new album news

and shows too...

Hi readers,

It’s late as I write this. I just woke after falling asleep with my little guy at his bedtime. The last few weeks have had me resting at this time of night, trying to be mindful in recuperating from a cold (and a bit of the flu to boot). I’ve heard from friends and family that this illness has been making its way around. I have been at its mercy for some time.

But instead of easing back to sleep in my own bed beside Blake, I feel the need to share news and share my anticipation: I have shows this weekend and I’m making an album.

Let’s talk about the album…

So much has changed since I went into studio to record Malice, Mercy, Grief + Wrath in 2017. Most notably, I have a child. And collectively we’ve lived through a lot – politically, societally. Some days it feels like an onslaught and that I’ve forgotten more than I’ve been able to process. I reflect on how I’ve changed and struggled while simultaneously (and metaphorically) wearing a worn out t-shirt emblazoned with keep on keeping on.

And we do, don’t we?

This album has a few songs that have been around for a long time. Others are finding their legs – there’s one in particular has been vexing me. When I rehearse it, I often shout at it. We haven’t figured out what we want from each other. It’s currently defying my desires. Clenching its fists and withholding itself.

Let’s pause here to discuss a belief that I have about songs: they all have their own spirit. It’s embodied during performance almost unfailingly. Some songs are triumphant, some tender, some are angry, bold. The one that currently makes me shout has an unwilling nature. It’s like it doesn’t want to be a song – except I don’t believe that! I think this song is mighty, albeit still self conscious. Its discomfort with being discovered, being known, is making it feisty and feral.

I have that energy too at times, when I don’t want to be seen. When I’m feeling protective.

Songs. To me, they’re miniature worlds. Entities. Personalities. When I group them together into an album they make a family. Favourites are chosen.

I wonder if other writers think of their work this way – as beings to nurture. People tell me I’m a good mother; a gentle mom. I think making songs has been unintentionally instructive in that: I lean in to listen what their interests and angles are. It’s exhausting work to be in servitude of songs. They don’t thank me for being good to them. Instead they are good to me in return. But on their own time.

I digress and will turn from the conceptual to the practical.

The album’s schedule is laid out. Schedules are, of course, made to be abandoned, but having one inspires momentum. Ours has me in Saskatoon from April 4th to 9th with my band at RecHall Studio. There is One Big Job per month.

APRIL: record bed tracks and overdubs
MAY: mix the album
JUNE: send to mastering
JULY: manufacture vinyl and CDs (do y’all still want CDs?)
AUGUST: breathe, catch up
SEPTEMBER: release the first single
JANUARY: release the album

(There’s probably a reason that I shouldn’t have just told you when I’m planning to release, but we’re in a friendly space of our own making. There’s not too much behind the proverbial curtain anymore, personally or professionally. Plus, making a record is something that I’ve found is still a bit mysterious for folks who aren’t in the industry. Let’s demystify it, shall we? Everyone does it a little different and everyone does it essentially the same. At the end of the day, it’s a process of discovery. It is not linear. It’s exciting and frustrating. Perfectionism lurks. Vulnerabilities are on display. Trust is imperative. Also? This timeline is extraordinarily simplified. Artwork! Publicity! Revisions! Travel! It is all within those months, but I can’t verify how many Virgos are reading this, and thus who is interested in minutiae).

Quite simply, I have chosen people who I trust to make a creative work. I’ve written songs. I will work collaboratively with a team of good people to bring the songs to you. The songs are determined in their own destiny. They have specific wills and wants. We’re all in service of them.

It’s a curious process.

OK.
NOW THE SHOWS.

Performing these songs in their current state is a fleeting moment. It’s unfamiliar. Put bluntly, it’s unpracticed. There’s no muscle memory. Come and cheer me on! Cheer on the songs! We need you.

MARCH 15
The Bassment
Saskatoon, SK
tickets

MARCH 16
Parlour Barbour Shop
Yorkton, SK
$25 at the door

MARCH 28
The Pioneer
Calgary, AB
Western Seer Showcase with Blake Berglund & Lachlan Neville
Songwriters’ Round presented by Buckaroos
tickets

I’ll have some new merchandise at the shows. Life is good.

xoxo
Mel/Belle