Dyke-folk with a kick! - Kate Reid - News

Kate Reid's Big News

Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Hello Everyone-
First of all, if you are new to my email list, a big welcome to you...thank-you so much for joining!

How are you all doing out there? I am well, I must say...loving the green and the fragrant air of spring hree in Vancouver. It just gets into my heart. I have been in the garden. Yesterday, I dumped manure and mixed it all in and then planted some onions, mint and various flowers. I have discovered that I can wear one shoe to help with the shoveling and have the other foot bare to feel the soil...that way, I only have one dirty foot to wash when I come inside! Like last year, I am on a mission to plant a veggie garden in our front yard, complete with corn this year...

And, I have been doing a ton of writing...I have a whole bunch of new songs and seriously, they just keep coming...what's going on here? It's so much fun and of course, for me, the endless worrier, quite a relief that I can still piece words and music together from the depths of my bizarre mind and wondering heart and come up with songs! Here are some of the titles...just to give you a wee idea of what's cooking: I'm Just Doing it for the Chicks, Boy's Club, Crying Holy, Traveling Light, Auto and Andy, Tie One On and Tie the Knot, Captain Cupcake and the Cambie Hotel, to name a few. I must say it helps to have a brand, new guitar...with whom I am in love. For those of you who are into guitars, it's a Martin...and I love it...you know, a new guitar is a really good thing. Yahoo!

Before I begin with my news, I want to invite you to a house concert being hosted in our home here in Vancouver. Here are the details below:
Patricia Sereno in Concert-Saturday, May 15
Patricia will be performing her beautiful, original compositions on her Harp. The show starts at 7pm and tix are $20-all proceeds go to Patricia in support of funding her upcoming recording. If you would like to attend, please email me back asap. We will provide the appies and the atmosphere. Bring your own drinks and enjoy an evening of sweet music by the fire in our livingroom!

Yukon Tour:
So, where do I start about the Yukon? My tour up there was incredible on many levels: the people, the space, the absolute beauty of the land...I had an amazing time up there. The hosts of the house concerts were so generous and hospitable. Thank-you to all of you who hosted the shows...it was great to meet you and share dinners with you! The folks that came out to the shows were so fun...thank-you to all of you who came out to see me sing my songs....and a huge shout out to the folks in Whitehorse and Dawson for your collective free spirits and raucous appreciativeness...is that word? (For the record, I learned that Whitehorse has the highest number of lesbians per capita in Canada...can that be true?? I for one, what aghast! Imagine my pleasant suprise....:-)

Anyways, I'm digressing....besides the shows, here are just a few of the many highlights from my trip: I met some amazing folks in Teslin who run a great summer vacation spot called Dawson Peaks Resort. I went to Liard Hotsprings with my host from Watson Lake and we saw a Bison herd on the road, a Northern Hawk Owl and many Rough-Legged Hawks. I saw Caribou driving back to Whitehorse, licking salt off the highway. This friendly, wild, old, mountain-cabin-dweller dude took me for a crazy dog-mush way out in the mountains near Annie Lake...within seconds of starting the run, I was on my face in the crusty snow wondering how the rest of the ride was going to be...it was a riot! I met a family way out in Haines Junction whose daughters play banjo and guitar-they are 7 and 12 years old! I drove with Remi, their 7 year old, out to Sheep Mountain to watch the Mountain Sheep come in for summer grazing. The Ravens in Whitehorse are devilish and amazing birds to watch. I saw many Eagles! I met a lovely lesbian couple in Carmacks (the only ones in that tiny town) who moved up north from Kingston, Ontario. I went to Dawson...a town that seems like it hasn't changed much since the days of the gold rush. The streets are dirt and there are boardwalks for sidewalks. The host of the show there took me to two of the local watering holes: Bombay Peggy's and The Pit. I flew to Old Crow, the most northern community in the territory and felt the anticipation of the people there who wait for the Caribou to come in every spring. I learned about many of the signs of spring in the Yukon: the Trumpeter and Tundra Swans that return by the thousands every year to mate (I saw these beautiful birds at a place called Swan Haven outside of Whitehorse...so much noise!!), the fuzzy crocuses that pop up through the brown grass, the Seagulls returning, the mud (!), the rivers breaking up(and the "river pools"-where people bet on when the river's ice will give away...I saw this on a sign-up sheet posted in the grocery store in Old Crow!), the Porcupine Caribou herd that numbers in the thousands that comes across the lands outside of Old Crow...I saw five Caribou while hiking with friends up on the mountain behind Old Crow, and the light...I couldn't believe it! The increase of daylight everyday was so significant, I noticed it's increasing presence each day! So many things I saw and felt in the Yukon. I don't know how many times I heard the story, "I came up for a couple of months in the summer and I never left..." It is a truly magical place. If any of you ever feel the pull to go up there, go for it. A huge thank-you to Home Routes in Winnipeg for organizing the tour and sending me up there!

Upcoming Shows, Tours and Festivals:

This Saturday, May 8th - Rhizome Cafe (This is an all-ages show!)
With Ottawa's Chris MacLean and Vancouver's Eirene Cloma
Chris' album, "Feet Be Still" won two awards at the 2008 Ontario Council
of Folk Festival Conference
317 East Broadway, Vancouver
Tix at the door: $10-15 sliding scale
Showtime: 8pm (Come early for dinner and a good seat...Rhizome is a warm space!)

