T E X A S : Days 1 - 4

Hello, All!

I thought I'd do a quick roundup of the happenings so far down south! First off, it's hot. The air is hot, the car seats are hot, and don't forget that skillet handles are hot (oh, I guess that's for me). The drinks are HUGE and ordering a small means you will receive something marginally less jurassic than the "regular". (AKA: "Texas size") The sky is vast, the grackles are squeaky, the cigarettes are strong and the beer is lite. It's either BBQ or tacos around here and THAT suits me just fine.  Anything else is dipped in velveeta or deep fried (please see turkey legs).  

I've spent the last few days in New Braunfels with my pals Kristi and Jamie and their 3 year old, Teddie Claire. We've hit the Comol County Fair, shared already many beers and pontificated on all things music.  I even got to scoot to San Antonio on Saturday to take in my good pals Elijah and Marc Ford and Ryan Bingham at the Moonamp Festival.  It was a badass night enjoying songs under the night sky and clinking beers with my friends Grant, Sarah and Ashley. I came home with 2 tall boys in Lonestar in my purse.  Never trust a Canadian with a backstage pass!

Kristi has been so kind to book me 2 gigs this week.  One on Wednesday at The River Road Icehouse and other on Friday at The Black Whale Pub.  These gigs should be interesting as last night I decided to grab a skillet handle (that had just come out of a 400 degree oven) and gave myself quite the burn. Safety third! Luckily my host is the ultimate Mama and a remedy of a vinegar soaked cloth has done wonders.  I found it worked even better wrapped around a Miller Lite.  I'm always thinking outside the box.

I'll keep you kids posted, currently I'm drinking a horchata that's the size of my torso.

Adios Amigos!

love: g

My Rifflandia Spot!

Rifflandia Spot!!!!

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osl9g2QtvhM

Nobody Living Can Ever Make Me Turn Back

I have quite the fall lined up. 7 shows over the next 6 weeks! I'm pretty excited to be a part of not only our lil Victoria night (now monthly @ Lucky Bar) "Blender", but I've been asked to join a small 4 city tour of female artists I met in the Lilith Fair local talent search. Then, to top it all off, Rifflandia has also added me to it's roster this year.

Shaping up to be quite a September for me, but I couldn't be more stoked to be working this much.

I've recently relocated to the mainland (Vancouver, proper) to get a bit more immersed in the music movement over here. A lot of potential collaborations and connections here to develop and I plan on really maximizing my time here.

Stayed tuned for many new projects! In the meantime please check out of the many shows if you can!

Click here for the complete calendar!

Stage Fright?

So, having a hip-hop alter-ego raises some legitimate concerns. But let me start at the beginning...

About a year ago I met and befriended an MC in a hip-hop band. With a similar passion for the lyric, we bonded over our own brands of song-writing. Soon we were jamming together, fitting my folk-inspired vocal lines over his verses of rhythmic words and finally began our own brand of performance we called "flip-flop". Soon that spawned a whole other sub-career of writing and singing hooks for other hip-hop artists and groups. I always take my work seriously but I liked this type of collaboration because it was so effortless, and fun. There wasn't that added pressure that this was "my stuff". They were projects that I could come to, lay a track on and let them finish. It was almost too easy.

Then it came to perform with a certain artist with whom I would just be up there with him, singing to a beat track. No guitar. No mic stand to hide behind. Just me and a mic in my hand standing next to a real live rapper. So.....the obvious question is:

WTF do I wear?? Not to mention "Genevieve Rainey" isn't really a very bad-ass rappette name. And do I dance up there, throw my hands in the air like I don't care? You see my concern.

I'm open to suggestions...but ya'll will have to come out Thursday night to Logan's pub and see what I come up with.

Oh, and does anybody have some gold chains I can borrow? Thanks.

...first show in Austin...

So there are many people in my life who tell me on a constant, daily, sometimes hourly basis, that I am meant to be pursuing my music. They tell me to believe because they believe. They tell my I should know this, because they know this. But there is always doubt. Sometimes small, nagging, voices in the back of my head. Sometimes it is full on, soul-deadening dread. Am I good enough? Is everybody just humouring me? Am I setting myself up to fail? And even with every leg of this trip in step with my every stride, almost as if the ground is being built seconds before my foot rest on it, I feel fear.

And then a night like last night happens. A simple trip to my first open-mic night in Austin, only meant to get the ball rolling, cut my teeth, maybe meet some people, became my first gig. This show was complete with multiple people offering help, support, outrageous compliments and actual future shows...I was high on the positive feedback, drunk on the familiar but sorely missed feeling of being onstage and engaging an audience...it was in short a beautiful justification that, yes, I am here for a reason.

