I am excited to announce that my latest single “Why Can’t I Forget You?” has been released on all the streaming platforms Today. I would like to thank my good Friend and Producer, Jarome Matthew, ( of ProSoul Studios ) for writing such a meaningful song for me.  Anyone who has felt the pain of great loss will understand and connect with his carefully chosen lyrics.
You can give it a listen here: https://fanlink.to/wcify 

     It’s been a while since I was last in the Recording Studio, but after several challenging years, I’m happy to say that I was able to get back in and record a new Single with my Friend/Producer Jarome Matthew, back in June.

     The track is called “Why Can’t I Forget You?”, and both the music and lyrics were written by Jarome, as he knows I have had a hard time dealing with several losses over the past few years. In my Family, we lost both our Sister and Mother ( only 5 weeks apart ) a few years ago, then our Dad, last year. To say that these deaths left us devastated, would be a huge understatement. It makes you feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under your feet, and like your World no longer makes sense. Some losses in Life hit harder than others, of course, depending on the relationship, and the circumstances. I now feel as though my Life is divided into a “Before” and “After”.  Many People say “Time heals all wounds”, but Anyone who has lost a Loved One knows, this is simply not true.

     Whether you have actually lost a Loved One, or been through a painful breakup of a Relationship, this song speaks to that feeling of just not being able to “let go”, or “move on” in Life. I think it is something most of us can relate to. Grieving loss of Life ( or Love ) has no time limit. I find it sometimes feels as though Someone pressed the “pause” button, and you simply cannot go back to feeling many of the things you could before. We may want to move forward, so we can try and “live” again, but it is not always that easy… if only the painful wounds of the memories didn’t feel so raw and real. Jarome’s thoughtful lyrics certainly resonated with me.

     Jarome and I had a lot of fun spending the Day together, and recording the new song in his Vancouver Studio. It was great to finally be able to get together, as he had been away in his Beijing Studio the past few years.  My Husband snapped a few photos for us.

     The song will be released next week, and I’ll announce it with another post then.

     The past 3 or more years have been very different for most of us. I don’t think any of us thought our lives would be altered so much, or that we’d experience living through a Pandemic. It certainly changed almost every aspect of our everyday lives, and taught us a lot of things. Although things will never be the same again, it is finally starting to feel like we are getting closer to being able to experience some semblance of “Life” again.

     One of the hardest things about the Pandemic for me, personally, was not being able to sing, dance, or hug People.  All of these things make me feel happy, and bring me joy. Not being allowed to do them for such a long time was really hard for many of us.

     I didn’t sing for over 3 years, but this year, I am happy to say that I have been making up for lost time. A few of us that used to sing together with The Funtastics for several years ( mostly putting on Fundraisers for the local Seniors’ Centre etc. )  formed a smaller version of the group in the Spring, and have been putting on hour-long Shows at local Care Homes. We have done 3 so far, in March, April, and May, and have been invited back for a couple more, soon. This has been a great way to get back into it, and it has probably been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in a long while. I love to sing the “Oldies”, so this is the perfect Audience for it. There is something so special about seeing People seemingly “come alive” when they hear beautiful songs that truly mean something to them. It is so amazing to watch their eyes light up, and witness the big smiles forming on their faces. Many sing along, sway in their seats, and those that can, even get up and dance. Ah, the transformative power of music!

Singing at the Care Home

     In June, I performed with 15 other Female Vocalists in a special concert honouring The Legendary Ladies of Jazz, to kick off our local Jazz Festival. That was quite an experience with an amazingly talented and uplifting group of wonderful Ladies. Also in June, I was finally able to get back into the Recording Studio and record a new Single. ( more about that in my next blog post ) 

     I had really missed being able to perform, and am so glad that we are able to, once again. I think most of us can agree that a Life without music is not a whole lot of fun. I am so grateful to all the fantastic loving and supportive People in my Life who continue to give me opportunities to sing – there really is no other feeling quite like it.

     As I have mentioned before, my husband and I are usually lucky to see our friend Brandon Isaak maybe once a year anymore, if that.  Well, 2012 has been a good year so far for “catching up” with our buddy. We saw him playing his solo gig in June at the Garden Bay Pub, then we had the good fortune of seeing him again on July 9th at the very same venue.  This time, he was playing with his friend ( and “Twisters” bandmate ) Keith Picot, as a duo.

     As an added bonus, Brandon had told me that his parents were going to be there, too. I was so excited to hear that, as they still live up in the Yukon, and I hadn’t seen them in many, many years. Ed and Donna took really good care of me that Summer long ago that I spent in the Yukon, and I will never forget their kindness.

