Tour Day 9 - Taking the Ferry

We're in Newfoundland!!!! Whoo-hoo!!!!

Today started with more fog and rain, but it didn't affect our travels. We arrived in North Sydney at lunchtime and boarded the ferry for an afternoon crossing.

I haven't been on the ferry in years, and the new ships are great - big windows, plenty of comfortable seating, cafes, a restaurant, and even an internet cafe. We found a lovely table by the window where we could work on some music. It was a loppy crossing, and lots of people were having trouble, but luckily, I have good sea legs. Actually, we found a few sleeper seats, and the swaying of the ship lulled us into a great afternoon nap. It made me think of the story of the storm when Jesus was asleep in the bottom of the boat. Maybe he was lulled to sleep by the swaying of the ship too...

We've settled in for the night in a great hotel with a fantastic view of Port aux Basques. We have a good internet connection here, so I've just posted a bunch of photos on our Facebook page.

Tomorrow is another long drive, and then we settle for a few days.

Tour Day 8 - Cabot Trail

Everyone says the Cabot Trail is beautiful, but nothing really prepares you for it. Every turn was breathtaking! And despite the weather - rain all day and fog for the late afternoon - we still loved every minute of it.

Early in the day, we visited St. Pierre Church in Cheticamp. It's a fantastic and elaborate building, erected with local stone by local builders in the early 1800s. A few tourists drifted around, but when the sanctuary was empty, I sang a verse and chorus of "It is Well." What an acoustic!

As we drove through the hills, the stunning views and fascinating artisan shops ignited our own creativity as we thought of new ideas for our concert. I picked up a handmade songwriting journal and we started to play with a few new song ideas.

Tonight, we settled into Ingonish Beach for a cozy night in a fantastic, family run hotel.

Tomorrow...Newfoundland!

New Video!!

One thing we didn't realize pre-tour was the sporadic internet connection we'd have in some of the rural areas. (Yes, we're spoiled Toronto snobs! We get it!)

I've posted a video we shot in Montreal. You can view it on our facebook page and our youtube channel.

Tour Day 7 - Cape Breton

Today we hit Cape Breton island!

These are our vacation days before the next big chunk of the tour, so we're taking it easy, driving slowly, and taking in the beauty of our surroundings. We're doing our best to enjoy the area without getting caught in the many tourist traps of this busy region.

I'm not usually one to blog about food, but tonight, I indulged in a lobster dinner. I'm sure hundreds of lobsters were consumed in Cape Breton today, but nobody enjoyed their lobster as much as me!

Tour Day 6 - Antigonish

Today was another full day of driving, with fantastic, clear weather.

We've crossed the border into Nova Scotia, and we've decided to spend the night in Antigonish. This is a gorgeous town, with stunning churches and a beautiful downtown. We unwound from our drive with a lingering walk and an awesome seafood feed.

We have wifi in the hotel, so I'm trying to catch up with my online stuff. I'm hoping to post some photos and videos tonight, but the internet isn't very strong, so we'll see how it goes.

Tour Day 5 - Fredericton Fun Day

So the original plan was to play Halifax this weekend, but that concert moved to the end of the month, so we're having a few vacation days as we head east!

Today we hit beautiful downtown Fredericton. We strolled the streets poking our heads into cafes, bookstores, and patios. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon at Tony's Music Box Ltd - a great music store with good guitars and musical staff.

We wandered through the Garrison District soaking in the creative beauty of the city's artisans - pottery, glass, fabrics, jewelery, woodwork. I didn't buy anything, but seeing all that art and walking by the river just feeds my artistic soul.

We're staying on the dairy farm again tonight, so after dinner, we had a full tour of the barns. Over 100 cows and calves, learning the ins and outs of farm life. We were invited to wake at 5:00am to watch the milking, and even though my brain thinks that would be really interesting, the rest of my body refuses to comply.

We've really had a great time here - lots of chatting, laughing, and cups of tea...

Tour Day 4 - St. Thomas, Stanley, NB

Tonight, we held our first concert of the tour in Stanley, New Brunswick.

