photo by Darrell Lecorre

Song Stories #10
Love Shines

This song has a long and continually emerging story - I will share some of it here.
It was the last day of recording the 'trust...inspirations from taize' CD (fall 2008) when I was in the studio with Philip. We were working on the last song and I remember thinking to myself that I had just used up every last drop of material I had - and there would be nothing left after this moment.  Philip received a phone call then and so I took a break and lay on the floor in the studio and rested.  In that moment, light shone through the window onto my face.  As I received the light coming to me, the first part of the Love Shines song just came to me.  I was so gripped by the simple melody and simple lyrics that when Philip did get off the phone and we had to get back to work, it was hard to concentrate.  So, Philip helped me by recording a few lines of what I was hearing so I would remember it later and come back to work on it.  And that is what I did and how the song became a song.  It became a sign of hope to me that my songs were not yet over and that song-writing days were still in the works for me.  I had dreams of embarking on my own and creating a Love Shines album - but it seemed like a daunting task.
In early March of 2010 I went to see my friend Christina Kautz in Florida.  As I walked into her home, she had all this imagery of stars and moons.  Immediately I wanted to sing for her the Love Shines song, but I didn't have my ukulele and she didn't have a piano - and so I let it go.  Then bizarre moments started to happen!  She was planning on taking me to a house concert with Victoria Vox, who I didn't realize at the time is a uke musician who was flying in for this event.  Victoria flew in a day early and we happened to run into her.  I found out she played uke and she graciously showed her instrument to me and I asked if I could play Christina Love Shines.  Victoria listened as I played and then told me about a Ukelele compilation album happening and the cut off day for entries was in 2 days and she thought this song would be perfect.  So, she asked me to sing it again and she recorded it on Garage Band on her MAC laptop and then we sent off the application.  Love Shines was accepted for this uke album, Song Still Remains,  which came out later in 2010 and thus the 'single' became born which helped me continue to dream about the larger project.
Just before I was to professionally record the single with Philip, my dear nephew Christian died.  I was so devastated that I cancelled the recording.  I just didn't know how I could do it.  But after two days, I realized that Chris would have wanted me to sing and to do my best and to bring the message that Love Shines.  So, I called Philip back and told me this, 'of course you need to do this Cathy.  This is exactly what you need to do.'  So, I recorded this song in the midst of intense funeral preparations and sang this at Chris's funeral.  I will never forget that moment.
So - this song is full of story - joy and heartache.....all of life.

here is an excerpt of the words:

Starlight  
Starllight
Starlight shine on me


Moonlight
Moonlight
Moonlight shine on me


Sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight shine on me


Source of all light shine down
Source of all light shine down 
Light shines and darkness flees
Source of all light shine down
Source of all light shine down
Source of all light shine down on me

Song Stories #9

It was the afternoon the day of Myron Berg's funeral that Philip Janz, Boris Sichon and I were working on the song Prayer - which is a chant I wrote this past year.  Boris plays the didgeridoo as a low drone while I sing the chant overtop.  The low drone takes me to ancient sounds...sounds I have heard from other cultures and time periods.  It was a 'moment' during recording when Philip and I looked at each other and each expressed the same thing - 'I was thinking of Gillian'.  Gillian is the wife of Myron, who stood and expressed such deep love for her husband that very morning at his funeral which Philip and I both attended.  So, Gillian, you were on our minds and hearts as we recorded these sounds and words and as you choose each day to 'breathe'.  But I hope these are words that we can all resonate with - we all have a choice each day how we will choose to live.

In the video above, you can get a taste of the world music that Boris has in his fingertips.    At about the 4.30 minutes mark you can hear him play the didgeridoo which we have used on this  piece.  

Here is an excerpt of the words.......

