Make Just a Ripple

A couple weeks ago I took the stage for my latest solo show, The Difference a Year Makes at the Flying Beaver Pubaret. 

It was wonderful and therapeutic and empowering to be onstage, doing what I love and talking about the changes I've made over the last year.

One of the songs that resonated most deeply in the show was 'She Used to Be Mine' which Sara Bareilles has been writing for the musical adaptation of the movie 'Waitress'. From the first time I heard the song, I knew it would be a perfect fit for the show. "It's not simple to say, most days I don't recognize me..." is all too familiar a feeling. At the end of last year when I was incredibly unhappy in my job and realizing that I wasn't doing the things in my life that I was actually passionate about, I became a fraction of myself. 

Leaving that job, realigning my priorities, creating balance, nourishing my body and working actively on the relationships in my life have been a huge part of my transformation this year. It hasn't been sunshine, rainbows and unicorns 24/7, but it has been empowering and all kinds of awesome most of the time. I am living the life I want to live and that's the very best feeling. 

"Make just a ripple, come on be brave. This time a ripple, next time a wave! Sometimes you have to start small, climbing the tiniest wall. Maybe you're going to fall, but it's better than not starting at all"

-Everybody Says Don't, Stephen Sondheim

I hear that the show spurned some conversations about following one's dreams and focusing on the things that make people the happiest, which is really awesome. For a long time I believed that those things had a place in my life, but fit into a smaller part of my personal 'pie of life'. Pursuing your passions can be scary, but even taking just a small step in that direction can have a HUGE impact on your life. Fear of failure, fear of success, guilt, anxiety and all sorts of other things can stand in our way, but unless you try, you'll never know. 

Thanks to everyone who came to the show, sent well wishes, flowers and tweets - I couldn't be more grateful and appreciative. Thanks to the Pubaret for being wonderful hosts once again. Thanks to Giustin for being an incredible musical director and confidante throughout the process of creating the show. And thanks to Corbin for the beautiful photos and ongoing support, encouragement and love. 

The Difference a Year Makes

Last summer I did a show called "I Know it's Today" which was all about boys, dating, relationships and everything that's happened since that time I was engaged. At the time of the show, I had no idea that my life was about to change substantially in all sorts of ways, both personally and professionally.

Now, I've had my share of massive changes over the last five years from leaving jobs (to go to other jobs, attend nutrition school or due to changes in the job itself), starting new jobs, finding a balance of where performing fit into my life, dating people and figuring out what I was looking for in a partner, trying out new things and figuring out what I wanted to be doing with my life. But last year was different.

A year ago I was working in a job that I was quickly beginning to realize wasn't a good fit for me while commuting to Mississauga (1.5 hours each way) 5 days a week. It started to take a toll on my mental health and I was not a happy person. While this was all happening, I was building a new relationship with someone,who (thankfully) was patient, helpful and loving while I was trying to manage a whole lot of stress and some big decisions. I was just about to audition for a show that would go up in January, but had to turn down some other auditions because they didn't fit into my life.

On December 30, 2013, I made some huge changes and almost a year later, my life couldn't be more different.

Right now I'm busy rehearsing for two shows, auditioning more regularly, working at a part time job 10 minutes from my house and doing other work that has flexible timing and location. I have time for the things that are important in my life and have cultivated a great deal of balance. I continue to build an incredible relationship with a partner who remains patient, helpful and loving. Thankfully, I'm now in a place where I feel that I can contribute equally to our growth and love. I have time to work out and nourish my body and spend time with the amazing people in my life.

It's truly amazing the difference a year can make, and next Friday at 9pm I'm going to be sharing more about the things I've experienced and the changes I've made in my show, The Difference a Year Makes (or How to Quit Your Job, Fall in Love and Live the Life of Your Dreams) at the Flying Beaver Pubaret.

Withe the help of mega talented Music Director, Giustin MacLean, I'll be singing songs and telling stories about the crazy year that I've had, how I decided to make those big changes and everything that has happened as a result!

Tickets are available for $15 in advance or $20 at the door either online or at the Pubaret. I would love to see you there so you can help me celebrate the difference a year can really make!

If you were doing a show about how YOUR life has changed over the last year, what song(s) would be required on the set list?

NXNE 2014 favourites

Since NXNE ended on Sunday, I've seen a lot of posts about what people liked / didn't like / thought could be better / the end of the short-lived radius clause. I was lucky to win some wristbands from My Apollo (thank you!) and wanted to post some of my own highlights from the last week.

