Journal (if you want to respond  email me at  godwind@bmts.com. Let me know if you want me to post it.

October 31st

 I know, I know... It HAS been a long time! What a summer of busyness ! I was in San Diego working with Lance Secretan ( check out: www.secretan.com ) and Moe Dixon and I even got to play a duet with Moe!!!!!!

The rest of the summer was the usual run of folk festivals ( Goderich was a blast) and many trips to the "godmother lake"  where on one amazing afternoon, my good friend Liz and I experienced a real life miracle.  All I can say is that we saw a Host of Seraphim.

October has seen the recording or the soon to be released third Dulcimerhead CD titled: Revealed Structure ( see the  Dulcimerhead page) This CD is a meditation and healing CD. It was fun to record and it is great to listen to...yes I like it too! The  title refers to a common theme of mine in art and music - behind all the chaos and clutter is a wonderful structure- it is just that this perfect structure is ever changing, moment to moment. And, in every moment it is perfect. I guess when we learn to look at our lives, moment to moment, we will see the beauty or small things and the beauty of all the small things that make us who we are.

 I have been watching several DVDs about Jimi Hendrix and  what comes across crystal clear , is that he saw " the great beyond" and was constantly trying to express musically what he had experienced. Read his lyrics and all will be revealed - but they are mere hints at it compared to the sounds he created. Truly, he had taken that shaman's journey to the bottom of the lake- that ancient lake and returned with tales to tell and messages to impart. Many would say that this can be attributed to his drug and alcohol intake, but it is apparent from those who knew him as a child and young man that he was already there - he had just not found his tool of expression yet. And , I believe that we all go there - or are capable of it and we all have a tool of expression.

anyhoooooo... back to work and play.

Dave

 June 25th

 ahhhhhh...... relaxing in my loggia after a hectic month of gigs and shows. Visit the Dulcimerhead page for info on that and also on the new CD!

 It is a balancing act these days- visual art and music but I try to keep in mind that the music I am making with Dulcimerhead is the result of all of those years painting and thinking and also piping and wearing too much wool. The art has just moved into a different modality.

by the way...the scones and tea were a great hit at the June 16thconcert - I am sure that even Jim Morrison would have had some.

 I am looking forward to visiting my sacred place this summer - that ancient lake to draw from it some more  creative sustenance.

  A big Hi to Ann Marie, Kathleen and Mike for joining us for a jam last week - amazing sounds revealed themselves.

What am I listening to?  The Byrds, Dulcimerhead,  Ann Marie Boudreau and also Kate Early's amazing new CD " Mr. Versatility's Daughter". Kate's CD was named CD of the Week on the Midnight Special Radio show and Kate sang the powerful " Banks of the Nile" at our June 16th concert. It sent shivers down the backs of many as its theme ( written two hundred years ago during the Napoleonic Wars) is so apropos - a couple is split up as he goes off to war in the Middle East.

hmmm

until next time

 Dave

May 31st

Watch the skies. Watch the skies! Yes it is Twister season and I look forward to some more sightings...but no encounters!...hmm maybe it should be: " watch the skies - strange scones are coming". Well that about sums up where my head is at - thinking of baking scones for the June 16th concert and also thinking of the Doors.

 I have been thinking a lot about creating outside "the box". What other way is there? When you create outside of normal definitions and categories, then you are really creating from the heart - without  artifice or formula. In the past I know that my visual art has dumbfounded people who try to stick it in a category. Even " celtic art" does not sit comfortably with me any more. Recently  we ran into the same problem with Dulcimerhead's music.. It defies description.

  Two new tracks have been recording for the forthcoming CD (Gnosis). One of them is called  "the Return of Ullalume" and yes a similar song  appeared on East by West's CD Trancemhor. This song has been kicking around since January 2006 when it was played ( 20 minute version) as part of a story telling event. It sounds very Doors like ( The End) with it's moody atmospherics and slow Bolero bass line.

