tag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:/blogs/dear-thai-ary?p=1Dear Thai-ary2020-01-08T19:46:48-05:00Jenie Thaifalsetag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/60720242020-01-08T19:46:48-05:002021-09-30T13:29:27-04:00Looking back and straight ahead<p>Happy New Year to all my friends near and afar! I hope you rang in the new decade with good health, people you love, and things you're looking forward to!</p>
<p>So.. 2020, eh? Who remembers what happened when 1999 clicked over to 2000? I recall being a very happy kid running around with sparklers, excited to hit the clock past midnight, and watching fireworks dance with spidery legs on the north side of Edmonton. I remember the messy fear around Y2K destroying computers and banks and clocks and stocks (what are those?) and being in total confusion of how people could believe the world was going to 'end' while my 10 yr old mind thought "No way, I'm still playing baseball this summer!".<br><br>And just like that, quick fat snap of the fingers, we are in our second decade. I can confidently say that I'm very proud of things I've learned, accomplished and experienced in the last 10 years. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell 16 year old Jenie to relax because things are going to turn out even more wild and exciting than I had imagined - and that I will handle it all not-so-badly!</p>
<p>Back in 2010 I had graduated post-secondary, turned down an opportunity to attend Paul McCartney's school in Liverpool ("no Sir McCartney!"), and moved into a house with 3 other musicians. I decided that I was going to be a full-time musician and I started calling EVERY SINGLE place in Edmonton and surrounding areas that hosted live music. <br><br>The earlier part of the decade proved to be years of growth as a touring songwriter. I embarked on self-booked tours I coined "Couch Concert Series" - tours I booked by contacting strangers online (through couchsurfing.org) and asked if I could play a show in their living rooms in exchange for pay-what-you-can and a couch to crash on. This took me throughout Alberta and BC. I started to land a few nice festival spots in Alberta with an EP and a full-length album under my belt. In 2014 I decided I was tired of the, apparently, too-easy commute to Vancouver, and decided I would drive to Toronto. It was my first time booking myself east of Lake Superior, and boy oh boy, did I quickly realize just how superior that lake is. Falling in love with the adventures to be had with my 2 door honda civic, and my portable piano - I continued to drive back and forth across Canada (made it to the east coast) for several years until fall of 2016 when I decided it's time to 'stop commuting to work' and just live in Toronto.</p>
<p>Since moving to Toronto in 2016, it seems like my rocket ship hit the moon and is currently on high speed on its way to Jupiter! I'm in love with this city, with the community, with the different neighbourhood pockets, with Roncesvalles, with Parkdale, with the lake next door, with music happening in venues EVERYWHERE, with the open attitudes, with Mother India, with my friends. It took 6 years to put out another record, and within 6 months of living here I was already knee-deep in the studio. I'm so honoured to have been invited to play prestigious places such as Massey Hall, Kitchener Blues Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival (TOTALLY INSANE LAST SUMMER!!), Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival... so many more.</p>
<p>This last year, 2019, was particularly spectacular. I played 200+ gigs - some of which I was thrilled to join <a contents="The Downchild Blues Band" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.downchild.com/" target="_blank">The Downchild Blues Band</a> on the road celebrating their 50 years as a band. I also started touring throughout the US which has been a dream of mine for years. Montreal Jazz Festival was truly an all time high for me - estimated 10,000 people at our stage two nights in a row.... I participated in a theatre program for the first time - <a contents="Soulpepper" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.soulpepper.ca/" target="_blank">Soulpepper,</a> explored (and played a show) in New York City with my main squeeze - Andrew, played a festival in Mexico/swam in the ocean for the first time, and welcomed my sister's third baby into this world!</p>
<p>I'm in awe of the many interesting places I've had the privilege to visit over the last decade. Thailand. And Cuba, New Orleans, Mexico, New York City, California, many many other places throughout the US, and almost all of Canada... all these settings, the unique history of each town/country, the people I've met, the different cultures, the on-the-fly-problem-solving .. all continue to shape me.<br><br>Sometimes, especially in moments of reflection such as this one, I really believe I am the luckiest person on this earth and I'm overwhelmed by the inspiring people that surround me (and have my whole life!). I'm super pumped for the next decade!! Who knows what's ahead!? Maybe I'll run the Boston Marathon! Or maybe Bonnie Raitt will give me a call!!?????</p>
<p>Thank you to each of you that read my Dear Thai-ary entry. And thank you to every single person that buys records, goes to live shows, and really understands the importance of art in our world! I'm very much looking forward to what's ahead and wish everybody success and happiness in their endeavours!</p>
<p>Much love,<br>JT xo<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/5d8f3c89f51627628363424213c018c6c416e8be/original/img-3205.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/55824082019-01-05T15:30:05-05:002021-07-11T03:24:55-04:002018 was the most insane year of my life<p>Happy New Year to all!!!</p>
<p>I'm currently on College Street absolutely destroying my eggs benedict at one of my fav west end brunch spots. I love the first week of January because I typically ease my way back into my busy routine and always enjoy looking back on the previous year.</p>
<p>Similar to the past, I'm going to take some time and go through a few highlights of each month but to sum it up right here.... the stand out moments of last year was <strong>exploring Havana</strong> with my partner Andrew, <strong>releasing Night on Fire</strong>!!, playing<strong> 273 gigs</strong>, <strong>meeting my new niece</strong> (born on the same day as me!), <strong>hiking in Banff</strong>, and <strong>receiving visits here in Toronto from my Mum, Dad, and brother.</strong></p>
<p>2018 was SO busy..........</p>
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<p><strong>January: </strong>The biggest highlight in this month was easily going to Cuba with Andrew. I have another blog all about our Havana adventures if you're interested. Here's a quick summary: Andrew got food poisoning (twice haha), I got an explosive heat rash all over my face, we never saw the beach and rarely saw the sun, and yet, we had the BEST time soaking in music, dancing, exploring, and struggling with our Spanish!! I'd love to go back. I found Cubans to be unbelievably beautiful people that take pride in their art and in who they are.</p>
<p><strong>February: </strong>My baby niece Grace was born ON my birthday!!! My sister, the fighter in the family, had a long labour, and by the end of it she brought into this world an alarmingly adorable, big-blue eyed, scrappy but happy pudge cake. I wish I could squeeze her cheeks right now! Best birthday gift ever. </p>
<p><strong>March: </strong>The craziest gig in March was joining Mary Margaret O'Hara's circus of enthusiastic St. Patrick's Day lovers at her annual "Martian Awareness Ball"!! I got to the Horseshoe early in the evening. Mary Margaret informed me earlier that there will be about 30-40 other singers so the best thing to do is just jump up on stage whenever I feel the time is right... so I anticipated chaos. Upon arrival, I went straight back stage into the tiny little green room and there was Mary Margaret.... and her sister Catherine! I got kinda nervous so I shyly told Catherine that I'm a fan and asked the two of them if they needed help with anything... one of them told me to go on stage and grab the bags of chips behind the house band that was already playing... so there I was, on stage at the horseshoe for the first time, running in between amps and a live band, looking for chips for Mary Margaret and Catherine O'Hara. Haha!!! It was SUCH an awesome night. I felt like a little leprechaun peering out at this huge world/community that Mary Margaret created. The amount she sparkled on stage was multiplied by millions in person. Tom Wilson rang out an epic rendition of Van Morrison's "Gloria". The O'Hara siblings were so much fun to be around. The Horseshoe was standing room only. And I even received an extremely nice email from Mary Margaret the following day - - it made me feel pretty special, especially considering there were 40+ people involved that night.</p>
<p><strong>April: </strong>A few cool things happened this month! One was a workshop for the Durham Music Business college with the business students. I often still feel new and young in the music biz so it was surprising and rewarding to realize how much I've learned over the past 8 years! If anyone that works at a university/college is reading this, just know that I'd LOVE to come in and do a seminar sometime! :) Another highlight was a showcase of my new album at The Dakota. I debuted my new material with a 9 piece band and special guests <a contents="Roxanne Potvin" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://roxannepotvin.com/" target="_blank">Roxanne Potvin</a>, <a contents="Fraser Melvin" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.frasermelvin.com/" target="_blank">Fraser Melvin</a>, <a contents="Paul Reddick" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.paulreddick.ca/" target="_blank">Paul Reddick</a>, and <a contents="Shakura S'aida!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.shakurasaida.com/" target="_blank">Shakura S'aida!</a>! And I SOLD OUT THE DAKOTA!! I was totally overwhelmed, because it had only been a year and a half of living in the city and I felt (and still feel) that my biggest accomplishment so far is being accepted by the music community that I love SO MUCH... and along the way building an audience of people that enjoy my music - to boot! In the last week of April, my Mum escaped the long Edmonton winter and came to visit me. We had laughs and laughs and laughs - - especially when the red wine - in a thermos - in her purse - spilled all over her Jays ticket at the back of the street car... remember that Mum? </p>
<p><strong>May: </strong>Playing the Hammond B3 at the orbit room!! But the greatest memory was when my Dad came to visit for a night! We had the most packed 24 hours of conversation, front porch guitar jamming, recording, and Mother India roti. That day is one of the biggest highlights of my entire year.<br> </p>
<p><strong>June: </strong>Orangeville Jazz and Blues Fest. We were treated super well and had a great main stage slot! But the BEST part of June was seeing PAUL SIMON!!!! Andrew and I had the absolute worst two seats in the house and it was still so incredible. He played an hour and a half of encores (is that really an encore?).... bridge over troubled water with the string section opening... sound of silence with just his acoustic and one spotlight..... it was epic. We also heard Herbie Hancock in June which was.. insane... I was exhausted after that one haha.</p>
<p><strong>July: </strong>I played a double bill with <a contents="Hilario Duran" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://hilarioduran.com/" target="_blank">Hilario Duran</a> at Hugh's Room which brought me back to Cuba. After the show we chatted for awhile and he shed more light on Cuba and what the country has been through. His music and conversation was moving. I also debuted at Mariposa Folk Festival!!!!!! This festival has been a bucket list for me and Liz Scott, the AD, put me on stage with The Heavyweights Brass Band and <a contents="KEVIN BREIT" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.kevinbreit.com/" target="_blank">KEVIN BREIT</a>! To be honest, I was really nervous - - the heavyweights and Kevin are extremely talented and versatile musicians. The hour on stage was... complete madness! and mayhem!! Right from the top. Kevin Breit led us all in a James Brown style opening and the energy on stage didn't dip until the whole thing was over. and we were all dripping in sweat. And we got a standing O! I never got around to it, but I recall wanting to write a blog about my experience with Kevin Breit. He's a musical giant but even more than that, incredibly gracious. And funny! Without him actually saying so, he reminded me about how important it is to just be oneself, and that that person is going to be love-able because of how genuine he/she is. The other highlight of July was spending time in Banff with Andrew. I miss the greenery of Alberta a ton, so we took some time to go canoeing and hiking up the big beehive in the rockies. :) :) </p>
<p><strong>August: </strong>August was fun because I played two festivals in Northern Ontario - - one was in Red Rock, the other in Sioux-Narrows Nestor Falls area. Red Rock was fun because the festival takes over the town and I spent a weekend right in the heart of the Red Rock. I shared a billeting house with this amazing guitar player (and amazing human) that invented his own instrument coined "Kalimbatar". His name is Trevor Gordon Hall and you should check him out here: <a contents="Trevor's website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.trevorgordonhall.com/" target="_blank">Trevor's website</a>. I also took in a tremendous thunderstorm!!!! <a contents="Raine Hamilton&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.rainehamilton.com/" target="_blank">Raine Hamilton</a> was on the mainstage, fronting her string quartet, commanding the lightening with her bow! The jagged jolts of light broke open the sky and the campers' and I huddled around a bonfire sharing whiskey and songs. After my last set on Sunday afternoon I jumped on board a12 passenger canoe. We paddled out onto lake Superior and I jumped out to swim!! Then I flew back my soggy and tired body back to Toronto, just to fly to Winnipeg a few days later with my band. Times Change(d) - - one of my top fav clubs in Canada - - as always - - proved to me why! Alex Furlott, Fraser Melvin, Andrew Scott and I had SO much fun playing Winnipeg, and then driving south of Kenora and bunking up in a little cabin all weekend. The boys taught me how to dive hahaha. The first running dive I went for ended in bruises that lasted until September haha. The festival - Moose N Fiddle - was also super fun. It was my second year back and was treated like total royalty! </p>
<p><strong>September: </strong>This was a big month because I released my brand new album <em>Night on Fire</em>!!!! The first release show was at Hugh's Room Live in Toronto - on Sept 29th - and... I SOLD OUT HUGH'S ROOM!!! I'm STILL in awe!! I had my 9 piece band again (singers! horns!), the grand piano, and my friends<a contents=" Dala" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.dalagirls.com/" target="_blank"> Dala</a> and <a contents="Jane Siberry " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.janesiberry.com/" target="_blank">Jane Siberry </a>with me. Dala made me cry - they were childhood heroes of mine and just as funny and angelic l as I remember them. Jane Siberry was SOMETHING else!!!! This whole evening deserves another thai-ary entry - I should have written one and never did. Jane was incredible. She was SO funny, brought a pinch of sass, and sang straight from her heart. Every word that she sung was carefully hung in the air with intent so heavy that they melted down over our heads and into our bones. I had a hard time handling all the love in the room from the audience, the musicians, friends, and the staff... the next evening I actually had a small meltdown. It was partly out of sheer exhaustion, but also due to the build up for the album release and this particular show. I mean, I was going down memory lane from the days I wrote the songs to the recording process to the lead up of it physically being in people's hands. Years!!! I'm constantly my own tough critic so to feel inner pride and receive so much love was a lot to handle.</p>
<p><strong>October: </strong>BEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!!!! My band from Alberta - that I've been playing with since 2008! - Kyle Mosiuk (guitar), Paul Bergeron (bass), and Andrew Scott (drums) - and I climbed into a van and took over Western Canada! We toured <em>Night on Fire </em>for the almost the whole month. There's WAY too many highlights on this tour alone so I won't overwhelm you because I know this entry is already long! But we had sold out or nearly sold out shows in every single town we played (except for one on Vancouver Island) and that blew my mind!! It was my first time taking a 4 piece on the road for an extended period, and it was by far, the most success I've ever had on a tour. We played theatres, house concerts, and folk society gigs ending with a banger in hometown Edmonton! We also recorded a live show in Calgary through <a contents="Stampede City Sessions" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.stampedecitysessions.com/" target="_blank">Stampede City Sessions</a> that will be aired on PBS throughout North America right before Austin City Limits!! Wha??!!?!? And the laaaaaaughs.... and card games..... we were/are family!</p>
<p><strong>November: </strong>This was my most laid back month of the year and it came at the perfect time. My brother, <a contents="Joe Nolan" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.joenolanmusic.com/" target="_blank">Joe Nolan</a>, came out to TO for because he ALSO released a new album this year!! A week apart from mine. Isn't that so cool?! It's called <em>Cry Baby </em>and it's seriously incredible. His song "Another Dead Poet" makes me cry every time I hear it! Anyways, he came out for some shows but basically, the two of us just HUUNG for the week. It felt exactly like it used to when we were little kids. Joe has always been my best friend, and we were over-due for some solid re-connecting time. We also binge watched <em>The Haunting of Hill House, </em>along with Andrew, which was the first time I attempted a scary show since high school when I saw <em>The Exorcism of Emily Rose. </em></p>
<p><b>December: </b>Whirl-wind. Whipped by. It was so busy I thought it was still December yesterday by accident. The short of it was that I played a few strings of amazing gigs - my favs being <a contents="Sue Foley" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://suefoley.com/" target="_blank">Sue Foley</a>'s special guest at The Cadillac Lounge, and getting hired to record pump organ in a studio. I also re-connected with my Alberta band - played a week at the famous Commercial Hotel and was treated like gold at my annual Smokehouse BBQ show. Christmas was split between Edmonton and Medicine Hat. Love the Alberta roads. :) I played a fiery game of Catch Phrase with my family until 2am on Christmas Eve and goofed around non-stop with my two nieces. The best Christmas present I received was a totally unexpected one! My mum, got up and announced to the living room full of people, that she was going to give me a piano recital!! But not without a heartwarming speech - she explained about the importance of a good teacher in one's life and how they can affect a person for the rest of his/her life. She took lessons as a little kid but hasn't practised the piano since her awful experience with a teacher. My mum used to drive me over an hour each way to my piano lessons, so I grew up with weekly quality bonding time with her (which was special in a household of 6 people!), telling her all about the good or sometimes bad lessons I had... it was so cool that the piano recital tradition came full circle. Anyways, she had been preparing two pieces and performed them for my family and I and it was the most beautiful gift I may have ever received! It was so touching and I love the way my Mum plays. Music stays with people for forever; it's so powerful.</p>
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<p>If you read all the way to the end, WOW! and THANK YOU! I know I said this last year, but I'm going to try and make more of an effort this year to write frequently. Exciting things are constantly happening and it feels good to reflect on them. Thank you to EVERYBODY in 2018 that hosted me, bought my new album, made me laugh, and in general - fed my soul! I think it's safe to say that it was the craziest year of my life thus far, and I've never felt more supported than right now. I wish ALL of you Thai-ary readers a healthy and meaningful 2019, and from the bottom of my heart, thanks again for reading!!</p>
<p>xoxoxo JT</p>
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<p><strong>What's next? </strong>This upcoming Tuesday I fly down to Mexico to take part in a blues festival!! It's a fundraiser for an orphanage in Ixtapa. THEN I come back and play at The Maple Blues Awards Ceremony! Oh yeah! I've been nominated for Piano Player of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards...!!! THEN LATER, this upcoming spring, I tour the US for the first time! I also hope to get in some cross country skiing thanks to my main squeeze for spoiling me at Christmas!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Always on the go..... </p>
<p><3</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/09200a28b325dd0cb411a7a9b3ba13447b27ea79/original/sd3-jenniethai-spring2018promo-skyline-4410-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The photograph was taken by the insanely talented artist <a contents="Scott Doubt" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/scottdoubtphotography/" target="_blank">Scott Doubt</a>.</p>
<p> </p>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/50486192018-01-28T21:13:37-05:002021-01-12T22:37:28-05:00Havana<p>Havana.</p>
<p>Habana Vieja and Centro Habana: Narrow alley-like streets. It feels like curtains are drawn as you walk because the buildings are so tall and tightly arranged; it's difficult to see the sky. Homes missing doors, buildings half blown up, cracked sidewalks, crayola box coloured buildings, bright "Abierto" signs glowing, Cubans hustling tourists to eat in their restaurants, jambon sandwiches sitting on windowsills, kids playing streetball - ricocheting balls off walls. Everything is broken, falling apart, rundown. </p>
<p>Vedado: Upperclass hood. Andrew and I stayed in a Casa Particular with an AMAZING human by the name of Carlos. Upon a warm greeting, we enjoyed an espresso and one of the first things Carlos said to us is how important music is to the human spirit and that it is easily understood by all walks of life. We loved him immediately.</p>
<p>Every day we would wake up to huge plates of fresh fruit, bread w/ homemade guava jam, freshly squeezed fruit juice, coffee, and an egg tortilla prepared by Carlos himself... and he would teach us Spanish! Mid trip we were joined by two other guests - Dan from NYC, and Rita from Portugal! Waking up and catching up with them about our Cuba experiences became a routine I really looked forward to.</p>
<p>After breakfast, Andrew and I explored. We spent a lot of time walking along the Malecon - which is a roadway and seawall that stretches along the coast of Havana. In some places it was risky to walk because the Atlantic waves were high at points and would drench the sidewalk haha. 1950s cars with their ragtops down rip down the street blowing black exhaust out their back ends. It's mind blowing to me that the Cubans are able to keep these cars going - and they all look pristine!</p>
<p>We quickly found favourite spots to eat, and me being vegetarian, it was slightly tricky but not as bad as I imagine it would have been even five years ago. Our mutual fav place to eat: Habana pizza, right around the corner from Carlos'. Outdoor place that seemed to be open at all hours. $1 CUC (which equals $1 US) for a full pan (12 inch?) pizza that slid right out of a little window. We would sit on the concrete and people watch; young Cubans would often gather here after salsa dancing to free outdoor concerts. Mmmmmmmmm... craving and missing this spot right now!!!</p>
<p>Andrew and I, unbenknownst to us, happened to book our tickets during the Havana Jazz Festival!! I have a strong feeling that music isn't hard to find at any time of year, but we definitely lucked out and got to take in some INSANE music! A couple times, we just happened to stumble on outdoor concerts with massive crowds gathering around the musicians. My favourite time this happened was in the Jazz Plaza. We were definitely the only non-Cubans enjoying the music, and it was equally as fun to watch all the Cubans salsa as it was to take in the music. Everybody is so musical! They all clap and feel the clave beat; in Canada people clap on one and three............................... :/ The Cubans are also extremely friendly - I had no trouble finding dance partners to give salsa lessons (I have a very long way to go.. haha). Another afternoon, I was invited to sit in with Pablo Menendez (son of the legendary Barbara Dane) and the Mezcla thanks to a mutual friend for hooking us up! So cool!</p>