Ontario Tour-
I'm heading to Ontario do some a bit of touring in May-June. As well, I have been putting together a workshop about homophobia, writing and music for schools. I will be doing a few of these workshops in several schools while I am in Ontario in May. I am looking forward to hanging out with the kids and doing some neat stuff there. Here are my upcoming dates and venues (there are more details on my website, if you want more info):

May 20-Syndeham United Church
Kingston, ON

May 25-ShishKabob Hut
Peterborough, ON

May 26-The Splice Restuarant and Lounge
Peterborough, ON

May 27-The Gladstone Hotel
Toronto, ON

May 28-Lion's Hall (Women's Dance)
Peterborough, ON

June 25-London Music Club
470 Colbourne Street
London, ON

PRIDES and Folk Festivals-

Campbell River PRIDE
Walk Away From Homophobia Day
Monday, May 17th, 5-8pm
Spirit Square, Campbell River, BC

Regina PRIDE
Saturday, June 19
With Jeffery Straker
Regina, SK

Grey Bruce PRIDE
Sunday, June 20th-2pm
Harrison Park Picnic Shelter
Owen Sound, ON

Toronto PRIDE-Dyke Day
Saturday, July 3-daytime event

Prince George PRIDE
July 6-8-various events
Prince George, BC

Islands Folk Festival, Duncan, British Columbia
July 23-25

Edmonton Folk Music Festival
August 5-8

That's it for now. I hope all is well in your respective worlds. Thanks for reading!
Over and out.....
Love,
Katexo

Voted Fave New Discovery of 2009 - Penguin Eggs Magazine critics. Sweet.
2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee, New/Emerging Artist of the Year.

www.katereid.net
www.myspace.com/katereidacoustic
www.youtube.com/katereidmusic
www.sonicbids.com/katereid2

Kate Reid's Big News

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Hello Excellent Folk Fans:

Well, it's been a while, people! How are you all? I hope you are well. I
must say, I've been hibernating...and loving it. But, I am glad spring is
here....time to start moving again. I can't wait to get in the garden but that will have to wait for another month because I am leaving for the Yukon this Thursday...more on that later. Let's jump in....

Whenever I doubt myself or think I should just "shut-up already" when I sing about being a lesbian and such related experiences, I am regularily reminded of the importance of what I do. Just today, I received an email from a youth who connected with me because he is struggling with being gay and is not out to his parents. I met him at a performance a while back and he emailed, asking to talk with me. Then, I was on YouTube a couple of hours ago when I came across all of these incredibly disturbing and
idiotic anti-LGBT videos. As well, I am sure many of you have heard about
Constance McMillen, the young woman in Mississippi whose highschool has
cancelled their prom because she wants to attend with her girlfriend as
her date and she wants to wear a tux. Her struggle continues. I get emails
from people who find my music out there and thank me for doing what I am
doing. I have connected with a very inspiring man I met at a festival last
summer who does amazing work as the artist-in-residence at a George Vanier Secondary Highschool in Ontario. His name is Spencer Harrison and he combines art with LGBT awareness-raising and discussion. Check out this
video-it is very moving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zdmcNrZ_KI. I
know a teenaged girl who got in trouble for wearing a necktie (can you
believe it??) on picture day...the photographer wouldn't take her picture.
Needless to say, she got the support of her school administration and got
her photo done. This cool girl has posters in her locker of of Amy Ray
(Indigo Girls), Libby Davies (East Van's NDP MP) and me! What a riot!

Anyways, it always makes me think that the fight for visibility and acceptance is far from over. It is especially true for our youth who are struggling to find themselves amidst all the social pressures of school and family. There are two really great camps out there that I know of for
LGBT youth: Camp FyreFly (http://www.fyrefly.ualberta.ca) and Camp Ten
Oaks (http://www.tenoaksproject.org). Pass it on!

I want to update you on my latest tour info and a couple of other things
so if you're ready, here we go!

I spent a week down in New Mexico at an incredible place called the New Mexico Women's Retreat. I stayed in an adobe casita (constructed by women) and spent the week writing and hiking in the 1,000 acres of desert. I came back to Vancouver with 7 new songs under my belt! For any women
interested, here is the link: http://www.nmwomensretreat.com. Jae is the woman who manages the land and does the bookings for the retreat. Truly inspiring.

My good friend, Tim Readman posted a video on YouTube and I am his back-up woman on guitar, harmonica and vocals. Tim's a mainstay on the Vancouver
folk scene and has been involved with various bands and projects. He wrote
a song called, "The Only Man with the Lesbians", a true story and a fun song about coming to one of my gigs here in Vancouver. If you want to see the vid, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtzN4h1Oir0.

Shows, Tours and Festivals:

Saturday, May 8th - Rhizome Cafe with Ottawa's Chris MacLean and Vancouver's Eirene Cloma
Chris' album, "Feet Be Still" won two awards at the 2008 Ontario Council
of Folk Festival Conference
317 East Broadway, Vancouver
Tix at the door: $10-15 sliding scale
Showtime: 8pm (Come early for dinner and a good seat!)

Yukon Tour-
Yes, the Yukon! I have been looking forward to this one for a while! I am doing a 11-date house concert circuit put on by a company out of Winnipeg called Home Routes. The tour will take me to Whitehorse, Dawson City, Watson Lake, Haines Junction, Teslin, Carmacks and Old Crow, a fly-in
community north of Dawson City. The tour runs from April 10-23 so if you happen to know anyone up there who might enjoy my music, pass them Tim Osmond's email for ticket and show info: tim@homeroutes.ca. Tim can also be reached at 1.866.925.6889 ext. 207.