As I breathe in a new day before me

I breathe in Life

Fill me with courage to face the unknown

I breathe in Life

Fill me with wisdom for each step ahead

            I breathe in Life

Deepen my roots that I may taste joy

Deepen my trust that I may know peace

            I breathe in Life

            I breathe in Life 

excerpt from Prayer from the Love Shines CD

Singing with Rebecca; 

Winter is Over

Song Stories #8 for Love Shines

When I was a young girl, I loved to sing. I would often sing alone on Saturday mornings in the parish church that was on the same property as my home.  It was my job to dust the pews and window ledges but instead of working, I most often swirled my dust cloth around and watched the dust particles dance in the sunlight that streamed through the yellow stained glassed windows.   As I danced with the dust particles I sang. Those are some of the most precious moments of my childhood.   My singing was hidden to most, except for my well-intentioned father, the one who heard me in these moments.  He would ask me to be quiet as he prepared his sermon on the other side of the wall in his office.  A child can so easily be overlooked in the area of their greatest longing.  It has been a long journey back to find this girl inside of me, the girl who loved to sing.  She became buried under a lifetime of not really knowing how to listen to her own heart.  However,  I have found her again and the passion to sing has been reborn in me in a profound way.  When people hear me sing, they assume I've been singing all my life. I have to tell them - no, it has been a long journey to find my voice and to let it out again.

Rebecca Sichon is a 9 year old friend of mine - she's also a student of mine, studying singing and piano.  I love her dearly and I love seeing her passion for music.  I have seen how she feels music deeply and loves to express it through her voice.  She is emotional and expressive.  She has a heart to communicate ideas through music.  I want to encourage her to follow her heart, to listen to the passion she has and to fly with her dreams of singing.  I think you can see why this is important to me!
It was my delight to include Rebecca on the Love Shines recording.  you will hear her voice on a new version of 'Winter is Over'.  It couldn't be a more perfect song for Rebecca to join me on - here is an excerpt of the words:

the winter, long winter
is over
the winter, long winter
is over
sing, sing sing


winter is past, a new day dawns at last
hope for tomorrow
an end of sorrow
beauty for ashes
springtime has come


excerpt from 'Winter is Over' from the Love Shines CD


Rebecca has recorded a few other songs that were written together with her sister Natalie.  To hear some of these songs, go to:  Rebecca & Natalie

             Photograph by Revival Arts www.rastudio.ca

      Love Shines Song Stories #7

This past summer I was on Pender Island when the phone call came that the whales were coming.  There is a phone chain thing that happens on Pender when whales are spotted coming around the island on the east side.  Then the word gets spread and everyone makes a dash to this special spot on the west side where the whales come very close to the shore.  We all felt like kids as we dropped what we were doing and dashed to the vehicle, drove like crazy, ran out to the shore and then waited with the rest of the community.  It was such a fun atmosphere with old and young filled with anticipation together.  After around 20 minutes, the cry came - 'there they are'.  We enjoyed a wonderful show especially when a baby whale kept leaping over and over again.  A sense of wonder came over all of us, touching the beauty of nature.  I often feel this way as I look at the night sky, spend time in the woods or feel the strength of a powerful storm.  The day with the whales was especially inspiring and the day I started working on this song, I Sing With the Earth.  

I sing with the earth

I sing with the sky

I sing with the whales as they sail by

I sing with the trees

I sing with the dawn

I sing with the stars all night long

Creator God who gives me life - you call my name

Creator God  who I can't see - you call my name

I sing with the earth

from mountains on high

in valleys below this glorious sky

I sing with the birds

I sing with the sea

I sing with the sun shining on me

excerpt from I Sing with the Earth - from Love Shines CD

As I was preparing for recording, I came across a Hebrew prayer phrase;

Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh Adonai, Tzva'ot. 

It intrigued me and I looked up what it was about and ended up having this great connection with a Rabbi in Vancouver who helped me understand the vastness of these words.  (Rabbi David Mivasair) These are the words of the prophet Isaiah as he is 'undone' in the presence of the Holy.  (Is. 6)  These words are his response..... and (in very simple terms-as Rabbi David and I talked for a very long time about these words!) convey that the whole world is filled with the glory of God.  This is what I also feel when I am outside and in nature and what the heart of this song is about.  