     He also mentioned that I was finally going to meet his “Girls” – meaning the lovely Patti, and their beautiful Daughter, Kiko.  ( you just have to hear his song, dedicated to her – “KIKO” )

     As always, we arrived at the Pub early to make sure we were able to get good seats. We chatted with Brandon and Keith a bit, then Brandon told me to go over to the Dining Room side.  His parents were having dinner over there before the show, and he knew we’d be anxious to see each other after all these years. I totally welled up with tears when I saw Ed and Donna – they looked wonderful – just as I remembered them. We did a lot of hugging and talking, and it was so great to see them – brought back so many happy memories. Patti and Kiko arrived at their table a few minutes later, so I got to meet them for the first time – both such beautiful ladies ! Shortly thereafter, their dinner arrived, so I headed back over to the Pub side – it was almost show time.

Donna and Ed Isaak and Heather Doré

Keith Picot, Ed Isaak, and Brandon Isaak

     I had to work the next morning, so we hadn’t planned on staying too late, ( it’s about an hour drive home on a very long, winding road ) but we were having such a fabulous time, that we just couldn’t leave. I was so happy to be spending time with Ed and Donna, as well.  As usual, we stayed until the end, then I got my traditional pics with the Boys.

     It was really hard to say “Goodbye” to Brandon’s parents, as I don’t know when we’ll see them again. ( but we agreed that it wouldn’t be nearly as long next time ) There were many more hugs, and I struggled to hold back tears once again.  What an amazing night !  This is what life is all about – spending time with good friends, listening to fantastic music, food, drinks, the perfect venue, and a warm Summer breeze … it doesn’t get any better than that.

Brandon Isaak, Heather Doré, Keith Picot

     If you are new to my blog posts, then you may not know who my friend Brandon Isaak is. ( a.k.a. “Yukon Slim” )  To give you a little bit of background, you may wish to read my two previous posts about him: Yukon Buddy , and Yukon Buddy Part 2 – The Twisters.   That way, we can just continue with the story …

     So, the last time we’d seen Brandon was in 2010, with the Twisters, at the Garden Bay Pub.  We didn’t get a chance to see him play at all in 2011, so that was a bit of a drag.  Brandon is always posting his upcoming gigs on Facebook etc., and when I see these, I always ask him, “When are you coming to play on The Sunshine Coast ( of B.C. ) again? “.  Well, a few months back, I got a response: he was going to be playing a solo gig at Garden Bay for the Pender Harbour Blues Festival.  It was going to be a “Dinner Show”, on the restaurant side of the Garden Bay Hotel. ( we usually see him on the Pub side )

     My husband and I thought this would be pretty cool for several reasons: we’d never seen Brandon play on his own before, we’d never eaten on the other side of the venue, and it would mean a really nice night out for us.  June 2nd was a sunny Saturday, and the drive up to Garden Bay was absolutely wonderful.  We got there a little early,  I had a drink on the pub side first, then we moved to the Dining Room.

     We had a lovely little table with a great view of the water.

Our Table At Garden Bay Restaurant

Yukon Slim and Heather Doré

     I recorded my first CD back in 2005, called “I’m Beginning To See The Light“.  Most of the songs are 1920’s – 1950’s Big Band/Swing/Lounge, and by far, my favourite song on that CD is “You Belong To Me”.  I’m sure the first version I ever heard of that song when I was a little girl was Dean Martin’s.  It was only a few years ago that I heard the version I would come to love most – that of Jo Stafford.

     Of all the songs I have recorded, this is the song I get asked about most.  A friend in White Rock told me he heard my version of it played at someone’s Wedding, and it seems to be a favourite at Karaoke – especially for the people who were around when the original was recorded. I was asked to sing it at a Wedding last year, as well. It was recently put on a Jazz Lounge Compilation CD in Taiwan and China, which was pretty cool.  ( Disc 2 Track 8 )

     A D.J. in Buenos Aires, Argentina dedicated half an hour to my CD shortly after it was released.  José Luis Ajzenmesser had a radio show called “La Guagua” , and it was mostly Jazz. He contacted me to let me know he wanted to feature my CD, and he played several songs from it during the show. He mentioned that he loved my version of “You Belong To Me” a lot, and that was evidenced by the fact that he played it twice that day. 🙂 I thought that was pretty awesome of him – a complete stranger, doing so much for me, simply because he enjoyed my music. That made me feel really good.

     The very first time one of my songs was played on the radio in Canada – it was “You Belong To Me”.  Well-known Bandleader Dal Richards kindly played it on his radio show in Vancouver one night, and gave me a nice little intro.  ( His wife used to be a regular customer of mine when I was a Cashier at a grocery store – a very lovely lady. ) Heather singing on the radio

     I have sung a lot of songs before that one, and since, but to this day, I think it is still my favourite one to perform. It has always meant a lot to me.  That is why, for my 100th Blog Post, I chose to write about this song I love so much.  Thanks for listening.