<p>Another memorable afternoon was heading to a traditional rhumba concert at a place recommended by a friend. Andrew and I showed up just as the doors were opening, two hours early, and within minutes the club was packed. Every Friday afternoon, Cubans gather here and drink for two hours (every drink = $1 CUC = and if you order rum, each cup is a free pour... about 3 shots... aye yai yai!!!). Concrete floors, rundown, squatting toilet... everything is old. Again, Andrew and I are the only non-Cubans but we are treated like royalty! We were welcomed in right away and somebody even reserved a table for us! The concert was amazing and also over my head as I don't know a lot about traditional Cuban music. Percussion and voice. Pairs of dancers would go up near the stage and dance, in what I presume, is a very traditional way of dancing. The women often held a scarf and the pair would tease and converse with one another through their movements. By the end of the concert, the entire room was up on their feet - clapping, dancing, singing! The energy of the room was high in energy and excitement and rum. After the show ended, Andrew and I kept drinking and hanging with our neighbours. I LOVE communicating with people when we don't speak the same language! My Spanish is broken, and most Cubans also speak little English, so trying to piece together conversation is a challenge that I get instant enjoyment out of! It's problem solving through creative use of body language and select words, and my Spanish only improves the more I do it. So there we were, too many rums and cervesas deep and Andrew whispers in my ear "we have to go." He said that our new friends were stealing money from us. Throughout the night our friends had been conning us in different ways to buy them drinks and then one woman even kept all the change and walked out. It put a dark glow on the experience because we felt used. They didn't actually enjoy our company, they just smelled money. It hurt us, not because we cared about the spent CUC's but because we were genuinely loving their company and feeling so lucky to get to experience their culture. </p>
<p>This experience shaped the rest of our trip. The truth is, we ARE tourists, and in Cuban standards, we ARE rich. I also have no idea what it's like to live in a country where wealthy people from other countries constantly wander through my neighbourhood to experience something new. I may not be wealthy on the Canadian scale, but I am SO wealthy in terms of global standards. I felt this way after returning from Thailand too. It is incomprehensible how fortunate I am to have done nothing and been born to two Canadian parents and then raised in Alberta. Cubans are given free education, which means they are extremely clever and well-educated, but because their country is underdeveloped it means that doctors are driving taxis. And thanks to Trump for re-establishing the embargo, Cuba can't make trades they need and it's difficult for people to leave. Andrew and I went on an amazing hike in the rain forest in a small town called Soroa. Our guide, Juan Guerra (five time national MMA champion!!), has his Masters in biology, self-taught himself English, is going to for his doctorate soon, is a teacher of America's number one MMA fighter, and is all round a super interesting/sweet guy. He's working odd and end jobs and entertaining tourists for $15 CUC each. It's just NOT fair. And everything is so old, even in the nice establishments. Even Carlos, who is well off, has a toilet that you have to re-fill with water after you flush.</p>
<p>Overall, it was a beautiful trip. I started crying in the airport on the way back to Toronto because I was overwhelmed. I'm beyond privileged and can't believe that I get to have the life I do. It's funny though, as soon as we landed back in TO and the phones came back out, my anxiety level immediately spiked. It makes me wonder if North Americans, with all their opportunities, are any happier than the Cubans. They may not have our creature comforts, but they have education, music, and they can all DANCE! </p>
<p>Anyways, I'm back in Roncesvalles and it feels good to reflect. I hope to go back to Cuba again, explore more of their country, and take in the beautiful spirits of the people!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thanks, as always, for reading.</p>
<p>Immensely grateful,</p>
<p>Jenie Thai</p>
<p>p.s. Coolest place EVER: Fabrique De Arts. (The Art Factory). It's an art gallery in a building with many different levels, so even the lay-out is super artistic and music happens throughout. But it's not like a background jazz trio or background string quartet - it's full on concerts in huge rooms. And there's a bar and the whole place becomes a night club. It was SO cool to see that there was a line to get in and then a huge concert hall sardine-like packed for jazz music. The people there love art!!!! Imagine that was how all the night clubs were in Canada? I'd like to think they'd be packed but I bet they'd be dead...</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/0e665394725b7dc7eb2fb381974b77e7a883f35a/medium/27479552-10159757501065532-408423037-o.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">*Laughing on the Malecon!</p>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/50041522018-01-04T17:09:45-05:002022-04-25T11:09:58-04:002017 Freaking ROCKED!<p>Dear Thai-ary,</p>
<p>I'm having a beer on Roncesvalles - - - - in a bar I love coming to because I'm totally anonymous (except to the bartender - who usually throws in a free shot haha) and I'm reflecting on how kickass the last year was. In October of 2016, I moved to Toronto and 14 months later I never would have imagined all the great relationships I have now and cool stuff I've got to do!</p>
<p>2017 was INSANE!!</p>
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<p><strong>January:</strong> was slow. I remember feeling a little depressed. I wasn't home in Alberta.. I didn't feel like I was at home in Toronto. I didn't have much work. It was winter. Money was tight. However, the Toronto Blues Society was hosting another Blues Summit and I got to play with Suzie Vinnick, Gary Craig, and Victor Bateman which was awesome!! Definitely the highlight of the month, and I'm super grateful to Derek Andrews for inviting me to be a part of that. </p>
<p><strong>February:</strong> I represented Edmonton Blues Society in Memphis for the International Blues Challenge, alongside my good friends (and one of my most fav bands) Boogie Patrol (who put on one of the best live shows I've ever seen in the semi-finals... holy shit!!). The best part of that week was going when I headed to a jazz jam on a lonesome/dead/cold Sunday night - - - arrived by myself to find out there was no jam and I was hangin' in a 'haunted' ex-brothel that Ray Charles used to frequent.</p>
<p><strong>March:</strong> Held a residency at The Cameron House. This was super super fun because I had a couple different bands supporting me and several awesome special guests. For a while, in Feb/March, my now good friends, Fraser Melvin and Alex Furlott, would come over to mine and Andrew's little one bedroom to exchange songs/jam - - - for FUN! This never happened when I lived in Edmonton. "Jams" were always rehearsals for an upcoming show.. but the four of us spent the winter together for some solid over-caffeinated RnB. I quickly found out that the guy whose bedroom is right below us loved it........</p>
<p> </p>
<p>^^^^That last sentence was sarcasm at my best^^^^</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>April: </strong>The journey of gigging in Ontario continued. Highlight: THE WILNO TAVERN!!! Oh my gosh!!! I'll never forget it! It was packed and you could have heard a pin drop during the whole 2 hours I played. Also.. those perogies... and sitting at the bar post show with just a handful of us left was also awesome - - it reminded me of small-town Alberta.. where everybody is drinking bottled pilsner and sharing stories of 'way back when'.</p>
<p><strong>May: </strong>Highlights - similar to that of The Wilno Tavern, was playing with Bryn Besse in Sudbury at The Motley Kitchen and in Port Perry. MAN! It's sooo awesome to play for people that LOVE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC! Don't get me wrong, playing in a club w/ drinkers/dancers is so much fun.. but playing for a listening audience that came SOLELY to hear my songs is greatly appreciated, and it puts fuel in the engine.. gonna keep driving up that hill.</p>
<p><strong>June: </strong>I STARTED RECORDING THE ALBUM I'M GOING TO RELEASE THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET READY! I'm soooooo proud of what we did in the studio. "We" being: Andrew Scott (drums), Andrew Stewart (bass), Brooke Blackburn (guitar), Stew Crookes (engingeer/producer). The 5 of us hunkered down.. in the heat of June.. in Blue Rodeo's studio... and recorded the bulk of what I'm going to release this upcoming year. I've never felt so relaxed and pumped about any sessions in my life. These guys LIT IT UP. I respect all the people involved in this album so much that I was nervous to ask them but the result of what we created is something I'm very proud of and sooo excited to share!!!!</p>
<p><strong>July:</strong> Summer!!! Just coming off The North Country Fair (which also ruled... as it does every single year) - - proud moments were The Home County Folk Festival. Sharing the stage with childhood heros Dala.. as well as Dione Taylor w/ Sean Pinchin. Folk Festivals = rule! I'm in my element when I'm sharing the stage with other songwriters. Sometimes spontaneous jams occur, or sometimes one songwriter's story jogs a memory I have which make me think of a different song to share. It's fun because that exact arrangement of songwriters on stage will only happen once! Also - - - Beaches Jazz Fest!!! I'll never forget the street party. There were H.U.N.D.R.E.D.S of T.H.O.U.S.A.N.D.S. of people attending.... I remember the very last set we played, people were sardines building to building dancing/listening/watching.. in the dark.. summer.. no jackets needed... man. Frick! I even saw the guy that is always working the front desk of the gym I go to watching haha.</p>
<p><strong>August:</strong> Mega sweet month. Kitchener Blues Festival... ever checked out that line-up? A CRAZY accomplishment to be added to it!! Also, got to play a sweet tour of Northern Ontario. Finally, a drive through northern Ontario in the summer........!! Played a quaint festival in Nestor Falls and enjoyed a personal cabin on the lake.. woke up at 7am one morning to take a swim and I felt like I was the only person in the universe. There was sky, water, silence, and me. Pretty special. I also played this kooky little kayaking communal- like accoms place outside of Wawa and had breakfast next to the guy that did all the graphic design for famous 90s bands like Limp Bizkit. Crazy. And also, another massive highlight was playing my The Edmonton International Blues Festival. Hometown festival! Very cool... the Edmonton Blues Fest followers are a very dedicated crowd, so it was like playing for a family of thousands - amaazing.</p>
<p><strong>September:</strong> Canoeing and hiking in Banff with Andrew. Definite highlight. Another was being part of the Canal Bank Shuffle Festival.</p>
<p><strong>October:</strong> Right From The Roots Festival in Alberta with my brother and, once again, our good buds Boogie Patrol. Even though the theatre was beautiful and we were treated like royalty... somewhere in the middle of the show, someone snuck backstage and jacked all of my stuff. My wallet, cash, ID, phone, phone charger, computer charger, car keys, house keys, nostalgic backpack, song lyric notebook, gig calendar, make-up... everything. It took me weeks and weeks to recover everything and do damage control. Luckily, I have awesome people in my life that were patient and generous with their help (aka my Dad who took me dumpster diving!!).</p>
<p><strong>November:</strong> I PLAYED MASSEY HALL. Enough said. Oh, also, my best friend got married and that was a beautiful weekend too.</p>
<p><strong>December:</strong> Annual rock-out gig in Pefferlaw, as well as a million other Christmas gigs, and finished off the year with a PACKED house - 3 nights in a row - with my hometown band Kyle Mosiuk, Paul Bergeron, and Andrew Scott at Blues On Whyte! Also, I should mention that it was -40 C in Edmonton and people still came out. Oh, and seeing my 2 yr old niece at Christmas, in her brand new house (my sister and her husband just built one and hosted Christmas dinner in it!), was hilarious and she had me laughing my head off. </p>
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<p>If you made it this far - THANKS for reading!!! I'm going to try and do better this year w/ more frequent updates. It was a busy year - gigging close to 230 times, travelling, adjusting to life in Toronto, and recording a full length album. I'm SO fortunate to live a rich life full of good friends, cool opportunities, and always meeting new creative and like-minded people. Again, thank you SO much for lending your time to my Thai-ary. Here's to another well-rounded and healthy year of growth! I see a lot of homemade lattes in the future - thanks to my sweetheart for a kickass Christmas gift!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/da39cec64469d255e997e8dbe613564e5d2fac3d/original/26647961-10159649399025532-852079743-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>xo Jenie</p>
<p> </p>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/49599352017-12-16T16:48:14-05:002017-12-16T16:57:52-05:00Massey Hall<p>One month ago today, I was sound checking at..... Massey Hall!! The day I had been manifesting for years! A crazy feat. How many people in the world get to say they've attended a show there? How many people in the world get to say they've PERFORMED there? How many musicians, in their 20s, get to stand front and center on Massey's world class stage? </p>
<p>So naturally, you'd predict that I'd wake up with butterflies and confidence from years of preparation. But nope. It was the exact opposite. I woke up with laryngitis. No voice. Three weeks prior, some crazy flu took hostage of body and refused to get the eff out. At first I thought, "Well, I have three weeks, that's loads of time to recover", but instead, I became sicker and weaker to the point where I had nothing but air coming out of my throat. No coffee, no talking, cancelled all gigs, throat coat teas, lozengers, cough syrup, face steams, nasal spray, gargled salt water, puffer, slippery elm tea, hot showers, lip buzzes, tons of sleep, weird herbal pills.... for weeks! You name it and I did it. </p>
<p>Fighting a deep wave of anxiety and flood of tears, I got out of bed and began a long day of chugging water. I tried to lightly sing through a verse and nothing came out at all. Empty air. Panic. Am I going to publicly humiliate myself when I get on that stage? Should I back out? Can I find a sub for.. Massey Hall? </p>
<p>I decide to put these nagging worries to rest, as best I could, and just go through the motions of the day and see what happens. My loving partner drops me off outside of Massey. Soundcheck time. The whole band is on stage; they've been there for hours already, loading in and sound checking. Their energy is so great and they all give me big welcome hellos as I get ready to run through a song with them. I start singing into the mic and what I hear back is a frog. With no range. Where are my big high notes!?!?! Who's that croaker? Frick!! </p>
<p>After sound check, I went to my dressing room (who I was sharing with Sue Foley, Carmen - a flamenco dancer, Carmen's daughter, and Andria Simone!) and just tried as best as I could to L.a.y. L.o.w. which was tough because there was a ton of energy and excited exchanges between the other singers, band members, and staff. But, there I was, drinking licorcie tea (thanks to Shakura S'aida!), applying mascara, and HANGIN' backstage at Massey Hall! I tried to focus on being as present as possible and soak in the whole experience of the Massey Hall dressing room life. I had great roommates and especially liked getting to hang with Sue as I really admire her. </p>
<p>10 mins before showtime, Shakura called a group meeting. We huddled in a circle and said our names. Then she asked us to think about one word our name represents and say our name again. This small notion gave me the positive surge of confidence I had been seeking for 3 weeks. It somehow grounded me because I just felt a friendly reminding wave of assurance that it's OKAY to be myself! Whatever sound my vocal chords release is where I am at in the moment and it's just going to be part of my experience on this long life journey of singing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>I put on one heck of a sparkly dress, gargle a shot of whiskey, swallow it, then head to the side stage. The show starts. Andria is OWNING the stage. The crowd is going totally wild! I slowly feel my nerves shift from anxiety to excitement! I've got this! Andria leaves the stage and I hear Shakura introduce me. My legs are moving one after the other, across the wooden stage and I feel my hand lifting and waving at the crowd. They're screaming! I haven't even done anything yet! Instead of greeting the audience, I launch into my first song - "Night on Fire" - a high energy tune with great horn parts (whichwill be on my next record!) - and I start... singing!... No croaking!!...... My voice is slightly more raspy and I definitely don't have as much control as I'd like - but it's there!! I can't believe it! After the song ends, I pause for a minute to truly take in the three tiers of cheering people. 2,000 people are whistling/applauding for ME! And in that room, it sounds like 10,000. Typically, my excited nature and hustle attitude urges me to launch into the next tune. But, there, on the historic stage, I just decided to fully appreciate the sound of the applause and also let everybody know how much I appreciated it. I love Neil Young's album "Live at Massey Hall" - - - the encore applause is deafening on that record, and I was experiencing the same thing!! Four years ago, on that day, was the first time I had ever even been to Toronto and I went to the Blues Women's Revue at Massey. I remember sitting in the seat with my fingers crossed under my legs hoping for the day I would get to be on the other side of the seats. Four years later, I was doing it!! My next tune was a ballad I wrote - "I Can't Keep Waiting" - that has belting high notes at the end - - - nailed them!!!! Again, in awe. I finished my set with a tribute to Jane Vasey - a phenomenal piano player that used to play with The Downchild Blues Band 35 years ago but passed away from leukemia. She was very loved in the community and it was an honour to pay homage to all the musicians that have inspired me and keep the river of music flowing. I had the band drop out, and did a big piano solo with just the drums behind me, really trying to boogie woogie the crap outta that stage!! The same stage visited by Bob Marley! Bob Dylan! Oscar Peterson! Charlie Parker! </p>
<p>The set flew by. I wish I could have bottled that feeling and that applause and that sound and that energy and made some sort of weird perfume out of it so I could spray those 15 minutes on me whenever I wanted to feel it again. </p>
<p>The rest of the evening flew by. Kelly Lee Evans, Sue Foley, Dawn Tyler Watson, and Shakura S'aida were all SO good! The finale song. Merch table. Bar hangs. Standing next to all the pictures of previous performers, and soaking in the fact that I'm now one of them. My night ended with old friends and laughs at a famous pizza parlour on bloor street.</p>
<p>The following day, all the women involved in the show were invited to Ricarda's (a very high end restaurant downtown) for brunch. This may have been the best part of the whole experience. Getting to rehash out the show with the musicians and expand my community was really special. Thank you Lucie Default for giving us such a gift! </p>
<p>Anyways, I'm going to stop my coffee fingers from making this entry even longer. It was fun to sit here and re-live my Massey Hall experience. Playing music can be such a difficult road, but having a golden nugget night is now part of my internal flame I resort to when I need a reminder about why I love this path.</p>
<p>THANK YOU to Derek Andrews, Richard Flohil, and Toronto Blues Society for everything!!</p>
<p>And thank YOU for reading!! It means more than you know!</p>
<p>Love,</p>
<p>Jenie</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/8d8b73eb5433fb3263c88cb5d1cd26095c619b13/original/25463923-10159567960355532-1948905480-n.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/45689032017-01-30T11:21:09-05:002017-02-06T20:25:28-05:00Memphis, Oh Yeah!!Hey all! <br>I'm safely, and without drama, having an egg bun past security and customs at The Toronto airport. Why? Because I'm on my way to Memphis!!!! And I'm hyper as all hell because I'm so stoked to get there.<br><br>International Blues Challenge folks, The International Blues Challenge! I will be --- for the second time!! --- representing Northern Alberta as a competitor in the world's largest blues competition. Yes... the idea of pairing music and competition is a strange one, but from what I realized going the last time, the IBC's are all about camaraderie and celebrating the music!! The first thing I'm gonna do when I get to Memphis is head straight to Beale --- to the Rum Boogie (coolest bar ever) --- get a beer and get in on the magic action.<br><br>I've been on a high since the new calendar year turned. Returning to Toronto from Christmas at home was awesome. Admittedly, I was feeling a bit homesick when I first moved to Toronto, but going home for Christmas filled me up on enough good home juice to keep me from getting thirsty for awhile, and ever since I returned to Toronto I've been loving it!! Last weekend I got to share a set with Suzie Vinnick, who is someone I look up to, during Toronto's bi-annual blues conference = super cool! And I've just been super busy digging into the scene and into the city!<br><br>REALLY stoked to see my buddies in Boogie Patrol (<a contents="their website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://boogiepatrol.com/" target="_blank">their website</a>) totally blow the heads off everybody down Beale this week too! And HUGE thank you to the Edmonton Blues Society (<a contents="their website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.edmontonbluessociety.net/" target="_blank">their website</a>) for believing in the blues and supporting me on my way down there!! <br><br>I wish I could write more but I have to board now! :/ Maybe I will spend some time in Dear Thai-ary after the week is over.<br>Wish me luck!! <3 <3<br>JenieJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/45517592017-01-16T11:58:11-05:002017-01-26T15:13:03-05:00Lookin' Back on 2016<p>Dear readers,<br>Happy New Year! I know we have come down from the Christmas cheer and are facing winter straight in its big white face, so I really am hoping all of you engaged in this blog are having a good start to 2017. I’m currently sitting at a new coffee shop (well, new to me that is) in Toronto. They are out of coffee (what?), vegetarian ‘meat’ pies, internet, and the speakers are screaming punk music. It might be my first and last time here.. </p>
<p>I thought I would write a note of gratitude to all of you that I have crossed paths with in the last year and in the years before the last. 2016 proved to be an outstanding one! Sometimes it feels like nothing ‘eventful’ occurs within a day, but after reflecting over the year, I realized that can’t be further from the truth because it was a fruitful year on many levels. </p>
<p>It started with an uplifting trip to Toronto in January. I was nominated for a Maple Blues Award for Best New Artist of the Year and was asked to present the award for Keyboardist of the Year! The trophy taker for Keyboardist of the Year was David Vest who had become a bit of mentor to me, so passing the award to him was quite meaningful. Also, I played to a packed room, at The Dakota Tavern, one of my favourite venues in the city, and also toured to other character towns in and around the Big Smoke. </p>
<p>February consisted of some awesome dates in Alberta including The Vermillion Folk Club, The Barrhead Folk Club, and Blues on Whyte – which I have infinite love for. In March, I did a series of shows collaborating with two great female singer-songwriters – Alex Vissia, and Colleen Brown – which took us from a sold out hometown show at The Blue Chair down to a several hundred seater in Calgary at the Bow Valley Folk Club. April was great; one night I was part of a Tom Waits appreciation night where I collaborated with several poets and scored music behind their poems which they wrote inspired by the Tom Waits tunes I covered. I was also featured at the annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts at City Hall which was a total honour! Don Iveson is an incredibly positive force in Edmonton, so to perform the night our city was paying homage to the arts was special. </p>
<p>May was the month I ran a marathon!!! I had been training in the river valley since January…. and on May 22nd, at zero degrees, in POURING rain, I spent four plus hours running 42.2km in Red Deer…. feeling my muscles seizing more and more each step. Sound awesome??? It was! :) </p>
<p>June and July consisted of some sweet shows in Banff, Calgary, and some outdoor stages throughout Alberta. My favourite memory is The Blues on Whyte Block Party; they shut down Whyte Ave and had three stages going all day. My band and I played inside to a much over-capacity/over-heated crowd and the place was ROCKING!! The bar was filled with so much positive energy; one gentleman even gave me homemade moonshine after we finished! <br><br>In August, I toured out to Northern Ontario and back with the highlight being The Trout Forest Music Festival. I ended up sharing a stage with Jane Siberry who is now a friend of mine! At the end of the month, I played a big hometown show at Edmonton’s newest/awesome venue: The Needle Vinyl Tavern. The special part of the show was having two of my siblings back me up on guitar and harmonies and feeling overwhelmed by all the love and support from all the people that came to the show. </p>
<p>September was crazy busy. Highlights here would include playing a gig with my Dad, playing at The Shell Theatre in Fort Saskatchwan with my brother for a brand new festival (Right From The Roots), and winning the Edmonton Memphis Bound Competition!!! ----- Which means I will be representing Northern Alberta in the International Blues Challenge down in Memphis ----- taking place in two weeks!! I’m SUPER excited to go down again; the last time I went may have been the best week of my life! </p>
<p>October, although musically wasn’t very eventful, was the most dramatic month I’ve had in years. I moved from Edmonton to Toronto. The adjustment has been interesting. Being a resident of such a huge city has created a shift in my head space, but I feel extremely welcomed by the community and each day I’m growing to love it here more. </p>
