Hi Everyone –
Warm greetings and blessings to you all!
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be safe and protected from all inner and outer dangers.
May you be well in body and mind.
May you be at ease and happy.
REPORT
In the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much I’ve learned and about all of the incredible people that I’ve met in the last year, and I’m filled with great gratitude for ALL of it. Here are the highlights of the past month:
– May 15-18, I attended my first “Music Strategies” Seminar with Tim Sweeney (www.timsweeney.com). Tim is a music industry veteran who now mentors artists and encourages them to work together to achieve their goals. As one of 75 hand-picked attendees at his seminar, it was an honour for me to meet some VERY talented folks, deepen my connections with others and learn more about “how to get out of my own way”. BIG thanks, Tim, for all that you do!
– May 22-25, I took part in the 2008 Western Canada Stick Experience. 13 Chapman Stickists, 2 NS Stickists and I spent a weekend here in Vancouver playing our beloved instruments and sharing much laughter. BIG thanks to Jim Meyer (the organizer of this annual event since 2002), Steve Adelson (Stickist/instructor from NYC) and Don Schiff (NS Stickist/instructor from L.A.) for a very memorable weekend. (Epilogue: With Sheila’s encouragement, I flew to L.A. last week and traded in my secondhand NS for a brand new one. WOW! BIG thanks to Don Schiff for accompanying me to Stick Enterprises and for helping me to bring home THE perfect instrument, and to Emmett Chapman for making such beautiful instruments with great love and attention. My goal is to accompany myself entirely on my NS Stick for my shows as soon as possible, and I now feel even MORE inspired to do so!)
– On June 6, I performed a house concert in my own living room – for 35 people! BIG thanks to all who attended for their love and attention, to my dear Sheila for “Martha Swewart-izing” our home, to my dear mother-in-law Trudi for her homemade butter tarts (!), and to my pal Shawn Soucy for filming the concert. (I LOVE performing house concerts and would be honoured to do so in YOUR living room. If you feel inspired by the idea, please drop me a line at nathenaswell@shaw.ca, and let’s talk about it.)
– On June 7, it was my great pleasure to accompany Amir O’ Loughlin (teacher on the Sufi path, musician and psychotherapist) at the last of his “Universal Kirtan” evenings before he breaks for the summer. I’m honoured to be making music with this open-hearted man, and I hope to do so MUCH more in the days ahead. BIG thanks, Amir!
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
(Full details are on the “Calendar” page.) I’ll be performing:
– at church services – St. Andrew’s-Wesley (June 15), Unity of Vancouver (June 29), Centre for Positive Living (July 6), Centre for Spiritual Life (July 6), and Centre for Spiritual Living (July 13);
– with California Calling, a Beach Boys tribute (June 19, 29, 30 and July 4, 5);
– with Russell Marsland and Suzanne Gitzi (June 25 and 26);
– with The Hitmen (July 1);
– with The Blues Brothers Revue, a Blues Brothers tribute (July 11); and
– with Joani Bye & The Homewreckers (July 13).
I’d be honoured to see you at any of these events. AND, if you’ll be in Phoenix on June 29th, please give your support to my new friends and fellow artists Faith Rivera and Jessika – they’ll be performing at a house concert there. (Details are at the top of Faith’s “Home” page: www.faithrivera.com/fr/Home.html)
NEW WEB SITE CONTENT
As well as updating the calendar on my “Calendar” page, I’ve:
– updated the mission statement on my “Home” page;
– added new comments about my house concerts on my “Bio / Press / Praise” page; and
– added a photo to my “Photos” page. (Click on it to see the whole picture.)
Summer is slow in coming to Vancouver, AND all is well. May all be well with you too.
With love and gratitude,
– Nathen
www.nathenaswell.com
www.myspace.com/nathenaswell
www.sonicbids.com/nathenaswell