 The second song is titled "Song for Cailleach" and it is a organ driven slow spin that morphs into a medieval french dance complete with hand clapping. VERY different , but what else would you expect?

anyhooo...on I go, recording, creating, reading murder mysteries.... see ya soon

Dave

May 14th

... having read about Jim Morrison, I have since read Brian Wilson's autobiography. What a musical genius!  Many people have asked if  we lived in a world without pain and suffering, would there be any great art? hmmmmmmmmmm

 After finishing the book  and equipped with a new perspective on the music of the Beach Boys, I was rewarded right away by hearing " Good Vibrations" on the radio. It is the vocals that are just amazing! Etherial and transcendent .

 Meanwhile, in the world of art, I attended the " Fair with the Goddess" on May 13th. What a great event! Many thanks to Deirdre and Jennifer for hosting and running this event. I was doing henna at it.

I am coming into contact more and more with people interested in Goddess energy  and honouring the female aspect of the All That Is. Some folk react to the increased interest in the Goddess with arched eyebrows - seeing it as some kind of backslide into amoral paganism. I see it as people broadening their definition of what is and seeing themselves within Creation in a new light - empowered and possessed of limitless potential. The whole movement is unstructured, without dogma and calls on all people to determine their own definition of faith and personal power - honouring each individual as an essential part of the whole.

 Hard to argue with that eh?

 Dulcimerhead is gearing up with concerts on June 2nd and 16 with a possible appearance at the Alliston Folk Festival on June 9th. Watch out for appearances at the Groundswell Cafe in Alliston also. Indeed............. Strange gods are coming!

 April 27th

well... I am reading a book about Jim Morrison and I cannot help but think that " but for the grace of God there go most of us". I often think that when creativity is suppressed - that is to say when our natural human birthright  is suppressed then the damage manifests itself in may ways -  for example with Jim Morrison self -medicating with alcohol. In a sane world- a creative force like him would have an easier time of it - but what images and what music!

 here is a great line from one of his poems, spoken at a concert in 1968. If I heard this I would have run away and put a tin foil hat on...or sat and listened as the Doors opened a sonic portal.:

"lie down, for strange gods are coming"

stay tuned!

April 25th

 ....I still seem to be focused on the weather....ahhhhhhh sunny days!...OH THOSE SUNNY SUNNY DAYS.

Well, I was sitting alone in my back yard but I was listening to a neighbour's radio and I was reading so the Lighthouse song was not entirely prophetic.

 In reading earlier journal entries I noticed that I rarely talk about my paintings. That is because  most of my creative flow is heading down the musical channel right now. When I am creating music I get exactly the same feeling as when I am painting - free flow. But I did spend time at my drawing table doing a trippy  black and white poster for the upcoming June 16 Dulcimerhead concert. To get in the right headspace I put on the Moody Blues' " On the Threshold of a Dream". Oh my!

 Dulcimerhead's  " All that is" is soon to be joined by two other releases on the Arathusa label. Recording is in process - stay tuned. All I can say is voices, voices, voices!

Speaking of voices -  I seem to have found mine and I am recording a number of new pieces that involve multi tracked voices - very spacey indeed!. As part of this new sound , we have worked up the Who's " I Can See for Miles" for the concert. It sounds like a bunch of Hebridean Fishermen who have lived in Morocco singing it and it is pure driving Dulcimerhead.

 We have three guests or friends joining us on stage for one of our sets - Fernando on drum, Tara on vocals, digereedoo and drum and Kate on vocals. Remember scones and tea will be served

...and on a philosophical note...I am still thinking about paradigm shifts. Even though I am pursuing the very thing that feeds my soul right now, it still presents a shift for me that brings with it a inner struggle as I have over 20 years of identifying myself as a visual artist. I guess the lesson in that is that art is art and it is not the medium but the artist that counts...or it is the message and feelings that are being conveyed that count. The medium really is almost just the vehicle and when we see the medium as the message then that is when the art stops.

Art is lost when "understanding it" becomes more important than its meaning. Art is best left to wash over us and in our part we  must let it speak to us in its silent soul whispers, its transcendent swells and its hidden smiles.