<p>In November I flew back out west with my friend and great guitar player Bryn Besse. We did a tour of Northern Alberta and BC. Strangely enough, I’ve never toured Vancouver Island before and was blown away by its beauty and greenery! We enjoyed exploring and playing some very enthusiastic house concerts/venues including Demmit Hall (a gorgeous theatre in The Peace Country that is made of hay bales and has solar powered sound!). I arrived back, late, in Toronto on November 30th, and the very next morning jumped in a van with songwriter Jay Aymar and his crew of musicians to play some supporting dates with him in Ontario. The gigs didn’t stop until the calendar rolled from 2016 to 2017. I played all over Toronto and then back home in Edmonton doing something like 22 gigs in 28 days which broke my gig record being over 170 dates in one year! </p>
<p>Needless to say, none of this excitement and adventure would have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of all of YOU! I appreciate, beyond words, all the house concerts, couches, friendly emails, ticket buying, words of encouragement, interesting conversation, and investment! It would be a LOT more difficult than it is to play music if you weren’t so generous and kind. Thank you SO much. Keep attending shows of artists you enjoy and be kind to one another!! </p>
<p>xo<br>Jenie </p>
<p>p.s. The Edmonton Journal just published a cool article on my brother and I: <a contents="View Article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/local-arts/musical-siblings-jenie-thai-and-joe-nolan-look-forward-to-a-busy-2017" target="_blank">View Article</a></p>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/44639892016-11-12T19:15:37-05:002016-12-07T14:12:54-05:00RoncesvallesSo - I made it. I've officially been a resident of Toronto for 5 weeks. Andrew and I landed a main floor spot in the Polish neighbourhood of Roncesvalles, which, I've been told, is pretty lucky for two Westerners to steal on their first lease signing in the big city.<br><br>A bit about my experience so far:<br>We have four jobless Irish guys that live above us, and, they seem to perpetuate the stereotype of 'Irish partying', especially without having the obligation to get up and hit the office in the morning. Just the other night, the noise started around 3am (I figure that the bar lights had shut down so the fiesta was continuing upstairs). I was fed up with all the ruckus, so I took a broom and started slamming the end into the roof until I, aggravatingly, put a hole in the roof. Turns out it wasn't our neighbours upstairs, but it was the two bar slingers BELOW us. So.. Andrew took his turn at our semi passive-aggressive approach, during what's now 4:30am, and stomps on the floor. The dudes hear us and make some nasty and unoriginal comments about me, which turned into a heated meeting outside the communal laundry room haha. (All the dust settled the next day after proper introductions/apologies were made).<br><br>There are also certain outdoor characters I continue to see on my block. There's the guy who wears long shiny blue shorts and always always always has his hand down his pants. There are also the guys that pace the parking lot behind our living room window. From their constant strut across the pavement, it's hard to tell if they've really tapped into a certain meditation or they are constantly high. My gut feeling says the latter because there is a lot of grunting and smoking involved. <br><br>On the brighter side, I've fallen in love with this little independent coffee shop nearby called "The Seventh Sister's Cafe". In the morning, the 4 tables in the place are filled with old Polish neighbourhood folks chatting with each other across their coffees and local newspaper. There's no wifi, so nobody is in there with eyes glued to screens, and the staff keeps track of how many coffees and sandwiches one has purchased in an old school stamp card kind of way. Love it. Also.. the sandwiches are SO good.<br><br>I'm also really digging this Toronto thing called 'Bunz'. For non-Torontonians: Bunz is a group online where people post things they don't want anymore and offer them up for a trade. It's sweet... Andrew and I (because we both only brought to Toronto what we could fit in our tiny cars) sourced out pretty much all furniture and house things in exchange for bottles of wine and gift cards. That system rocks Toronto!<br><br>I had two back to back awesome gigs this week. The first one was in Port Credit (had never been there before! Very trendy seeming..!) with a sax player and drums. The audience was super generous; one guy bought the whole bar a shot. The following night I played with two crazy great musicians at a bar called N'awlins --- piano trio blues for three hours! I'm actually trying to wrap up this post right now to head back there to listen to the Blackburn family heat it up with their r&b tunes.<br><br>The first couple weeks here were hard. I've had a different headspace being a resident here as opposed to being a touring visitor, however, this last week has been much more uplifting (despite the results of the American election and the loss of our beloved Leonard Cohen... both events have weighed quite heavily on me). It feels like September in November, and little gold nuggets of big city sparkle keep showing (like the day after Halloween, thousands of carved pumpkins were lit up and displayed in a park nearby, and I just thought it was such a cool small town notion, but magnified in pumpkin carving numbers because this city is huge. It warmed my heart!).<br><br>Early next week I'm headed back home, out west, for a two week tour. I'm bringing out a KILLER guitar player friend of mine - Bryn Besse - and we are playing a bunch of dates throughout Alberta and BC from November 17th - 28th. So if you're in the area, or friends/family of yours are, come on out!! I have lots of new material to share and it's been awhile since I've played in some of these spots, so I'm excited!<br><br>Alright, I'm chugging back the rest of my coffee here. Gotta go.<br>Much love,<br>JenieJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/43091402016-08-24T20:48:44-04:002016-09-03T23:30:24-04:00Edmonton <3Dear readers of all kind,<br>I have big news. I'm stretching my wings and moving 3,500 km east to Toronto. I've been waffling over the decision for several years now, but I've decided to take the leap across the Lake Superior pond.<br><br>I'm carrying a mixed bag of emotions. Edmonton is and has been the most amazing home to me. I'm going to miss having the river valley in my backyard, and afternoon shows on Whyte Ave, and all the festivals in the summer, and The Millcreek Cafe, and Blues on Whyte, and The Empress, and The Black Dog, and running up the folk fest hill to see the Edmonton skyline, and cronuts at Safeway, and Bonnie Doon, and Blackbyrd Myoozik, and the piano in the church on my block, and the house I grew up in, The Strathcona Farmers Market........it's really an endless list... but mostly I'm going to miss all the people. I love going out for a beer or to a show and having 75% of the faces in the room be people either I grew up with or people that were watching me grow up. I love that I'm neighbours or a short driving distance from all my friends. I love that my family and my baby one year old niece are frequent people I visit. I love that I've been playing music with people that know my songs as well as they know me. Edmonton is an overwhelmingly loving community in which I have grown SO much in. It's going to be a tough family to leave.<br><br>But I'm looking forward to the next chapter! The next few years, for the first time in my life (aside from some goals I hope to achieve), are quite blurry... which is awesome and exciting!! I do love Toronto and am stoked to hear incredible music any night of the week (in any genre!). I'm looking forward to having my butt kicked and to hang/be amongst great songwriters. I also can't wait for all the burritos haha.<br><br>If you're in Edmonton, and you're reading this, I'd love for you to come to my show at Edmonton's HOTTEST venue - The Needle Vinyl Tavern. It's happening this Saturday, August 27th, and I'm joined on stage by two of my siblings and two others that have been playing music with me for EIGHT years. There is also three other incredible acts on the bill - Braden Gates Trio, Swear By The Moon, and a Jeff Beck Tribute. It's going to be a KNOCK OUT night! <br><br>Love,<br>Jenie<br><br><br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/41906002016-05-20T21:10:22-04:002016-05-21T10:43:45-04:0026.2 'Mile'stonesIt's on.<br>In an approximately 42 and a half hours from this entry, I anticipate a total body collapse.. a dramatic free fall to the hard ground in the schoolyard of one of Red Deer's elementary playgrounds. Indeed, it's true...<br><br>I'm running a fucking marathon.<br><br>The idea was planted in my head back in January. A romantic proposal. "Hey, you run a lot. Why not actually run with a goal?". My ambitious nature flared up at the thought of the challenge. I quickly bashed aside the idea of a half marathon, and decided to go ALL IN for the king size race. <br><br>The training began back in January... weaving through Edmonton's intoxicating river valley. I have a deeply set love for my city's ribbon of green. The love roots itself in the centre of my heart and explodes outwards like branches hanging off the famous weeping willows.... except in the winter. In winter, training was more of the cautious-don't-fall-on-face-tiny-light-steps-on-looming-ice kind of strides. It was bundle-up-in-every-layer-from-the-house and just remember it's all part of the process. Being as I wasn't much of a 'professional runner' before this tackle, I was lacking in much needed gear (such as spikes for the ice!). I also have a small (and completely unnecessary) stubborn streak that spoke "pffft, you don't need spikes". Inner curses were shouted each time I ran without them.<br><br>February rolled by and paved the way for March, Edmonton experienced a pleasantly short winter; the warm temperatures started to commit. Off came the layers and I began to feel the benefits of the training. The snow peeled off the path, I started to see fellow runners and bikers sharing the trail, and my strides became longer. In early April I surpassed the longest of runs I had ever ran - it was 15 miles (24.14km)..... I had gone farther than a half marathon!.... and I got heat stroke. Negligence to wear sunscreen on April 2nd in Alberta led to total heat exhaustion, a lobster body, and sun blisters. Ouch.<br><br>I recovered and kept training.<br><br>My next sign of injury occurred the day after I finished an 18 mile long run. I felt like a champion after the distance, but my right hamstring felt like a defeated soldier.. tight, weary, and pulled to shreds. My loving training partner suggested I take it easy that week, stretch, do yoga, and continue on after I healed. Indeed stretching was embraced.. taking it easy wasn't. I kept pushing, but miraculously, the angels of restoration shed their dust and my leg currently feels great!<br><br>I have seen parts of Edmonton that I can't believe exist. Having the opportunity to explore and appreciate new depths within the valley has been, by FAR, the most rewarding part of the journey. There is vast amounts of colour in the array of trees, and in the spring, they proudly spread their branches forth, like peacocks, reaching for the sun. The light bouncing off the river is illuminating; it decorates the bank's edges with golds, silvers, and blues. The perfumes from the blooming flowers is heady. The positive energy from passing people is internalized and used as a stimulant. The hundreds of unused kilometres of path, parks, and footbridges creates a feeling of inspiring isolation and calm beauty.<br><br>The training process has been gruelling, enlightening, difficult, and satisfying. I have a lot of anxiety for the actual race upcoming this Sunday. The longest run during the training was excruciatingly painful and is still 6 miles less than the actual marathon. The marathon - 42.2km - still seems, in a lot of ways, like an unmanageable distance. To worsen the matters, the forecast is cold and rainy.<br><br>However, I have repeatedly pushed my limits. Sunday is merely the last hurdle in an all encompassing four month challenge.<br><br>It's just another run.<br><br>~ JTJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/40416972016-02-14T21:21:14-05:002016-02-16T14:19:28-05:00Happy Love Day!Dearest friends, fans, and all fellow readers:<br><br>The hour is just shy of 7pm on Valentine's Day and I'm sitting, happily, in my new loft that hangs over the Strathcona district of Edmonton. I'm still a-buzzin' from the fun of the Maple Blues Awards Ceremony, my last tour out east, and the excitement of carving out a new space to write/live in this quaint old home. I did not receive the trophy for "Best New Artist" of the year... but the nomination WAS the win. Also.... I gained a new respect for MC's and folks that regularly present awards. I was ready to embrace the terrifying mixture of tears and crapped-in pants before I walked across the stage to present "Keyboardist of the Year". Big shout out to friend Melanie Brulée for taking my shakes and transforming them into deep breaths. Geeze, I didn't know it would be so scary. But, it was a beautiful moment when I read "David Vest"'s name on the winner's card!... David has become a mentor of mine, and he had me in a different set of tears post award giving... he expressed how touched he was that a younger-aspiring keyboard player got to give him the award.. the passage of time - he totally moved me.<br><br>Highlight of last tour was my show at The Dakota Tavern. My dear friend and huge supporter, Richard Flohil, stood behind it and helped to really promote it. My two great friends - Jay Aymar and Andrea Ramolo - special guested their emotional songs. And, I had the most KICK ASS players/friends (Justin Ruppel, Bryn Besse, and Jared Craig) backing me up. The room was pretty much standing room only... I'm still overwhelmed by the support and love Toronto has given me... wowza. I feel like one pretty darn lucky girl.<br><br>And, if you haven't seen these two vids I did with The Northern Sessions, feel free to check them out here:<br><a contents="Who's That Girl?" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9IUDjOci1w" target="_blank">Who's That Girl?</a><br><a contents="Dreamers and Lovers" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRGcmks177k" target="_blank">Dreamers and Lovers</a><br><br>I'm looking forward to the spring. The daylight is already noticeably longer, Bonnie Raitt is releasing a new album! :D, and I have shows coming up that I'm pumped about. <br><br>Wishing you all extra shovels of love today. <br>Keep warm!<br>xo JT<br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/39727442016-01-04T16:55:04-05:002016-01-04T17:11:30-05:00Reflecting on 2015So.... we made it!.... The universe gave birth to 2016.<br>I've been doing some reflection upon the last year and I feel it's pretty safe to say it's been my craziest year to date.<br><br><strong>January:</strong> It started with re-cooperating from the jet-lag and the emotional roller-coaster of events experienced in Thailand (meeting the doctor that delivered me, getting massive food poisoning due to sliding down a waterfall and swallowing water, meeting Thai people that live in Bangkok slums, rock climbing in the south, motorbiking in the north etc). Immediately following Thailand, I spent some time in Northern Texas and then on my way home I experienced a total airport fiasco where thousands of people were stranded in the Chicago airport and had to sleep overnight in pull-out cots because the weather was too icy for the planes to take off (it was awful yet hilarious enough to make it the American news). Immediately coming home from my Thailand/Texas/Chicago escapades, I was embraced by the Canadian blues scene at the Toronto blues society's bi-annual blues summit... I played my first official showcase! I recall ripping a huge glissando down my keyboard which resulted in knocking my keyboard off it's stand and catching it before it crashed to the ground haha. Jerry Lee Lewis woulda been proud??<br><br><strong>Feb: </strong>I moved out of the house I had lived in for 5 years in Edmonton which was the end of an era for me. That little yellow home provided a chapter where I did a lot of growing and shaping. It was hard to lock the door for the final time, but post moving out - I'm grateful for the change and so happy that I had the years on 84th ave. My travelling in February took me back to Kansas City for the International Folk Alliance Conference where I again, had little sleep, and a LOT of laughs ha. It's hard to really explain what music conferences are like for you readers that have never been.. but... it's a crazy weekend where there's music coming from 3 floors worth of hotel rooms 24/7, plus the balancing act of trying to fit meetings with industry folks and catching up with old friends. On the last day of the conference, I found out that I lost my grandmother, whom I was named after. She was a blue-eyed, youthful spirited woman that knew how to lead by example and knew how to laugh. It was heavy coming home to the news but it felt good to celebrate a life such as hers.<br><br><strong>Mar - May: </strong>Headed out on the road from Alberta-Quebec and back. The main gig on this tour was my residency at The Cameron House in Toronto. Every Wed for 5 weeks, my band and I played on Queen street. It was SO much fun!!! I rented an apartment right off Queen street and spent a lot of time roaming the downtown core and living in the city as I would back home in Alberta. My Cameron House residency in April was easily a highlight of my 2015 year.<br><br><strong>June:</strong> Festival in the kootenays BC with my band and then returned home to play the WINSPEAR in Edmonton - with a 6 piece band. Wow. That was another mega highlight of 2015.<br><br><strong>July:</strong> July was a really cool month. For the first time, I toured as a sideman - playing keys and singing - for this incredible songwriter out of Toronto: Jay Aymar. Jay, and his guitar player Joe Ernewein, and I did a string of dates throughout Alberta. I REALLY enjoyed playing in a supportive role - especially for Jay's music - his songs are sensitive and demand breathing room so we held this sort of 'loose feel' to highlight his well thought out lyrics was a fun way to make music. Check out his stuff!: (He's a hilarious writer - you will definitely dig his blog!) <a contents="Jay Aymar" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jayaymar.com/jay.html" target="_blank">Jay Aymar</a>. Following Jay's tour, I headed down to the Calgary Folk Fest and then west for my annual BC summer dates. ALSO, I became an auntie in July!! My sister gave birth to a beautiful little bandit named Ruth Marie. I'm in love with her!<br><br><strong>August:</strong> New Orleans!!!!!! I finally went and checked out the city where so much of the music I love came from!!! Highlight: Maple Leaf Bar to hear Johnny Vidacovich OWN it - famous n'awlins drummer. Also: Cafe Rose Nicaud for eggs benedict on the corner of Frenchmen street every morning was something I will never forget haha.<br><br><strong>Sept:</strong> A full month at home - the only one I've had in over a year! Shot two new vids (that I'll be posting) through Northern Sessions.<br><br><strong>Oct - Dec:</strong> LONGEST TOUR TO DATE. I drove from Edmonton to Cape Breton and back. It was the longest, but most successful tour I've ever had. It's hard to say what my highlights were because there were so many good ones. The gig in Sutten,QB with David Vest and his band was world-class, my show on Halloween night in St. Peter's, NS (Cape Breton) was a damn good party, the double back to back nights at Hugh's Room in Toronto was overwhelming, playing Times Change(d) w/ JD Edwards on the way home to a standing only room crowd was possibly the best way to end my long two month... it's hard to say. I got to see Peggy's Cove, go to Massey Hall, play Hugh's Room twice, <strong>received a Maple Blues Award nomination!!</strong>, showcased at the Folk Music Ontario, explore Quebec City and Montreal, spread my wings out to the east coast, catch up with friends all over the country, made new ones...! It was AWESOME.<br><br><strong>Dec:</strong> Came home from the road and did NOT catch up on sleep haha. I should have been detoxing next to a coffee pot and writing songs but instead I played 18 Christmas gigs in 11 days and then got sick on Christmas day - time to slow down...<br><br><strong>Up Next??</strong><br>Flying out to Toronto on January 15th for a string of dates in the area and presenting an award at the 2016 Maple Blues Awards!!!<br><br>Here are the two new videos/tunes that were shot last September (singing are the stunning ladies Alex Vissia and Justine Vandergrift):<br><a contents="Dreamers and Lovers" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRGcmks177k" target="_blank">Dreamers and Lovers</a><br><a contents="Who's That Girl" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9IUDjOci1w" target="_blank">Who's That Girl</a><br><br>HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! I fully believe that this year is going to be even more exciting and challenging than the last and I wish the exact same for YOU!<br><br>As always - thanks for reading!<br>Love,<br>JenieJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/39502012015-12-04T16:40:29-05:002016-01-11T17:48:19-05:00The Most Ridiculous 24 Hours On The RoadDear Thai-ary Readers,<br>Do I ever have a road story for you. I'd like to give you a glimpse of the emotional and geographical journey I just endured less than 24 hours ago.<br><br>Let me start with Wednesday evening (two nights ago). I arrived in Sault Ste. Marie, from Toronto, and played a really fun show with some great local players at The Watertower Inn. I lay my head down around 1:30am and woke up pretty early, but refreshed, and ready to tackle my big drive to Winnipeg.. through the states.<br><br>With a large coffee in hand and a morning happy buzz taking over, I crossed the steel truss arch international bridge from Canada to USA over Saint Mary's rapids. I made the honest mistake of being.. honest with the border guy... I told him I'm a musician. He told me I need to follow this intense short woman to their 'special garage'. She and another man then proceed to strip search my whole purse, jacket, and body while asking me extremely invasive questions and criminalizing me. They then made me follow them to this unholy church pew in their scary office. I sat there for over an hour and a half with them periodically coming back in (might I add that they walk so slow like they don't have a care in the world) and never looked at me except to ask me a few more unfriendly questions. I heard my car doors slam a bunch of times and I knew they were ripping and stripping apart every little object, luggage, gear pocket etc. Meanwhile, I'm sitting next to this older couple who crosses the border all the time and listened to them regale me with horror stories of being locked in the same office for 6 hours, having guns pulled on them, etc. The worst. During that time in the office I went through such extreme emotions. I went from terrified, to incredibly angry, to sad, to worried about time loss, back to fucking pissed off.<br><br>Finally, the power-tripping-fear-instilling border folks invited me back. My car was a total disaster. I could see pieces of clothes coming out from my suitcase that they didn't close and everything was disrespectfully piled on top of my keyboard which is the number one most fragile and important thing in my car. After belittling me a bit more, they let me go.. with some instruction on how to better cross the border the next time. With full honesty, I confessed to them that they scared me so I panicked when they asked me questions which is why some of my answers weren't exact. (Like I forgot that I had 50 some mini whiskeys behind my passenger seat and a half opened bottle of wine for example. Shit.) I lost over 2 hours of good daylight driving time and my morning happy buzz was totally zapped. Whatever. I was on the road. <br><br>I put on a podcast about miracles or something and the guy speaking said something about how we, as people, are all the same but our egos tell us that we want to be different. Nobody is better than anybody else, and nobody is any worse than anyone else... it cheered me up because I thought about the awful border people and thought "well, even though they treated me like an animal we are all the same and they're just doing their job. Which is a job I never ever ever want". Back to feeling good.<br><br>I had a better than decent day cruising through the states. I love driving through what's unchartered territory in my eyes and I had inspiring tunes and funny podcasts keeping my spirits up. It got dark early, as it does in December, but I just took my time and focussed on the road. I listened to another podcast later on - Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe - of his recent live show in the Soo.. where he talks about the very bridge I loved this morning and about how beautiful it was. I'm smiling thinking about how somebody else liked that bridge but how I will never ever cross that unforgiving bridge again.<br><br>75 miles from Canada, about 12 hours in (and half of it in the dark), I picked up a huge second wind! I gained so much energy when I saw the 'Canada' sign and I was only 4.5 hrs or less away from my Winnipeg destination.<br><br>I pull up to the border.......... and it's closed. "FUCKKKKKK!!!" I'm back to being mad about the hold up in the morning because I likely woulda made it through.<br><br>I look at my gas tank..... it's 3 little lines away from having the blaring empty sign flash at me. I haven't passed a gas station or a motel in over a good hour. I pick up my phone, take it off airplane mode, to call my host in Winnipeg and let her know I'm not gonna make it. No service available. Great.