found in the blogs of the following Wonder Women:
“Four, hot talented women join forces for Red Door at Wonder Women IV”
-Life With More Cowbell
“Wonder Women IV“-Lizzie Violet
“Wonder Women Awesomeness“-Lizzie Violet
“The Wonderful Women at Wonder Women IV“-Ellie Anderson
Wishing you the joy of love coming in and going out in equal measure!
Love KAT 🙂
Those Loud Creative Voices!
This is a blog by Karen Daniels from Stepcase Lifehack.
It spoke to me and speaks for itself, so I’ll just let it. Enjoy! Love KAT 🙂
How to Use Those Noisy Creative Voices in Your Head to Succeed
April 18 by Karen Daniels
Many creative people, in an effort to calm the voices in their head so they can be more productive and find joy, turn to meditation only to find themselves face to face with instructions with works like “calm” and “clearing” their mind.
For many individuals this method can work. But what if it doesn’t work for you? What if you find that you are always cluttered with creative voices in your head and ideas that have no intention of going away? You might feel frustrated with so much head-noise and so many ideas floating around that you feel like a failure at your inability to stay on a single track for success.
If you belong to this group, there is no reason to panic!
There are ways to work with your, let’s call it creative ADD, to boost your productivity and find your way to success; and not despite those noisy voices in your head and creative muses that seem to have taken up permanent residence in your head, but because of them.
What you need to do is stop trying to follow the Zen-trend and longing for quiet creative production. In Psychology Today, Cultivating Creativity, author Dr. Lara Honos-Webb says:
“When an adult creates her own rules it’s called leadership.”
Don’t clear your mind, fill your mind!
We talk because we want people to listen. The voices in your head are talking because they want you to listen. The more you try and shut them up, the louder they will become, because they are, after all, you. When intense creativity is a big part of who you are, embrace the gift, forget what people will say about you, and take note of what you’re hearing inside because it will lead you to greatness. Stop trying to run from your internal clamor and really listen. Let your mind fill up with all the thoughts and strangeness and ideas.
Find the meaning in the noise
The more you listen to the creative goodness that is you, and the more you take big actions on behalf of your creativity, the better chance you have of getting your important work done. Think of it like walking into a party; noisy, countless conversations going on covering unconnected topics. You might catch a word or phrase that makes sense but mostly it’s just noise. And then you focus in on a single conversation. The words flow together in a way that has meaning. Then you drift to another conversation and another and by the end of the night you know what all the conversations were. When you focus on the party in your head and then pay attention without trying to banish anyone from the party, you will find meaning for yourself.
Take action
Once you’ve begun the habit of actually listening to yourself, allot chunks of time where you are taking action on behalf of some of your ideas: start that book, write that weird post, doodle with crayons. Don’t take action at this point with an end in mind, rather take action as a way of honoring the voices in your head; as a way of honoring yourself. Feel free to jump from activity to activity.
Now take bigger actions
If you give yourself a few weeks of random actions in response to the ideas in your head, you will begin to find that there are creative impulses which come up repeatedly. These are ideas you should pursue because they are important to your creative self. Now take directed big actions; go all out. Write those 5 books, start that non-profit, or do at all once. Just keep doing!
Your personal success
When you have the gift of intense creativity it’s important to stop trying to “find yourself” by doing what others are doing. By honoring your inner creative voices, you give yourself the opportunity to get on a path to success that is personally meaningful to you, gives you more control, and is filled with your personal brand of creativity and passion.
Those voices? They are a good thing, after all.
(Photo credit: Blank Speech Bubbles via Shutterstock)
Happiness Something We Make Ourselves
This is an article from 1941 found in Grandma’s old family photo albums. Grandma knew it, lived it, and passed the values down through Mom to me. It’s still hard truth.