You all can go ahead and shake your heads, roll your eyes and practice your "I told you so's". just know, that I will need you to remind me many more times again. It's how I roll.

Thanks to all of you and your support and thanks to Austin. Here's hoping tonight is just as epic...too much to ask?

...still haven't slept yet...

41 hours....

Hour 1: 3:30-4:30pm

Stops: Pamona, CA, Ontario, CA
Soundtrack: Mirah

Family of 4 behind me. Two adult women, a sulking teenager and a toddler. As we were first leaving LA, whimpering and sniffling was audible from the teenager's direction.

Older of the two adult women: "What's a matter? Is this cause LC didn't call?"
Teenager (indignant and crying): "NO! My stomach just hurts, that's all. I don't *care* about LC!"
Silence.

An Amtrak employee comes around take reservations for dinner. He eyes my open package of sliced cheese and my bag of rice thins and says, "That won't last too long, when that runs out you call me." He winks. I smile. The family confirms they will dine at 5:00.

Outside the window: dusty, snowless mountains. Industrial/residential. A young couple making out next the train tracks.

Hour 9: 1:24am

Stop: Maricopa, AZ
Soundtrack: Iron and Wine

Sillouetted mountains behind white sand and dry brush, sit under stars and more sky than I have seen in a long time. It's getting flatter. It is the middle of the night.

Tuna, cheese and rice crackers. A movie on my laptop. A call from my sister and a call made home. Familiar voices. Gentle constant reminders that, yes, I am still crazy. Brief sleep. Hopefully more. Perhaps a nightcap.

Hour 19: 10:53am

Stop: El Paso, TX
Soundtrack: Wilco

Cotton fields. So much sky. Cotton clouds to match. I have always loved long car/train rides. As the middle child, I got the right side window seat in the back. I would stare for hours and daydream. Sometimes music in my ears..sometimes not. My parents would have to check if I was still there. Something about the movement and then side scrolling scenery, regardless of what it was, rendered me dumb, helpless to the whim of my imagination. I do some of my best thinking, goal-setting and fantasizing while gazing out the window of a moving vehicle.

Rocky dusty brush. Instant french vanilla coffee. Peanut butter crunchy oat bar. Goal-setting. I shall assemble a band when I get to Austin. I am excited.

*** that's all I managed to write on the train.*** xxx-g

..the price of hostelling....

...so, the casualty count for my possessions is at 2. One cell phone charger (who steals a charger??!) and sadly, my ipod. I guess someone really needed those things...and felt they needed them more so than me? *sad face* But in the words of the great Whitney Houston.."No matter what they take from me...they can't take away my dignity!" Hahaha although I DO reserve the right to leave my dignity in the back of a cab....:-)

But enough about lost hunks of metal and plastic..I still have my dreams, my friends, love, health and the sense to honour all those things! Phewf! Blessings countdown!

1. Enjoying a lovely cup of tea with my friend Jeremy and blasting Lamb of God. (thanks for tolerating our rocking, Wendy!)
2. Still recovering from being fed my weight in champagne for my birthday of fun (thanks Shannon and Alex!)
3. Getting to see Where The Wild Things Are last night! Epic!
4. The fact that I leave for Austin tomorrow...the next chapter...!

Right then, another cup of tea for me and more metal before I set out for my last full day and night in LA LA land...

x-g

"..til the sun comes up over Santa Monica Blvd..."

Oh hey....'sup to the Sheryl Crowe fans out there! Ha...so still chillin here in the city of Angels..scopin the enorexia and spottin celebs! Wooot! (Ray Liotta on his iphone!--Hey Good Fella!)

This place was fun but I'm gettin pumped for Texas. Austin, to be exact and I have a feeling it's gonna be radness. In the meantime, just busking and tryin to sucker the tourists into buying my CD...

I must say, I am feeling slightly homesick today..maybe cause it's officially been over a week and it feels like years, or maybe it's my looming birthday...not sure, but I decided, since the audiences are a lil more unfamiliar up here, why not play for you guys still? How? Well from now on, i want to post a song or two a week in youtube and i need your requests...what do you want to hear? An oldie? A cover? Maybe you want me to write a song about your dog? Name it, I'll do it! Post your requests here!

I feel better already.

love g

ps--do you have a copy of the new EP yet? Cause I got tons...msg me here if you want one!

Go Big or Go Home...!

Umm..I ordered the *LARGE* latte?! Hello! Well, apparently I have some stomach stretching to do if I am going to fit all these gaddam american portions in me! Umm...ew that sounded dirty...or maybe that just sounded dirty to me...carry on then!