Our hosts for the weekend own a dairy farm, so we're situated on acres and acres of rolling hills and farmland. Just gorgeous country!

St. Thomas's is a beautiful old wooden church with a long history in the community. We had a great audience that even included a few old friends.

Over the past month, we've been working on our live show, tweaking and changing songs, trying to make an evening that would be both fun and encouraging. Tonight, it felt like things were in really good stride. The audience sang along when invited, and several times, I noticed individuals quietly singing their favourite praise songs or hymns.

After the concert, we were treated to an awesome reception with tables full of homemade biscuits, sandwiches, squares, and fresh fruit.

I have limited internet access today, but later this weekend I'll post some photos.

Tour Day 3 - Signs of the East Coast

We've landed in Edmunston, New Brunswick for the night.

A few signs we're definitely heading into East Coast territory:

- Fog so thick you can't see the road in front of you.

- Awesome place names - Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha! anyone?

- Irving gas stations!

- Moose warning signs.

- Increased prayers we don't see a moose on the road....

Tour Day 2 - Montreal Adventures

We arrived in Montreal last night after a good day's drive. Our plan was to get up this morning and continue our drive east, but we were having so much fun, we decided to spent the day in this fantastic city!

This morning, we visited Gerald's alma mater, the National Theatre School. (Gerald graduated from their prestigious playwriting program.) A staff member gave us a tour, and it was great to put a physical space to all Gerald's stories.

The National Theatre School.

We spent the afternoon walking around Old Montreal. Gerald was tempted by a lovely Taylor guitar at Steve's Music. We took countless photos of Notre Dame Cathedral. We ate amazing meals. We saw fantastic art and architecture, and just loved the vibe of the city.

Notre Dame - main altar and crucifix.

I visited Notre Dame years ago, and even knowing it was going to be beautiful, it still took my breath away. The paintings, carvings, stained glass - all detailed and glorious.

As I knelt at the altar rail and soaked in the overwhelming beauty, I realized that a church like this had to be designed to make us think of the glory and awe of God. This isn't an intimate worship space. It reflects the grandeur and power of a majestic God.

And as I prayed, I thought,
"This beauty is amazing, but it's truly nothing compared to the beauty of God.
And if this is overwhelming, what will it be like to stand before the glory of God?"

Tour Day 1 - We're on Tour!!!!

After months of planning, booking, and mapping it all out, we've started our East Coast Tour!

Today was a driving day, and we're spending tonight in Montreal. Our first show is Thursday in Stanley, NB.

All our current dates can be found on our Calendar, but check back often as we anticipate adding a few events along the way.

We'll be continuing our Tour Angels program throughout the month. If you haven't signed up yet, please visit our Tour Angels page for more info.



And you can also visit our new YouTube channel! We've started with a video from our recent Plein Air Concert, and throughout the month, we'll be adding lots of tour video.

New photos!

I've been posting a lot of new photos today.

You can see our new Elim Lodge photo album on our site, and lots of new photos on our Facebook page.

Our recent shopping trip to Cosmo Music.
No, this wasn't a purchase!

How Sundays roll...

So, the start of the day wasn't fantastic: we had to make the announcement about postponing our concert, which just felt horrible. I do think it was the right decision, but certainly not one that made either of us feel good.

Happily, the day got significantly better from there!

This morning, we led worship for Chartwell Church's Kerr St. congregation in Oakville. This faithful group meets in the basement of an apartment building, gathering early for coffee, and sitting cafe style for the worship service.

Gerald and I actually led the entire service! We started with 30 minutes of music and prayer, and then presented our version of a musical sermon. We shared stories about God's hand on our lives, interspersed with songs of reflection. After we spoke, the pastor led the group in prayer for us, which was incredibly humbling. We ended with a rousing hymn, and then joined the crowd for a fantastic meal of BBQ!

In the afternoon, we met with our band to rehearse for tonight's Gathering service. Lack of a sound person added a few challenges, but we pushed on, and had a great night of music! Tonight's team included vocals, guitar, piano, bass, and saxophone.