Ontario Tour-
I will be doing some shows in Ontario tour in May-June. Here are the dates
and venues so far (there are more details on my website, if you want more
info):

May 22-Carrigan Arms
Burlington, ON

May 25-ShishKabob Hut
Peterborough, ON

May 26-The Splice Restuarant and Lounge
Peterborough, ON

May 28-Lion's Hall (Women's Dance)
Peterborough, ON

June 25-London Music Club
470 Colbourne Street
London, ON

Festivals:
I am performing at Edmonton Folk Music Festival (Edmonton, Alberta) this
summer. The festival runs from August 5-8. Yahoo.

I am performing at Islands Folk Festival (Duncan, British Columbia) this
summer. The festival runs from July 23-25. Yahoo again.

Get your PRIDE on, people! I'm performing at a few PRIDE festivals...big
and small..so rad! As more details come in, I will post them on my website. For now, it is confirmed that I will be performing at the
following:

Campbell River PRIDE
Walk Away From Homophobia Day
Monday, May 17th, 5-8pm
Spirit Square, Campbell River, BC

Regina PRIDE
Saturday, June 19
With Jeffery Straker
Regina, SK

Grey Bruce PRIDE
Sunday, June 20th-2pm
Harrison Park Picnic Shelter
Owen Sound, ON

Toronto PRIDE-Dyke Day
Saturday, July 3-daytime event

Prince George PRIDE
July 6-8-various events
Prince George, BC

This is super cool...Penguin Eggs (Canada's Folk, Roots and World Music
Magazine) voted me as their Favourite New Discovery of 2009. Linkage right
here: http://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/peggs.php?page=albumoftheyear

If you're into folk music, Penguin Eggs is a great mag. Here's the link to
the latest issue: http://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/peggs.php?page=thisissue

I also got another great review of my cd in HERizons magazine but damnit,
I can't find the link. :-/ Thanks to Penni(editor) and Cindy (music reviewer)!

For those of you who love social networking, yes, I'm on Facebook! I have
a regular page, not a "fan" page, so if you are inclined, I post gigs and updates there regularly...so come and find me! I also am on Twitter...good grief...who comes up with these names? If you want to follow me there, feel free!

Well, I think that's it for now. Thanks so much for sticking with me. I truly appreciate it. Keep on keeping on out there. Keep filling up your souls with fresh air, music and earth energy.
Over and out,
Katexo

Kate Reid's New Years News

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Warm greetings to all of you-

How are you all doing? I hope you have had a restful, relaxing and
enjoyable holiday season! I have some news and a few shows planned for
this winter but mainly for the next couple of months, I am
writing...there's a ton of ideas brewing in my brain.

I am currently working on several songs for a new album and also have
finished 2 new songs for the kids' album that I am interviewing,
researching and composing for....it's really exciting! It feels great (and
a relief, I must say!) to feel the creative urge surging inside of me
after working, for the most part lately, on the business side of being an
independent artist! So, my creative soul is filling up...getting a handle
on one of my new year's resolutions: to spend more time writing songs! :-)

Here are some things I would like to share with all of you.

Upcoming Shows:

Friday, January 8th - 8pm
The Communitea (#117-1001 6th Ave, Canmore AB)
$12 in advance/$15 at the door (www.thecommunitea.com)
With Cori Brewster and Lori Reid (The Fates)

Saturday, January 9th - 8pm
Nickelodeon Music Club (Cres. Heights Community Hall-1101 2nd St.,NW,
Calgary AB)
Price: $20.00 in advance (www.thenick.ca)
Opening for Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim

Sunday, January 10th - 8pm
Money Pennies (1742 10th Ave, SW, Calgary AB)
$12 in advance/$15 at the door
With Toni Vere

Sunday, January 17th - 8pm
Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir St.Vancouver BC)
$10 for non-members/$8 for members
With Ann Vriend

Sunday, January 31st - 7:30pm
Cafe Montemartre-Thundering Word (Main and 27th, Vancouver BC)
By donation
(I love this event produced by Bill and Wanda...it's always lots of fun
and Bill and Wanda are super sweet folks! I never turn them down when they
ask me to perform, if I can help it!)

Radioplay:
Many of you have been emailing or phoning me and telling me that you are
hearing my songs being played on GALAXIE Satellite Radio and it's true.
Roch
Parisien, the programmer, has been spinning my album so much that it made
the Top 40 Canadian albums of 2009!

Also, THIS WAY OUT Radio, in California chose my album as one of the Top
Ten albums of 2009. This Way Out is an internationally syndicated Lesbian/
Gay/Bi/Queer/Trans station that keeps us informed of LGBTQT issues around
the world, activism, music and more. JD Doyle is the programmer and a
great guy!

Press:
I was recently interviewed by Tim Readman for Penguin Eggs magazine,
Canada's folk music magazine. If you are interested in reading the
article, the link is below. (My name was on the front of the
magazine...right beside Dolly Parton's...my brush with fame! :-)

http://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/peggs.php?page=samplestory

Curve Magazine, a lesbian glossy mag from the USA, also did a review of my
cd, along with Catie Curtis and Sarah Bettens as the one of the top three
albums from 2009 to buy. I don't have the link and it's not posted on their website yet, but hard copies of the mag can be found in alternative
bookstores and major chain stores like Chapters.

Live Performance Vids:
Stephen Emery has filmed and posted a video of me performing "Uncharted
Territory" on Facebook. I will be posting it on my website. Grant Slavin
filmed me singing "Truckdriver" and "The Only Dyke at the Open Mic" in Prince George at Artspace back in November, 2009. It's up on my website.