 Pete Townshend summed it up perfectly in " join Together" :  " its the singer , not the song, that makes the music move along".

 True art is outside of time and space, outside of structure and time signatures, outside of keys and colours. It just is. Do not try to understand it, just let it move you.

see ya soon,

 Dave

March 28th

Spring is here! ...and I know that not because we have made it past March 21st ( that means nothing in this part of the world). It is spring because:

 1) I hear Robins singing every day and ...

2) I have cleaned up my yard and prepared the hanging gardens for planting. I aim to have more than a few summer jams out there by the Buddha/St. Brendan shrine surrounded by morning glories.

I have been thinking a lot about paradigm shifts lately and how much courage it takes to choose to see yourself and the world in a different way. As I get into recording more music and co-writing songs with Gillian Thomas, I keep focused on Neil Young's approach to creativity. He said, " the more ya think, the more ya stink.

 Indeed! If I think that I have to improve on something, I can guarantee that I will kill it. It will sound or look contrived, tight and controlled. Simply put - it will lose its groove and its wild looseness. It takes a lot of faith and a lot of acceptance of self to create something and just let it be- trusting that is perfect in that moment.  Charlie Parker summed it up well by saying: " first learn your instrument, then forget it...".

  The new paradigm  says that we are perfect in each moment - that we are all that we need to be- our creativity ( in thought, expression etc) is sacred and in that cannot be anything but perfect. The next act will be perfect also and different. It is all growth and relentless change...and that is a good thing.

so... the new song by Dulcimerhead is called "Try"  and even without the marvelous vocals of Gillian, it still sound lush and full as an instrumental. I know that =every time we perform it , it will be different- each time perfect for that moment.

more later

Dave

March 13th, 2007

...ahhhhhh this is more like it...no more lake effect snow squalls. I was noodling out some new tunes this week and after finishing up a new piece that sounds very introspective I was wondering what to call it. I looked out the window and there it was - a late season snow squall!  So there will be a tunes on the next CD titled "Snow Squalls".  How very Canadian! ....but I am not taking up drinking bad beer.

   What am I listening to these days? Well.... hmmm A live Dave Matthews recording - what a guitarist. Seeing that I have been spending a lot of time recording material, much of my listening time is spent listening to playbacks of new tracks. Time for some Who I think although when spring is coming around I always return to the Strawbs - esp. the song Benedictus.

  I was trapped at home for two weeks, waiting for a new engine for my car.  On the surface it was frustrating but the two weeks taught me how to slow down and do things in their own time. Automobiles are great but sometimes they can also be an excuse to " make busy".  waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Thanks Liz for all your driving and care.

   SO, while I sat at home I watched a few films that I had not seen before - " the Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". Oh my!  go get 'em Maggie Smith!.  What a great film - built one that left me quite sad too. Of course the theme song took me back to childhood...and memories of that period.

anyhoooo...Dulcimerhead now has a MySpace page; Check out  www.myspace.com/dulcimerhead1 . Thanks to Laura Rankine for designing and maintaining that!

and remember folks - late winter snow squalls also mean that maple syrup time is upon us.

February 27th

OKAY!...like  I said, ENOUGH OF LAKE EFFECT!  I will hum and visualize a garden full of Zinnias.

Dulcimerhead performed it 's first concert this past Saturday and I only had to drive 7 km to do it! It was amazing and well received by the audience. Once again we seem to be channeling Persian music. Just in case you are wondering  Dulcimerhead is a duo right now.  Gillian Thomas has joined me and she was  amazing on that drum. Expect some songs soon as we are writing  new  material right now.

 Last Sunday I also presented my Book of Kells lecture at St. John's United Church in Alliston. It was a well planned and well attended event. Special thanks to Gord, Eugene and Kenneth and a BIG thanks to Liz!  When I was presented with a hand held microphone I became confused and almost broke into my      " Frank Sinatra does Floyd" routine.    ..." da lunatic is in the hall...ya!"

see what happens when it snows too much?

more soon!