Donovan Woods
Corbin introduced me to Donovan Woods early in our relationship and I instantly adored Donovan's smooth voice and brilliant storytelling (and Corbin's good taste in music). I saw a tweet from Donovan during the festival saying that he was playing at the Dakota and I was stoked! The Dakota is one of my favourite small venues in the city and I was pleased to be able to see Donovan live finally.

I nabbed a seat right next to the stage and got to enjoy sweet tunes and Donovan's endearing and engaging stage banter including requests to ensure he drank enough water and a story about a song he wrote for a guy who had found out that his ex had gotten engaged through Facebook to try and win the gal back. He played a mix of old and new (mostly sad songs, to his own admission) and I really enjoyed the simplicity of his set: just him, his guitar and harmonica. He didn't play one of my favourites, The Coldest State, so I'll leave the video below because it's charming.

Autre Ne Veut

Autre Ne Veut was actually the artist I was most looking forward to seeing when I got my wristband. I've been a fan of Arthur Ashin's smooth vocals for about a year and have sadly missed his previous visits to Toronto. I had a much-needed giggle before the show after a terrible bicycle ride to the venue (more on that in another post) when the man himself tweeted back at me, making no promises for the show making it up to me for my terrible ride. Thankfully, he delivered! 

I really enjoyed his energy, onstage persona, killer backup singer and vocals. While I worry for the sake of his voice (there was a lotta yelling happening) I was enthralled by his set. Autre Ne Veut was followed by 'secret act' of the night Sleigh Bells and I left after a couple of songs because apparently 'noise pop' is more noise than anything else and I just wasn't into it (and apparently I wasn't alone)
tUnE-yArDs

I read an article about tUnE-yArDs and Merrill Garbus at the beginning of the festival and after getting a recommendation from a friend I decided to check out her set at Massey Hall. I'm so glad that I did because their set ended up being my very favourite thing I saw! Having Massey Hall as a venue is really awesome and provided a wonderful platform for Merrill and her band's energy. She recorded loops live, sang, clapped and drummed with another percussionist, guitarist and two back up singers/dancers alongside her. My new aspiration in life is to be a backup singer for Merrill. I'm not even joking. The whole crowd was standing by the second song, and she commented on everyone's polite Canadian nature when she was recording her loops for each track. It was an incredible performance that I'm so glad I got to witness and very cool to have discovered a stellar new-to-me artist. 

What were you faves from NXNE?

Love List - June

I'm so pleased that summer is here! In an effort to get some regular posts happening on the bloggy, I'm beginning a monthly series of my current loves including any places, sounds, treats and things that are making me happy. Here's June:

My new bicycle
I finally took the plunge and ordered a new bicycle!!

My previous bike was a beach cruiser that was too heavy and clunky for daily commuting and fun rides anywhere but the boardwalk. I opted for a Bobbin, and she arrived from England(!!) a couple of weeks ago. There will be a whole post dedicated to her in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! She is absolutely gorgeous. 

Royal Wood

Corbin and I went to see Royal Wood (with Peter Katz) a few weeks ago at the Winter Garden Theatre as I had bought him tickets for Christmas. It was well worth the wait! It was an incredible night and so awesome to see such talented musicians play stellar music. I'm loving Royal's new album, The Burning Bright. 

Pretty manis and pedis

Summer means open-toed shoes which means a sweet excuse for a pedicure. I got to pay a visit to the new location of The Ten Spot in the Annex last week and am enjoying my sweet gel mani and pedi. Purple and sparkles go with everything, right? 

OPI 'Don't be a Budapest' on my toes and Gelish 'Oocha Coocha Bing Bang Bam Alakazy Alakazam' on my fingers 

The Kind Exchange

The Kind Exchange recently opened a location on the Danforth and it's already becoming one of my very favourite places to shop. You can bring any unwanted clothes, accessories and shoes and the store's buyers will decide which of your pieces they would like to take and offer cash or a store credit in return. The store's inventory is then made up of other people's items at really great prices, with a portion of the proceeds going to local charities. My favourite finds have included brand new Dr. Marten's with floral insides and ribbon laces (for $45!!) and an adorable poodle dress that one of my co-workers spotted on The Kind Exchange's instagram  

New items are constantly being added, and the Danforth location's small size makes it easy and fun to shop. There are locations all over Toronto now with all different merchandise, which is awesome! 

The return of the summer of popsicles

I see many more popsicles in our future and I couldn't be happier. 