Our pre-service song was What a Wonderful World, followed by songs like Beautiful One and Our God. We sang Psalm 31 set to Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, and for a song of reflection, we sang Martina McBride's Anyway. Drew preached on the subject of Faith or Fear, which led to some great discussions.

After the service, we chatted with team members, confirmed details for next week's service, and then met with Patrick, who'll start as organist and choir director in the fall.

There's nothing like that feeling at the end of a great Sunday - tired, but well earned.

Kick Off Concert Postponed!!!!!!

Unfortunately, we've had to postpone our concert until the fall.

Please stayed tuned to www.InfinitelyMore.ca for a new time and date.

Our apologies for any inconvenience!!!!!!

Concerts In The Park but not In The Park

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

That could be our theme song in Toronto right now.

We're in record highs, and there's no break in sight. So you can imagine our concern as we planned for an outdoor concert tonight in Burlington (just west of Toronto). I was really excited to book a spot in the summer concert series, as we were the only Christian act on the line-up.

But we were even more thrilled to arrive at the bandshell today and see the sign "Concert Moved Indoors Tonight"!

What a relief! The fear was that people would stay away with the heat, but the audience started to arrive, and in the end, we had well over a hundred people crammed into the hall.

We knew this would be a really mixed crowd, so in addition to our signature pieces, we pulled out a lot of well known pop and country songs. It was interesting to watch the crowd - some sang along, some smiled, and a few looked at us like, "I have no idea what they're singing about, but I think I like it." Okay, that's my own interpretation, but I like to think I'm on the money.

Doing Christian music in a non-church setting is a real challenge, especially in a city like Toronto where Christians face a lot of political-correctness, but I'm determined to keep pressing forward. I have confidence in our music, and I believe it can inspire people from all walks of life.

And I think in a city as diverse as ours, all voices need to be heard.

Elim Lodge - Day 2

For the past few months, we've deliberately taken Monday as our day off. When you're self-employed, it's easy to work every day, and we found we really needed to designate a day as our own.

Today, we were blessed to spend our day off at Elim Lodge!

We drifted around the campground, enjoying the sunshine and the people, and only paying attention to the clock when it was time to eat.

This afternoon, I set up a writing studio by the water. I brought out all my writing tools: a guitar, my iPhone, my pink MacBook (complete with Masterwriter) and of course, an espresso. The stillness and fresh air created a gently creative environment.

My songwriting studio.

After supper, we gathered at the water with the rest of the campground to watch a wakeboarding demonstration - cool tricks and jumps, and they still were able to use it as a ministry moment.

Later, the weather turned and a storm started brewing in the distance. I sat outside and watched the fork lightening and the changing palette of the clouds. The air had shifted, and birds started flying for cover. It was awesome and beautiful. The storm still hasn't hit, but until just a few minutes ago, the power was out.

Storm watching...

The next few weeks will be busy with concerts and touring. I'm so grateful for this quiet and calming day...

I think I'm one of the few people who honestly loves Mondays.

Elim Lodge - Day 1

We’ve spent the weekend here at Elim Lodge, north of Peterborough. This family-friendly Christian campground host activities all summer long, including daily worship and weekend Gospel concerts.

Our view!

We arrived yesterday and settled into our cozy cabin by the lake. After a fantastic BBQ feast, we had our sound check and set up our product table.

Setting up last night made for a relaxing Sunday morning. As we rechecked our sound, a few families drifted into the sanctuary. Ten minutes before the service, we gathered for prayer with the service leaders. When we left the prayer room, we discovered a packed sanctuary of over 400 people!

The service was wonderful, with robust congregational singing, and a great message based on the book of Jonah. Gerald and I sang “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” and “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone.)”

After a relaxing afternoon, we gathered back at the chapel for our evening concert. This kind of audience presents a unique challenge. We knew the crowd would represent a mix of denominations, ages, and interests, so we prepared a very eclectic program. We mixed hymns, praise & worship, Gospel, country, originals, and even a Beatles song.

Selling our Blue Bag Special at the concert.