<br>I'm in Northern Minnesota, in December, with no cell service, gas, or way to get into my home country. So... I sorta just laugh at my terrible situation decide that my only real option is to tough it out and sleep in my car. So.. I'm pulled up at the frickin' border... I could barely put my seat back horizontal because the border guards tossed everything like garbage bags into a dump truck so there was a bunch of luggage placed poorly behind my drivers seat. Same goes with trying to find where my toque and scarves were etc. So I curl up sitting up. I 'slept' for just under an hour and started to FREEZE. My car was freezing over too. I looked at the time and it was ten to midnight.. and I thought "holy shit.. I'm not gonna last like this. I don't even know when the border re-opens. 6am? 7am? 10am? I went into freeze or flight mode.<br><br>So, I had an inner conversation. I weighed out all my options. Sleeping at the border in my honda civic upright wasn't one but I had so little gas that it was a scary thought to move. But I decided to head back the way I came, drive slowly on cruise control to conserve gas, and pray that I make it to a motel (and I hadn't honestly seen one for hours). At the very least, I was hoping to make it to a gas station (knowing it would 100% be closed at this time of night) that I could sleep beside and fill up in the morning and in the mean time I was killing time keeping warm in my moving car. Every few seconds I kept looking at the gauge willing it to not move down. I started freaking out again because I thought "omg, what if I run out of gas and I'm right in the middle of a filling station and the border... I'm going to have to hitch hike in the morning, in this northern back country, just to get gas. This is crazy." <br><br>Just as I was having these new thoughts and planning for the worst, I saw a dirty old pick-up truck pulling out of this lot. It's the first vehicle I had seen in hours. I flashed my lights and this hunter looking guy (I'm stereotyping, I know) rolled down his window. I asked if he knew of a motel close by and he said that there's one 30 miles away and he can lead me there. So.. I followed him through back roads (leaving the main trail behind), again crossing all fingers and toes that my car makes it, and made it! I kept my guard up because I'm alone with no gas in the winter and I'm following a strange man to a motel.. but he left the parking lot like an angel. I still can't believe that I ran into him - if I had timed it any different I wouldn't have crossed trails with him.<br><br>First thing I notice when I walk up to the inn was the necessity for a key card to let you in and the turned out lights in the lobby. Again.. I'm like "fuckkk.. my angel just drove away and this place is clearly closed".. so I rang the bell a good 10 times and nobody came to the door. I tried the door (why I didn't from the beginning? I don't know) and it opened! Just as I decided to sleep on the teeny tiny blue couch in the lobby until somebody kicks me out, a man in a nightie walked towards me.<br><br>I asked him if I can stay there tonight and he said that they close after midnight.. I started crying and spewing a jumble of panicky words: "I've been driving all day.. I have no where to stay.. I'm from Canada.."... He clearly picked up on how distraught and desperate I was and rented me out a room. <br><br>It was the creepiest hotel room I've ever been in. It was massive - there was so much unnecessary floor space (you could legitimately host a floor hockey game), the bed was hard, the carpet was this deep thick colour of blood.. but I didn't care at all. I was so happy for a warm bed.<br><br>So this morning. I sleep in and shower. Just as I'm leaving the bathroom - naked - the house keeping woman opens the door without knocking. Hahaha, I scream and tell her I need a few more minutes!! It was hilarious.<br><br>I head out on the road again. Guess what? I went to ANOTHER border that no longer exists. Ugh!! But I re-route, find the right border, and pass through like a warm Calgary chinook in July. I also found out that the border I made it through is open 24/7 and was only 40 mins away from the one I napped at last night. Oh well. Chances are I didn't have enough gas to make it anyways.<br><br>I'm now sitting in my lovely hosts brand new home in Winnipeg and super stoked for 3 awesome shows ahead this weekend! House concert tonight, Times Change(d) with a band tomorrow night, another house concert Sunday and then HOME STRETCH ON MONDAY!!!!!!<br><br>I am definitely living AND learning every day in this life. Oh man am I ever laughing at myself in this moment.<br><br>Thanks for reading!!!<br>I'm back home in the prairies, after 2 months on the road, and feeling soo great!<br><3 JTJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/39337232015-11-24T18:11:11-05:002015-12-04T15:24:13-05:00Maple Blues Award Nomination!!!Hiya friends!<br>I received MEGA exciting news in the past couple weeks. I was playing a show in this unique and strange place right outside of Fredericton (called The Hollywood Starroom - look it up.. I swear.. entering this venue is like walking into what I imagine Los Angeles was like in the 70s..). I was just hangin' out post sound check and my phone kept going 'ding', 'ding', 'ding' as I received a flood of text messages from friends (oh the times we live in...!) who were congratulating me on my Maple Blues Award Nomination for "BEST NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR"! The good news washed over me at the perfect time as I was feeling rather road weary and homesick.<br><br>As I further reflect upon the nomination I continue to feel more humbled. I'm up with some serious Canadian heavyweights and it is SUCH an honour that the Toronto Blues Society and all the blues bandits involved are giving me recognition. I'm blown away.<br><br>The trophy-home-taker in my category is solely determined by votes. I would REALLY appreciate yours. It's a super simple process - should take less than 1 minute. You have to register your email and then vote and you can do so by following this link: <a contents="Vote for Jenie Thai - New Artist of The Year" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mapleblues.ca/vote.aspx" target="_blank">Vote for Jenie Thai - New Artist of The Year</a><br><br>More updates from the road soon but right now I'm off to a rehearsal for a show at Hugh's Room, TO in a couple days. Teamin' up with my buddy Jay Aymar who I did some Alberta dates with last July.. and with whom I got a 6 pack from from laughing so hard with (also shared a couple sixers with too...!)<br><br>Really appreciate your support!<br>Thanks for the read.<br>Big love!<br>Jenie<br><br>p.s. Voting closes DECEMBER 4th so please do it now!! :)Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/38972482015-10-14T15:26:53-04:002015-10-14T16:36:25-04:00Tour MadnessHey there Thai-ary readers! :)<br><br>Right now I'm eating a custom made breakfast panini on east Danforth and taste-testing it with 6 different hot sauces haha. This waitress rocks.<br><br>I made it to Toronto. In 3 days. I was in Winnipeg Monday morning and rolled in to town last night (Tuesday). It was flippin' nuts. I only ecommend the drive to fellow maniacs who also cruise in a sleep-deprived, vitamin lacking, adrenaline-pumped body. The night before the big stretch, I signed up to Big Dave McLean's blues jam at The Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club in Winnipeg and felt like I was crawling out of The Peg the next morning… leaving on a 4.5 hr "nap"…. <br><br>Other than hurting in the sleep department and fighting against a massively windy rain storm (at one point while stopping at a fillin' station, my gas nozzle was blown right underneath my car and the only way to grab it was if I knelt down in a deep puddle and reached through the bilge water to grab it… so I did.. came up drenched and cold hahaha. It totally sucked and I was totally laughing) Northern Ontario was gorgeous! The colours out east are SO much more vibrant than the colours out west. On the left side of highway 17, I drove 2,000 km through pumpkin, gold and amber leaves glowing like embers on a bed of red rock. On the right side I had glimpses of Lake Superior's shadowy waters that looked resembled an ocean because you can't see anything in the horizon but water and the waves crash up to the rocks on the shore.<br><br>I'm very excited for the rest of my tour. I've just started what's going to be my longest time on the road. <br>Tonight - I'm presented by The Toronto Blues Society at The Jazz Bistro for their monthly "Hump Day Blues" night!… I hear the grand piano at the venue is super beautiful.<br><br>Tomorrow - I enter the madness of the Folk Music Ontario Conference which I anticipate to be a blur of constant music, conversation, and whiskey. :)<br><br>Feel free to check out other dates I have coming up!<br><br>Bye for now,<br>xo JT<br><br>p.s. I want to give a shout out to one of my best friends - Laura Swankey - for waiting up for me last night, for having a warm bed made for me when I arrived very much gremlin-like last night, and for giving the most loving hug when I made it to the door! You are SO giving and I'm very inspired by you.Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/38703452015-09-26T18:08:23-04:002019-08-27T21:44:10-04:00New Orleans!NOLA!!<br>It's been a major destination point of mine to visit and I finally made it down this past August. <br><br>In the thick of the heat.<br>(Apparently I was there during the least travelled time of year because the heat is borderline unbearable. Hard to believe though because the French Quarter was still roaring with beer-slingin'-music-lovin' wanderers. What's it like during Mardi Gras!?)<br><br>The drive from Denton, Texas to New Orleans was so exciting because I passed nearby cities such as Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles which I've been hearing about through listening to my favourite songwriters like Lucinda Williams. All my muses were being fused into a heavenly highway drive.<br><br>I really love the vibes and the quirky picturesque scenery of New Orleans. A lot of NOLA's sidewalks are beautifully paved brick but jagged and challenging to walk on and you feel like you're inside a box of pencil crayons because all the houses and buildings are random colours. The people are extremely friendly; multiple times while wandering a local would regale us with hilarious details about their city. Best part: It seems like music ACTUALLY occurs at every hour of every day. Just walking down Frenchman street alone there are twenty some clubs with 3-5 acts a day. They have afternoon shows, early evening shows, late night shows... It's soo awesome!! To be honest, I only went to Bourbon Street once - and it was in the afternoon. I felt like 21 year old Jenie would have gone crazy and found it to be the most rad strip of the city... but while I was there I sort of wished that I could escape the touristy booze-driven scene. However, it IS insane on Bourbon; there's no shortage of lights, colour, people, music, BUZZ.... and I'd give it another go in the future. ;)<br><br>My favourite bar is called The Maple Leaf (partially because this woman named Sheila was cooking the best mac n cheese on the street right outside the club. I thought I knew good mac n cheese and then I met Sheila. Also, another side note, the street food in New Orleans brought memories back to Thailand street food. It's only through travelling that I've noted the thousands (millions?) of people all over the world who support their families by hauling stalls and serving food to people ALL day long. Surely that must require an overwhelming amount of strength to maintain doing so every day. It's another reminder of how fortunate I am to play music for a living and still find the means to do luxurious things such as travel. Doesn't seem fair. I digress, I could write about this for forever.). The Maple Leaf! It's on the other side of town from The French Quarter/Tremé region and I believe it's popular to locals. We heard Johnny Vidacovich (famous NOLA drummer) play on one of his resident Thursday evenings and it was sooo groovy. <br><br>Apart from mainly going to shows, I spent some time visiting historical sites such as Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park. Congo Square was where the slaves would gather to beat drums, sing, and dance on Sundays while their masters went to church. It was these Sunday gatherings which influenced much of the music that came out of New Orleans. I also spent some time walking along the mighty Mississippi river. It's always humbling to be in the river's presence; it's a physical and spiritual force in the music, and culture we're privileged to have and our North American history owes a lot to its waters. <br><br>Overall, I would say a main highlight was what became a nighttime ritual: sitting on the rooftop patio of Dat Dog on the corner of Frenchman, drinking Dat Beer, and listening to the 15 piece brass band busking on the street. Every. Night. What other city in the world can you find that!?<br><br>Yep. It is a wild, vibrant, friendly, strong, and creative place. It's so hard to capture it's essence and vibes through typing. All I can say is that I know I'm going back there again and I can hardly wait 'til then!!<br><br>Here's a few pics.<br>As always - thanks for reading!<br>xo JT<br><br>p.s. The record stores I visited blew my mind. HUGE Blues, R&B, Soul, New Orleans, Trad Jazz, and Funk music sections with a smaller Country and Folk one. No Top 40. No DVDs of bad rom coms. Just straight up awesome music. Heaven.<div style="text-align: center;">
<br><strong style="font-size: 16.8px; text-align: center;">Crayola Box Buildings</strong>
</div><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/65292ec66dd549f542cf5baf83c532ae460cfd59/large/img-0801.jpg?1443303968" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br><br> <div style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><strong>Congo Square</strong></span></div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/58ba9169086520d1781e6186ead56842edafcc20/original/img-0825.jpg?1443303968" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">Brass Band buskin' on Frenchman Street</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"> </div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/7e2cff7df43214616d49ae3c1090a6084f157177/original/img-0870.jpg?1443303972" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">Café Du Monde (established in 1824 and serves 24 hrs a day!)</span></strong></div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/792c199f1be37b950b9ce5789dc5201199f4a3da/original/img-0875.jpg?1443304016" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br> <div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font_large">The Mississippi River</span></strong></div><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/1bdc534559a70250c9bab6e415492bd530812303/original/img-0906.jpg?1443304050" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/36476932015-04-08T15:22:14-04:002022-04-16T02:27:48-04:00The Cameron HouseGood morning, afternoon, or evening to wherever you are reading this in the world!<br>I made it across Canada, again, for the third time in 5 months. This time, however, I did not spread out my drive/tour like I did last October; I made it from Edmonton to Toronto in 3 days. I woke up in Winnipeg on a Saturday morning and arrived in Toronto on a Sunday evening. Pure madness! Instead of complaining about cramped legs, the shit snowstorm that paralyzed my wheels, and the $300 ticket I was handed, I'd like to make a note about the never ending kindness that seems to flow my way whenever I hit the road. Every city across this great big massive land has welcomed me with a warm hug. Somehow, I find myself being offered a bed, food, drinks, company, and great conversation! I'm inspired by the people that drop whatever they're doing to make my stay in their city the best possible. Thank you to everybody for making me feel so welcome! <br><br>I'm renting a room in this wicked apartment for 5 weeks here in TO. I'm right off Queen and University which is pretty much the sweet spot location - and the two guys I'm staying with couldn't be more awesome! I'm just steps away from The Cameron House, The Rex, the Java Hut, a grand piano I can play during the day, and pizza pizza haha. I even walked to The Dakota last night for Lee Harvey Osmond's album release and Lakeview poutine. Needless to say, I'm stoked (also in a music coma from last night)!<br><br>I came to Toronto because I've been offered a residency every Wednesday evening to play at The Cameron House. For those reading that aren't familiar with this venue, well, all I can really say is that it's quite an honour to play on a stage that hosts some of the country's best songwriters. The staff is so chill and friendly. There's a greatly out of tune/honky tonk upright on stage. There's a sign on the wall that reads 'This is Paradise'. There was a very enthusiastic older woman in a red sparkly top hat cheering me on last week. Etc etc etc - it's fucking awesome! <br><br>I could go on about how excited I am to be here in Toronto but I have to start moving gear down for sound check. (Last week I messed up and parked way too far away from the Cam House and then had to carry my keyboard a few blocks. However, a super nice guy walking the same direction helped me carry my gear to the stage and then came back later for the show with another person! Toronto rocks!!) Tonight is week 2 at Cam House. Out to Ottawa this weekend for a few shows. Back for next Wed! :)<br><br>More lata,<br>Feeling good!!<br>JT <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/6d467cf3a0f3e100f3fa5af3592475eb76bb8f31/original/cameron-house-april-2015.jpg?1428520798" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>p.s. I need to mention the incredible musicians I have with me every single Wednesday. Kelly LeFaive has a stunning voice and plays the violin; Jared Craig lays it down on the upright and joins in on the 3 part choir. I'm humbled to have these super cool people to make music with and am proud to call 'em both my friends! **Photo taken from last week's show.Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/35865402015-03-09T17:54:31-04:002017-01-14T11:10:13-05:00Dr. Chit AriHi! <br>It's been a long time since I've online journaled and a LOT has happened since my last entry. Since the last post, I have driven in a tiny civic playing shows across the country, backpacked Thailand, visited Texas, got stuck in Chicago, showcased at Toronto's bi-annual blues summit/attended the Maple Blues Awards, moved into a new house, and showcased at the International Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City. There are plenty-a-stories I'd love to relay of the last 5 months' happenings, and I hope to within time, but there's one in particular that continues to ring with me so I've decided to share it with you. :) <br><br>As some of you may know, I was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It's difficult to explain what this means to me; being born there has become a part of my identity. I've been curious my ENTIRE life about the culture, people, colours, smells, food, and landscape of the country and I think a lot about what my mum and dad must have went through while they travelled India and Thailand pregnant with me. So, a couple months ago, along with my best friend Lisa, I flew across the world to finally satisfy my eyes with the pictures I've been craving to see for my entire existence. <br><br>The story I want to share specifically though, is the one where I visited the hospital I was born in: McCormick Hospital.<br><br>Lisa and I dedicated a whole afternoon to walk over to McCormick which is outside of 'old city' in Chiang Mai. We left our favourite hostel and took our Berkenstock aching feet down the same road we entered the city on. I recognized the hospital right away from the picture my mum and dad had shown me before I left. I remember feeling a sort of nervousness/excitement; it was as if I was walking in a dream! I was taking the same steps my young parents took 25 years ago. As I mentioned before: my WHOLE life I've been wondering what this place looks like! We enter the hospital and there are some Thai guys building a Christmas tree out of neon mountain dew bottles. The hospital is CLEAN and very pretty with salmon-coloured floors laid ahead. The nurses were incredibly warm, and constantly smiled at Lisa and I - the foreign travellers invading their beautiful hospital! I approached them right away and inquired about Dr. Chit Ari (who was my doctor nearly 26 years ago). It took a couple tries before they understood me but they got on the phone and... called her department. I was SHOCKED that she's not only still alive but still WORKING at the same place. She wasn't working that day but we were invited to come back later the week to see her. After receiving the crazy news, Lisa and I explored the building for awhile. It is honestly the sweetest hospital I've ever been in. There's an outdoor courtyard with trees and green grass right in the centre which is enclosed by several floors of circular walking ramps - like a three story veranda. I also felt connected to my young parents - scared, nervous, excited - walking amidst the same walls.<br><br>So, later that week, Lisa and I walked back to the hospital. The mountain dew Christmas tree was finished haha. I approached a new nurse and asked if I could see Dr. Chit Ari. It was fun but difficult explaining that I wasn't there for an appointment - just for a hello! "Sa-wa-dee-kaahh!" We followed her to a new area and passed a man playing Beethoven on a grand piano! I loved it. We were seated outside of a door that read "Dr. Chit Ari" on it. I couldn't BELIEVE it. The door opened and a young, travelling, pregnant couple exited and behind them was Dr. Chit Ari...Right there! Right in front of me! And still taking care of pregnant travellers! When the couple walked away, Dr. Chit Ari turned to me - and I couldn't help it - my eyes started flooding and I shakily said "Hi". I told her that she was my doctor and I came from Canada to meet her..."I came to see YOU." Without hesitation, she hugged me then held onto my arm and my waist and had me walk with her. As we walked she told that she's 75 and has been working at McCormick for 50 years. Meanwhile, I was trying my hardest not to let my tears overflow because I was so overwhelmed. Dr. Chit Ari stopped and asked a nurse to take our picture. SHE asked! And she has a smart phone haha!! AND SHE was crying!! She was just as overwhelmed as I was. Seeing her eyes water did not help mine from spilling. There was something so extraordinarily genuine and empathetic about her. I couldn't believe that SHE was the one asking for a picture and crying. She brimmed with love and with warmth. Here I was, across the world, holding onto this gentle and kind spirit who is MUTUALLY touched by my visit. Anyways, after our picture was taken, she asked me if I wanted to see the delivery room. Again, she held on to me as we walked and didn't let go. The delivery room was a bit cold and creepy (I've also never seen one prior), but it was surreal to see the room I was born in.<br><br>After seeing the room, Dr. Chit Ari had to go back to work but before she left she asked Lisa and I if we'd like to go for dinner the coming Friday. She said she'd pick us up at our hostel! What!.......!??!! The mystery woman I didn't even know would be around asked us for dinner!<br><br>When Dr. Chit Ari left, the nurse asked me if I'd like to see the hand-written records of my birth. She led us to another room nearby and opened a cabinet. Everything in the hospital up to this point was so clean and organized but what she revealed under this counter were random dusty objects and 7 or 8 huge spell-like looking books with brown leather jackets. She searched for my birthdate and I saw it... the real data! My mum's name, her weight, her expected due date, her age, my weight, time of birth, etc. The PROOF! It was CRAZY to see! Here, thousands and thousands of miles from home, my mum's name is hand-written in this random book, sitting underneath a dusty shelf. The nurse pointed at the book and said "history" which made Lisa and I laugh. We hugged the nurse and thanked her a million times.<br><br>When we walked out of McCormick, I was completely drained. I couldn't believe all that had happened. Just going to the hospital the first time and walking around was more than enough. Meeting Dr. Chit Ari then witnessing her kindness and tears was one of the most overwhelming and beautiful experiences of my entire life. There's something about her voice and her energy... this world is most definitely a better world with her in it. I'm inspired and moved by her.<br><br>Unfortunately, Lisa and I did not make it out for dinner with Dr. Chit Ari because our travels pulled us more north. Getting ahold of Dr. Chit Ari, from the small town of Pai, was a MASSIVE adventure within itself, but the heavens were glowing in my favour and I managed to. It broke my heart to cancel our dinner plans, but being the gracious woman that she is, she was empathetic - and she was able to show that when she barely speaks English! The last thing she said to me over the phone was "give my regards to your mother" which made me burst into tears and I promised I would. I can still hear her voice. Dr. Chit Ari's compassion and warmth has affected so many people. I can't imagine how strange it must have been to have a 25 yr old girl show up, crying, at her workplace with a big statement like "I flew from Canada to meet you" but she seemed to share an equal interest in me and I'm forever moved by it.<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/d885649b0a4bce2ac33fc5ae70b0c5c9618a4b78/large/dr-chit-ari-1.jpg?1425937841" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">THE woman!!</p></div><br>~ Jenie Thai<br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/32175652014-10-04T14:12:20-04:002014-10-06T16:02:02-04:00Coffee ShakesWell, I'm sitting here in downtown Brandon, MB typing like a cheetah sprinting at full tilt because I just od'd on coffee. That's what I get for chugging, I suppose. But I am feeling GREAT and am BACK on the road! This time, I am going farther and longer than any other tour to date. It's pretty exciting to view this large maple leaf country through the window of my civic with my piano in tow.