Trips to Target with Lindsay

Linz and I have started a new tradition where we take visits to Target to a) pick up anything we need and b) kick the blues if we're having a bad day. Our adventures have been hilarious so far... more to come. 

What's making you happy in June so far?

Birds of Bellwoods

Toronto is lucky to be home to to so many fantastic bands and music venues, and a few weeks ago I got to visit a new-to-me place to see a band with a brand new name. Habits Gastropub played host to the newly coined Birds of Bellwoods, featuring Stevie Joffe on mandolin and vocals, Adrian Morningstar on guitar and vocals, Kintaro Akiyama on Upright Bass and Backup Vocals, and Chris Blades on Banjo and Backup Vocals.

The night opened up with a trio of opening acts with the standout being Kenisha Humber. The gal has an incredible set of pipes and wowed the crowd with her vocal abilities and awesome vibe. I was so impressed and look forward to making a point to see her perform again.

The Birds of Bellwoods' set did not disappoint. There have been some changes in the band and I was stoked to see the addition of the banjo and upright bass; The dynamic of the four-piece certainly suits the folk sound that they've been honing. The four of them are solid musicians and bring great energy and talent to the group. Joffe's lyrics are heartfelt and often heartbreaking, giving you the sense that he is an old soul who has seen a lot in his time. Their harmonies are stellar and Adrian and Stevie do a good job at keeping the crowd engaged and appear to be having a ball whilst doing so. Their songs are charming and enjoyable and the crowd was with them every step of the way.

The boys have a gig coming up tonight at the Horseshoe Tavern at 9pm along with some residencies at Round Venue and Habits and are currently in the midst of recording an EP. I'm stoked to see how the band evolves now that they're a four piece and look forward to attending more of their shows in the future.

You can find Birds of Bellwoods all over the internet to keep up with their music and upcoming shows

Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

I Know it's Today - My New Solo Show

Remember that time I was engaged?

In some ways it feels like a whole lifetime ago. I was in a very different place in my life and I often reflect on how much has happened since then. Going from being in a long term relationship for a significant portion of my early 20’s to being single was an outrageous shift. While I don’t talk about my dating life often on the blog, I do have a lot of fun sharing stories with my close friends and occasionally ranting or raving on the Twitter.

Who knew that dating could be so fun, hilarious, ridiculous, joyous, heartbreaking, frustrating and awesome? With that in mind, I decided that these experiences would be most accurately shared the best way I know how: in song.

photo by Chris Luckhardt -  www.chrisluckhardt.com

I Know it’s Today is my newest solo show with Musical Director Tara Litvack. The set list covers a neat mix of old and new musical theatre along with some great new arrangements of some pop/rock songs as well. The show will detail everything that’s happened since that time I was engaged and all the hilarity, tragedy and joy that has ensued including the incredulous ways I’ve met people in this city, my time as the cover girl of The Grid’s Dating Diaries issue and being auctioned off for charity.

And because clearly I don’t have enough material and it’s not enough to be surrounded by those I’ve dated thanks to social media, in the last two weeks I’ve been constantly running into people I’ve dated. I have no idea HOW this is humanly possible in a city the size of Toronto, but I’ll definitely be sharing some of those stories too.

The show takes place Friday July 26 at 7pm at the Flying Beaver Pubaret (488 Parliament St). Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, and you can call or email Heather at the Pubaret for a table reservation for dinner. I hope you’ll join me on Friday night for I Know it’s Today and my perspective on what it’s like to be a single gal in Toronto!

If you were putting on a show about your dating experiences, what song would you sing and why?

It's beginning to look a lot like...

The holiday season is upon us once again. The days are getting chillier...

earmuffs required

Holt Renfrew and The Bay's holiday windows are installed, Starbucks red cups (and Joy tea!!) are in full force, Christmas music is starting to pop up (everywhere but Shoppers Drug Mart) and finally last weekend, the Santa Claus Parade made its way through the streets of Toronto.

I kinda love the holiday season and I'm getting excited for some great events happening in the next few weeks, including some events where I'll be singing!

Saturday December 1st - Singing Strong Holiday Magic in New York

I'm thrilled to be participating in another Singing Strong 'Cabaret for a Cause'. Proceeds from this holiday themed evening will be donated back to Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with an amazing group of talented performers, including the lovely Lindsay!

Linz & I at last year's Cabaret for a Cause

Thursday December 13th - HoHoTO 

HoHoTO is a huge holiday-themed party to raise funds for the Daily Bread Food Bank. This annual event has been going on since 2008, and has raised more than $165,000 and collected more than four tonnes of food for Torontonians in need. I think it's pretty amazing that something that started as a conversation over Twitter has turned into such a successful fundraiser for an incredibly worthy cause. 