February 15th

OKAY!  enough of " lake effect". I have a morning routine in which I have to defrost the water pipes before I can have a shower. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

But... on a cooler (and warmer note). I  have finished recording the first Dulcimerhead  CD. It is lovely! A very different sound than the East by West material I have been doing. It is a 22 minute long  EP and is really  a suite broken into 10 movements - all performed on mountain dulcimer and keyboards...and the first recording done at Hanging Garden Sound ( Everett). What total fun! It is titled " all that is" and yes, the last journal entry  influenced that.

Here is a pic of my frozen garden:

                                                                                 rankine

February 13th

 Ahhhhhhhhh the  season of "lake effect" snow squalls......but it does let me know that there is open lake water out there!....and the sun IS getting stronger.

  Lots on the go music wise as I continue to create new music for the next CD. I have acquired a new plaything - A Yamaha keyboard. Now I can achieve that Deep Purple/ Pink Floyd slab-like organ sound. Last night I finished a 18 minute piece titled: "  the All that is You".  I was writing to someone about Mandalas and that fell off my fingers. I was thinking " the All that Is" and that led to : " the All that Is is the All that is you".... well...thanks George Harrison - Within and Without. He understood it all...and I guess he popped into my head because I watched " its a Hard Day's Night" a few days ago - what pure fun and what charming and creative guys.

 My water pipes are frozen...but I have coffee! And I have my Yamaha.

stay tuned!

January 15th, 2007

  Well... I  have done a bit of traveling since my last entry - off to California ( Mill Valley). Images of redwoods, mountains and ocean are burned into my head. Astounding! Hello to my new friends Linda, Meleah and Adiyna.

  This past weekend I had a chance to work with some amazing people at an event. After seeing what movement, dance and drumming add to the whole mandala experience, I am eager to fold these modalities into future workshops. The Mandala Experience is reaching new holistic levels.

January 2nd, 2007

 Here it is - A new year and what a year it has been with its highs and lows. I finished the old year off my recording a demo tape of a 7 minute tune titled: "Year's End". What I could not put down in words, I put down in sound. It was a real gift to myself to sit down and create a multi-dulcimer layered number. I will be working this tune into a new CD to be recorded this winter and one that will possibly be released along with the book.

  Forward motion and growth have been major themes for me this past year and I am sure it will continue into the new year. I know that I am getting closer to "big things"  when I meet more resistance. A paradox and one that is not always easy to accept but still a truism I believe. Paradigm shifts are hard. So many people I know are faced with them right now - including myself and I think that the hardest paradigm shift is an internal one -  in how we view ourselves. Keep those people who can see the real you close to you. They will always hold that sacred space ( a virtual mandala) open for you even when you can no longer do it yourself. Interconnectedness is a truth. Aloneness is not.

November 11th. 2007

 This is Remembrance Day in Canada and at about this time of the day (11am) I always think of both my grandfathers who fought in the First World War. In fact so did all their brothers. They all returned wounded in many ways and that is the part I remember. And what I also think about it how it affected their families and their friends. I appreciate their sacrifices and I also acknowledge the pain and loss.

This line from Led Zeppelin's the Battle of Evermore sums it up,

"...the pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath..."

November 7th, 2007

Back at work on the book now, almost a year since it started to fall out onto the page. Just since May when I thought I had finished writing, so many things have happened that I am going back in and adding sections as the actual writing process clarified many things for me and led me down paths to some pretty exciting gardens.

 The Manadala Experience is about to be re-activated this December in Newmarket ( see the workshops and lectures page) and that pleases me. Thanks Liz, Barbara, Andrew and Laura for keeping that flame burning!

I have been putting much  thought into themes of non-local mind and Soul these days...and  I have  been having a lot of discussions about operating outside the (perceived laws) of time/space and accessing the BIG ALL. Think of it all as a "remembering" of a state of being we are already familiar with, yet  have trouble perceiving as conflict and pain keep us in the dark. So Sufi! Thanks LW!