🙂 love Kat
Re-reading List
I’m not typically a re-reader of books, but these ones I leave on my shelf for such an occasion:
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
Yes, Clive is known for horror such as Hellraiser and Candyman, but his fantasy is enjoyable beyond twisted worlds. This is the first book I would ever re-read. I picked it up by chance and was nourished cerebrally and emotionally the couple days I spent immersed in it.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I’m sure you’ve heard of this series— also a film series that is a different yet still extraordinary experience. I would recommend both. In fact, I have multiple copies of some of the books. I’m not sure how the multiple copies benefit me, but I somehow feel like I have more Harry Potter with them. Harry Potter is a story and lesson about everything, especially love.
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
This is the first (of two books ever—Goblet Of Fire being the second) that made me cry. This was an unstoppable read (at least the first four books) and the character Red Jamie is my favourite of all characters ever. Merlin the magician is second on my list of favourite characters ever, but somehow Red Jamie seems realer. Best. Man. Ever!
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Speaking of Merlin… this is a story about King Arthur’s court from the perspective of the women. Yes, there is a made-for-tv movie based on the book, but please disregard it in your decision to read. The attempt to movie-fy this book is similar to the attempt at making a good TV movie out of Stephen King’s IT. Why would they do that? And speaking of IT, I totally recommend it too!
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
There’s something about big meaty books and series that invest you deeply with the characters and bind you close to the adventure. I find it changes my perception of the real world around me for the duration of the read, so when I’m reading Stephen King, Clive Barker or Harry Potter, I’m suspicious of dark magic everywhere.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The reality imagination this woman reflects and projects is astounding.
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
I think I was supposed to read this in high school—la la la. When I picked it up years later, in a moment of need for passing time, I was “elatedly” surprised. This is a heartwarming story and such an excellent example of how the writer makes you see both sides of the story at the same time. You understand how the people around the protagonist perceive her as a crazy curmudgeon… yet at the same time, the justification of her behaviour from her own point of view is so logical. Really enjoyed this.
Lamb by Christopher Moore.
Pretty much anything by Christopher Moore is stunning and entertaining. Some books I read for the stories, and some books I read for the writing style. Christopher Moore I read for both. This fellow has such a unique imagination and such a raw and witty way with words. I wish I could be around him every day. Lamb is the little-known story of Jesus from childhood to age 30 (which we rarely hear about in standard depictions) told from his childhood playmate and cohort Biff. Ah, Biff… Another title by Moore: The Stupidest Angel.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (published posthumously by mother)
This is another great read for the vocabulary, writing style and character study. It’s a protagonist you love to hate and feel sorry for at the same time—like pushing on a sore tooth and laughing about it.
That’s it for now. Any books you’ve enjoyed so much you would reread and recommend? I’m always looking for a good read, eh!
In Defense of Madonna
As a huge fan of Madonna (in more huge ways than one :)) I’ve found I’ve had to come to her defense over the past week since the release of her 12th album, MDNA, on March 26, 2012.
It’s been a good exercise for me because, to be honest, I haven’t been a fan of a lot of her recent work. On many levels I’m confused by her music and choices. I feel like the concepts and execution she’s pursued of late fall short of the legacy she’s been building.
Personally, I wish she would explore more unique music with clever lyrics. I wish she’d return to melding controversial ideas with triumphant pop and/or funky ballads. But I’m not the boss of her. No one is the boss of Madonna. She may not be the best at everything she attempts, but at least she experiments and takes risks. And she has a lot of fans that love her in this genre, and I suppose she’s in good company with the genre she’s currently exploring.
I think as human creatures we become hypercritical when others don’t meet our expectations and fall short of what we desire them to be—especially if we’ve received certain positive outcomes from them in the past. We become dependant on them for joy and fulfillment and are easily disappointed. But I don’t think it helps to be critical (analytical, yes) of people for not behaving the way we want them to or making the decisions we want them to or making the music we want them to. I would like to see Madonna fans be thankful for what they’ve gained from her and hang on for the next Madonna incarnation—because history shows there will be one. 🙂
In the meantime, I hope Madonna holds true to herself and makes decisions based on her own gut.
“Poor is the man whose pleasure depends on the permission of another.”