At the last minute, Gerald decided to do his 9-11 song, “Angels in the Dust”. At the product table after the show, Gerald had the chance to speak with a woman who actually found her faith because of her 9-11 experience.

It’s amazing - you never quite know how a song can affect someone.

You never know when you might be singing someone else’s story...

Plein Air Concerts

Tonight, we opened the Plein Air Concert series.

The list of summer concerts and workshops, featuring our opening night concert!

Each summer, artist Susan Brown hosts a variety of musicians for a series of concerts in her lush backyard. The centerpiece of the garden is a gorgeous wooden pavilion that provides both a stage and a surprisingly good acoustic.

When we get the opportunity to bring Infinitely More into a non-church environment, we're always excited by the challenge of providing inspiration and encouragement without getting, well, too "churchy." We pulled out a real mix of songs, including popular standards like "People Get Ready" and "Lean on Me." We also chose soulful songs like Gerald's "Real Big Fan", and artsy pieces, like my "Sing Me a Song".

As we sang the gentler songs, we were accompanied by soft breezes and singing birds. Surrounding the stage were paintings, a waterfall, and candle-filled lanterns. Truly, a glorious place to sing!

Gerald filmed the concert using our new video recorder, so I'm hoping to post some video soon.

There's nothing like singing outdoors, especially in such a beautiful environment. We have another outdoor concert in Burlington this month. Hoping for another fantastic night!

East Coast Tour Kick Off Concert!

Mark your calendars for a great night of music!

Featuring the music of Infinitely More, and lots of special guests!

All moneys raised will support our East Coast Tour.

Tour Angels in the $100 level and higher will receive FREE TICKETS to this event.

The Lord Giveth, and The Lord Postponeth...

I'm writing this with a heavy heart.

When we heard that our church was installing a new sound system with the ability to do high quality recordings, our artistic hearts leaped with joy! The concept of gathering our friends together to do some recording was irresistible, and we started to make plans. Having an Infinitely More CD for our East Coast Tour was an awesome thought, so we booked an engineer and made arrangements for each step of the process.

But to quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

We received news today that the sound system won't be in place until at least a week later than originally planned.

Ugh.

Given our tight summer schedule, there's no way we'd be able to make the CD before our tour. We've just called everyone involved to give them the news.

Obviously, by the opening line of this post, I'm disappointed. But I'm just taking a few deep breaths, looking out the back window at the sunny day, and seeking blessings in all of this.

A few thoughts come immediately to mind:

• This gives us more time and resources to put towards our July concerts and our August tour.
• We're not canceling but postponing. We'll still have all our great ideas and fabulously talented friends when we're able to record in a few months.
• By the time we're able to record, we'll probably have a whole new set of original songs for the album.
• When I think of the serious issues plaguing friends of mine - illness, grief, financial despair - I really have no right to complain about delaying a recording. I mean seriously, I make a living creating music with my husband - who am I to complain about anything???
  

So, keep that $15 in your pocket, and in a few months, we'll have a fantastic new CD for you to purchase!

We're making a CD!!!!

You know when people talk about summer being the time to relax and take it easy? Well, they're probably not musicians!

Our summer is shaping up to be awesome and filled with great stuff. We have lots of concerts in July, and our huge East Coast Tour in August.

We're also having an East Coast Tour Kick Off Concert on Wednesday, July 27. Mark your calenders, and I'll post more details soon.

As we've been planning the tour, one thing has been weighing on us (besides the price of gas!). Even though I have 2 great CDs, we still don't have an Infinitely More CD.

Well, that's about to change!

In an already crazy summer,
we've decided to record an Infinitely More CD!!!

Our church is about to install an awesome new sound system, so we're gathering a few musician friends for a few days of worship and recording! The CD will have a mix of hymns, praise songs, and our own originals.

All our songs will be recorded live-off-the-floor, which means everything will happen in one take. It's an old school style of recording, hearkening back to Elvis, Studio B, and Sun Records. In its best moments, live-off-the-floor feels like you're in the room with the musicians. It captures the sounds and spirit of the creative moment like few things can.

We're really, really excited about this, and all the details are falling into place. I'll post more as it all comes together!