So, as you can see Santa Monica is way radder than Venice Beach if only for the lack of crack deals and drunken brawls...but with safety and security comes....malibu barbies! Man, there are all kinds of lululemon swathed, headband wearing, water bottle toting, mercedes drivin' plastic figurines here...! And cue g in her plaid button-up, cutoff jeans and vans...sore thumb? Yup. But DAMN, someone's gotta represent!

Speaking of representin' I am going to the Promenade to busk my ass off today and see what the day will bring me...who knows....wish me luck.

Celebrity Sightings: Elijah Wood at Whole Foods! (Sup Frodo!)

love for now and always...--g xxxx

The last 5 days...condensed!

Holy Moly! (not Molly) Where to start? The last 5 days have seen me leave the cozy arms of my loving Victoria family, jet(ta) down to Seattle, get the best send off from my best girls, get a free hotel stay, ticket to Sunny Day Real Estate AND a ride to LA. 18 hours of driving in a compact Subaru later.....I arrived in 90 degrees of heat! Stayed in Montrose a couple nights with a wonderful host, Nick then headed into the belly of the beast..(downtown LA! eep!) Stayed the night in Venice Beach at the *quaint* Venice Beach Cotel....let's just say....ghetto fabulous. Today is the day I head to Santa Monica...where I am NOT privy to drug deals and massive drunken brawls outside my hostel room (yup) and where there is a much nicer hostel!

But what about the music, Genevieve? Well, shit. I'm getting to that! With all this excitement and travel....I realized I actually hadn't picked up my guitar since my farewell show last tuesday! Whaaa? So I curled up in my bunk and strummed away...possibly have a new song in the works and am feeling much better. Today my friend Shannon and I will be gettin me a busking liscence to start peddling my talents with the rest of them on the Promenade! I may have been a sucker tourist for a few days...but now it's time to turn the tables! haha! You WILL think I'm an adorable Canadian and buy my CD! :-) Yes, oh yes you will....

Love to all for now!

xxx g

All The Things I Wasn't?

To be fair, my uber clever best friend came up with the title of this post in honour of my upcoming show with The Grapes Of Wrath.

This coming holiday Monday, Sept 7, 2009 at 6pm I will be opening for the two remaining members, Tom Cooper and Kevin Kane in an acoustic show at The Fernwood Inn here in Victoria. So to get myself prepared I thought this post would be my list of things I wasn't....

1. A University Student. I decided to study music my own way, avoid the $40, 000 minimum student loan debt, and learn on my own. I don't know half as much about philosophy as my studious counterparts, nor have I read the classics, but I turned out ok?

2. An Athlete. I never played any sports..never got caught up in the whole soccer/field hockey/ringette thing. I was too busy brooding and writing self-involved poetry and painting. I was cheerleader for a year...but that's another story...

3. A Band Geek. I don't believe in having regrets, but I kinda wish I was a band geek back in the day...but jazz band, not the other kind. Then I could have actually learned to play properly. And also know every song Coltrane ever recorded.

4. A Mom. Well not yet, anyway. I only put this because most women my age are...and well that would be my own personal version of hell. I love my nieces and nephew though! *handing crying baby off*

5. A kid who had EVERYTHING. I had all that I needed, which not only makes me super lucky but makes my parents super awesome. I had few things I wanted too when it was appropriate. I was taught to love life and experience and people. And to bargain shop.

6. A Minor-Niner. Only Ontarians get this one, but truly, I did not go to grade 9. My parents pulled my sister and I out of school and took us hostelling around Europe for 8 months. No lie. Raddest experience of my life. It bankrupt us and we had to live at my Grandma's for awhile... but like I said...experience..not material things is what my parents gave me more than anything.

7. A rebellious teenager. Instead I am an un-married, childless, rebellious adult who does not own a home or car. I won't grow up and you can't make me. *sticking out tongue*

8. A Successful Musician. Yet.

9. Someone who bought Crocs or Uggs. Ok, so I am running out of things here...but I am seriously just as proud of this one.

10. A Conservative. And. I. Never. Will. Be.

That is all, see you at the show!

g

G Salutes Favorite Humans: Nya!

Since my first year in my 30's is coming to close and there are 9 more to go..I wanted to take a moment to salute the humans in my life (and a few robots) that have truly made the last 31 years easier.

Nya Irwin (nee Bunkowsky)

Now this girl knows how to support. You know that blind kind of support that never EVER questions what you're doing? And comes to every single show possible? And spams all HER facebook/hotmail friends to come out to shows? And buys HOW many copies of my album to give to friends as gifts?Did I mention she asked me to play at her wedding?? You know that day where everything has to be perfect and you will remember for the rest of your life? Yeah, she wanted me there. And not in the usual, "i wanna torture you by shoving you in a matching dress and shoes" (although they were the hottest dresses and fiercest shoes i'd ever seen!--just ask Jody) but in the other way that says "I need you at my big day to do what you do best." That meant a lot.