<br><br>First show on tour was two evenings ago in a 100 yr old church in the quaint little town of Wadena, SK. Beautiful acoustics in the church. Big thank you and hugs go out to Don who is a major live music enthusiast and who makes a mean bowl of veggie soup! Wadena won my heart yesterday morning when I stopped at the gas station and a man seemed to appear, like a mirage out of one of the surrounding fields, just in time to offer to fill my tank for me! Then, as I was paying, the gas station lady handed me over 2 free donuts. Good on ya, Wadena!<br><br>Last night I played in this gorgeous venue called Lady of The Lake in Brandon, MB. There were chandeliers dripping from the ceiling, a large bench with gold and silver trimmed pillows spilling over it, an enthusiastic staff, and a very keen audience including several swing dancers that twirled throughout the night. This is a GEM of a venue and I can't wait to come back! Thank you to the family of Wes, Miranda, and Kaleigh for your generosity.<br><br>I'm off to Winnipeg to enjoy the sounds from the BreakOut West Conference for a few days. Some friends of mine have rented out a mansion that used to be an old hostel. I'll be callin' it home for a couple nights!<br><br>My computer is dying and I want one of the saskatoon scones that keep wafting in my direction - so I'm off.<br><br>Thank you very much for reading!<br>Peace,<br>Jenie<br><br><br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/31087542014-07-30T20:46:03-04:002017-01-14T11:10:13-05:00Summer On Da RoadI'M HOME!<br>It is SUMMER here in Edmonton. I'm pasted to my chair on the upper floor of the tasty Remedy Cafe, sluggin' back water to make up for all the lost sweat thanks to the 6 block walk and the +32 degree July heat. It sure feels good to be spending an afternoon just off whyte ave. It's been a lot of highway burning through mountains, prairies, and west coast for the last month; ironically, the city is offering me a heap of stillness in this moment.<br><br>However, I couldn't be more appreciative for the adventures on the road that the summer has brought me thus far. It all started off with playing at The North Country Fair! Through stories (and one very aged photograph), I know that my folks brought me to the NCF when I was 4 months old after they returned to Canada with me from Thailand.... pretty darn cool that I got to play the stage of my first folk festival! :)<br><br>My tour into BC started June 30th at 6am with Paul (on bass!) and Jason (on drums!)... 12 hour drive on a leaky van tire through the rockies, and into the heart of the Kootenays for a two day stint in Kaslo. I'd love to someday build a small cabin in Kaslo and live there seasonly to write and wander. The slow pace and sheer beauty of the town, I believe, would put anxiety to sleep and revitalize creativity. <br><br>The boys and I did a series of dates throughout the Kootenays and the Okanagan including venues from hotel bars, festival stage, house concerts, and concert venues. Big huge THANK YOU goes out, specifically, to The Mortimers for taking us on with relatively short notice and gathering 60-70 crazy kind folks in your backyard and for the beautiful home-built stage! Also, The Snoring Sasquatch in Creston was an amazing venue to play in! - The audience sat on couches instead of chairs.. and then Paul, Jason, and I picked the couch we wanted to sleep on post the show haha! My instinct was to sleep right on the stage, next to my keyboard, but after a few Creston beers I went for the secret bed near the entrance. Also worth noting, another crazy venue we played was Lorenzo's Cafe which is located deep in the rural woods of Enderby. The building is an old school house, built in 1919, and has been turned into a live concert venue. It's funky, eclectic, and reeks of an old-school charm clothed in cobwebs and pictures of graduates from the early 1900s. <br><br>I drove the boys back in the mini-van after our week of dates only to change vehicles and drive back into the jungle of BC. I finished the longest leg of tour playing solo each night in similar venues as to I had with the Paul and Jason. It's pretty wild that, via playing music, one night I ended up on a mattress in the basement of a house concert in Kamloops and then the next I was lounging next to a private pool in a 5 star hotel in Whistler. Music is a vehicle that drives through a colourful storm of events and evokes a desire within myself to continue creating and playing!<br><br>I, more or less, book ended the tour with North Country and South Country Fair; I have had yet to enjoy the southern and windy parks of Fort MacLeod. Heading backstage to embrace old friends I haven't seen in months and meeting new friends is an incredible feeling! I am so grateful to be welcomed by a community of musicians - across the country - and to do so on awesome festival grounds, such as The SCF. What a warm enviornment to be engulfed in. <br><br>With a towed cavalier, psychadelic tan/burn lines, a dirty suitcase, laughs with the band, more miles on the road in a month than my entire life on foot, new friends, old friends, an overwhelming amount of Tim Hortons coffee, many cases of cheap beer, little sleep, and a ton of singing I can happily conclude that my July was spent in the most gratifying of ways and the benefits of the road are still continuing to unveil themselves towards me.<br><br>Feeling blessed and looking forward to many many many more years of this ahead!!<br>Thank you so very much for reading.<br>Much Love,<br>JT<br><br>p.s. I went for a MUCH NEEDED run in the heat hysteria this afternoon to Gallagher's Park. The Edmonton Folk Festival site has been born! I'm stoked to blend like a chameleon into the sea of people on the great big hill next week.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/c300f3f327ec2f04e6b014ac6aa30113bb1a5b24/medium/10544034-319413318221305-859043340-n.jpg?1406769576" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="Sad Cavalier" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/bacb10c552e0e6914e428b316210fc10ce3b5cdd/medium/10520261-749446411785357-127383364-n.jpg?1406769451" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /><br><br><br><strong>Sad Cavalier <br><--------------|</strong><br><br><br><br><br><br> <strong>Everything we own<br> |----------------------></strong><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><strong>Jason and Paul waiting for the ferry. They are so funny! House Concert in Winfield, BC. It was as crazy as it looks!<br> </strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/7700096866630b11ebe314c17a9a9254821eab7b/medium/img-0623.jpg?1406769516" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /> <br><strong><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/86ba47ffbd689f0b279e775e306ae34ab2add618/medium/img-0642.jpg?1406769512" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /></strong><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><strong>Home-built backyard stage, built just for us, in Rossland, BC! The famous Lorenzo's Cafe!</strong><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/0f8ac03ffec525dc85d7e665ac8a07a2579d777f/medium/img-0652.jpg?1406769510" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/3ff0e0ea3b774e88a41a393688c3ee90d9e77b5e/medium/img-0673.jpg?1406769523" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" />Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/30475502014-06-29T23:02:42-04:002019-12-29T08:14:21-05:00Right Before The RoadThis is an entry into my thai-ary from a semi-sane state and healthy energy level. It's almost 9pm on a Sunday... late June... here in Edmonton.... and I'm currently last minute packing for a series of dates I'm doing in BC with my band. I'm writing now so that there is some small trace of evidence that I was once sane because...<br><br>First show...<br>Tomorrow evening in Kaslo.<br>Yes - I'm estimating a 13 hr day in the van with two boys followed by a 3 hr show the same night in the Kaslo Hotel. Lucky for me, I LOVE the Kaslo Hotel so I'm happy to end my June and start my tour in the friendly and beautiful bar that sits next to a lake.<br><br>Looking forward to 5am......!<br><br>JT<br><br><br><br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/28927722014-04-23T14:22:40-04:002021-12-19T08:38:25-05:00Alberta PrimetimeIt's a rainy Wednesday noon here in Edmonton. Lovin' it. When the sky cries I don't feel the need to; the job is taken.<br><br>Anyways, I'm gonna share this video that I have been meaning to post into my thai-ary for a few months now. CTV approached me early February with interest to do a story on my music career and time spent in Memphis for the 30th International Blues Challenge.<br>The guest stars are: My mum!.... (the real star!!), and Rosalynn Ruptash who leads the Edmonton Blues Society as the president!<br><br>So, if you're also sitting cozy at home this afternoon feel free to click on this link and watch me on TV! :)<br><a contents="http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=6175" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=6175" target="_blank">http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=6175</a><br><br>More lata,<br>JTJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/26687242014-03-01T00:36:00-05:002014-03-10T04:31:40-04:00International Folk Alliance Conference 2014Oh. My. Gosh.<br>So no "over-tired posts" (to quote myself) ever hit the internet's stage because there wasn't a single minute wasted during the folk alliance conference. From my lay-over flight to my flight home were continuous moments of over-tiredness, long conversation, no-sleep, power-naps, American beer, nerves, excitement, beer again, and music music music. On my flight from Denver to Kansas City I ended up sitting right next to my friend Carly Klassen, who was going to the conference representing Alberta Music! The week was already starting!<br><br>After shuttling to the hotel, I entered the West-in and my jaw dropped. It was only the first night (Wed) and there were already three to four different groups jamming acoustically in the lobby, hundreds of posters and postcards lighting up the walls and tables, and musician types buzzing around. There were over 2,500 people attending the conference this year, so all I could do was tell myself that it's going to be okay to be another fly on the wall.<br><br>After finding my hotel room and registering (and being welcomed by the lovely Melanie Brulee), I sorta just explored a bit. The hotel was huge and the party was already started! The private showcases were starting that evening in which I partook in my first one, so no time to settle! So let me explain, once again, what these private showcases are. THREE floors worth of hotel rooms (I can't even tell you how many rooms there were on each floor!) had changing musicians within each of them every 20 - 45 minutes and most of the rooms were acoustic (a few had PA's). And each room had it's own unique vibe to sort of set the tone and attract you into the room. For example, some rooms had backdrops and chairs lined in rows to make it feel more moody. Others had full-out bars/bartenders in them (the Oklahoma room being my favourite one for that!), some had Christmas lights, others were just plain with the beds still kept inside for everybody to pile on top of. <br><br>Crazy things can happen at the folk alliance. Maybe it's partially in due to the fact that I believed crazy things could happen before even going; I seem to attract this haha! But as an example - I met the super awesome Todd Adelman on my first night at the conference in the hallway on floor seven. The next night (at 2:30 am) he hurriedly asks me if I want to play a last minute showcase right then and there because there was a sudden opening at that exact moment! So, 5 minutes later I'm set up in a brand new showcase slot playing for a packed room! If that's not amazing enough, (with the timing of meeting Todd then running into him when he needed someone to fill a space!), the next morning I'm having breakfast across the street and a girl approaches me who listened to me sing last night in that room. We ended up becoming fast friends and actually know the SAME people in Texas even though she lives in Nashville and I live in Edmonton!! So amazing!! I'm soo happy I met you Vickie!!! Thanks for the most memorable conversation and laughs girl!<br><br>As for the music, overall, there were a LOT of banjos, fiddles, mandolins, upright basses, washboards etc. Some of it wasn't entirely my thing (not to say I didn't appreciate it!) but I really felt like I stood out like a sore thumb being a solo artist and playing blues-influenced piano songs. However, there was a TON of music that I really really really dug. PLEASE PLEASE check out John Fullbright. This guy blew my mind. Over the weekend I heard some of the most amazing original songs and saw him play guitar, piano, harmonica, accordion, electric bass, upright bass, and was an outstanding singer. His last album was also nominated for a grammy under "Best Americana Album of the Year". Not only did I discover new artists, that made my heart explode, but I got to hear legends like Chip Taylor sing his "Angel in the Morning" followed by "Wild Thing". There were also some heavier cats within the industry that were always walking around and sometimes appearing at my showcases. Thankfully, I'm not over familiar with the faces of some of these folks so I didn't have the chance to let my nerves overtake me too hard before my shows. Pretty wild stuff though! You never know who you're going to hear on the other side of the door, and you never know who you'll be singing to!<br><br>I also met so many incredible and humble people! Somehow, I ended up having 2-3 hour one on one hangs with complete strangers and really getting to know about their history with music (some being musicians, others not) and what their town is like etc. I'm so happy that I was given the opportunity to connect with people I never would have been able to otherwise! The folk alliance is a pretty special place. The stairwells, lobbies, rooms, conference areas were ALWAYS packed with music. I would really love to go again next year to reconnect with all these folks and continue to meet more people!<br><br>I must give a huge thank you to Breakout West (particularly the Alberta Music Team), The Bow Valley Folk Music Club, Richard Flohil, and Sonicbids for allowing me to sing under your wing! You guys all treated me like royalty and I'm super appreciative of your support! My biggest shout out goes to The Bow Valley Folk Music Club - especially Larry Taylor - for all the financial and moral support during the weekend! Larry, you were a saint helping me locate and load keyboard gear from room to room and you never complained once when I needed it last minute at 2:30 in the morning haha! Thank you SOO much - all of you!! <br><br>There really is too much to say about the trip. I'm still soaking a lot of it in. <br>Thanks so much for reading, I sincerely appreciate your interest!<br><br>Tons of love,<br>Jenie<br><br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/26081412014-02-19T12:48:15-05:002014-02-19T12:51:43-05:00Ooooooo lalala I'm going to Kansas City!Gooood morning to all! <br><br>I'm sitting here in my hometown airport, still shaking a bit thanks to being held up at customs. I forgot that being a musician is super illegal. But actually, I'm feeling really good! My flight for Kansas City is about to scoop me up. This weekend I am showcasing at The International Folk Alliance Conference!!! I believe it is the world's largest folk conference....... with a heavy mix of musicians, music lovers, music believers, music promoters, music engineers, music labels.......<br>The conference is taking place at the Westin Hotel - and the thing I'm most pumped for are the 'unofficial' showcases. Between 10pm and 3am EVERY night, three floors worth of hotel rooms will be converted into venues. Beds out. Chairs in. Acoustic shows from the artists flooding the city that have flocked from all around the world. I'm pretty stoked to walk down the halls, enter any room, and then hear a new artist... and for people do the same while I'M playing! Also, it's going to be awesome to reconnect with some new friends I made down in Memphis, Toronto, and other places. It's so cool that I keep having these opportunities to connect with the same people even though they live a million miles away. What a life!<br><br>Also.. Graham Nash is one of the keynote speakers - that's pretty badass!<br><br>Anyways... boarding time is in ten minutes and I'm in need of coffee number two.<br>Expect some overtired posts over the weekend.<br><br>Love,<br>Jenie<br><br><strong>I'm going to Kansas City<br>Kansas City, here I come<br>I'm going to Kansas City<br>Kansas City, here I come<br>They got a crazy way of loving there<br>And I'm gonna get me one</strong><br><br><br style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(240, 240, 240);"> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/25037442014-02-01T02:36:18-05:002017-02-03T10:58:17-05:00Post-Memphis BluezWell folks, last Friday evening at this exact time I was tearin' up Beale Street - singing Willie Dixon's "I'm Ready" (no piano - just me and the mic!) at the jam held by Anthony and the Conqueroos (check 'em out here: <a contents="www.conqueroos.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="http://www.conqueroos.com" target="_blank">www.conqueroos.com</a>... they were semi-finalists last year in the IBC.. awesome band and guys!) at The Blues City Cafe. Now, here I am... one Friday evening later.. wishing I could go back one full week ha. <br><br>Really though, I have SOOO much to celebrate!! My semi-final round was at The Blues Hall, kitty corner to Silky O'Sullivans (which is where I did my double quarter final rounds). I was sorta in and out of the bar a bunch because the crowd made me feel congested and I wanted to cheer on some other bands that were playing in the semi's before me (including hometown boys Boogie Patrol!). Again, the bar was PACKED!!!! I am still so overwhelmed by the amount of buzz and excited people that came out to listen to me. Holay molay was it ever fun to play.<br><br>Saturday was the finals, held at the renowned Orpheum Theatre! Honestly.. the theatre made every other theatre look like a shack. I'm not much of a picture taker, so I'm sorry that I can't share the sights with ya, but perhaps it's incentive for you to fly down and listen to me play there someday! Because I'm going to.. I have to! :)<br><br>I think my favourite day of the whole week was Sunday. A bunch of us rented a car and went down to Al Green's Soul Service. I have to say, that it might be the most amazing experience of my life. The choir brought me to tears! And GEEEEZE can Al SING. He was hilarious too! He would go off on these tangents, and never follow up with them, but none of that mattered because the music said it all. And the music was constant, and incredibly moving. There aren't words to describe what I felt in that church. Crazily enough though, the church was more than half empty! I was really surprised by that. BUT there was the presence of a rather well-known star by the name of... Ron Wood. I can't BELIEVE that I was sitting near a member of The Rolling Stones, in Memphis, at Al Green's Soul Service.... <br><br>After the soul service, we headed down to Mississippi's Clarksdale. Clarksdale, for those reading that don't know much about the town, is world renowned for being the home of the Delta Blues. Muddy Waters was born just outside of the city... Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the junction of highways 61 and 49... Bessie Smith (who was essentially murdered by racism) died in the famous Riverside Hotel.. etc. It's a very special place! I am still shocked that such a magical place, and a place that is so crucial to us understanding and knowing the roots of MANY of our favourite musical genres, is so stricken. I was only in the town for a day but I could see a lot of poverty which at times made me feel rather heavy; there are 'third world' conditions in our own backyard. Although, on the bright side, the people I met were amazing!! We went to Hobson Plantation which is virtually unchanged from when it was a working plantation. There were authentic sharecropper shacks, the original cotton gin, seed houses, cotton fields, and other outbuildings. On the plantation there's a venue called "The Shack Up Inn" which is a crazy place. So much for the eyes to take in. There's a gigantic stage that a band touring from Indiana was playing on and had me and some of the Boogie Boys come jam on. Pretty surreal to be in the home of so much pain and history and making music at the same time.<br><br>From The Hobson Plantation we stopped for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Here was proof of the kindness and poverty levels in the town. The waiters were HILARIOUS. They loved our enthusiasm over the RIDICULOUS food that was WAAY too cheap. My thoughts go out to the boys running the joint! Thanks for the warm and welcome meal.<br><br>With bellies full.... the doors of Red's were entered. This was probably my ultimate highlight. Red's, from what I believe, is still an original standing juke joint (or barrelhouse). It was basically just a garage type room with plastic on the ceilings and no running water, or refrigeration. The room was PACKED! All the Mississippi folks were so endearing calling me "Miss Jenie"! "Miss Jenie, will you come up and sing us a tune?". Geeze. I felt part of a special community in the room. There were folks from all over the world, and a number from the town.. and everybody just seemed to be 'in it together' with all the dancing, music, drinking, conversing... I really really didn't want to leave. There is definitely no place in Alberta that could even attempt at replicating Red's. Home to those who need it, and open to those who want it. On the way out of town we stopped at The Crossroads....! I felt a bit silly actually.. approaching such a 'magical' and historical place with a big group of people.. it felt too touristy for me when all I wanted to do was personally pay my respects to all the folks that have paved the way.. M. Waters, C. Patton, R. Johnson, S. Cooke, S. House, B. Smith.... Perhaps it's more reason to return on my own and dig deeper into the roots when I get an opportunity. Even still, it's a bit of a dream to me that I was there...<br><br>All in all I am SOO thankful for the week I had! What a time. What a time... after hour jams at Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rum Boogie, Blues City Cafe, The New Daisy.. smoke filled bars.. cheap beer (that you can walk outside and into the next bar with)... music so loud that my ears are still bleeding.. sooo many people.. soo many crazy awesome musicians.. positive energy bouncing off of every old wall... taking down the streets until 8am.. playing as a semi-finalist in the INTERNATIONAL Blues Competition... hearing REALLY good music from across the world.. making new friends with people, again, from around the world...!....I keep getting an overload of amazing memory flashbacks!! I'm not sure if I've ever ridden a high for pretty much an entire week like I did. Perhaps it's due to the fact that I approached the week with no expectations that I was blown away by the whole experience. I feel super motivated and inspired to keep working hard so that I can meet MORE people and visit more places like I just did! The camaraderie amongst the musicians and blues societies was so heartwarming and encouraging. It lifted me right up! It also feels AMAZING to return home to a province that's been buzzing and rooting for me! THANK YOU to the support and love from home!! The Memphis send-off was off the wall, CBC and CKUA have been so kind playing my music and cyber-worlding updates, emails/posts from friends/fans have been really appreciated, and the EDMONTON BLUES SOCIETY kicks BUTT!<br><br>What a flippin' week!!<br>Still riding the highs,<br>Filled with love - thank you!<br>Jenie<br><br>p.s. Here's a little vid from my first set in the quarter finals. Live indeed!<br><a contents="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaKnt284L6A" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaKnt284L6A" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaKnt284L6A</a>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/24613022014-01-24T13:49:13-05:002014-01-24T13:57:16-05:00I'm in Memphis!Hi from Memphis, Tennessee! I'm currently sitting in my hotel room, a couple blocks off Beale, with both the mighty Mississippi river and the Orpheum theatre in view.<br><br>I don't even really know where to begin. Every moment since I left home has been sort of a dream. The flight from Edmonton to Chicago was awesome - I ended up sitting in the same row with my friend John Armstrong! I've never taken a plane, by coincidence, with someone I know, let alone in the same row haha! My flight from Chicago to Memphis was delayed; I think I was in the Chicago airport for 4 or 5 hours (which passed very fast!).. airports are never short of entertainment! When I arrived in Memphis, it was midnightish, and I had been travelling for 14 or 15 hrs. I had no idea how or where to get to my hotel... and there were no cabs coming by... so I approached a group of 3 people and asked them if they were sharing some sort of shuttle. Turns out - I was talking to the pilot, co-pilot, and stewardess from the plane and they gave me a lift in their personal shuttle!! I pretended I was with them, but when the driver realized that I wasn't going to the same hotel as them he ended up giving me a personal lift to where I was supposed to be.. so my first couple hours in Memphis I spent cruising the streets, in a free shuttle, at 1am with some extremely nice people. That was Monday.