Oh hi!  Suddenly, autumn has flown by and the dark days of winter are upon us.  I happen to love these dark days, all wild and unabashed: the smell of first snow, the yearning to stay in bed, the high frequencies of coloured Christmas lights, and the visiting of family and friends that triggers my intense need to cook too much food. It all makes sense to me…and I’m learning how to creatively deal with left overs.

So many of my songs have been written in this time of year. I can’t exactly say why, but I can speculate that the weight of the solstice coupled with the proximity to near and dear, makes my heart sing in ways that it couldn’t in the heat of summer. Winter calls for the distinct cocoon of a slow 6/8, and the best kind of navel gazing.  Darkness reminds me to look down and value the light in my life.  I am so fortunate to be in the orbit of certain souls…

What holiday madness am I looking forward to?  Well, on December 11th I’ll be joining the immaculate fray of “We Sing For Their Supper”, the annual Daily Bread Food Bank fundraiser at Lula Lounge.  I’ll also be playing some fabulous holiday favourites with the Philharmonic in Calgary on the 15th, with a host of fine musical cohorts that continuously inspire me. And it wouldn’t feel like the holidays without a whole bunch of impromptu caroling.  We only have one month to sing these songs, so I’ll be showing up in living rooms and kitchens and skating rinks, and streetcars…humming, not so softly to myself, the soundtrack of December.  Maybe I’ll see you there?

Thanks for stopping by,

-AK