Taking Shape
Five years ago, I released my “pandemic album” called Sense of Self. Most of it was written after I picked up Jeff Tweedy’s book How to Write One Song. I attended zero open mics to work out the songs, sent it to zero community radio stations and put zero dollars into promotion and recording. Unsurprisingly, I got close to zero listens on what, at the time, I thought was my best work. With the benefit of hindsight and a better honing of my own inner-critic I am zero percent surprised by its reception.
Cut to a few years later, after working my way through depression, self-harm and anxiety, I had some more stories to tell. I picked up my notebook and got to writing again. What came out of this resulted in Vacated Shapes.
Vacated shapes is an account of my journey towards better mental health. Writing songs about my personal struggles has helped me to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I’ve been performing on stage all my life, but I’ve never let the audience see me at my most raw, honest and vulnerable. And I’ve never had a better feeling of acceptance from the music community.
That’s what I want my album release show to be about. Not just me, us. I want to celebrate the connections I’ve made over the years. When I play a song, I want to see faces wearing the looks of recognition, eyes that are empathizing with the emotion, ears that are hearing the stories. Let’s make this a celebration of the vibrant music community in my hometown, Ottawa and I’d love for you to be a part of it.