I have incorporated these Hebrew words into this song and had so much connected with an ancient language as I sang.

Song Stories #6
Love Shines CD

Joy is coming

In this video you get a picture into the studio on Friday night when Boris and Philip were going at it working on a whole range of songs. I joined them for a bit of wine and sushi! In this video they are working on the tune, Joy is Coming.
Boris Sichon has been a huge part of this album. He has listened to all the songs and offered so much wonderful feedback and input. He is an amazing musician that has travelled the world and learned from many musical masters. His talent and expertise is a treasure that I deeply value. But more than that, Boris has believed in these songs and helped me to follow my heart with this dream of Love Shines.

This song is the most recent song that has been written for this album. It is simple and reminds me of the time I spent in Africa in my early 20s where i enjoyed beautiful rhythms. I wrote this in December at the beginning of Advent.... Advent reminds me of all the things we are waiting for, longing for and that we hope for. Underneath our waiting, I've become aware of a deep sense of joy. Joy is coming and joy we can taste even now if we pay attention. So, it was with a lot of joy and hope that this song got recorded - and a lot of fun!

Love Shines

Song Stories #3

Every Time

I must say I've always loved Black Gospel music. There is something about the energy of it that just makes me want to move, to dance, to shout and to laugh. A few months ago, the old melody of 'Every time I feel the Spirit' came into my mind and my toes were tapping in seconds. For weeks I could not get this tune out of my mind and body. I looked up the old tune and found the words on the internet. I loved the chorus, but the words of the verses were not ones that I could resonate with - so I decided to write my own lyrics to this wonderful melody. I've brought this song now into various settings and the response has been that people want to dance, to celebrate and to engage with the song. I'm so excited to share this new arrangement of 'Every time'....

here is an excerpt of the new lyrics...

when life's burdens

weigh down on me

when life's burdens

weigh on me

I hear a whisper

calling to me

'remember sister, you are free'

and every time I feel the Spirit

movin' in my heart

I will pray

and every time I feel the Spirit

movin' in my heart

I will pray

Song Stories for Love Shines

#2

Courage For Today

I love so many different genres of music. As a child I was exposed to a lot of classical music as my mom listened to CBC radio 2. Often I would lie down on the carpet and let the music wash over me as I listened deeply...even when I was 5 or 6. My parents also enjoyed a lot of 'gospel' music so I heard a lot of 4 part harmonies and traditional choral sounds. In my youth I learned to love jazz music, pop music and gained more appreciation for classical music. Through my twenties and through living in Uganda for 2 years, I was exposed to traditional folk music and ethnic sounds. I have loved learning about all these sounds and how these different genres can express so many of our human emotions and experiences better than we can with our words.

I am not a strong blues piano player, but I do love the blues and had fun learning the basic 12 bar pattern a few years ago and passing that on to many students.

A couple years ago I realized that the blues really hold a wonderful tension between major and minor tonalities and feel 'honest' about expressing what it is to be human.

This summer around a campfire at Alice Lake near Whistler, BC, my friend Kendra asked me how I was doing with grieving the loss of my dear nephew Chris. Chris died on March 25, 2010. He was a very special nephew to me - one that I could punch (even though he was MUCH stronger than me) and tease. He was passionate about life and was fun to be with. I loved him fiercely. When Kendra asked me that, I had no words.

How do you express how you feel?

Words feel cheap

and empty.

I said Kendra - I have nothing to say - but I can sing a song.

So I asked Nathan (Kendra's husband) to get his guitar and start playing the blues.....

and this is an excerpt of the song I sang

Courage for Today

My heart, my heart

is heavy

My heart is heavy with burdens

Strengthen me,

Give me courage for today

My soul, my soul

is weary

My soul is weary with sorrow

Strengthen me,

Give me courage for today

(excerpt from 'Courage for Today' to be released on Love Shines)

Chris's birthday is this Friday, January 14th. Loving you buddy!!