Friday December 14th - Set Those Sails - A Night of William Finn

I'm really excited to be a part of this amazing project that Tara has been working on. William Finn writes insanely beautiful and moving music, and Tara has collected a stellar group of performers and musicians to bring his music to life. It's sure to be a wonderful evening and we'd love to have you there. 

Sunday December 16 - Canada Sings Riverdale Annual Carol Singalong

I love singing Christmas carols, and last year I had the most wonderful time sipping a warm beverage and singing carols in harmony alongside a brass quintet and organ. Canada Sings is a really neat organization that encourages people to partake in the joy of music, and the holiday season is a ridiculously fun time to do so!

Links include more details and ticket information. I can't wait for all of these events and would love to see you there too!

What are you looking forward to over the holiday season? Do you have any events that are now a tradition for you to attend?

Tales from my Bucket List

We lose ourselves in the things we love; We find ourselves there too 

~ Kristin Martz

I found this quote on Pinterest recently and it really resonated with me. I have been so lucky to have some amazing opportunities to do what I love and learn so much about myself in the process, and last Friday and Saturday proved to be no different.

Ash and I were lucky enough to be putting on our fourth cabaret in the last two years. When we started tossing around themes for this show, the idea of our dream roles and shows popped up and thus began The Bucket List show.We wanted to choose songs that reflected a mix of things that we had already accomplished on our bucket lists, some of our dream roles as well as those things on our bucket lists that we have yet to accomplish. I wanted to write this post to share the back stories to some of the songs I chose for the show.

Please note - we've yet to sort through the video footage, so I've linked to some of my favourite versions of other people singing them

Come Down from the Tree

I initially chose this song because I've wanted to sing it for quite awhile and it's from a show called Once on this Island, so I was going to be able to easily tie it into some of the travel I've done already, specifically my trip to St. Lucia. The more I sang it and talked to Tara about it, the more I realized how much it really applied to my life and the changes that came as a result of St. Lucia. The song is about asking someone to make tough changes out of a safe, comfortable, familiar place. And while sometimes that's quite scary, it is also really rewarding. Sometimes you gotta step out of your comfort zone, and often the things on your bucket list enable you to do just that.

Climbing Uphill

The Last Five Years and pretty much anything by Jason Robert Brown is absolutely on my bucket list. Continuing to be onstage is definitely on my bucket list and there are definitely some things that I still need to do while up there! One of the joys/downfalls of performing can be the audition process and all the factors that work for/against you in the casting process! This song really depicts the ups and the downs of what can happen in the audition room and it is so much fun to sing for that reason.

I Wish I May

When you're young, dreams seem limitless. We are unafraid to dream big and us our imaginations. Somewhere along the course of life, many people lose that sense of wonder. I don't believe that needs to be the case. We sang this song to reflect on the way it used to be and encourage our audience to continue aspiring to great, big, wonderful dreams, especially with regards to their bucket lists.

My Book

Writing a book is up high on my bucket list. That's probably obvious, considering that I've been writing this blog for 4 years now. Jeff Blumenkrantz's song is hilarious (and challenging to sing) and was a super addition to the show in sharing that item from my list.

Remember Me

I fell in love with this song the very first time I heard it. I had done another Michael John LaChuisa song in class and after doing some more research on his music I found Remember Me. The song is about the impact we have on others, but really the impact they have on us. "The only way we live beyond our lives is to connect, and carve ourselves into the souls of those we love". I surprised Ashley at our first show my dedicating this song to her. She has had a profound impact on my life and I am so thankful for her friendship and the fact that we get to do what we love together.

The Story Goes On

This song grew on me the more I sang it. With people around me getting married and having babies, it has been a constant reminder of "growing up" and what's to come. I know that one day I do want to get married and have a child. I know that there are a lot of things I am setting out to accomplish first, and I'm not there just yet, but I will be. The Story Goes On is about the legacy that we leave through our children and how we enable the story to "go on".

Falling Slowly

If you were at the first night of the show, you're probably thinking - the Ashleys didn't sing Falling Slowly at their cabaret?! Unfortunately due to time constraints, we had to cut in on the first night. For me, that made it even more special on the second night. I love the movie and the musical Once and I've said a few times that it is on my bucket list to sing Falling Slowly with someone that I love. I love Ashley, so it was perfect. I had goosebumps and tears when we sang this together. It was pretty magical. So happy we crossed it off my list.