New song recording:
Some of you may have heard me perform a song that I wrote this summer
called, "My Baby's in the Beer Tent Again". This song has been a new hit with my audiences. I am almost done recording it and I will be putting it on iTUNES in a few weeks.

Don't forget, if you are a social networkin' junkie: join me on Facebook,
Twitter, MySpace and YouTube, if you are into that sort of thing...swing
by and "friend" me! ;-)

That's it from here in my living room. Let's make this year and this decade count! It's going to be a good one. All the best to each of you for 2010.
Over and out....and yours in music,
Katexo

Kate Reid's Latest News from a Mouthy Dyke!

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Hello Everyone-
First of all, if you are new to this email list....welcome and thank-you for joining!! If you have been with me for a while ...thanks for sticking
around!

How are you all doing? I hope you are well. I am excited on many fronts. I
will try and keep this short but well...by now, you know me. :-)

I am home from a very busy 6 months and feeling creative. I have lots of
writing to do and ideas are busting through. I love winter because it's a
real chance for me to sit down and write. I sit in my chair by the window,
build a fire in the fireplace, make a pot of tea and just go for it...poetry, journaling, songwriting. I have been waiting for these long, dark nights for while. And the rain of the westcoast...I must say, I do
love it. Finding some way to express ourselves creatively is life-giving and important.

And, here is the latest news of my musical exploits:

Upcoming Shows:
Thursday, December 3rd - Logan's Pub (This is a fundraiser for Loudspeaker
Festival in Victoria-I will be doing a short set amongst a great line-up
of performers)
1821 Cook Street, Victoria, BC
8pm showtime, $10 at the door

Friday, December 4th - Solstice Cafe (I'm doing a full show here with
local act: Jennifer Louise Taylor and Co.)
529 Pandora Street, Victoria, BC
8pm showtime, $15 for adults/$7 for teens at the door

YouTube vids/Website vids:
I will be posting a couple of new, live videos of me singing my songs on
YouTube. If you want to subscribe to my YouTube videos, you can go to:
www.youtube.com/katereidmusic

Galaxie Folk Show/iTunes Gay Pride Canada Top Ten:
A friend of mine in Kamloops told me the other day that I made the iTunes
Top Ten Gay Pride Canada list...I'm not really sure what that means but it
sounds cool! I have yet to find that list on the internet...if someone can
help me out, that would be cool. I want to check it out.

Also, "I'm Just Warming Up" has been getting a lot of play on Galaxie Satelite Folk Music with host, Roch Parisien. It's been listed at #2 in the top ten Canadian folk albums...that's pretty awesome. I've met Roch
and he is a great guy.

Canadian Folk Music Awards:
Well, I didn't win...but who cares? It was such a thrill for me to be nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award-Best New/Emerging Artist of the Year. It was incredible to showcase at the CFMA and also to attend the gala/awards show. I met some really interesting folks and musicians and just had an all-around amazing time. There were so many stellar musicians who were nominated and the volunteers who run the CFMA pulled off two
killer evenings of folk music. The Good Lovelies received New/Emgering Artist of the Year and they are fabulous! Check them out at
www.goodlovelies.com!

Winter Projects:
I will be conducting interviews over the next few weeks for my upcoming
project: "Songs for Kids with Two Moms". I will be interviewing children
(and their parents) of lesbian households and then taking their stories
and writing them into songs for an album that I suspect will be released in two years. As well, I am continuing to write songs for a follow-up album to "I'm Just Warming Up".

Spring Tour:
In the new year, I will begin booking a spring tour of Ontario and Eastern
Canada for May and June, 2010. If any of you have any venues (including
house concert options) where you would like to see me perform, please let
me know! In fact, if I book a show at a place you suggest, I will gladly send you a complimentary cd in the mail!

Also-I am working on a European tour for the autumn of 2010. If anyone has any venue suggestions for me in Europe, that would be awesome, too!

That's it from here. All of my best to each of you. Have a wonderful weekend. Welcome December!

Yours in music,
Katexo

Kate Reid-News from The Canadian Road

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Hello Friends-
How are you all doing? I hope you are well. As I write this I am sitting in my hotel room in Regina, listening to the pigeons outside on my window sill, making their chatty cooing noises. I put the creamo that I bought for my coffee out on the window
ledge because there is no fridge in the room...perhaps they are curious about what
that little carton is all about! Their funny chortling is keeping me company....

Anyways, I just wanted to connect and give you an update of what's happening in my life as a dyke folksinger! I am doing my last show here in the Prairies before heading back to BC for a handful of shows. The tour has been fun and I have met some
very interesting people along the way and had some great audiences! Most of my time was spent in Ontario as well as Quebec and I must tell you that the fall colours of central Canada have, at times, taken my breath away! I have seen some truly stunning landscape. And, the sound and the smell that the brilliant leaves make as I walk through them reminds me of growing up in southern Ontario.

Some really great news here: I have been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award
in the New/Emerging Artist category! This is unbelievably thrilling for me...I cannot tell you how it feels to be recognized as a valuable musician in the Canadian folk music community. All my hard work and songwriting is paying off! I will be
attending the awards ceremony November 20-22 in Ottawa and will also be part of the showcase there. (For more deets and the list of nominees go to:
www.canadianfolkmusicawards.ca)

On the list of the Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel's most-played, high-rotation Canadian album releases for September 2009, my latest album, "I'm Just Warming Up" came in at #7! Roch Parisien, the programmer told me a couple of weeks ago that it's going to
move higher because it's been getting lots of airplay! How cool is that?