<br><br>Tuesday: strolling around. I went to the faaancy Peabody hotel to watch the famous duck walk. Apparently at 11am and 5pm EVERY day, these hilarious little ducks waddle from the fountain, down the red carpet, and into the elevator. There was a man with a baton stick talking about this historical tradition while it was going on but I wasn't really listening because I was too distracted by how funny the ducks were! After the ducks ascended, I went to the roof of the hotel with some folks and saw a great view of the town. Best part about the venture up though, was this ballroom (very Cinderella-esque!) on the top floor of the hotel where I spotted a grand piano sitting to the side... it's where I've been sneaking to warm up before my competition rounds. I got kicked out yesterday though.. so I had to find another piano (which I DID.. this lovely couple that come to the IBC every year invited me up to their hotel suite which has the same piano that "Layla" - Eric Clapton tune - was written on! crazy!). Anyways, on Tuesday night there was The International Showcase at The New Daisy Theatre which was super cool because it featured acts that have travelled to the IBC from around the whole world! Israel, The Philippines, Holland.. and it was an awesome place to meet other blues societies, musicians etc. Best part about Tuesday, though, was The Rum Boogie!!! Craziest bar! There's a staircase right in the middle of the bar that winds at least twice around before you get to where you're going. There was a late-night jam... which was SOOO fun. I definitely got my fair share of time up on stage.. I don't think I left the bar until 2:30 or 3 or something like that. No shortage of awesome players. Standing room only.. definitely over capacity.. looved it.<br><br>Wednesday/Thursday: <strong>Quarter Finals! </strong>In an earlier post, I believe I wrote that I'm excited to be here with 150 different acts.. I was wrong.. there are over 255 acts from around the world here!! The New Daisy was PACKED with musicians during orientation. We all found out on Wednesday where and when we're playing. I was set to play at a place called Silky O' Sullivans. They have two electric grand pianos sorta touching noses on a stage. I was surprised because I kinda figured I'd have more of a stage piano like a roland or something that I'd prop up in the middle of the stage like I usually do when I play.. but instead I had a 'grand' piano which had it's pros and cons. My back was to a big portion of the bar, and it's tough to engage in a position like that, but it sounded GREAT and the change-overs were really easy. There were some REALLY good musicians in my round. Very very very good - especially the piano players. For those reading that are unsure about the 'competition' part - all contestants go through two rounds in the quarter finals. We play the same venue twice and then the top 4 from each venue move into the semi-finals. We are judged on blues content, vocals, instrument talent, originality, and stage presence - with each part of the criteria weighing a different amount on the scoreboard. Anyways.. the shows themselves were SO fun!!!! SOO fun!! Like I said earlier, the bars have been PACCKKED! It was REALLY fun playing for a full receptive house that are there because they love music. The people I've been meeting all over have been so positive and excited... the energy is contagious and it doesn't stop! <br><br>I found out last night that I'm moving to the next round!! I can hardly believe it. The musicianship here is outstanding. Every bar I go to I'm stoked because the level of playing/songwriting/performing is consistently REALLY good! I've heard soo much good music; I'm so inspired! The best part about the week, so far, is the comradery between all the musicians and folks attending. The Canadian blues societies have been super supportive of me (Liz Sykes from the Ottawa Blues Society put together a Canadian Showcase at The Kooky Canuck which.. again.. it was like a sardine tin can in there... or a moshpit.. elbow to elbow - thanks so much Liz, for having all the Canadians celebrate and play!) and the musicians I've met do NOT have the competitive/dog-eat-dog attitude what-so-ever. Everybody is celebrating music. GOOD music! It's really quite something. There is no shortage of positive energy flowing from bar to bar or people to people.<br><br>Anyways.. I was up at a scary early time this morning to play on Ditty TV after hanging at some jams again last night. I'll post the live show when i get my hands on it. THANK YOU Ditty TV for having me!! You guys are a REALLY generous crew with a gorgeous stage. I'm so grateful.<br><br>I'm gonna try and nap before I get up for the next round. It's gonna be hard 'cause I'm buzzing hard after some serious espresso. Everything about this week so far has been crazy. It's got to be the most fun I've ever had.<br><br>EEE!<br>More lata.<br>Love, love, love<br>JT<br><br>p.s. I forgot to mention that BOOGIE PATROL (also representing Edmonton, AB, CA) are moving on to the semi-finals! I'm soo happy for my good friends! Puttin' Edmo on the map! :) :) AND.. Tim Williams from Calgary as well as a couple other Canadian acts are moving forward. Canadian invasion?Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/24289712014-01-19T15:26:32-05:002017-01-14T11:10:13-05:00One More SleepHi! :) :) :)<br>BIGGEST thank you to the folks who packed the house in Edmonton's New Castle Pub last night. I was taken aback by the amount of dancers and listeners who were super enthusiastic and happy to be supporting Boogie Patrol and I on our adventure to the land of Tennessee. GEEZE last night was fun!! I am SO grateful! Here's a couple shots from last night's party: <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/498e9d2ef7a6f6eb6700c9946b1505f304578da1/original/new-castle-pub-2.jpg?1390162932" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/6ff21be694dbe1c9f78f366070764703ad7266d8/original/new-castle-pub.jpg?1390162599" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/e7b5ce5d29857aec6cb76c22306085f8b5dea077/original/new-castle-pub-3.jpg?1390163094" class="size_l justify_center border_" />One more sleep. Goin' down tomorrow! I'll do my best to update as much as I can while I'm there. This is happening!<br>Thanks so much again for all the love. The support that's been coming in has been keeping the flame burnin' hot!<br>Tons of love,<br>JT<br><br>p.s. Here's a vid with me and Ros (who heads the BEAUTIFUL foundation - Edmonton Blues Society) talking about the Interational Blues Competition and the Edmonton Blues Society on Global TV! <a contents="http://globalnews.ca/video/1091863/memphis-bound-sendoff" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="http://globalnews.ca/video/1091863/memphis-bound-sendoff" target="_blank">http://globalnews.ca/video/1091863/memphis-bound-sendoff</a><br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/24116972014-01-16T12:59:49-05:002014-01-16T13:22:29-05:00Memphis BoundHappy New Year all!<br><br>EXCITING NEWS to announce!! In 4 days I'm going to be travelling down to Beale Street in Memphis, representing Northern Alberta, to compete in the 30th annual International Blues Challenge! The competition takes place in the blues 'mecca' and is the largest blues competition in the entire world! There will be over 150 acts in 20 some clubs playing every night from Jan 22nd-25th representing blues societies from cities all over the globe..... I can't wait to walk outside (+15 degrees.. take that Edmonton!)... with a drink in hand (rumour is you can leave the bar with a beer!).. and hear a kaleidoscope of blues colours bouncing off the walls of Beale Street. <br><br>This is such an exciting opportunity for me to grow on a musical and human level. I'm going to play for blues fans and musicians from around the world! AND Memphis is the home to Stax Records, Sun Records, Graceland, and is also the place that activist Martin Luther King made his last mark. It truely is a historical place. I hope to find time to travel down to Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta region - home to Muddy Waters, where Robert Johnson 'sold his soul to the devil' at the crossroads, and where Bessie Smith died... The area is rich in tradition with its roots heavily tied to slavery, racism, poverty, <em>blues,</em> spirit.....<br><br>None of this would be remotely possible without the support of the Edmonton Blues Society (<a contents="http://www.edmontonbluessociety.net/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="http://www.edmontonbluessociety.net/" target="_blank">http://www.edmontonbluessociety.net/</a>). Because of them, they are enabling my friends and awe-inspiring band Boogie Patrol (<a contents="http://www.boogiepatrol.com/" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="http://www.boogiepatrol.com/" target="_blank">http://www.boogiepatrol.com/</a>) and myself to experience a week unparalleled to any other event I have partaken in up to this point in my career. I can't thank you enough EBS! And I can't WAIT!<br><br>Boogie Patrol and I are hosting a fundraiser this Saturday evening to help send us off. If you'd like to come join the bash - please do! It will be at New Castle Pub (8170 50st, Edmonton) - $10 - Doors at 8 - Music at 10pm. More event info here: <a contents="https://www.facebook.com/events/1426585040911058/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1426585040911058/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/events/1426585040911058/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming</a><br><br>Also, if you're interested in checking out more about the competition, there is a great write-up on their website about it's history and a list of all the entered acts etc. here: <a contents="https://blues.org/ibc/#ref=ibc_index" data-link-label="" data-link-type="" href="https://blues.org/ibc/#ref=ibc_index" target="_blank">https://blues.org/ibc/#ref=ibc_index</a><br><br>Lastly, I will be showcasing on a couple of different stages and playing for a program called "Ditty TV" (stream-able online) which is seperate from the competition. I'll keep you posted on when those things are happening so you can tune in and join me during my adventure!<br><br>Thanks so much for reading,<br>Can't wait to post more!!<br><br>Love,<br>Jenie Thai<br><br> Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/22854412013-12-24T20:32:26-05:002018-08-28T05:07:50-04:00Merry Christmas!Hi! <br>I'm just about to pack up my bag and go home to my mum and dad's for the evening but thought I'd drop a line into the 'thai-ary' first. It's Christmas.. again! I know that time waits for nobody, but it's still hard to believe every time another Christmas drops by. I really enjoy yearly markers such as Christmas because I can't help reflect on everything that happened between each holiday. <br><br>Like I wrote in my last note, "Downtown Toronto", I'm still living off the highs of the trip. I was SO fortunate to be guided through the town by a few folks that know the secrets into the industry and musical hubs. There were so many amazing places I visited and people I met that it's really hard to relay it all. Attending the 27th Blues Women Revue, on behalf of CBC and my dear friend Richard Flohil, was incredible. I had goose-bumps standing under the hall's bright lights, waiting to receive my ticket from the outdoor ticket booth. I saw signatures and press clippings on the walls near the bar from Neil Young.. Joni Mitchell... Ray Charles.. Oscar Peterson.. The Band... all the heroes. Also, I also fell in love with the music store Remenyi. It houses soo many grand pianos!! I was itching really bad during my stay to play a beautiful piano so a friend of mine took me there.. and the funniest thing happened! I was sorta lazily playing an excerpt from a classical piece and then stopped playing to move onto something else - but then as soon as I stopped playing, I heard the next part of the piece (which is a crazy fast octave passage) coming from a different piano by some sort of mystery player. So I started laughing because I couldn't believe one of three people in the building not only knew what piece I was playing, but could immediately recall the next passage! So the two of us had this sort of 'duo-off' while we played the next part of the piece together! Hahaha! It blew my mind! Toronto eh?<br><br>Anyways, I didn't come onto my blog to keep rambling about the trip I took but I will give a HUMONGOUS thank you to Richard Flohil and Steve Frise. Your boys' hospitality, excitement about the city, royal treatment, TIME, and big hearts blew me away. You are both so incredibly sweet and really play a big part in my adoration for the town. I can't ever repay either of you for the memories I have and I'm sincerely touched by your generosity. Thank you so much.<br><br>As for December! - I flew home from TO on Dec. 1st and landed right into a crazy pile of Christmas shows and background gigs. A few local musicians and I (well mainly the amazing Justine Vandergrift) put together a live off the floor Christmas album which we released on Dec. 8th at The Artery in Edmonton. If you'd like to hear it, please feel free to stream it here: <a contents="http://justinevandergrift.bandcamp.com/album/an-edmonton-christmas-live-off-the-floor" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://justinevandergrift.bandcamp.com/album/an-edmonton-christmas-live-off-the-floor" target="_blank">http://justinevandergrift.bandcamp.com/album/an-edmonton-christmas-live-off-the-floor</a><br><br>Due to how many Christmas events I played at this year, I wrote a Christmas song for the first time! Paul Bergeron and I played live on CBC's Turkey Drive show on Fri. Dec. 13th where the song was sung and broadcasted over their airwaves! I have a bootleg of the performance, so if you're reading this and would like to hear it, I'm emailing it to all of my mailing list fans - so feel free to sign up if you'd like it! :) (You can go to the homepage).<br><br>I'm gonna wrap this up right now because my mum told me she's got vegetarian curry soup waiting for me at home.. and I'd really like to get to that bowl! I'm unbelievably happy right now. 2013 has been nuts amazing. I'm so grateful to all the memories I made over the year and proud that I released my first official full-length record!!<br><br>Thank you all for stoppin' by the site. I truely wish you the most Merry Christmas you've ever had and I'll definitely write something early in the new year.<br>xxxxxoooo<br>JenieJenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/20764372013-11-19T14:34:46-05:002017-01-14T11:10:12-05:00Downtown TorontoHello from Toronto!<br>I'm sitting in a coffee shop downtown Yonge street and college. Starting to get to know the street names/neighbourhoods in this big town. It's a lot different than home... food/shopping EVERYWHERE. This is my first time in the 'big smoke'.. and it's been amazing so far! My new friend, Richard Flohil, has given me red carpet treatment... he arranged to pick me up from the massive airport... took me straight off the plane to a concert (JD Edwards and his band!) in an underground salon... then lugged my suitcase all the way to the red door of his condo. The man is entertaining as hell and the youngest soul at heart.<br><br>On Saturday, Flo took me for a guided tour downtown and we ended up at The Grossman's to listen to a New Orleans band that has been playing there every Saturday for 40 years! The band ripped off the fallboard and baseboard of the old upright to expose the piano's naked hammers and pedals... and then let me sit in with them! I hammered on the keys as if Jerry Lee Lewis was sitting at the back of the bar watching the whole thing!<br><br>Sunday, I sang a couple late night tunes at The Supermarket which has such an amazing stage. Every bar I've been to is so cool here. The Java Hut... The Horseshoe... tomorrow night I'll be at Hugh's Room.. Thursday at The Cameron House... next week Massey Hall.. I'm so excited! Last night I visited a venue called Musideum which is GORGEOUS. Donald Quan runs this venue that has live music 7 nights a week...... instruments from around the world lining every inch from the ground to the roof... and a BEAUTIFUL grand piano that I got to play a bit. There is nothing that I miss more, when I'm gone, than playing piano. I shoulda fell in love with the blues harp instead so I could keep it in my pocket at all times but alas I will forever be attached to the orchestra at my fingertips. <br><br>Tonight I'm gonna move over to Kensington market and check out some shows in that neck of the woods. So far, my favourite thing about Toronto is how much is happening all the time; there's no shortage of things to do. I have to make decisions every day about what to see and not see because there is some band howling out the doors of every venue downtown. <br><br>I'm feel so happy and blessed... I'm living the life that allows me to hang in some of North America's biggest musical hubs. And I am SO grateful for the friends helping me out and how excited they are to show me how much they love Toronto.<br><br>I'm here for a couple weeks so let the adventures roll on.<br>Love,<br>Jenie<br><br>p.s. Last Saturday I played the most amazing show with my full band in my hometown at The Shell Theatre. It was true rockstar/royal treatment. I have live footage to share...... soon! So stay tuned! Here's a little shot from the evening:<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/b5a6a8c5ed205edcd3b5234a6e445e0bd5689677/original/shell-theatre-2013.jpg?1384889565" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/11357472013-07-15T15:00:00-04:002021-09-10T12:47:24-04:00Lite on Demand!!Hi lovely readers!<br>
It has been such an exciting day for me! This morning I received offical notice that I am one in ten artists chosen by Lite 95.7 FM in their Emerging Artist Spotlite program! What does this mean???? WELL!... It means that I have the opportunity to receive $10,000 to be spent on developing my career (ex: touring, recording, promotion, marketing, rehearsing, ETC!) and promotion on Lite 95.7 radio as well as their online stream! This money would help me launch and tour another full-length record! But I can only receive this financial help through YOU with a quick and easy (I promise!) online vote.<br>
If you wanna help me out, here's how you do it:<br><br>
1. Click on this link: <a target="_new" href="http://www.lite957.ca">www.lite957.ca</a><br>
2. Scroll down the homepage until you see a box on the right hand side that says LITE ON DEMAND<br>
3. Click on the drop down menu within the App and then click on emerging artists <br>
4. Scroll down to my name and click the green thumbs up sign beside my song "Your Sweet Lullaby"<br>
5. You can repeat this as many times as you want! :) :) :) <br>
6. Voting is open until July's corner turns down August's lane... so keep voting! :)<br><br>
Self-promotion is a hard thing to do - I am truely sooo appreciative of your support - it goes a really long way! Far beyond this vote.<br><br>
Thanks for checkin' in :)<br>
Jenie<br><br>
p.s. I also have the opportunity to sing at The Edmonton Folk Music Festival with this Emerging Artist Spotlite vote!! AMAZING!<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/79e4e9d3359b7551ff0b7deb3a3243c059be3ab1/original/vote-now-promo-box1.jpg?1373951736" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="350" width="545" /><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/4755432013-04-05T17:10:37-04:002013-04-05T17:10:37-04:00Couch Concert Series (Spring 2013) - Vancouver, Whistler, VancouverHey there folks,<br>
I made it home - road problems free - from the Couch Concert Series through BC's beautiful terrain.<br>
I'm gonna carry on speaking of the adventures....<br><br>
Vancouver: I rolled into an early spring - somewhere between 16 and 20 degrees C. Tall, bright green grass. Lots of traffic. Drove over this bridge that had thick spider-like legs dangling from the sky. It was exciting entering one of Canada's most 'hip' towns and thinking about all the friends I've made that grew up in the very city I was finally entering. I arrived to Alyssa's (my host) and her five roommates humble abode off Slocan Street. I immediately felt at home there, discovering that Alyssa and I have mutual friends - the world continues to become smaller the more I climb into the art's world. Alyssa had posted my concert on the couchsurfing network so her doors became open to people from Thailand, India, Russia, Vietnam... everywhere! I had an international audience in a Vancouver household! It's amazing how far music can travel... I was given the opportunity to learn more about other cultures but also had the opportunity to offer a feeling of community to the ones foreign to Canada. It was humbling and inspiring. Alyssa's friends are also largely involved within Vancouver's theatre community so I felt at home hanging with a crowd of young artists. Thanks for your couch you guys - and for nurturing a "be yourself" atmosphere. <br><br>
Whistler: I had no show for this date. However... last minute, I wound up playing a show for 50-60 people in the manager's home of RUSH, Matthew Good, and (I believe) Van Halen - sponsored by Whister's local brewery. It was fuckin' crazy. Sam (my host) and his friend Adam opened up the evening with intense acoustic guitar and songs dealing with loss and life. Then I played for the snowboarders and travellers on the stage that myself and a couple guys made out of this 400 pound coffee table. It was easily one of the highlights of the tour. So many awesome and funny people! When I talked earlier about the mansion in Peachland.... I would describe this house as a palace... but warmer than the images I think of when i think of palace. I was gifted a king size bed to dream in... another personal bathroom with a shower the size of my Edmonton bedroom.... the whole night was honestly some sort of unthinkable happening that.. happened! Sam, I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality and generosity. I really enjoyed our conversations and revelled in your passion for life. Such a cool night.. wow.<br><br>
Vancouver: Back to Vancouver! I LOVED the road from Whistler to Vancouver... it winds around the shoulder of the mountains and up the arm of the ocean... and it must be the most pretty road in all of Canada. I drove to the cozy living room of Lori's in New Westminster. Her friends slowly trickled in all night offering vegetarian snacks and interesting conversation. Again, I felt myself connecting with complete strangers with talk about hope, food, art, spirituality, religion, escape.... I cannot believe how many beautiful people I've had the opportunity to connect with over journeys such as this Couch Concert Series. This particular evening might have been my favourite to share my music with (tough call though haha!) because I felt the most shared energy between the listeners and I. The intimacy within a house concert fosters vulnerability from both myself and the ones listening. Lori.. thank you soo much for the wine, the bed, and the picnic for the road home. You are so kind and I appreciate your fun and high energy flair!<br><br>
The trek from Vancouver to Edmonton the next day was much more do-able than I had predicted. I do think, though, that I would enjoy it more in the summer when the hills are bright instead of brown from winter's leftovers. Quick supper stop in Jasper. CKUA's Friday night blues show down the yellowhead trail welcoming me home. <br><br><br>
I cannnot thank all the individuals that were part of my Couch Concert Series Spring 2013. The positive energy!! The generosity! It was a special week and has definitely given me good reason to do it again. I will see all of you in the near future - all my love to you guys!<br><br>
Thanks for keeping posted.<br>
Love, JT<br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/4135282013-03-26T08:10:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:12-05:00Couch Concert Series (Spring 2013) - Banff, Peachland, KelownaGood afternoon beautiful readers!<br>
I'm currently sitting in The Streaming Cafe which is a local coffee shop and live music venue - home to Kelowna. Round two of the Couch Concert Series has been different thus far than the one I journeyed on last April. But what can I expect when I'm contacting strangers and asking them to turn their home into a venue? Every household is so unique that making predictions on the outcome of a self-put-together house concert trip is useless haha.<br><br>
I'm going to keep this brief because I have a sunny afternoon of driving to Vancouver ahead of me. <br><br><u>Banff:</u> I kicked off my series with my brand new album (HOT OFF THE PRESS! :D) on Saturday and held down The Elk and Oarsmen Bar in Banff. What a great venue! If there are any musicians reading this right now - I recommend the place if you're into nice hospitality, friendly people, and good beer...... Because I stayed in a hotel on the first night of tour, I was able to begin my trek over the great big rocks with solitude from a peaceful sleep. Driving through the mountains is consistenly a humbling experience. Shock-white snow patches, multi-coloured rock surfaces, blazing blue skies, winding roads..... how blessed I am to be able to tour through Canada's incredible landscape as part of my job! Opportunites like that demolish the doubts and fears and insecurities that sometimes build up inside of me.<br><br><u>Peachland:</u> After a full day of driving and stopping at familiar gas stations I arrived at a mansion. Absolutely huge room to play a concert with more natural reverb than a cathedral. Great big windows that overlooked a giant lake. Pool table. Queen size bed. Personal bathroom (with a button powered/water from all angles shower). Shane and Kaitlynn were my hosts - and were incrediby generous with their space! One of their friends brought over wine made right from his vineyard that has apparently won awards for the best wine in all of British Columbia! I loved it but I don't really have the palette to make fair judgements. Somehow throughout the night I was able to engage in deep and interesting one on one conversations with the majority of the guests; I heard some incredible stories. It was one of my favourite homes, acoustically, that I've ever sung. Shane - you must have more musicians play in your home - it's meant to have concerts! <br><br><u>Kelowna:</u> I showed up last night at this condo right beside this awesome looking running trail. Haha part of me wished that I brought practical shoes on the trip so I could go for a little jaunt down the path. Anyways, I was greeted incredibly warmly by Graham and his roommate Eric. The two of them threw together a wicked potluck (burritos, quinoa salad, bacon-wrapped asaparagus... more!) and invited a ton of their university friends over. I think it was the fullest couch concert I have done to date! Chat in the air revolved around classes, res, university parties etc. which was fun to listen in on because it had me reminiscing the overload of memories from my school days! I was shocked by the generous support that the students offered financially - it meant soo much to be supported by other young broke folk. First air mattress of the trip was set up haha. Loved it. Thank you Graham and Eric for your hospitality and support during the busy end of your semester! I appreciate it so much!<br><br>