One of my favourite parts of the show was having our audience members write down items from their bucket lists for us to share

Their answers were inspiring, hilarious and awesome. Lots of travel, adventures and big dreams. I think my favourite was "Colin Farrell". 

Definitely not a bad thing to have on your bucket list. 

I can't wait to share video from the shows with you very soon! For now I hope you enjoyed gaining some insight into my bucket list as well as why I chose some of the songs for the show!

What are some things on your bucket list that you've already accomplished? What's still to come?

Can't sleep. Too much singing to do.

It's currently 12:36am. I've been trying to sleep since 10pm.

I've gotten up a couple of times, chatted with my roomies, checked the twitter, ran through the words of my songs, but no sleep. I'm like a kid on friggin' Christmas all because the next Ashleyx2 show happens in less than 24 hours.

It's crazy to think that Ash and I have now produced 4 of these shows in the last 2 years. It started as an idea, then after a huge brainstorming session at her cottage we made it a reality.

The theme of the show is The Bucket List, and next week I'm going to write a post about what inspired me to choose the songs I'm singing and how they relate to my bucket list. I'm excited to share the songs we've chosen with our audiences tomorrow and Saturday.

The past 6 months have been a whirlwind, and I'm just feeling blessed that I get to be onstage for the next two days with one of my very best friends, our incredible music director and a kick ass guitarist, singing some beautiful music and telling some great stories.

And probably having a lot of fun. 

If you're in Toronto tonight or tomorrow, we'd love to have you join us at the Pubaret for There's Just Something About Ashley - The Bucket List. You can grab a ticket online for $10 or buy one at the door for $15. 

This is my Winter Song to You

The last few weeks have been crazy and awesome and hectic and hilarious. I can hardly believe that it’s December!! This week marked the beginning of what I like to call the Holi-month and I had a blast with a lot of wonderful people at some great events.

On Tuesday I went to Hip and Urban Girl’s Champagne and Cookie Party with my sweet friends Reggy and Christine.

I promise, that if you put 200 women in a room with cookies and booze, there will be madness! There weren’t a ton of gluten free and vegan options aside from the BabyCakes snickerdoodles that I brought

and the delicious cookies that Reggy made (there was almond butter and cranberries involved, they were pretty fantastic) I think my favourite moment in the evening was a toss up between coming upon Christine with a platter of a dozen cookies in front of her, each of which had a single bite taken out of it

or the discussion Reggy and I had with the rep from Ohhh Canada about Tenga eggs making wicked stocking stuffers. Both moments were pretty amazing. Thanks to my Charlie’s Angels for a super fun evening and to Val for hooking me up with the tickets!

On Friday night I headed to the Cameron House with a some of my favourite friends for Graydon James & the Young Novelists’ cd release party.

The show was fantastic. They have some incredible harmonies, heartbreaking lyrics and the whole band is wickedly talented. The crowd at the lovely Cameron House had a stellar energy, which was enhanced for me by the fact that I had one of my besties on either side of me. And did I mention that there were cupcakes and tea goodie bags?? They are a fantastic band to see live and it was a pretty magical evening. Go. Buy. The. Album.

Finally Saturday I had my own chance to be on stage spreading some festive cheer in another Singing Strong cabaret in support of Buddies in Bad Times theatre.

I had a blast singing with some amazing singers (including my dear friend Lindsay), fabulous musicians (including Tara on keys) surrounded by a really fun audience and some great repertoire. There was an eclectic mix of tunes including some musical theatre, pop and jazz along with some holiday favourites that I got to sing lead on including Baby It’s Cold Outside (which is actually a creepy song…) and Baby Please Come Home.

Linz and I also sang Wintersong, which is just such a  beautiful song. It’s an amazing thing to be able to take our friendship to the next level by singing in harmony with one another! I also got to sing Christmas Lullaby from Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for World (which is one of my dream roles) And of course the evening was made even better by the fact that there were some really awesome people in the audience to see me AND I was wearing a Damzels dress, which is always a good recipe for a perfect show. It was a brilliant evening and a great way to kick off the holiday season!

My holi-month continues with a party tonight, at least 3 pot lucks in the coming weeks, some more singing engagements and an evening at the symphony for Handel’s Messiah next week!

Do you have any fun plans for the Holi-month? What’s your favourite holiday tune?

PS – did you know I was nominated for a 2011 BroadwayWorld Toronto award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical? If you have a minute, please vote!!