Madonna- Justify My Love
Words to live peacefully by from one of my most significant heroes whom I will remain forever faithful to. Dear Madonna and reader: Express Yourself!
I leave you with my Bossy video, which I made a few years ago, a bit of a tribute to Madonna as I play with Papa Don’t Preach. http://youtu.be/UgmZiHCFU9Q
Love KAT
PS The new song I F**ked Up on the Deluxe Edition of MDNA is AWESOME!!! Seriously.
Meghan Morrison: A Force of Love
-photo by Lizzie Violet
Meghan Morrison at Velvet Underground Canadian Music Week
This week pulsed with remarkable moments, and many of those moments were made extraordinary because they involved Meghan Morrison. Meghan Morrison is a force of love. I adore her. I challenge any live being (big or small, furry or bipedal) to spend any amount of time in her company and not adore her. She is the light in a dark cave, she is the first giggle you hear after being submerged in the humdrumity of daily life, and she is the sweet gentle breeze that cradles and invigorates you.
My first Meghan Morrison event this week was co-hosting her cyber jam webcast. Featured this week were Angela Saini (CD release April 4th at The Drake!) and Supertash! I could gush for pages on how much fun I had with these fireballs and how wonderful I think they are, but I think you should go to their websites and find out for yourself! It is always a blast to tune in to the webcast and participate in the chatroom. I encourage you to check out the next live webcast and also peruse the archives for a plethora of unique and inspiring local artists! This is Meghan’s glorious website: www.meghanmorrisonmusic.com
My second Meghan Morrison event this week was her performance at Velvet Underground for CMW (Canadian Music Week). Her set was enlightening in a rock-and-lightning kind of way. Her music is groovy and ethereal. Her voice is uplifting and haunting. Her presence and passion gave me heartrush and goose bumps! It’s fitting that the title of her album released last fall, Lark, is a conjunction of the words Light and Dark. It makes so much sense! And you can feel the love and enjoyment emanating from the stage off of each band member; a palpable force of love with Meghan Morrison at the vortex. They are all amazing.
-photo by Lizzie Violet
Kelly Lefaive,Stuart Everitt, Meghan Morrison, Evan LeBlanc
Meghan also made cupcakes for the entire room. I had two, ‘cause there was one dude at the bar who didn’t look like he’d have a cupcake while drinking beer. This is one of my favourite Meghan Morrison songs, Hush. I hope to do a cover of it one day! LifeWithMoreCowbell was also a big part of the fun– as always, enhancing everything with her involvement.
-Jessica Speziale, Kat Leonard, Lily Cheng, Debra Alexander, Heather Hill, Lucy LeBlanc, Champagne Charlie
CMW brought me much joy time with many friends (new and already cherished). I feel blessed and am already looking forward to next year! One of the brightest highlights of CMW for me was partying with Seymour Stein! He signed The Pretenders, The Ramones, Talking Heads, and is the founder of Sire Records and– Oh, yeah, THAT Seymour Stein who signed Madonna!!!!! To put the importance of this to me into perspective for you: Christians have Jesus and I have Madonna. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her existence, her example of innovation, balls and dance grooves. You cannot imagine the rate at which my heart pumped when I heard the words, “Seymour Stein is sitting in the corner right there.” Oh Em Gee! Okay, so I didn’t actually PARTY with Seymour. Okay, okay, he may not have actually been aware that I was THERE. But this Kat was at a wee private hotel room party at which Seymour Stein sat in a chair listening to the same intimate acoustic set I was listening to. And I did escort him to his room afterward. Okay, okay, so he didn’t actually KNOW I was escorting him… but I did. I followed him out and meandered with stealth amongst the human clamour he undoubtedly endures most everywhere he goes. And I got a blurry picture of him from behind and faraway and I will cherish this photo by myself. Because that’s the kind of stalker I am.
What a week! Now let’s start the next one!
Hope you enjoy yours!
KAT LEONARD (Kat & The MP3) 