There are many other reasons I heart Nya...but some things a girl has to keep in her heart just for herself (and I need to say something fresh at the special events to come in BOTH of our lives...) but I will say this; actually it's a quote from the great Nya herself about two weeks after us meeting and working together at a grimy bar coat check room..."So..you know when you meet someone, and you just know they are going to make a difference in your life..?" (this is when she very sweetly, with a lil smile, points at me.) *heart melts*.

Yup. That's my NyNy. Love ya, girl. (oh and that awesome dude you married--he's ok) *wink*

g-funk.

Sells Liquor. Has Opinions.

I work for a liquor company. The majority of my duties are served at one of our two stores. I provide customer service in the form of wine pairing advice, giving directions to the pizza joint next door, fielding inane questions about the construction going on beside us, and conducting monetary transactions for the common, liquor buying folk. There a few things that all ya'll could do to make this go a lot smoother for both of us and what I mean is my job will get less annoying and you get to not be made fun of to your face. Deal?

Here's the list:

If you're on the phone, fuck off and come back when you're not talking to your bff about your slack-ass bf/over-bearing mother/or the cut that you thought nothing of but now you might think is a staph infection. Seriously, fuck off. If you don't, I will stand and stare at you, saying nothing, holding up the line until you put the goddamm phone down and engage.

If it's a gorgeous day and you just came from the beach and you think it's no big D that you haven't put your shirt back on, fuck off and put your shirt back on. I should NEVER have to see your nipples. Ever.

You know when you chuck your visa/mc/debit card/money at me? Don't ever, ever do that. If you do, I will throw your liquor at you. Guess who wins? Me.

If you ask me advice about what would go great with grilled halibut and I say Pinot Gris and you go "huh...what about Yellowtail Shiraz?"?, I will stop talking to you. Period.

If you come in and ask "Do you have any Yellowtail Shiraz?", I will stop talking to you. Period.

If you're underage, get out of my store. Just get out. I'm like a police dog and I was onto you the second you parked your parents mini-van in the parking lot.

If I ask you for ID you are allowed to have two reactions: flattered compliance or calm compliance. Anything else isn't going to make me change my mind that you are 18, in fact it only solidifies my suspicion. But go ahead and have that temper tantrum, threaten me, tell me over and over that the "other girl" sells to you all the time. It only solidifies my suspicion. You can leave now.

The pizza joint is around the other side of the building and no, I don't know what their hours are.

What are they building over there? A building. I don't know who owns it. I don't know when it's going to be done. I don't know what's moving in there. Yes, it is quite noisy. Thanks for reminding me.

Ok, I think that's it for now...oh! just a little pet peeve that's just really creepy and gross...people who carry a bottle around the store for 20 minutes and then bring it to the counter and I have to touch thier sweaty hand print on the bottle. Yech. *shudder*

In short (too late) be aware that the world spins around a huge axis somewhere buried deep within the earth's crust. Last time I checked you cannot be found there. As a result, the world does not revolve around you.

See you at the store!

x-g

Plans and Schemes....

So, today I started writing a business plan. I figure if my music is going to reach millions, I should get up before noon and put my pants on. So far, so good.

In the spirit of planning, I also have found joy in scheming..I mean, if I can skyrocket my career by just a little focus and some rolling out of changes..well think what I could do to my boyfriend?

So, the current struggle is our sleeping arrangements. I have my own home and so does he. I have a queen size bed. He has a child-size twin bed. This is an "upgrade" from when he didn't have a bed at all. So, in essence, I should be thankful. (?) I could go into all the reasons why I have put up with it for so long, mostly due to his hands down stellar personality and winning boyfriend skills (ahem)but that's neither here nor there at this point. When I broach the subject with him he simply states " I don't see what's so bad about it, I find it very comfortable...besides, beds are expensive." I know. I BOUGHT ONE.

But I digress...I needed to put a genius scheme into effect. You see, whenever I have the misfortune of spending the night in this lumpy, saggy, ancient mattress set, I have a "side". His side is against the wall so who do you think ends up on the floor every night? Yours truly. So, I simply stole into his bed the other night early, citing a legitimate tummy ache and proceded to occupy HIS side. Partly, because I couldn't BEAR the thought of another sleepless night and mostly because I knew one night on my "side" might be the push he needed to realize, this will not do.

I slept like a baby. He almost wordlessly left for work the next day. By the end of the day, on the phone to me, he says:

"Man, I had a thought this morning...you know, g, I might need to get a real bed."

You don't say.

Mission accompolished. Next is his bathroom. First we take Manhattan...then we take Berlin.

x-g

Genevieve joins masses with her "blog"

tra la la ... first blog...me.my.mo!