So far, the trip has been really laid back. I have not rocked a hangover yet this tour. Feels good. The interesting thing to me is that I experienced two completely different nights with two incredibly different groups of people who are practically neighbours! Has me wondering how many wildly different stories and events occur in the households every day on my own block back in Edmonton.<br><br>
Dad - if you're reading this - thank you so much for the vehicle. Been way more reliable and spacious than my little cavalier. Hope you've been rockin' the roads in my low-to-the-ground-tinted-window car hahahaha.<br><br>
Gonna top off the tank, get some snacks for the road, and head over to a household in Vancouver! Really excited to be in the big city. The only time I've ever been to Vancouver was five years ago with my Mum..... I'm going to feel nostalgic in a city I don't even know because of the amazing memories I had on that trip with her :) Looking forward to re-visiting the dream-like memories.<br><br>
Whoops so much for brief...<br>
Much love,<br>
Thanks for reading, <br>
Jenie<img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/3880282013-03-20T09:28:21-04:002013-03-20T09:28:21-04:00Breakfast TelevisionHey friendly readers!<br>
Happy first day of spring. If you're reading this from outside of Edmonton I hope your first day entering the green season doesn't include biting winds and blizzard threats like my city does ha.<br><br>
Was honoured to be featured on Breakfast Television this morning in promotion of my Edmonton Music Award nomination and my CD Release!! (My album MAY OR MAY NOT have arrived to my door a couple hours ago....!!!!) REALLY looking forward to the concert....! One month today!.... It was also the first thing personally delivered to me other than pizza. So cool.<br><br>
Here are the videos from BTV. <br><b>"So Lovely"</b><br><a target="_new" href="http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/2240120897001.000000/musical-performance-by-jenie-thai-1/">http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/2240120897001.000000/musical-performance-by-jenie-thai-1/</a><br type="_moz"><br><b>"Your Sweet Lullaby"</b><br><a target="_new" href="http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/2240221798001.000000/musical-performance-by-jenie-thai-2/">http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/2240221798001.000000/musical-performance-by-jenie-thai-2/</a><br><br>
Enjoy! Pre-sale tickets for April 20th out real soon. And if you like what you hear please vote for me at this easy link: <a target="_new" href="https://yeglive.ca/ema-2013-public-ballot">https://yeglive.ca/ema-2013-public-ballot</a><br><br>
What a day!<br>
Love, Jenie<br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/3529952013-03-08T06:35:00-05:002022-05-22T16:46:54-04:00Detour PhotographyAbout a month ago, the amazing and creative photographer Bri Vos, from Detour Photography, shot some pics of me in preparation for my CD release! We did the shoots at The Red Ox Inn, downtown's Mercer Tavern, and she even had me in her own home at the piano (which was the most fun because I just got to play piano and drink beer! :D)<br>
Check out what we did together but also feel free to browse the rest of her website - she has really created some stunning work. Thank you soooo much Bri!!<br><br><a href="http://detourphotography.ca/project/jenie-thai/"> http://detourphotography.ca/project/jenie-thai/</a><br type="_moz"><br>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/3377842013-03-02T10:00:00-05:002017-01-14T11:10:12-05:00March MadnessHi! :)<br>
It's March already! WHAT!?!?!??!?!?!??! And yes, for the basketball fans I made a reference to the NCAA craziness in the header. No, I'm not following it this year - but ONE year I did enter a pool and became obsessive over every game (so fun!). Anyways, these current March afternoon skies are grey... but bright. February paved a warm path for March to bring us spring! Yesterday I tied up my runners and came back happily muddy from the dirty puddles crowding the sidewalks!<br><br>
Quick update on February! - Most exciting: The Citadel hired me to record vocals for the production "Private Lives"; Edmonton Journal claimed it to be "an irresistible way to spend a winter evening". It was such an incredible honour to sing for a three and a half week long sold out production for a nationally renowned venue!! The comedy was vivacious, charming, and fizzing with chemistry between the chaos and romance of each character. I LOVED it. It was really exciting adding one piece to a gigantic production through making music.<span style="font-size: small; "> I'm so blessed!</span><br><br>
March is a fairly loaded month! But before I mention upcoming show dates, I must share with you that I received the MASTERED copy of <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 102); "><b><span style="font-size: medium; ">"Only The Moon"</span></b><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span style="font-size: small; ">,</span></span><span style="font-size: small; "></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span style="font-size: small; "> a few days ago, which is to be released</span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 102); "><span style="font-size: medium; "> <u><b>APRIL 20TH</b></u></span></span><span style="font-size: medium; "><u> </u><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span style="font-size: small; ">at the</span></span><span style="font-size: small; "> </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 102); ">STANLEY A. MILNER LIBRARY, EDMONTON.</span></span><span style="font-size: small; "><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "> I am really excited and proud of the results and I can't wait to share it with you all!! I will have eticket information and show details VERY soon, so please keep posted! It would mean so much to share the album live with you and I would love so much for you to reserve a seat!<br></span></span><span style="font-size: smaller; "></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span style="font-size: medium; "> </span><br></span> <br><span style="font-size: small; "><br><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><b>Upcoming shows this month!</b><br><b>March 8th: </b>"Ladies Got The Blues" - an evening with Kimberly MacGregor, Lynett McKell, and myself singing blues: </span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a target="_new" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/154821631341528/"><span style="font-size: small; ">https://www.facebook.com/events/154821631341528/</span></a><span style="font-size: small; "><br><b>March 9th: </b>My band and I are opening for CR Avery who Tom Waits has said: "He's blowin' my mind." <a target="_new" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/339209162848055/">https://www.facebook.com/events/339209162848055/</a></span><span style="font-size: small; "><br><b>March 15th:</b> I will be heading down to Calgary to record for Up 97.7 FM Radio (to be aired later in time)<br><b>March 16th:</b> Double billed in Vegreville's Social Centre with JR Shore's band<br><b>March 21st </b><b>- March 28th</b>: STILL TENTATIVE Couch Concert Series (Calgary, Banff, Kelowna, and Vancouver)<br><b>March 30th: </b>Hall Concert with Boogie Patrol and Joe Nolan<br></span> <br><span style="font-size: small; ">Lastly, I have been nominated for an<b> Edmonton Music Award</b> under the category "Artist To Watch". It would mean a lot if you would support me by clicking this link and pressing one simple button! </span><a target="_new" href="https://yeglive.ca/ema-2013-public-ballot"><span style="font-size: small; ">https://yeglive.ca/ema-2013-public-ballot</span></a><span style="font-size: small; "><br type="_moz"><br>
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading the ol' Thai-ary!<br>
Enjoy your first Saturday of March! (I'm going to the ballet tonight!! <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/shades_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" />)<br><br>
Much love - always!</span><br>
Jenie<br></span> <br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/2953672013-01-31T06:45:00-05:002013-01-31T06:45:00-05:00New Year - New Album!Hello folks!<br>
Happy New Years! I know we are twenty minutes away from fumbling through February but I sincerely wish that everybody has had a joyful start to 2013! <br>
I just got home from singing in a quaint Italian wine bar and thought I'd update the ol' "thai-ary" with some plans that have been marinating. <br><br>
My biggest announcement is the release of the album that I spent the last few months of 2012 recording and co-producing. You're invited: APRIL 20TH, 2013 in Edmonton's downtown theatre in the basement of the Stanley A. Milner Library!!! There are some details to still be worked out but I promise to inform you all when they are worked out. In the even closer future, I will be releasing a single - so please keep with me here during this "almost" stage! The journey keeps "a-journey'in".<br><br>
I am also in the midst of planning a couple tours come early spring/summer including another round of the "Couch Concert Series"; this time I intend to hit Vancouver and hang there for a few days! Prior to that tour, I will be playing some local shows that I'm excited for - on March 9th my band and I will be openin' for Vancouver's beat-boxin' CR Avery (who once opened for Tom Waits) (brought together by Catch The Keys Productions) , and on March 16th we will be sharing a double bill with JR Shore in Vegreville's Social Centre (brought together by The Painted Egg Productions). Also - many other shows to catch before, in-between, and after - keep posted for details under "shows"!<br><br>
On a non-musical note (no such thing as a non-musical note - HA!), I'm wishin' that Mother Nature wasn't treated so poorly because Global Warming's extreme temperature shifts are really hard on my piano hands and, I'm sure, much harder on all the other living things trying to figure out how to handle it.<br><br>
More later, <br>
Good night January,<br>
JT<br><br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/2619912012-12-05T08:30:00-05:002017-01-14T11:10:12-05:00Studio Pics!<br><br><br>
THE TEAM! <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br><br><br><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/c6b155af7ba1f9e774ff8de3bbe488be3c523c0e/large/Adam-2.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="800" width="600" /><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/d1e70ee3ba791dbf64d15ce4a53158bc2a134833/large/IMG_0217.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="800" width="600" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/1a28587425ea649cab2e9bbb879dafa6b1ba577f/large/Paul.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="800" width="600" /> <br><br><b>Adam Dearden</b> on drums - adding extra percussion<b>|</b><br><b>Stew Kirkwood</b> - magic man<b>|</b><br><b>Paul Bergeron</b> - involved in the project during every stage<b>|<br><br>
I'm soo lucky.<br type="_moz"></b>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/2619722012-12-05T07:50:00-05:002017-01-14T11:10:12-05:00Still Chippin' AwayGood morning December :)<br><br>
It's been a while since I have spoke through the ol' "Thai-ary".. <br>
The last couple of months have been blanketed by the journey of creating the album. The bulk of it is completed - meaning, the rhythm section and vocals are finished! Over thanksgiving weekend, Adam (drums!), Paul (bass!), and I spent hours underground with Stew Kirkwood working hard at layin' down the tunes. I'm not sure if I can recall any other time in my life where I had to find a balance between feeling extremely focussed and extremely creative for the amount of hours that I spent in the studio that weekend. It was uplifting having the support of my band members generously dedicating their time towards my songs, knowing that they were doing so because they believe in the music! What a gift...<br><br>
The century old piano is very charming... and percussive - acting and sounding in the nature of its truest description: a member of the percussion family. The pedal needed some serious WD40.. or SOMETHING to keep it from croaking. Stew spent several hours with tools trying to subdue the "extra" sounds from the piano while I tried my best to keep my foot from pedalling so agressively. In the end, I think it's pretty cool to have a piano making all the sounds that it is capable of <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/teeth_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
Possibly one of my most favourite aspects of recording is the HEADPHONE MIX!............. Studio headphones with the most AMAZING balance of bass, drums, piano, vocals in my ears is like having an orchestra in your bedroom. Well.. haha no but kinda. It spoiled me though and makes me never want to buy those cheap earbuds again. Music is even more wonderful when it's heard the BEST way!<br><br>
Anyways, right now the timeline of release is late February/early March - and I will definitely be inviting all "Thai-ary" readers - so I'll be keeping all visitors posted!<br><br>
December plans are full with Christmas music gigs and wrapping up more recording bits. The journey. The journey. A show I can invite you to: My band and I will be playing at Edmonton's Artery for their seventh ART show - bringing together local artists and musicians for an evening right before Christmas - on Dec. 15th - come one come all!<br><br><br>
Anyways, I'm still chippin' away at the album and I'm really looking forward to the end result!! Here's a little shot from the studio - the boys gave me a flower backdrop <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" />!!!!!<br><br>
Love,<br>
JT<br>
<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/a24254c4826cb3d1af8bb6f399002a8deffb3aa2/large/Recording.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_middle border_" alt="" height="804" width="600" /><br><br>
p.s. Happy Birthday Dad!!!... I hope you and mum are enjoying a massive and awesome lunch right now... Geeze I love you both SOO much.<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/2267562012-10-05T09:00:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:11-05:00"Recorda Me"Recording!!<br><br>
October is going to be spent in this secluded and beautiful room underground in Stew Kirkwood's studio Sound Extractor. I am SO excited to FINALLY be recording my first full-length album! Adam, Paul, and I have been jamming, rehearsing, and really delving into the heart of each of my tunes throughout September so we may enter the studio as prepared as possible. I arrived to the studio late last night, after a full day of teaching, to four busy people setting up microphones and building forts around each instrument to barricade the sounds from one another. We moved the piano into the middle of the studio so that I can have clear vision of both Adam and Paul for when we track live off the floor (starting THIS EVENING!).<br><br>
Everybody had been working hard for a number of hours before I got there... so when I arrived the drum sounds were ready... Stew played me some tracks of how they're gonna sound... and they are SEX-Y!!! ALSO - the piano is 100 years old... rings with warmth and maturity!! I grew up learning to play piano on an extremely old and tall upright. The piano in this studio is a classier (and in-tune ha!) version of the piano I spent a majority of my years with so I already feel attached to the sounds of the hammers hitting the strings and the squeaks of the bench. It feels so honest. Stew had to put a blanket under my feet to take out the stomping of my heavy foot though haha. I guess there's no reason for me to drum with my feet when I have the amazing Adam on the kit!<br><br>
So tonight is the first night of tracking......... <br>
It's so exciting and dream-like to think that the songs I write on my keyboard are now becoming a musical creation with my band in a live setting! I'm sooo grateful to be supported and believed in by the group of people helping me with this project!<br><br>
More to come later,<br>
Gotta practise,<br><br>
JT<br><br>
p.s. This is a picture taken from above the studio - before the forts were fully built.... isn't it cooool!?<br>
HERE WE GO!!<br><br><div style="text-align: center; "><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/8276a7f6cfb32573bc99ab0b01388d8fae569e23/original/Recording-Day-1October-4th-2012.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="720" width="720" /></div>
<br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/2184132012-09-22T11:25:00-04:002017-02-01T18:55:47-05:00Thumbs Up for Rock and Roll!These are hilariously endearing, inspiring, and wise words!!!<br>
Take 'em to heart!<br>
JT<br><br><a target="_new" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8<br><br><br type="_moz"></a><br>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/2113292012-09-08T05:30:00-04:002012-09-08T05:30:00-04:00Good Morning Autumn....As the leaves begin to change colour, so do I. September invites us to nurture the farewells to warmth and greenery and embrace the coming of crisp air and bright skies; September reminds us that change is inevitable but the loss of summer will only be temporarily felt. The gold in the trees suggests that life is a ring and the beautiful falling of leaves only prepare us for the coming of spring again. It is difficult to leave behind summer and all that it brings, but through accepting autumn we are enabled to climb through the following season with new found hope and glow. To let go of loss is to heal in the arms of September.<br><br>
With that said, I am extremely blessed to have carried out July and August in the fashion I did. Touring with my band through cherry orchards, mountain lodges, artsy stages, and Kootenay lakes was an idea that is now a dream-like memory! I'm so grateful for all the support that was given to my band and I on our first Western Canadian tour. On top of making music in some of the most beautiful places in Canada, I spent the rest of my summer performing and attending many music festivals. Singing to crowds of smiling faces outside in the sun, walking bare-foot on grass, filling my ears with music and tales of other musicians, green-onion cakes.. (ha!)… I couldn't be much happier spending my time doing anything else. One of my summer highlights was performing during the Canmore Folk Music Festival. On the last evening I shared the stage with all the other musicians, stood next to Bruce Cockburn, and sang Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" with the thousands of people attending the festival - right in the heart of the mountains. Pretty powerful.<br><br>
My biggest project this fall is recording a full-length album with my band. Adam, Paul, and I have begun doing ground-work in terms of tightening arrangements and developing new musical ideas with each other. My aim is to begin recording, live off the floor, early October. I'm really excited to begin the project! Thus far in my career I have released a five-track EP, but to produce a record that essentially documents this point in my life is fuelling my drive to continue the path I'm on as a musician.<br><br>
As for this afternoon, I think I'll walk around the farmer's market and let whyte ave suggest things to me from there….<br><br>
Happy autumn!<br>
Love,<br>
JT<br>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1890202012-07-12T14:00:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:11-05:00July Tour - The Happenin's<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/ce69b7df56259857ca1687bb27ec050a804f5a84/original/July-Tour.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_middle border_" alt="" height="612" width="612" /><br><br><br>
The boys and I made it home last night! I apologize for my lack of update during the tour - half the time it was hard to find internet service and the other half of time was spent setting up for the show or exploring the town we were in, but I will give a brief about each of the unique spots we played in for those interested in reading!<br><br><b>Banff:</b> Adam, Paul, and I left our GLORIOUS hotel in Kaslo to trek back over the mountains into Banff, however, we learned a good lesson that google maps and GPS don't add up in knowing the best routes through BC's wild territory.... so I bought a map - I still can't believe that we didn't have one with us before we left.... We ended up arriving two hours and some later than planned but were greeted by extremely laid back and friendly people. Our show was in the bar of a giant hostel! I've never been to a hostel before - I was so excited to sleep in one haha! (top bunk!). The private dorm we were given reminded me of junior high band camp or the place to host a family reunion.<br><br><b>Twin Butte: </b>We continued travelling back west to a town near Lethbridge, that we almost completely missed on the highway. The General Store we played in brought half the town at our show (town of 12 people haha!) but the support and enthusiasm levels were so high - we were treated like gold! My favourite part about that evening was the barn loft my band and I slept in. The wind was travelling over 100 miles an hour (Paul's glasses were ripped from his face as soon as he walked outside!), and the entire barn loft was shaking somewhat violently throughout our stay. The couple that hosted us were really interesting - they hail from Canada's far east coast and told us stories about their split adventures between working in southern AB and living out east during the winters. McNally's beer was introduced to us in the cozy, rickety loft which is definitely my new favourite brew.<br><br><b>Calgary: </b>Through the same way I booked my "Couch Concert Series", I arranged to have my band play at a family's house in Calgary. The family of 5 that hosted us were some of the most interesting people I have ever met: Rick and Tanya took their three little boys (at the ages of 4, 6, and 8) on a 14 month bike ride from Calgary to Mexico and back - homeschooling along the way! These kids were soo energetic, artistic, bright, helpful, and good-humoured. I feel so inspired by this family's healthy and creative ambitions. The show rocked that night too! The entire neighbourhood showed up for the party and shared their home-cooked dishes and wine with my band and I. Rick's boys helped pack up our gear, bright and early the next morning. It was re-juvenating to be part of a young and excited family for an evening.<br><br><b>Kamloops:</b> Back through the mountains! The Art We Are (the venue we played) reminded me a lot of the venues and shops on Whyte Ave in Edmonton, which was a reviving. This was the first city I returned to post my "Couch Concert Series" which was exciting for me because I got to see a lot of the people I had connected with the first time through! There was no shortage of new faces either which really added to overall positive energy during the show. My host from the "Couch Concert Series" generously had the three of us for the night which was unbelievably appreciated. Thanks Justin!<br><b><br>
Salmon Arm: </b>Another outdoor show! And it was HOT outside. After enduring the barrels of rain on the first two days of tour, the heat was welcomed (by me at least - not super convinced Adam and Paul were loving it). We set up our gear on an outdoor stage known as the "Lunchbox Stage" during the summer. It's such a cool idea to bring a community together through having live music in a park during noon hour! We had the evening off, so the guys and I spent time exploring Salmon Arm (which I have heard so much about because my roommate grew up there!) and visiting with our good friend's mum who invited us to spend the night at her place. There is something so comforting about being in the home of a family - I feel so taken care of! Thank you, so much Jodie, for inviting us into your home for the evening - it really meant a lot to the three of us. You make KILLER waffles!<br><br><b>Revelstoke:</b> The next town that I re-visited from my "Couch Concert Series". I was soo excited to see some of the friends I made the last time through! It was also nice to have a sound tech for the show. Most of the tour's sound was done by Paul, which can be a difficult task to gauge how the room sounds when you're on stage playing. The Last Drop Pub also offered us a room in the hotel attached and a weighty bar tab<img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/tounge_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" />.... Revelstoke and I have only had extremely late nights together...<br><br><b>Penticton:</b> It was my first time in this city! Paul, Adam, and I agreed it's very much like the "Miami" of Canada haha! What a dream to live in a town completely surrounded by lakes and beaches. We set up our stage at a place called "Voodoo's" which is a venue with a character of it's own. The attendance of the show was one BUT it was by far the best sound we had all week. My band and I had fun taking turns calling out tunes to play for our petite audience, and really soaking in the amazing sound the room was offering. That night we slept on a cherry, walnut, peach, apple, and pear orhcard! Tammy and Sascha (who booked and accommodated us) made sure the next morning we didn't leave with any shortage in fresh cherries and walnuts. I'm still not too sure how we fit them all into the vehicle because our leg room was already non-existant.<br><b><br>
