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.
May: For me, the major life lesson continues to be about deepening, and the importance of patience, persistence, and perseverance. In the last month, I’ve had the very good fortune of re-connecting with two old and cherished friends from Montreal: John MacMaster, the leader of my first professional musical group (“Vision”, a Christian rock choir) and now a world-class operatic tenor (http://www.johnmacmaster.com/); and Steve Sims, facilitator (www.iasis.ca) and now an author of an exciting new book (www.riverofawareness.com/). Both of these men have given me some valuable perspective on where I’ve been and on where I now am, and I’m happy to finally be able to see them as what they’ve been all along – my brothers and my peers. THANK YOU, John and Steve – I dearly love and appreciate you both.
AMEN for the powerful men in my life! Courtesy of one of them from The Mankind Project (http://www.mkp.org/), I offer you this video: http://www.globalonenessproject.org/videos/agameforlife – a powerful statement about patience, persistence, and perseverance. May it inspire you as deeply as it inspires me. (If you have suggestions for inspirational media to include in a future newsletter, please drop me a line at nathenaswell@ me.com.)
REPORT
Here are my highlights from the last month or so:
– Filling the hall that contains the Labyrinth at St. Paul’s Anglican Church with the sound of sacred music, generated by the voices and instruments of Sandra Dawn and I. THANKS, 99, for the honour of making sacred music with you, and to Godfrey, my warrior brother, for always lending a loving hand. 🙂
– Performing at a sold-out House Concert with singer extraordinaire and dear friend Jane Mortifee (www.janemortifee.com). THANKS, Dharma Buddy, for the honour of sharing a “stage” with you, and to hosts and close friends Peter and Nancy Mortifee for the gifts of their rich friendship and support. 🙂
– Listening to the sage advice of my NS Stick buddy and truly openhearted friend Don Schiff (www.donschiff.com) and purchasing a Line 6 Pod X3 Live. THANKS, Don, for greatly improving my instrument’s sound and greatly simplifying my live setup! 🙂
– Performing at St. Andrew’s-Wesley, and giving the regular Sunday morning service a “rock” flavour, with dear colleagues David Sinclair (acoustic and electric guitars), Buff Allen (drums and percussion) and new friend and colleague Darryl Nixon (keyboards). THANKS, men, for some great music making, and to Darryl for including two of my songs (“Be Still” and “Choose Love”) in the service. 🙂
– Accompanying the Higher Ground Women’s Choir, led by gifted choir director and good friend Janet Warren. THANKS, Jannie, for bringing out the best in everyone with your very high standards, and to all of the fabulous women in the choir who create that beautiful wall of sound! 🙂
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
BIG NEWS:
– It’s time once again for the annual Vancouver Stick Seminar. Please come and see me and some incredible musicians playing truly amazing instruments on both May 21st and 23rd. (Details below.)
– My next House Concert will be here in Vancouver on May 22nd, and it will be a private event to honour and celebrate a friend’s birthday. (THANKS, Katherine, for thinking “outside the box”!)
– My old friends The Euphorics (www.euphorics.com) will be making a rare Vancouver appearance on May 28th, and I’ll be along for the always fun and heartwarming ride. (Details below.)
– I’m getting some great ideas about my late summer Eastern Canada “tour” (Sept. 6-11). I’m now looking for local artists with whom I can “split the bill” in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto; if you have any ideas/suggestions, please e-mail me at nathenaswell@me.com.
Here’s what my CALENDAR looks like in the coming month. I’d be honoured to see you at any of these events. (AND please remember that I welcome any and all opportunities to serve you with my music; just e-mail me with your ideas at nathenaswell@me.com.)
May
15 & 16, 9:30 PM – Mosquito Creek Bar & Grill (2601 Westview Drive, North Vancouver) – with Cease And Desist
17, 11:00 AM – Spiritual Centre for Dynamic Living (H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver) – Church Service
21, 8:00 PM (doors open at 7:00 PM) – Jazz Cellar (3611 West Broadway, Vancouver) – 8th Annual Stick Night, with Greg Howard, Tom Griesgraber, Jim Meyer and I – $10.
22, 8:00 PM – House Concert in Vancouver (private event)
23, 8:00 PM – House Concert in Vancouver, featuring several Stick Players (in town for the annual Vancouver Stick Seminar) and I; by donation. Space is limited; for the location, please contact Jim Meyer ASAP at jim@jimmeyer.ca.
24, 11:00 AM – Unity of the Valley (Unit13A – 15531 24 Avenue, South Surrey) – Church Service
28, 4:00 & 7:00 PM – Italian Cultural Centre (3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver) – family shows with The Euphorics (a cappella quartet) – $15.
31, 11:00 AM – Unity of Vancouver (5840 Oak Street, Vancouver) – Church Service
June
7, 10:30 AM – Centre for Spiritual Living, White Rock (14600 North Bluff Road, Centennial Park, White Rock) – Church Service
NEW WEB SITE CONTENT
As well as updating the blogs and calendars on my web sites, I’ve:
– added new photos from my House Concert with Jane Mortifee to my web site and to my MySpace page. (THANKS to my dear Sheila for taking the pictures, and to Lenore Rosen for the use of her camera!)
– added links to THREE great videos about House Concerts on the “Music Store/Book a Concert/Links” page of my web site:
– An intro to house concerts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC-9Xbn5Smo&feature=related
– House Concert Basics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s57pIzhfDA&feature=related
– You’re invited to a house concert!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=try-z4-4h04
Happy May, everyone. Go with love!
With love and gratitude,
– Nathen
www.nathenaswell.com
www.myspace.com/nathenaswell
www.sonicbids.com/nathenaswell