And music?....hmmmm I have been listening to Stone Free - a dedication to Jimi Hendrix- various artists. Check out Manic Depression by Jeff Beck and Seal..wowo!  And while we are on the subject of  the Big All, Hendrix really saw it. His lyrics are full of seeing the massive potential of LOVE. That is to say not just love between two people but Love as a cosmic expression, the font of all creativity and life - yes the Energy Matrix.

October 19, 2006

woooooooo - busy month since I last checked in.  Last week I was at the Holistic World Expo in Toronto where I was displaying my work and also speaking about mandalas. It seems that more and more of my ventures in art are now tied to mandalas and seeing art in larger context - as a tool or portal and not just wall art and I find this really satisfying. It is as if I have been thinking about and writing about it for years but have only this year truly integrated it.

  Now, what I do as a visual artist is closely linked to the music I create and the workshops I teach or facilitate.

 ...what have I been listening  to?... hmmmm ....well, apart from the usual Who and Strawbs I have been listening to a dynamic young duo out of Ann Arbour,  Michigan called Faileas. Jesse Nieves on fiddle ( and feet) and Zak Read on bagpipes and guitar really kick it out and create a totally stripped down and fresh sound. I have to admit that there is not a lot in the world of Celtic contemporary folk music that catches my ear but this does - really thrilling and their fist CD stands up to repeated listening.

 Check them out at www.faileas.com

Billy and I are working on our next CD and it ii so obvious to us when we play now that our sound has matured since recording the first CD in April. Our attacks are much more aggressive and there is a lot more "spaces" in the tunes where one musician takes the lead position and then trades it off to the other. Look for some songs on the next CD - don't worry we are getting a singer! wahahahahahah !

September 7th

Feeling reflective after a wonderful event hosted by the Baha'i Community, this past Sunday in Stratford, Ontario. I now know what it feels like to play to an absolutely enthusiastic and receptive crowd. Thanks to Brooke!

I have been so busy all summer that I have not had much time to sit and enjoy my garden. While I was elsewhere, it grew to massive proportions. The Loggia is covered in morning glories and they have even linked hands across all the openings to create a green cave. The sunflowers are 8 feet tall and starting to bend over. Here is a pic of one I call the Green Man:

I was pointing the camera up and I am 6 feet tall!

Music?...hmmm Led Zeppelin III - love Tangerine and Since I been Loving You.

 I have also been listening to the Clash some more. I think their best Albums are Give 'em enough rope and Black Market Clash- dub meisters! There is something infectious about  their distinctive form of reggae and you cannot beat the raw energy of their performances.

Synchronicities abound!

August 30th

East by West made it through their " industry debut"  at MIAC last Sunday and it went gloriously well. Odd to look up after a set ( I always play looking at my fingers - mesmerized - a moving meditation) and see that we were playing to many major "axe-men and axe-women" and "gear heads" They loved us. There was not another mountain dulcimer on site.  We played pieces from the CD, made up a few and debuted a few new ones, notably Axis of Love my tip of the hat to Jimi Hendrix and the GTP

Thanks to Amrik and Nina.  Greetings  to  Al, Gavin  and the MacKenzies at Vert Productions.

 Second pressing of the CD is out! Get yer orders in now folks!

What am I listening to? Blue Rodeo, Strawbs and Sahra Featherstone. All excellent!  and Sahra  (if you are reading)..." crazeee eyes".

a new project will be starting up soon - the Singing Bowl Society of Canada. ..so stay tuned - and join up , come to the events and discover the transformational qualities of the singing bowl.

  a new Henna page will be added to the website  as my Henna work is now expanding and following closely behind the paintings, recording and book in an integrated art/soul  flow.

August 21st.

The Goderich Celtic Roots Festival and Summerfolk weekends were a blast! Thanks to all the people who had wonderful conversations with me. More than anything these connections made my weekends. And.........thanks to those brave souls who participated in the mandala workshops at the Goderich Celtic College. Those workshops were the first art/music crossover classes at the college. We opened many portals.