Kelowna:</b> The Minstrel Cafe! This was my favourite show of the whole tour. We cramped up onto a beautiful little stage and played for an enamoured audience. Post sound-check we had a scare though because Adam thought his lung was collapsing (as it had about 9 months ago), but he decided to drum through the warning symptoms and resulted in feeling okay by the end of the night anyways! A wonderful article was written up about me in advertising this particular show. Here's the link if you're interested in reading! http://www.kelownacapnews.com/entertainment/161291795.html The Minstrel's vegetarian pizza was....... heavenly! I recommend! It felt unexplainably good to play with Paul and Adam after making music with them every day the past week. I am SOOOO grateful and lucky to have such supportive, and musical companions.<br><br><b>Winfield: </b>Our final show of our first tour. We stayed with Dan, a professor at Kelowna's university, whom I met at the very FIRST "Couch Concert" I played in April - and what a welcome we received from him! Two homemade breakfasts, private rooms in a gorgeous house, a patio with an audience to play for (with, AGAIN, familiar and friendly faces!!), pot-luck, directions to the beach, and the company of an over-all music/life enthusiast! Thank you Dan!! After we cleaned up from the house concert, the four of us watched live videos of Tom Waits on a big screen TV - it was the most wonderful way to end such a memorable week. <br><br>
The last twelve days are already melding together to form some sort of blissful blur. There were definitely a few moments of tension, stress, uncomfortability, and tiredness but overall, I can say with confidence that the first tour my band and I embarked upon was a complete success! I am SOO grateful and in awe of all the generosity and support and excitement people along the way shared with us. Thank you so much for all the email responses, interviews, beds, food, donations, beer, wine, mailing-list emails, directions, attendance, encouragement, and stories. My biggest thank you goes to Paul and Adam - you two are oustanding and beautiful people. I have not laughed as hard and as much in the past 23 years as I did over the last couple weeks. I really REALLY do mean it, from the bottom of my heart, that I feel so honoured and humbled to have such true/amazing friends in such musical and inspiring players. What a time!!<br><br>
I am so blessed.<br>
Filled with love!<br>
JT<br><img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br type="_moz"><br>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1852572012-07-01T14:55:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:11-05:00July Tour - KasloWe made it! 11-12 hour trek - I expected the boys and I to be rather drowsy near the end of the road trip, but the road leading into Kaslo was two hours of dense forestry winding us over cliff-like terrain - it's impossible to feel sleepy in such beauty! British Columbia is breathtaking. My favourite part of the roadtrip was when we got to stretch our legs on the ferry. It took us to what we felt was going to be an island haha! We checked into Kaslo's motel in a CRAZY downpour and set up some of our gear to have a jam in our own private little cabin! It's cool how much at "home" I feel as soon as I start making music with Paul and Adam.<br><br>
This morning we went over to the festival site, which has the Kootenay's mountains and Kaslo's lake as our stage's backdrop. Can't complain, right? The hotel that we are staying is JAW-DROPPING. I have my own personal private balcony that stretches out to where the live music is happening and offers a gorgeous view of the decorated mountains. It's been pouring buckets for the majority of our time here so far, but the sun came radiating through the sky for our afternoon set! There were kids playing on haystacks... shoppers milling around the festival's clothing and fresh-bread stalls... hotel guests sitting on the patio for afternoon drinks... others sitting on benches enjoying the fresh air... the first show of our tour most definitely spoke of positive energy and summer.<br><br>
The guys and I just got back to the hotel from a wild river walk down a recommended trail. The river was rushing at an intensely rapid pace. It looked barrels of white and brown paint were gushing from all angles creating the most hypnotizing and deadly stream I have ever seen in my life. I have never seen anything like it before. We got a little lost and had to create our own obscure route back to the site but I blame it on feeling dazed by the river. <br><br>
Currently, we're set up in Kaslo's Hotel Pub for a long set tonight - broken up with Canada Day Fire Works! The guys and I are absolutely drenched right now - my shoes kept foaming because I handwashed them before leaving on tour and apparently I didn't get the soap out of them hahaha. <br><br>
I'm excited for jamming with the guys later on tonight<img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
Happy Birthday Canada!!<br>
Love, <br>
Jenie<br><br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1849672012-06-29T17:30:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:11-05:00July Tour EveTomorrow morning...<br>
My band and I are packing the jeep....<br>
HITTIN' THE ROAD!<br>
Our first tour!<br>
Day one is a 12 hour drive to Kaslo for their Canada Day Weekend Festival.<br>
I've been told to expect "low-key and funky" vibes. <br><br>
Adam, Paul, and I still have yet to discover if everything is going to fit in the vehicle... if not, it's gonna be tough to decide who to leave home (joke!). I will be sleeping with my fingers crossed though..<br><br>
I've had such a fun lead up this past week to tour - riding the highs of this year's North Country Fair, Edmonton's blue skies, jams with the boys, and whyte ave beers!<br><br>
This is gonna be so much fun!<br>
I'll keep you folks posted on the whatsa-whersa-howsa-bouts over the next couple weeks!<br><br>
MUCH LOVE,<br>
JT <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/heart.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
p.s. For tour dates please visit "shows" under the main header <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" />Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1629942012-05-01T10:00:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:11-05:00Couch Concert Series - Heffley Lake<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/bf5b150ed535266d13ef5b0ddceb39d48f9c90c5/large/Heffley-Lake-5.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="800" width="600" />My last concert for the tour was held on the property of two very excited and welcoming hosts! Their house is located right in the heart of two lakes, luscious foresty area, and beautiful hills. Absolutely stunning. I know I've been mentioning food a lot throughout my couch concert "thaiary".. but.. wow... especially for one that doesn't eat meat - there were mountains of creative and delicious dishes shared and brought by all the guests! There is something to be said about enjoying an evening with a full and warm tummy, especially through a meal that was made in a collective effort.<br><br>
It was the most relaxed and stress-free day of the whole tour. A slow wake-up.. drive out into the non-service region (close to Sun Peaks)... coffee in the new house... tour down to the lake... My favourite part about the afternoon was, for a few minutes, I had the chance to sight-read various classical pieces on this incredibly old upright piano that has been around since the 20s. I think my way of reaching "zen" is through sight-reading beautiful music. I find a very strong balance between feeling relaxed and energized while my mind rests and my fingers go! It was like taking a nap, in some ways, before my final concert!<br><br>
My last show was incredible! Everybody was very supportive and engaged. I really felt connected to the audience<img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
Yesterday was a 15 hour day back to Edmonton in the rain - and I'm still riding the highs of my week-long adventure!<br>
A HUGE thank you to ALL the generosity, interest, support, conversations, food, showers, sleep, wine, beer, excitement, beds, and love that was given to me over the week!! Through the combined efforts of both you folks and I - we were successful in creating venues right out of living rooms! How amazing! <br>
I plan to come back early July to many of the same cities with my band - so I'll be keeping in touch! <br><br>
Feeling extremely blessed,<br>
Jenie <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/98c35ed98493de6f63870ba0521e7b4aefe5c839/large/Heffley-Lake-10.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1620532012-04-28T13:45:00-04:002020-11-12T08:57:38-05:00Couch Concert Series - Kamloops<div style="text-align: center; "><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/b2b5a853f79160ef1961edcb71c4ac76a5803a89/large/Kamloops-8.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="600" /></div>
<div style="text-align: left; ">HI!</div>
Not much time to type... but Kamloops.. so far.. has been AWESOME. Outstanding host (Justin!) - house was packed... big potluck... colourful spotlight... happy faces! Couldn't have wished for a better audience to help create a real venue out of a Kamloops house for the evening :)<br><br><br>
Have my first (and only) "day off" today... went MOUNTAIN BIKING through Kamloops' terrain... <br>
Wild.<br>
Very wild.<br><br>
Going to a bike premiere at the university with my host and a bunch of his friends who are deemed to be at the top of the industry in the mountain biker's world! <br>
This trip has been so interesting and exciting - meeting people full of passion and spirit for life!<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/d8873ca60dc48cc5f589ea4ef65193f92070382c/large/Mountain-Biking-5.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br>
Gotta cruise now...<br>
Thanks for reading,<br>
LOVE JT!Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1617852012-04-27T10:30:00-04:002012-04-27T10:30:00-04:00Couch Concert Series - Revelstoke and VernonHello again folks!<br>
The adventures of my couch concert series are still happening at a rapid pace. It's been very interesting being my own "boss" but also adapting to life events that I'm not in control of. On Tuesday afternoon, after I left my Kelowna hosts' home, I still had no place to sleep or play for that evening. But through the connections I had made from the previous night I was able to find a house in Revelstoke to last-minute play a show for. I was greeted very warmly by possibly the coolest laid-back group of snowboard-loving people on the planet. On 4 hour notice, their house was packed with young people eager to meet me and listen! Two folk musicians from the area (Dennis and Maggie) sang a couple tunes as an opening set and set the tone for the rest of the night! Everybody was so generous - I couldn't help but feeling anything but happy from the energy they were giving! The next morning I was hooked up to the local radio station called "Stoke FM" which was built a couple years ago out of some locals' basement. Coolest radio station ever! <br><br>
Later on that evening, my next host (Chad!) was late getting off work so he told me to make myself at home and feel free to set-up whenever was convenient... so I drove over to "Front Street" and walked right into an open-door house. I think that's my favourite thing about Revelstoke is the "our-place-is-open-for-you-make-yourself-at-home-everybody-is-your-friend" kind of vibe. Chad's house was beautiful and the invited guests were amazing. There was smiles on everybody's faces the whole evening! We went out to "The Last Drop" Pub following the show and I ended up touring the streets of Revelstoke with a couple "pops" in hand until 6:30am. When I, eventually, found my futon in the basement, I noticed the hundreds of messages markered on the walls left by fellow travellers from around the world who were also hosted by Chad. So awesome!<br><br>
I left Revelstoke yesterday feeling inspired by the types of people I met and so grateful for the generosity everybody gave! Thank you so much Revelstoke! Can't wait to come back!!<br><br>
Through the rain I drove back to Vernon getting completely lost in a valley looking for "Kickwillie Loop". My hosts (Megan and Cameron!) were super friendly and kind - they prepared stuffed mushrooms, spinach dip, garlic bread, shish-kabobs, wine.... incredibly more appealing than the cucumber sandwhiches I have been eating from Tim Hortons. The room I played in was by far the most beautiful thus far... huge windows that overlook Vernon's lake and hills. It was fun exchanging stories with Megan about our couch-surfing experiences (her being much more travelled with it than I). The show was good with people continuing to arrive as the night went on. Around midnight I felt pretty drained from the week's trip and went downstairs to sleep on the first "real" bed since I left home. What. A. Treat. Thank you guys so much!<br><br>
Currently having a coffee in Vernon... Tom Waits' "Ol' 55" song is singing in the air.... Tonight I'm off to Kamloops!<br>
Feeling revived and excited by my collection of memories!<br>
Lots of love,<br>
Jenie<br><br>
P.S. If you're reading this TODAY then please tune in to CBC RADIO TWO for a NATIONAL broadcast of a live show I did on CBC Radio in February! It's being aired across the country at 7PM and there are other Alberta artists being featured as well!<br><br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1605962012-04-24T12:00:00-04:002017-01-14T11:10:11-05:00Couch Concert Series - KelownaSo last night was my first musical venture into my Okanagen Couch Concert Series<img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" />. The drive from Calary to Kelowna was outraeously beautiful. The mountains were very humbling to drive through; Canada is so pretty. I was preparing myself mentally for a long, brooding trip but to be honest, I could have kept driving for another 8 hours! Anyways, when I finally arrived to the house I was playing at I was welcomed with extreme friendliess by a young couple doing fungi research for their PHDs at the university. However, as soon as I started unpacking the car I realized I was short a mic cable (of course....)... so my first hour on tour was spent zipping around Kelowna in a small panic looking for a cable....... I suppose my mental check list wasn't checked enough.<br><br>
Kristin and David (my Kelowna hosts!) invited a group of their colleagues and friends also studying in the same field over to their backyard (I love playing outside!!) for a wine and cheese party! The backyard was filled with people from Sweden, America, Iran, Toronto, all over... it was a cool mix of folk. Unfortunately, the cops showed up with a noise complaint (high-school flashback..) so we re-located inside their quaint house!<br><br>
The people listening were soo nice - after the show they took me out to Kelowna's lake and to a pub for locally brewed raspberry beer. YUM! If only Edmonton had a lake in the middle of it...<br><br>
This morning I was greeted by home-made scones and coffee........<br>
Not a terrible way to start my tour :)<br><br>
Big thank you to all the master/doctor/post-doc students that came out to listen on a Monday night - your flair for talking about mushroom varieties was hilarious and endearing!<br><br>
More later,<br>
JT <br><div style="text-align: center; "><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/63471/aceef18ee2f10782c46c03723b4c7af3c0ac1059/medium/Kelowna-2.jpg?1381263125" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="533" width="300" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center; "> </div>
<br><br><br><br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1599352012-04-22T20:00:00-04:002012-04-22T20:00:00-04:00Pre-Couch Concert SeriesGood evening friends!<br>
I'm writing a note to share with you the exciting project I've been recently working on.<br><br>
Tomorrow I'm going to embark on what I've titlted my "Couch Concert Series!".... I've been conversing with extremely kind folks over the past few weeks setting up this Couch Concert Tour. The idea is to play a different house each night, with the host inviting their friends/family/neighbours/colleagues/WHOEVER into their home for me to have a unique audience to sing for in exchange for donations and a couch to re-charge overnight on. SO... It's started! <br><br>
*** Yesterday afternoon - my full band and I kicked off the series at Filthy's on Whyte Ave.<br>
*** Today - I drove the hot (over 20 degrees today! Yay summer!) trek down to Calgary to play a Tom Waits Tribute show to a room full of Tom Fans....<br>
*** Tomorrow morning - up bright and early to get the wheels spinning in the direction of Kelowna. It's my first time to the Okanagen. <br><div> </div>
The couch concert route is still unwinding and unfolding (like the beautiful road I have been told I will get to drive tomorrow through the mountains) - but the week's plans already feel welcoming!<br><br>
My car is packed. Keyboard. Dresses. Toothbrush. Rainbow coat. Granola bars. CDs. A lot of shoes.<br><br>
Feeling exhausted from the weekend's events but looking forward to the morning coffee and the faces I will meet tomorrow evening!<br><br>
Sweet dreams,<br>
JT<br><br>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1510192012-03-24T14:25:00-04:002012-03-24T14:25:00-04:00Spring Tingles!Happy Spring!<br>
Slept until the sun was high..... went for my first outdoor run since last November - up the road that makes a border around the Edmonton Folk Festival hill.... gonna wear a pink dress...... think I'll spend the leftovers of daylight on whyte avenue.<br><br>
I love spring!<br>
I hope new seeds are being planted in everybody's gardens :)<br><br>
Much love,<br>
JT<br><br>
p.s. I also wanted to thank Grant Stovel and Daryl Richie for including my trio and I on the Alberta Backstage Series Program through CKUA Radio Network last night! You guys were so much fun!<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1444142012-03-01T08:05:00-05:002012-03-01T08:05:00-05:00International Songwriting CompetitionGood afternoon!<br>
So.. typically I am morally against the idea of "competitions".. "battle of the bands"... "contest".. etc as a musician..... Music is so completely subjective and displays an incredible amount of honesty and vulnerability that I don't believe in the idea of creating a structure where musicians are compared and competing. HOWEVER - I offhandedly submitted a track to the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) last September due to the fact that there's a chance my music could be heard by celebrity judges! (This year's judges include Tom Waits, James Cotton, Jeff Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Lucinda Williams.. and tons of others!)<br><br>
Last night I received an email stating that I am a finalist in the "Performance Category". I am one of 13 others, in my category, that made it through 16,000 submissions from all around the world. I would like to give a MEGA congratulations to all the other finalists - what a great way to discover a list of new musicians to listen to! Right now, the finalists are being listened to by the celebrity's - which is the ultimate "win" in my opinion. However, in the meantime there is another award called "People's Voice" that allows you to vote and support your favourite finalist! To vote for me you'll need to scroll down to where it says "performance" in bold, however, please feel free to listen to/vote for any of the other artists!<br><br>
Thanks for reading!<br>
Love,<br>
JT<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; "><br><br><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; " href="http://www.sonicbids.com/voting/Candidates.aspx?p=413"><span></span> http://www.sonicbids.com/voting/Default.aspx?p=413<br><br></a></span><br type="_moz"><br>Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1435952012-02-28T04:40:00-05:002020-01-20T06:27:18-05:00Birthday Bliss!On Saturday - it was my birthday. I'm officially fully submerged into the "early twenties" - feels awesome!.... This post is merely to reflect upon how grateful I am to have SOO many beautiful people in my life! Ummm... I am EASILY the luckiest girl on the planet. All day I was surprised and treated and loved by family members, old friends, new ones, snowflakes, mini eggs, blues music, wine, and dancing! Geeze! Also, a special thank you to Holger Peterson for playing a song of mine in his "Natch'l Blues" Program over CKUA Radio Network. <br><br>
Life is goooooooooooood!!!<br><br>
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow afternoon (Feb. 29th) - I'll be singing and playing keys live for CBC's Radio Active Program at the University of Alberta Campus. A proper mix of live music and radio streaming! Tune in to 93.9FM (local to Edmonton, AB) at 3pm OR come hang out and listen at the student union's building. <br><br>
Also - it's leap year - I'm very happy to spend my extra day of 2012 singing! <img src="//bandzoogle.com/common/FCKEditor/editor/images/smiley/msn/regular_smile.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /><br><br>
A massive thank you to everybody for all the big birthday wishes and love,<br>
My heart is so warm!<br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1383722012-02-08T06:15:00-05:002020-09-04T02:26:50-04:00Fancying FebruaryGood morning!<br>
Actually - I should say good afternoon as I was up at 6am joining the glorious indoor world of YMCA workouts (yes - I have still been going!).<br>
I just wanted to write a note sharing my excitement for the upcoming week! Tomorrow evening, my band and I will be performing a show that has been booked for nearly 10 months. It's my first show in my hometown, and I will be playing the same piano that I heard Oliver Jones dazzle in October 2010! It's going to be an interesting dynamic because the audience will be seated on stage (with a bar!) surrounding my trio. Intimate or what?<br>
Following that show, the three of us are headed to Camrose to perform in a festival known as "The Frozen Rose Blues Festival" - which I am carrying happy butterflies for because Camrose is another home to me. Life-long friendships were built and bizarre memories were made over the wild and intense couple years I spent there; it always excites me to give some love back to the community through sharing my music. <br>
Then, on Tuesday, the guys and I are driving to the auspicious town of Lougheed - never have I been before - but I was invited to sing on their community hall stage for their Valentine's Day dinner!<br><br>
Lastly, on the rare day of February 29th, I will be singing and participating in a live interview for CBC Radio Active One to be held at the U of A Campus. The details are still to be delivered - but keep your eyes posted for more news on this.<br><br>
February - you are proving to be a beautiful month!<br>
With love,<br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1354372012-01-23T04:15:00-05:002012-01-23T04:15:00-05:00Treadmill TrialsI did it - 6 am this morning (I don't think I have risen before the sun in centuries)... went to the YMCA and bought a one month ticket to Endorphin Surplus. I was excited at first.... it feels good to chase the day at an early hour, but as I entered the gym... I became overwhelmed. SO many high-tech machines with SO many high-tech people using them - at full speed... apparently it's common to be up at 5:30 to sweat until you drop! I've always believed exercise to be free - no? As an out-door runner since junior high (when weather is fair), I've been enjoying the quick shoe-tie-up-out-the-door-fresh-air-feel-amazing runs, but I'm going to give the indoor fees and groaning treadmills a chance.<br><br>
Despite how it sounds - I'm looking forward to 6am tomorrow.<br><br>
More later, <br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1280602011-12-12T01:00:11-05:002011-12-12T01:00:11-05:005am Thought Trails...Sometimes you can take things so far you can never go back... <br>
But if you never take them far enough you'll have nothing to back you up.<br><br>
Goodnight,<br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1266872011-12-05T06:22:25-05:002021-09-30T13:28:34-04:00Happy BirthdayHappy Birthday Dad!<br>
The strength in your steps have lightened the weight in mine.<br><br>
Love you!<br>
Jenie<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1263122011-12-02T09:40:00-05:002022-05-23T00:41:55-04:00Beauty!Good morning December!<br><br>
A couple weeks ago, when we had our first coldsnap, I was wearing a brand new/homemade scarf a friend made for me. I loved it - it was boasting my favourite colour (pink!) and was incredibly warm! But somehow... when I was walking back home from a grocery trip... it fell off.. and I lost it... <br><br>
However, a few days ago - I saw my scarf pinned to a tree on my block! Instead of stealing it or letting it waste under the weather, a very kind person decided to put it up for me have it back! <br><br>
People are so beautiful. Small actions like that make empty coat hooks feel like they're standing on a warm foundation. <br><br>
Thank you universe!<br><br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1236712011-11-16T07:05:00-05:002020-09-23T07:40:02-04:00Live Interview NewsHello folks!<br>
I wanted to share with you all that a live interview will be aired with Peter Brown on CBC Radio One (93.9FM for the Edmonton locals!) this Saturday. CBC is celebrating their 75th anniversary - I feel blessed to take part in appreciating and honouring this national station through sharing my music and words. So, if you're hibernating from the drooping temperatures this weekend, I invite you to listen in to The Key of A between 5 and 6pm!<br><br>
Love,<br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thaitag:www.jeniethai.ca,2005:Post/1218432011-11-05T10:30:00-04:002011-11-05T10:30:00-04:00Sittin' on SaturdayHi friends!<br>
Thanks for visitin' me at my site here. I'm excited to have a way of sharing my thoughts and news with you. <br><br>
But for now: It's November... neighbour is currently cutting his grass.. beautiful lazy afternoon... home-brewed coffee... might venture onto the territories of whyte ave later on.<br><br>
That's all for now!<br>
Much love, <br>
JT<br type="_moz">Jenie Thai