Do you even lift?
Arm day in Holland Landing tonight at the Garage Series Concerts 💪
22- BELLEVILLE, ON House concert
23- OTTAWA, ON Red Bird Live @redbirdlive *SOLD OUT*
24- GUELPH, ON The Arboretum, University of Guelph opening for @stevepoltz@uogarboretum
25- CLARENDON, QC Little Red Wagon Winery @lrw_winery
26- MCDONALD’S CORNER, ON MERA - McDonalds Corners/Elphin Recreation & Arts @meraschoolhouse
30- KINGSTON, ON The Spire opening for Steve Poltz
@thespirekingston
#momrock #swamplicks
I was backstage tuning my guitar, listening to the names of my brilliant fellow nominees for @canadianfolkmusicawards English Songwriter of the Year - Mia Kelly, Shane Pendergast, AHI, and Suzie Ungerleider, standing a few feet from one of my all-time songwriting heroes, Stephen Fearing. A few seconds later, I hope I said something like this:
Songwriting changed my life. It has turned me into a hungry explorer of what it means to be human, and given this Only Child brothers and sisters that I cherish.
Every Canadian ought to be proud of this country's contribution to song; storytelling is one of the few safe havens of truth in these times, and our writers are world-class. I am truly honored and grateful to have a seat at their table.
Thank you to my fellow nominees for giving this award its weight, to the CFMA jury, to the songwriters who have been my close company since long before I tried to write; to the people who tune in and tweak my ideas and tolerate me chasing rabbits (especially my home team!), and to the next generation of new writers who are already shining and raising the bar.
There just isn't anything else I'd rather do. 🧡
Last-minute photos by Ryan Lindsey 📸
Off the Record...a scary idea, and beautiful surprise that I couldn't have imagined.
Thank you Red Bird Live once again for a room full of love. 🧡
#imagine #coversong #rulebreaking #livemusic
When my beloved friend Stewart Legere rang me up about joining the Zuppa annual concert lineup again with the theme "Pennies From Heaven," this song was my immediate choice. Stew (who happens to be one of the greatest living voices and humans) and I last sang together at a rally outside the legislature here in Nova Scotia a few months ago to protest drastic cuts to arts and culture funding.
Making art for a living is a robust and challenging exercise all at once. It relies on support from the top down and the ground up. To the audiences who come out to live experiences in theatre and music, thank you for helping the Zuppa family to live and play and create and grow with this province as its home soil. To artists like MLA Susan Leblanc of Dartmouth North who are working on the inside to protect the arts, THANK YOU.
We have so much here to stand for. Long live Zuppa.
🧡
#everythingisfree
#gillianwelch
#supportthearts
Back on the promotional horse, we are, with news that the ONLY place to be on May 22,23,24 is in Norris Point, Newfoundland! You'd be daft to be anywhere else.
Trails, Tales, Tunes...and perhaps even more!
#newfoundland #trailstalestunesfestival
This might be my favourite photo of my Ma and me, taken by our friend @davidfrancey . Having a laugh, bellies full, probably shocked by something the other one said, surprised by these new adventures together. Thank you for being there through all the chapters of my life, Ma. We're even Facebook friends now - there's no stopping us! 🧡
My little buddy Sparky came on tour with me to raise awareness for Trigeminal Neuralgia, a painful rare facial nerve condition that has been part of my life since 2022. TN affects less than 0.3% of the population. I've been lucky to manage it with meds so far, but many aren't so fortunate, and the severity can change without warning.
Sparky and I are sending a message of hope and encouragement for people living with TN and those who support them.
If you would like to add your support, consider donating to TN Warrior Racing or the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of Canada. And follow @macdaddytheladyface for an honest and inspiring look at life with TN - she is a hero!
Happy trails, Sparky 🩵
#trigeminalneuralgiaawareness
#tnwarrior
#trigeminalneuralgiawarrior
Tour of duty has officially ended for this crew 🫡
When you take your mother with you on tour, sometimes you feel like a kid again, and sometimes you feel like the parent. But at its best, it is hours spent recounting embarrassing family moments, plowing through snacks, having snoring contests, and collecting stories that no one else will ever really understand.
We are so grateful for the people along the way who added to those stories, gave us hot meals and comfy beds, and welcomed us like family.
There are lots of ways to measure the success of a tour beyond the numbers - laughs, tears, miles, goosebumps, moments where you look into someone's eyes onstage and know you're both really feeling something. That counts, so much. They are what make me feel like the luckiest gal around to have stumbled into this job.
Thank you to everyone who keeps making these moments possible by hosting shows and buying tickets and bringing friends. You are the special sauce. Big thanks to the team at I Book Shows for the game plan and the fine print.
And finally, thanks to Ma for opening up to the idea that running around singing songs might actually be an ok way to spend one's time. You earned your salt, kid. Love ya, toodleloo 🧡
What a perfect way to end this Ontario run, in a truly stunning venue singing one of my favorite songs with someone I enjoy so much. Thank you to Al Rankin for the invite, Brenda for the Thai, our tech wizards Rob and Patrick, the stunning Spire, Liz the Wonder Woman (and documentation), and dear Steve Poltz for a seriously good hang in a room of happy new faces. He's a one-man game of Chinese checkers, that guy. I love this job. Time for a TimBit to start the exodus back home. 🧡