 As is my habit, After Goderich I purchase a new music DVD. This year it is Rude Boy- the movie set around the touring Clash ( 1977-78). The movie itself is disjointed and hard to make sense of but that does not matter because the concert footage of the Clash is mind blowing. They truly were one of the greatest rock bands in history. Their early music ( esp. the second LP) has a "apocalyptic" sound to it - like a  rock soundtrack to the book of Revelations. Lyrically, they were amazing too.  Dig this line:

' I knew how to sing

 they knew how to pose,

one of them had a Les Paul

 heart attack machine"

 from: all the young punks ( Strummer/Jones)

If you have ever seen Neil Young and Crazy Horse you would know how a Les Paul unchained can sound!

Megalithic subjects seem to figure large right now. From megalithic civilizations to building megalithic  compass roses while camping to sharing megalithic info. Onwards! megalithic comrades!

The first short run pressing of East by West's CD is sold out- more getting printed now. Four gigs coming up.  August 27 at MIAC, Toronto Convention Centre. Sept 3 Stratford in support of the Baha'ii community.  Sept 9 at MusicPro in Barrie, Sept 10 a solo gig at McDougall Cottage in Galt.

August 5th, 2006

 It has been HOT HOT HOT, but  I have survived. What am listening to these days? Jethro Tull ( Stand Up), Dead Can Dance and East by West's newly mastered CD. yahooooooooooooooooooooooo It sounds great. More news after Goderich and Summerfolk - my busman's holidays.

July 10th 2006

 July 8th marked the first outdoor Mandala Experience event. This was held at lovely Inverhuron Provincial Park on lake Huron. It was a glorious day and the apex of the event was a  sound /mandala exercise executed at Gunn point on an area of flat limestone , mere feet away from the surf. The rock was actually vibrating as we used  singing bowls to take us inside a creative space. Singing bowls have a delicate sound and my fear was that the sound would be lost in the wind and waves...but not at all. In fact the wave and wind sound only served to amplify the sounds and create new " voices". I swear that at one point we had a Gregorian choir  chanting with us. Other participants confirmed this.

Inverness news!

  WE have changed the name of the band to East by West which is more reflective of our sound.  After all, Inverness may conjure up images of  a cover band playing Andy Stewart and  Kenneth McKellar hits...although i do have a interesting version of  the McKellar opus - "the Road to the Isles".

In the vein of a Floyd song,  : "can you tell me which one is East?"...

June 19th.

 ALL kinds of new things coming up.  I spend a lot of time listening to Jeff Beck and Ravi Shankar  these days - more for inspiration than anything.  Having two BIG projects on the go at once is hair raising. I find that I have got to dig really deep to maintain faith in myself. Good news is that the deeper I dig the more I find.  I realize that neither project ( book or CD) is orthodox . They both have a powerful spiritual message to them. The book is direct. The CD is implied.

At times like these I find strength in reading about Pete Townshend and George Harrison...both people who used their music as a vehicle...both very successfully.  I was watching ( yet again) the Who's Woodstock performance. The song in particular was SPARKS. In that one instrumental is contained everything - all the pain. anguish and struggle of life  followed by a  feedback/distortion howl of Epiphany and closed with gentle musical tap on the forehead calling the listener (and viewer) outside of themselves  and into action.

After Thursday night's recording session, I listen to the tracks and I experience the same "build" and moment of epiphany in each tune, so I know that we are on the right track. In someone else's words, each track is a journey and a story. whewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Hello to my good buddy Marion who is visiting from BC and did not eat ten Ginger Snaps at the home of Eleanor McTavish of the 3rd Concession. I wanted to be clear on that. heheheheheheh

 The CD is almost finished and we are booking dates. .

 June 5th, 2006

Well, we did it! Billy and  I gave our first two public performances this past weekend in Cookstown as part of the annual "Wing Ding". Saturday was an small indoor event due to torrential rain which did not seem to hamper the crowds while Sunday's performance was outdoors. We explored the really HEAVY side of our sound and the crowd loved it. A wonderful teenage told us we sounded like Pink Floyd- high praise indeed!...all that time spent listening to Dark Side of the Moon with the lights out has paid off.

 Thanks to Laura for her Roadie duties and many thanks to Mary-Jane at Grainne O'Maille's for hosting us AnD

 a big thanks to all who came out to see us.