I am working on new songs for two different upcoming albums. Some of you may
remember the album idea I talked about for kids who are brought up in lesbian-headed households. Well, I have a long list of families who I will be interviewing upon my return to Vancouver which I am really looking forward to. And, I am also working on
ideas for another album to follow "I'm Just Warming Up". Lots of stuff is
percolating and I can't wait to see what comes....stay tuned for the tunes!

So, here are the dates of my final shows for 2009. I hope you can come to a show or at least pass on the info to friends you may have in the following communities:

Tuesday, Oct. 29-10pm
GLCR (2070 Broad St, Regina, Saskatchewan)

Wednesday, Nov. 4-8pm
Artspace (1685 3rd Street, Prince George, BC)
Tickets are selling fast, so get 'em by emailing Jim:

Friday, Nov. 6-8pm
Pat Beulah's House Concert (Summerland, BC-sold out)
e - pbeulah@live.ca, in case there is a cancellation and she can squeeze you in!

Saturday, Nov. 7-7pm
Hitching Post (90 Scott Street, Hedley, BC)
Reserve tickets b/c Hedley sells out, too: hitchingpost@nethop.net - Wilson is the
contact- $10 for the show/$30 for dinner show combo.

Tuesday, Nov. 10-7:30pm
Bluebird North - with host Shari Ulrich - guests Kate Reid, Amelia Curran, Valdy and Melissa Endean
Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre (corner of Pacific and Drake, Vancouver, BC)

Thursday, December 3-8pm
Logan's Pub (1821 Cook Street, Victoria, BC)
This is a fundraiser for a new, Victoria women's festival called
Loudspeaker Festival - produced by Andrea Routley. (I will be doing a short set this night.)
Friday, December 4-8pm
Solstice Cafe (529 Pandora Street, Victoria, BC)
(This will be a full show with a local, opening act.)

That's it from my pidgeon-friendly hotel here in Regina....see you all soon and have a wonderful rest of the year! A million thanks for coming to my shows, buying my music, sending me your letters, emails and messages! You rock my world.
Yours in music,
Katexo

Calling all children of lesbian parents!

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Hello Kind Folks and Folkmusic lovers-

How are you all doing? I hope you are all doing well: enjoying the autumn and feeling inspired in whatever you are doing. Summer is finally done for the year and I have gotten used to the fact that it's getting darker and colder, that things are slowing down and the earth is going to sleep. It is soon time to settle in and do some wondering, thinking, writing and creating. Part of me resists all of this and the other part of me longs for it.

At this time of year, I always try to sit quietly with the parts of me that I need to give up so that I can expand even more into my life
and my work as a folksinger. Its always a challenge: moving out the old stuff to make way for the new but it is important and necessary to
continue forward, you know what I mean?

I am having a fantastic time out on tour: meeting fun people, enthusiastic audiences and spending time in beautiful in Ontario in the autumn! (My one regret is that I am not home to help with the digging up the potatoes from the veggie garden in our front yard. It's like digging up treasure!)

NEW ALBUM-
On that note, I have a new project in the works! I spoke briefly about it in my last email blast and now I would like to tell you all about it. This past year has brought a lot of wonderful things. Specifically, I have enjoyed the fan mail and feedback I have received, especially from gay and lesbian folks, young people and children and their lesbian moms and how important my songs are to them.

These encounters and letters I have received have got me thinking about
children who grow up in lesbian homes. Further, it got me thinking about
how children in lesbian homes have their own stories to tell about their experiences of living in -please forgive the phrase-"alternative" homes. I
decided that I would like to write an album specifically for children with lesbian parents.

As such, I will be interviewing children, of any age, who have lesbian parents: to get their stories, experiences, anecdotes....anything that
they would like to share with me about what it is like to be a child of lesbian parents. Then, (without the use of names so as to protect
privacy) I will turn their stories into songs for an album entitled, "Songs for Kids with Two Moms".

So, this is a call out to you to please put me in contact with any children and/or mothers who might be interested in being interviewed by me. Email is the best way to contact me and I will organize interviews
from there. I am thrilled about the opportunity to meet and talk with kids
and hear what they have to say. I already have started some interviews and some writing...it's just going to be so inspiring and I have no doubt, a lot of fun!

TOUR UPDATE-
Just a couple of new dates added to the "I'm Just Warming Up" Tour this
fall (please check my website, www.katereid.net, for full tour deets):

Thursday, Oct. 8-9pm
Carden Street Cafe
40 Carden Street, Guelph ON
519.837.2830 (cardenstreet@hotmail.com)

Thursday, Oct. 22-8pm
The Rankin Gallery
3248 Round Lake Rd, Inverary ON
(For tix, email Al at: as.rankin@sympatico.ca)
631.353.6650

Friday, Oct. 23-10pm
The Mansion
506 Princess Street, Kingston ON
613.531.0003

Plus really cool news-I have received word that I am booked to play at the
Edmonton Folk Music Festival, 2010! So, I will see you in Edmonton next
August. What a total kick...I have dreamed of playing that festival!

Thanks again for all your support in all the forms you give it....thank-you....always. I do read all your emails and still have some replys to do...I haven't forgotten you. Don't forget, please send any
interested interviewees my way for the new project!

All the best....over and out!
Yours in music,
Katexo

Summer 09 Update, Exciting News and "I'm Just Warming Up" Fall Tour, Sept./Oct.

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Hello Everyone:
Well, summer seems to be inching ever closer into fall and what a summer it has been! I hope this email all finds you well and enjoying yourselves out there. I will try and keep this brief, as lots of you know, I can be a woman of many words! :-) I suppose if I did these emails more often, they wouldn't end up being so freakin' long....

