I know I just wrote a blog post a couple of weeks back about a recent hike to Smuggler Cove up here on B.C’s beautiful Sunshine Coast, but we went there again last weekend, and saw some cool creatures.  The weather has been warm and sunny  here lately, and I just couldn’t help myself – the urge to wander into the forest and along those trails again was too strong to resist. ( besides, the housework can wait for a rainy day, right ? )

Smuggler Cove Sign

     The first thing I said to my husband as we started along the trail this time was ” I hope we see some snakes today ! “.  I have always liked snakes since I was a little girl.  When I lived in Chatham, Ontario, one of my public school buddies had a couple of big snakes – he told me they were Anacondas – and we’d often wrap one around my neck when we went to my house for lunch.  My Mom always made me take it right back to his house, for some reason. Anyway, my point is, I feel pretty comfortable around them, and find them to be both beautiful, and fascinating.

Garter Snake

Green Snake

Starfish Surrounded by Limpets

You can see the purple starfish, but you may not recognize the limpets surrounding it.  I don’t think I’ve ever really seen limpets before, and I had to ‘”Google ” them to find out more about them.   Here’s a closer look at some stuck between the rocks at low tide:

Limpets at Low Tide

This next guy got stuck up on the rocks when the tide went out:

Purple Starfish

The other day, my husband asked me to come and look at something – he had been playing around with a picture of me, and I think the results look pretty cool! 

Pictures of me with my new Guitar are coming soon!

During recording of Fascination and the last time I was in the studio recording I Want To Know What Love Is, Geoff took some photos that I realized I never put up. (For those asking, I Want To Know What Love Is will be available soon on iTunes! Check back here for the release.)

Here they are, looking forward to the next session which will be for my first original song!

     I just got off the phone with my good friend and Producer,  Jarome Matthew.  We had a good long talk – over an hour, in fact – and we are both really excited about the songs we are currently working on together.  We are planning on getting my 2nd single ( the 80’s Ballad ) up soon on my website, so everyone can hear it.  We’re very pleased with how it turned out, and we can’t wait to hear what all of you think.

     Jarome has been working on my 3rd single, and we’ve even had help from yet another “Sam The Record Man”  co-worker of ours from the late 80’s/early 90’s on this track …. but I’ll tell you more about that as the song gets closer to completion.  It’s kind of cool that there are several of us that worked together in that store all those years ago that are still living in the Vancouver area, and not only have we kept in touch, but we support each others’ projects, whether it be art, or music. 

     We have a lot of things planned for 2009, so please check back frequently to find out how the 80’s music is coming along – I’ll keep you posted.

      My favourite job ever was working at Sam The Record Man on Seymour St. in Vancouver, which I did between 1989 – 1991.  I loved working there for the obvious reasons – I was surrounded by music, I was able to hear new music as soon as it became available,  and I met a lot of artists by working there, since they often did in-store promotions etc.  It was probably the happiest I have ever been at a job, because it was actually something I cared about, and was interested in.  I looked forward to going in to work each day, which is not something I can say about many other jobs I’ve had …

      In addition to the “perks” of working at Sam’s, I got to meet a lot of great people –  who, like me, loved music, and really liked working there, too.  It was amazing to be surrounded by people who shared my interests, and who were genuinely happy to be working there.  We became a very close-knit group of friends, and would hang out together after work, go dancing on the weekends, and just generally ” be there ” for each other.  To this day, a core group of us are still in touch with each other.

      One of those friends and  former co-workers is Jarome Matthew.  Jarome was a rather quiet and shy guy back then, and was very intelligent – all qualities I admire in a person.  ( I don’t like loud and obnoxious, that’s for sure. )  He and I became friends fairly quickly, and had a group of mutual friends we would hang out with on a regular basis.  Jarome was just one of those innately “cool” guys – really friendly, easy to get along with, and although he didn’t say a lot, you could always see that incredibly imaginative brain working away, behind that ever-present glint in his eyes.  He was just a really positive person to be around, and his love for music was infectious.

      After I left Sam’s in 1991, I moved back to Ontario for a few years, then eventually, came back to B.C.  It wasn’t until 2007, when I was convinced by some of my younger, more computer-savvy friends, to join Facebook , that I was put back in contact with some of my former friends and co-workers from Sam’s.  Jarome was one of the first ones to find me on there, and we started chatting casually about the past 16 years, and what we’d been up to.  We started to hang out again, and realized that we were still the same people we remembered each other as, from “back in the day”.  We are friends again, and I feel so comfortable around him – I can just be myself, all the time, which is the way it should be with real friends.

      Jarome has been a successful Music Producer for many years now, and when he found out that I had been doing some singing, he wanted to hear what I had done so far.  After listening to my 1st CD, “I’m Beginning To See The Light” he felt that I should be doing more, so after several meetings, and a lot of long chats, we decided to work together on a new music project.  Things are going really well so far, and I am very excited to be working with such a talented, kind, caring, creative person like Jarome.  It’s a bonus that he is also a dear friend, whom I know well, and trust completely.

      This post is dedicated to my wonderful friend and Producer, Jarome Matthew, who restored my faith in myself as an artist.  It is because of him that I am now able to move forward with my music, after much disappointment in the past.  Thankyou, Jarome, for believing in me – it is a real honour to be working with you.  I can’t wait to hear what we will come up with together!  ( good thing we are both perfectionists !!! 🙂

  So, I’m sitting here in Jarome’s studio, after a great lunch together. We thought we’d be a little bit naughty, and even had some dessert – I had cheesecake, and it was fabulous ! Now he’s tempting me with these little chocolatey cookie things from Japan – yummy ! What the heck, we have reason to celebrate – it’s a brand new year, he’s launched my new website, and we’re working on some exciting new music together.

  I hope that everyone had a fun New Year’s Eve.  I always love the start of a new year – it feels as though the possibilities are almost endless … and they are, of course.  It’s entirely up to each one of us to make things happen, and I fully intend to do just that in 2008 ! 

  I wish all of you a fantastic New Year, and I look forward to letting you know all about the music Jarome and I are working on together.  We are both very excited about our project, and we hope you’ll check in here to find out how things are going along the way …

     Hi, It’s Heather, singer, musician, and this is my very first blog post! I can’t say that I’d ever imagined writing a blog about myself, but on the advice of my dear friend and producer, Jarome Matthew, I’m going to give it a try.

     So, welcome, and thanks for taking the time to check it out. My intention is to speak freely and openly about my experiences in the music industry over the past few years, both good and bad, and to keep you updated as to what I’m working on currently.

     Many of you have already seen me perform live at various local venues, and have heard and purchased my debut CD from 2005, I’m Beginning To See The Light. I would like to take this time to publicly thank all of you that have supported me from the beginning of that project, your positive feedback, and words of encouragement have been a vital part of my journey. Without all of you, I may not have been able to stay strong through the more difficult times, and believe me, there have been a few of those, but I’ll get into that another time.

     For now, I’ll just say that I’m glad you are here reading what I have to say, and I’m very excited about what 2008 has in store for all of us. Happy Holidays to all of you, and I’ll write again very soon!

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