 Check out the newly born East by West Web-page at  the East by West official website.

May 29th,2006

I have gotten back into reading Sufi poetry and philosophy. perhaps I will become a Sufi. Of all the belief systems that I have encountered , this one resonates the most with me. Sufism is very inclusive and  the first thing that grabbed my attention was the statement that an individual should not look for God in Mecca or Jerusalem , but in their heart. Indeed! God resides within us and without us and the voice of God can be heard through our hearts.

  What Am I listening to  these days? ..Hmmm...well I am about to listen to the new Dave Gilmour CD. AND...I have been listening to the latest jam tapes of Billy and I playing. We seem to be channeling Santana  circa 1970!  The tapes are quite hypnotic and I guess there would be a problem if I did not enjoy listening to them.

Inverness will be playing at the Gibson Centre in Alliston on July 5th between noon and 2pm. Bring your lunch.

May 17th, 2006

My oh my! What a busy month.  We have recorded the CD and now are in the mixing process.  The recording  was a true "Neil Young" event  a whole CD in 3 hours - " off the floor".  On listening to a rough mix of our final track, tears came to my eyes. It is so beautiful!

 We have some gigs lined up in June so if you want to come see us and even join in:

 June 3rd.  Cookstown. Main street, in front of Graine O'Maille at the corner of Hwy 89 and Hwy 27

June 10th  1 pm at  MusicPro in Barrie.  This event will feature additional players and is a interactive event. Come on down!

 stay tuned more things happening fast!

 April 13, 2006

 It has been a while since I last posted but I have been busy. My book is almost finished. It is in the editing stages right now and is titled: The Quiet World of The Mandala.

AND.. I am about to record a CD as part of the band Inverness. My musical collaborator is Billy Fairley -on percussion. I play mountain dulcimer. The music we are doing is fresh and lively - kind of indo-persian-celtic with all the dynamics of rock from the late 60's ( such as the Who and Santana). The CD title is Trancemhor  (  gaelic for Big Trance). Stay tuned. I will announce the release of both projects soon.

 here is a pic of the CD cover

and a candid shot of the rabbit's new pet kitten - sleeping in the sink

February 2, 2006

 Here is photo of me  performing on my Mountain Dulcimer at the Georgina Art Centre ( Sutton, Ontario), January 24th as part of  Poetry Reading night. I played while  Barbara Rogers read a poem by Rumi , one by me and then a story by me. ..and she read extremely well. We managed  to transport the audience to another realm and now I want to do it again!

                                        Laura Rankine

Ahhhhhh - the Bun Bun - our pet rabbit. She was raised by a cat and now has a kitten of her own to raise. Perhaps the rabbit will also start talking in ASL! Notice how the rabbit takes a photo better than me

                                                           Laura Rankine

January 21st 2006

It has been a while since my last posting and I have been busy. Work has begun ( and is well on its way) on my Book about mandalas and the creative process. I have found the act of writing it quite new and very exciting. The book is as much about my journey as anything else. While I write I listen to the music of the Tragically Hip (thanks Liz!). I'll have to get my "fifty mission cap" now. My daughter also turned me onto to Lacuna Coil - holy hair standing on end Batman!

 It is a long way from pipebands to Lacuna Coil!

November 23rd, 2005.

   I received an e-mail from a friend who used to play in a pipe band with me. Yes.....I played in a pipeband. I used to play the Highland Bagpipes.  I played  a lot - TONS ...and now I play no more. But, everything is "grist for the mill" and the tunes still appear when I play my mountain dulcimer or when I paint, and of course there are the memories...

It was 1981. That lad in the feather bonnet is me. I was 22 years old and covered in wool on a summer day. The lady in white is the Queen Mum and a grand old Dame she was. I met her twice and I have to say that she certainly had  a real sense of class and grace about her.

The rest of the guys in wool  are the Officers and NCOs of the Toronto Scottish Regiment of which I was member of the Pipeband.

November 16th 2005

... run for the root cellar Dorothy!