In this email, I have included and update on my summer, some exciting news and my fall tour dates.

Summer update:
This summer I had the amazing fortune to perform at the Vancouver Island Music Festival, The Vancouver Folk Music Festival and Hillside Festival in Guelph. What an amazing time I had at these festivals”¦I can barely tell you! It was so cool for me to share the stage with some outstanding musicians: d’bi young, James Keelaghan, Eekwol, Basia Bulat, Women in Docs, Great Lake Swimmers, Dan Mangan, Bop Ensemble-including Bill Bourne”¦to name a few!
At the Vancouver Island Music Fest, I became inspired to write a new song which I did. I finished it a week later at 1:30 in the morning, the night before my performance at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and a friend of mine convinced me to play it that night on the main stage, never having played it in front of an audience, certainly not thousands of people! But, not wanting to back down from a challenge, I thought, “What the hell? I have nothing to lose”¦right?” So, in light of this summer’s politics surrounding the first ever beer tent at the VFMF, I played “My Baby’s in the Beer Tent Again” to cheers and a rousing applause. It’s destined to become a festival classic!! ;-) Hillside Festival was no less exciting. I first discovered Hillside while attending University of Guelph, way back before I was even considering writing and singing music. Somewhere inside of me, I was yearing to be on the stages there. My show was a complete blast. The tent was packed and the audience embraced my music like they had known me for years. They gave me a raucous standing ovation”¦what a rush! All three festivals were the highlights of my year so far.

Exciting News:
My exciting news is that I got accepted to the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Conference this October in Ottawa for an official showcase! For those of you who don't know, OCFF brings together talent buyers, folk music industry people, festival artistic directors, campus and co-op radio show hosts, musicians and basically all things folk music for an annual weekend conference of workshops, musical showcases and networking. It's a 4-day folk music meat market/schmoozefest and it's a lot of fun! Official showcase attendees, such as myself, are selected from hundreds of applicants to perform for a half hour hoping to get our names and music out there to get more gigs...more work! So, I am very fortunate to have been selected and am thrilled to be able to see what possibilities are out there for me to spread the dyke folk love!

Fall Tour:
I have been very busy for the past several months booking my fall tour in support of my latest album, I'm Just Warming Up". Here are the dates below. I am still working on a few more dates but these are the dates so far. If you know somebody in any of the towns on the list who you think might enjoy my show, please don't hestitate to pass on this email...with huge thanks from me! There are more details about the shows on my websites.

BC
Saturday, Aug. 29th-The Black Box Theatre, Kelowna (Presented by the Kelown Women's Centre) BC

ALBERTA
Sunday, Aug. 30-Money Pennies, Calgary AB
Wednesday, Sept. 2-Henotic Restuarant and Lounge, Lethbridge AB
Thursday, Sept. 3-The Soda, Calgary (A Miscellaneous Youth Network Event)
Friday, Sept. 4-Prism Bar and Grill, Edmonton AB
Saturday, Sept. 5-Velvet Olive, Red Deer AB
Monday, Sept. 7-Ironwood Stage and Grill, Calgary AB

BC
Wednesday, Sept. 9-Victoria Event Centre, Victoria BC
Thursday, Sept. 10-The Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan BC
Friday, Sept. 11-The Cambie, Nanaimo BC
Saturday, Sept. 12-The Roxy Theatre, Gabriola Island BC
Sunday, Sept. 13-The Lion's Hall, Saltspring Island BC

ONTARIO and QUEBEC:
Saturday, Sept. 19-Ohio Lesbian Fest-(www.ohiolba.org)
Sunday, Sept. 20-Ohio Lesbian Fest-(www.ohiolba.org)
Wednesday, Sept. 23-Big Mama's Boy, Toronto ON
Thursday, Sept. 24-Slack's, Toronto ON
Friday, Sept. 25-The Spill, Peterborough ON (A Peterborough Pride Event)
Sunday, Sept. 27-Owen Sound Farmhouse concert (email me for tix, if interested)
Saturday, Oct. 3-The Yellow Door, Montreal QE
Friday, Oct. 9-The London Music Club, London ON
Sunday, Oct. 11-The Tranzac, Toronto ON (with Evalyn Parry)
Wednesday, Oct. 14-Amazing Coffee-Madoc ON
Thurs, Oct. 15 to Sunday, Oct. 18-OCFF Conference, Ottawa ON
Sunday, Oct. 18-Acoustic Grill, Picton ON
Monday, Oct. 19-The Rainbow Bistro, Ottawa ON (with Sarah MacDougall and Ariana Gillis)
Thursday, Oct. 22-The Red Canoe Cafe, Wilno ON
Friday, Oct. 23-Amherst Island Lodge, Amherst Island ON (tentative)

THE PRAIRIES
Tuesday, Oct. 27-The Park Theatre, Winnipeg MN
Thursday, Oct. 29-The GLCR, Regina SK

BC:
Wednesday, Nov. 4-Artspace, Prince George BC
Friday, Nov. 6-Summerland Cherry Farmhouse concert, Summerland BC (email me for tix, if you are interested)
Saturday, Nov. 7-The Hitching Post, Hedley BC (with Pascale Goodrich-Black)
Tuesday, Nov. 10-Bluebird North at the Roundhouse, Vancouver BC (with Shari Ulrich and friends)

Whew....that was a lot...even to type!! ;-]

So, thanks for sticking with me and reading all of that. I appreciate your support in all the forms it arrives to me...thanks for keeping me going! I am taking the day off to go hiking in Garibaldi Park tomorrow...I can't wait to see some alpine splendor. I hope summer has been a fun-filled and relaxing time for you all. See you out there in the big world!
Over and out,
Katexo

Big News from a Mouthy Dyke!

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Hi Everyone:
How are you all? I hope you are well. Well, I had grand plans of sending out one newsletter each month but I sidetracked myself with other things...cd recording, working at my day job and booking shows. I find myself longing for solitude, some time out there in the trees and the spacious air, listening to the world come alive again after winter. I
can't wait to get into the mountains...I can't wait for the snow to melt up there and get my feet on the earth. Sometimes, my soul aches for that. But, the Eagles are coming back to Vancouver and that always gives me hope for what is to come...

And, I am excited. I have some great news! I don't know if I told you all this in my last newsletter but if I did...well, it's so cool, I will say it again: I got confirmed to play Vancouver Folk Fest this summer! And, not only that, I also just got confirmed to play Hillside Festival in Guelph....this is huge! I remember back in the days before I played music, in the 90's, and I went to Hillside a couple of times and dreamed about
living that life: playing my own music at festivals in the summer. This is truly unbelievable for me. I got invited back to Edmonton Pride, too...very cool. I love Edmonton.

Here are some of my upcoming shows:

Friday, April 24th-Summerland House/Farm Concert, Summerland: with Pascale Goodrich-Black
Email: pbeulah@live.ca for tix and info

Saturday, April 25th-Stand Up and Sing at the Sugar Shack, Nelson-8pm Go to: www.missquincy.net/sugarshack

Saturday, May 2-Habitat, 2448 Leon Street, Kelowna-8pm

Tuesday, May 5-Vancouver Rowing Club-6pm
Go to: www.singaround.com for details

My calendar is filling up with shows I am booking for my cd release so check it out if you want. (www.katereid.net)

And last but so not least, my second cd is coming together! And, I am
preselling the cd, just like I did with my first cd. If you would like to buy one, please email me your name and mailing address and I will mail you a signed copy when it's complete. It is $23 per copy (includes postage).
These funds will go towards finishing this project and getting it out there in the world!

I have been very fortunate to have had some great donations come in so far
which has helped a lot in getting this thing off the ground. It has felt truly amazing for me to receive support from all of you...in all the ways you can do it-whether its funds, emails, letters, kind words. It reminds me that it's important what I do and what I sing about.

On that note-I feel like I am doing something good when a young lesbian comes up to me after a show and tells me a story about how she heard my music and came out and how she hasn't taken my cd out of the player since she bought it. We all need a voice. And, I am still finding mine, in my
songs, and sharing it with all of you. So, it's a mutually healing experience, this songwriting thing.

Thanks so much to all of you! You keep me going!
All the best...see you soon out there,
Kate ;-)

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

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Kate Reid News. This one's lengthy but loaded, my friends!

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Hello Everyone:

Grab your fave beverage and sit down”¦this is a long one but lots of cool stuff here”¦if you can spare the time!

Three shows and hanging with Ferron:
What can I say, people? You rock. For those of you who made it out to the WISE Hall on Sunday, November 16th, thanks for coming to see me realize one of my dreams: to do a show with a mentor of mine, Ferron. I was in folksinger heaven. The show was high energy and entertaining: Ferron was her usual amazing self and it was great to see so many friends and fans in the audience. Thank-you so much for coming to the show! For those of you who weren't there, I did receive your emails and appreciate your well wishes!

After the WISE Hall, I summoned up some more courage (gulp!) to phone Ferron and ask her if I could open for her for her next shows on Saltspring and Pender Islands and then attend her writer's workshop on Pender for the weekend. She said "yes"! So, I skipped my day job, took a floatplane to Saltspring (so cool!) and again, the shows were incredible. Ferron loved my song "Rise Up" so much-that’s the one I wrote about how I felt after declining her offer to come to her place in Michigan in the summer of 2007...it will be on my next album. As you can imagine, I was flattered beyond belief. Of course, now, I have some more dreams in the works but I can’t really tell you about that now”¦if you are interested, stay tuned?!

While on Pender, I spent the weekend in Ferron’s writing workshop with a group of wonderful women and also with friends of Ferron-very inspiring and generous people on Pender Island-Sharon Jinkerson-Brass, her husband, Victor Reece and their very good friend, Georgina Weber. Sharon and Victor are the creative genius behind Big Sky Multi-Media and Storytelling Society which creates stunning and innovative performances of Native story through theatre, dance, mask and song. Sharon, Victor and the Big Sky members are incredibly talented and passionate about what they do. They have big plans and I am sure they would love your support. They will be at Vancouver's Talking Stick Festival this February 2009. You can check them out at www.bigskymultimediastorytellingsociety.com. Georgina Weber owns and is the chef at Pender Island's best restaurant, Islander's Restaurant. Georgina fed us all weekend with her killer culinary creations! If you are ever on Pender Island, don't miss Georgina's awe-inspiring meals and hospitality (250.629.6682 for reservations or online at www.islandersrestaurant.com). You will not be disappointed!!

Women in the Round Tour:
Next on my list of news, my tour with Sarah MacDougall and Joanna Chapman-Smith as Women in the Round. During our 6-week tour we had some great adventures, met wonderful and hospitable people, spent time with friends and family and rocked our shows! Our tour took us from Gabriola and Saltspring Islands all the way to Montreal. Sarah, Jo and I have a blast on stage together and really enjoyed all the different venues in Eastern Canada that we performed at. It was great to back each other up with harmonies, harmonica, clarinet, melodica and the occasional kazoo solo! And, lots of laughs”¦as always! We stayed with friends and generous folks along the way: Kareno and Kimi on Saltspring, Carolyn and Diana on Gabriola, Ellen of Summerland, Shirley and Dan of Gold Mountain RV Park in Hedley, Eva in Nelson, Allie in Lethbridge, Steve in Calgary, Tina and Julie in Edmonton, Kamala in Winnipeg, our families in the Toronto area and Mel and Laura in Ottawa. I had the pleasure of opening up for Po’Girl at Hugh’s Room in Toronto and doing a solo show in Winnipeg at Club 200. A massive thank-you to all of you who opened your homes to us”¦it makes touring so much nicer to spend time with friends and family along the way. And, a big thanks to Joanna’s father for the use of his car to get around Ontario and Quebec”¦thanks so much! I must say that our show in Waterloo was a blast from the past, seeing old friends from high school and my good, old party days was a blast. Thanks so much to all of you who came out to the shows! It’s been a long time since I have been back to Ontario and what a great way to come back.

Women in the Round at OCFF:
Sarah, Jo and I also attended the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals conference in Ottawa where tons of musicians and folk industry folks meet to do all things folk music. We shared a hotel room with a musician friend of mine, Sarah Calvert of Toronto...our room looked like a tornado hit it during the day but at night, it transformed into a live music venue with performances by myself, Sarah Mac, Joanna and Sarah Calvert. We generated some great buzz at the conference for our music, saw some amazing and inspiring acts and met lots of people.

Performing at Vancouver Island Folk Music Festival 2009:
Out of our weekend at OCFF, Women in the Round got rave reviews for our show and got invited to perform at the Vancouver Island Folk Music Festival for the upcoming summer, July 10-12, 2009. We are thrilled about this!

New songs from my upcoming cd:
As you may know, I am working on my second cd. I aim to release it late in spring of 2009, in time for the summer. I will be posting a few new songs on my website and Myspace (and maybe Facebook, if I get around to it!! Damn.) so you can get a taste of what is to come. So, check back for new songs posted.

Fundraising plans for my new cd:
I have also dreamed up a couple of ideas to help me fundraise for the making of the cd. As I did with my debut cd, I am currently pre-selling my next cd on my website and at shows. There are instructions for pre-purchasing cds on the “Buy” page of my website if you would like to help out. I will sign each pre-perchased cd, of course and include the purchase number on the cd.

And...the kick-ass fundraising idea is-you can have a real hand in helping me with this project by purchasing studio time for me! More details can be found on the “Buy” page of my website. I have prizes for each increment of money, including signed posters and cds all the way up to dinner out with me in a city near you. Can you help?

The Laramie Project in Vancouver:
I recently attended The Laramie Project-a play that was written about the story of Matthew Sheppard: the young, gay man who was savagely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die outside of the town of Laramie, Wyoming in October 1998. The Laramie Project was put on by Fighting Chance Productions and performed at Havana on Commercial Drive. Lord Byng Secondary School of the Vancouver School Board, also put on a production of the Laramie Project this month. Watching the play brought home the ever-present reality of how much homophobia there still is in the world: in Canada, the USA and certainly across the world-there are many countries where homosexuality is still illegal, indeed, punishable by death in some countries. While we are extremely privileged to have lesbian and gay rights including legal marriage here in Canada, that does not mean we are free of homophobia and the violence acts are spawned from this fear and hatred of GLBT people. I thought of all of the dykes, just a few decades ago, who used get dragged out of the women’s bars, beaten and raped. I thought of Aaron Webster of Vancouver who was brutally beaten and murdered by a group of men in 2001. I thought of Jordan Smith of Vancouver who was beaten by two men this past summer and had to have his jaw wired shut. I thought of my friend who was beaten and had her ribs broken by a man outside of a Vancouver bar. I thought of my own experience with my first girlfriend’s brother who chased us out of the house in the middle of the night, trashed my truck, threatening and yelling homophobic insults at us. It reminded me of how far we have come but how incredibly far we still have to go. It reminded me that what I sing about is important-no matter who tells me that it’s too much, too lesbian-focused or whatever opinion they have about what I do. It reminded me to keep going.

House Concert Donation for Vancouver AIDS organizations:
Like last year, I donated an acoustic house concert as a silent auction prize to one of Vancouver’s largest fundraising nights for finding a cure for AIDS-The Fowl Supper. This evening is a huge annual dinner and silent auction with wild and fun entertainment on by the Fillmore Foundation to raise money for three Vancouver AIDS/HIV organizations, The Dr. Peter Centre, Lovin’ Spoonful and McLauren Housing Society. The silent auction, of which I was a part, raised $11,000.00! The dinner and entire evening raised thousands of dollars as well! It's an incredibly successful event.

Chix with Picks XMAS-Sunday, December 7 at 7pm:
Trigger of Girlgigs Productions here in Vancouver is hosting her annual Chix with Picks XMAS where she gathers a whole gaggle of Vancouver women musicians together to play their tunes and raise money for the Positive Women’s Network. Bring a non-perishable food or bath item to donate. I will be there! It’s a great time for a great cause”¦always packed! (The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver)

Well, that’s it for now. There was so much to share with you all so I thank-you for taking the time to read it! I will keep you posted on how the album is coming”¦I have some dreams and ideas in the works.

Once again, thank-you so much for all of your support, in whatever way, shape or form. I appreciate every last word and gesture”¦it helps me do my thing!

Yours in life and music, Kate