This image of a late stage twister is very similar to the one I saw out of my bedroom window at 7:30 one morning in early August.   I  had been awakened by the thunder and winds. This sight  rooted me to the  spot, but it did disappear in about ten seconds.

November 14th,2005,

  Jazz music.: " ...a music not originally made for anyone but its players ... a private art for public consumption".   Toni Morrison    

 I am starting to think that this quote  applies to all creative endeavors.  It is true that great music and art takes the audience to a different place and shows the viewer listener a different reality, but the more powerful experience lies in the doing - the creating.

November 11, 2005

arghhhhh, just when I found Pete Townshend 's  blog I discover that he has shut it down due to inappropriate use by individuals. Ahhh well... It is also getting cold, but then it is November...it is Ontario....I haven't turned the  heat on this morning.....duh!

This week I read a book about the Band ( a group I know very little about) and a book about the Beach Boys(?????!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?). ah yes...I like the Beach Boys and ABBA too!  My favourite Beach Boys songs are : Wouldn't it be Nice? and Good Vibrations. I think it is the spacey harmonies that grab me. Of course in reading about the Band, references were made to Neil Young. here is as good pic of Neil rockin' out on the Weld tour.

Sometimes I feel like that when I am painting.

 Notice how when I talk about books it is still about music? I think that I see no real separation between visual and aural art.

I am thinking of my Grandfathers today - both served in the First World War.

November 5, 2005  The show in Haliburton is up and running and what a glorious sight it is! - 56 paintings in all. We followed the opening by a four hour  Mandala Experience which culminated in a large group mandala that will be auctioned off by the Rail's End Gallery.

  weather:   there is a high wind a blowing! - well somewhere else that is - in fact where I used to live 18months ago in Wareham. When the weather turns it's flavour of the day to snow and wind I thank God that I moved for it was a " windy hell hole" at least if I had to leave the  house - otherwise it was a comfortable warm  big church.

 music:  watched the director's cut of the Woodstock festival film - what a contrast to the Isle of Wight event a year later. Most of the same bands and excellent performances. I remember reading articles about the festival in McLean's and Time magazine. I did not understand music. I did not understand Hippies. I did not understand anything . I was 10 years old.

oh ya...I did name a painting  Message to Love  . It looks like some kind of Celto-persian  biomorphic entity. It is really quite nice!

October 22, 2005   As always I seem to return  to music. This week I purchased a copy of Murray Lerners'  Message to Love - the 1970 Isle of Wight Pop festival. This film is a must see!.

 I already had the film he made of the Who's performance  at that festival and this one is an excellent addition. The sound is great, the performances are fabulous and the film stands out as sociologist's dream. This gem of a film is an excellent look at the social upheaval of the time, the clash of  beliefs and the marked end of a " peace  love and grooviness" era all illustrated with the musical performances.

I  listen to the sound track of the film as I finish the new paintings for my show in Haliburton. Perhaps a painting will be titled; "Message to Love".

Groovy man!

October 18, 2005

  my, my - what a busy summer it has been, and I am finally getting down to adding something to my journal.  I have an upcoming gallery show in Haliburton at the end of the month and as true to form,  I feel a need to add a series of new pieces to the work I already have ... so I paint! And as I paint I listen to Radiohead - The Bends and OK Computer.  Okay...I am also listening to Ravi Shankar and the Mommas and Poppas. Tomorrow?  Perhaps  the Who and ABBA

  But - RADIOHEAD - ooooh - the soaring sound. Even though the lyrics can be depressing, the music itself never fails to lift me up. It really supplies me with  amazing inspiration.

  This past weekend, I played a gig ( with my Dulcimer) in Galt Ontario. What a blast!  Up until this summer I have not performed in public for  almost 15 years and that was with Highland Bagpipes.  I find myself pouring so much emotion and inflection into the tunes ( mostly trad. Scots folk) that it was starting to feel like I was inside one of my own paintings being painted and painting at the same time.  Being such a soft sounding instrument  I have learning to squeeze every last  sound out of those strings.

 here are some wild photos from the summer: