KAT DANSER

Grad School & Homeless Connect

2009-10-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

I'm dog paddling in the deep end at graduate studies. I never though in million years I'd be in University again but there I am and what a privilege it is. I've already read more books and articles in one month than I have in the last 20 years. At 3,000 pages a week, class time and paper writing...whew! However, I'm exhilarated. It's not every day that I can focus on the blues all day long...music, music, music.

This past weekend I played at the Shaw Conference Centre for a project named Homeless Connect. As you know if you've followed my blogs, I care alot about this topic. There are always lots of opportunities to play for free so I've had to limit that because...well...I am running a music business and Revenue Canada expects that I'll make money some year. My strategy has been to pick a social issue that I care deeply about and do 3 benefits a year. Keeps my Karma in check and helps out the community at the same time .

Anyhow, homeless connect is not just about giving it's about our neighbors, the citizens of our community ..its about saying 'hey, you have a chance here. we want to hear you and help you'. It brings together the corporate and private business world with thousands of people to offer a hand up not just a hand out. The gig is not about recognition, not about publicity, not about sales, not about the show...it's about the fact that musicians need to be paid and people who need music in their lives need to have free access.

I felt so honored being a part of that experience. I hope you keep your eyes out for the next one in May and come down to spend time sharing food, sharing resources and sharing encouragement.

xo Kat

Blues Heat

2009-08-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all,
Thanks for tuning in. I've successfully recovered from heat exhaustion at the Calgary International Blues Festival and am ready to roll...well, almost. I'm getting prepared for the big transition to graduate studies and full time performance. I always seem to have multiple jobs. Maybe that works best for my restless mind? Whatever the case, life is good. I have no complaints.

I've been raising funds from my fanbase toward the next cd project. I'm now half way there and feeling hopeful that this project will find the light of day. I'm taking the next couple weeks to write some song threads that have been hanging on for awhile. I thank them for waiting for me -- LOL!

I had an amazing time at the Calgary International Blues Festival! Awesome experience and I learned alot and met some really wonderful people. Gotta get that video posted on YouTube. The next project. Until then...keep well and keep in touch!

xo Kat

First Class: Calgary Folk Festival

2009-07-29T09:28:00.001-07:00

Been there...and definitely loved that!!! The Calgary Folk Music Festival turned 30 and I felt 30 again. What a festival, what a vibe, what love...yum!

Thanks to the audience who showed up at my stages and to those who followed because they couldn't get enough of what I offer. It is sheer joy to feel like the music I create reaches people. I received so much support...Steve Dawson, Geoff Hicks, The Sojourners, Don Benedictson, Ferron...and the list goes on. At this stage in my career to be there learning from the best...what can I say...it was awesome.

Mavis...Mavis...Mavis...I wanna be like Mavis when I grow up.

In the next bit I'll be posting YouTube footage and photos on MySpace and this blog. I hope you'll touch back in to share in the afterglow.

xo Kat

Calgary Folk Festival - Wow!

2009-07-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Ooooohhhhhh yeah baby...I'm getting really excited about the Calgary Folk Festival. Mavis Staples, Corey Harris, Ferron and The Sojourners all on one little island in the middle of Calgary. It's all a dream come true! I'm feeling so grateful to the AD Kerry for having confidence in me and I look forward to the new people I will meet. Please take a look at KatDanser.com for updates. I'll be in touch soon...

xo Kat

Long Live Wang Dang Doodle Koko Taylor Style

2009-06-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It is with the saddest heart that I write tonite about the passing of Koko Taylor. She died this afternoon after complications from surgery. I had a profound meeting with Koko in Tunica in 2008 when I was in Mississippi. Our shared love of Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey was the foundation for our time together. I also had a chance to talk about her connection with Willie Dixon and the music they created. They were 'old school' Chicago with an innovative approach to standard blues form. I loved her attitude, her prowess and the fact that she wasn't afraid to tell the story of a woman in her music. I wish deepest prayers to her family and friends. Long live 'Wang Dang Doodle" - Koko Taylor style.

Hugs,
Kat

Me & Mavis

2009-04-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

So...yeah...learned that Mavis Staples and I will be performing at the same folk festival this year! After the kind of year where I've felt so connected to her disc, We'll Never Turn Back, I'm pumped. More pumped than Arnold. Now that's saying alot.

I'm in this very interesting transition. I'm leaving my social work life and moving wholly into creative expression through songwriting and academia. While it is exciting, it is also very challenging. A woman once said to me..."when one door closes another opens but it's hell in the hallway". I know what she means. Overall though, I'm gaining deeper perspective and am starting to feel more and more like I am making this move to improve my artistry on all levels. No matter what I engage in it seems like educating is always a part of it.

On another note...check out my facebook page...www.facebook.com/katdanser...and see video I've posted on the Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale, MS and Mavis Staples "Down in Mississippi". Enjoy.

Until next time...see you in the hallway!
xo Kat

Mississippi V.1

2009-04-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in reflection mode...it's been one year since I left for Mississippi. When they say time flies whoever 'they' are...they're not kiddin' around. Wow! A year since that journey south. The miles upon miles of beauty, time, space and searching for inspiration. I've never had a more inspired year since I was in Mississippi. Finished one documentary, working on a second, recorded 3 new songs for the new disc AND got accepted to pursue my love of music full time. My world has expanded to such a degree that it's hard even to keep up. C'est la vie I suppose.

I feel so totally blessed to have the internal and external resources to follow what I love. I appreciate all the teachers who continue to cross my path. I was reminded of them the other day at the Blue Chair with a sold out show and some dear musical friends coming to play just because I asked. Now those are whatcha call friends with a capital F.

Stay Cool...Kat

On the Backs of Artists

2009-03-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well, today seems to be the day where things I've had on my mind for awhile come out the door into wide open spaces. Today's point of view is the use of SonicBids.

For those who aren't musicians SonicBids is a service to the music industry that offers electronic networking between the musician and the talent buyer. I have had an account with SonicBids for a number of years and what that means is that an artist essentially has an electronic press kit for talent buyers to peruse.

There are inherent problems with SonicBids.
#1:
The first problem is that one has to pay approximately $100 - $200 per year just to have your site up and running. On top of that for each talent buyer you want to have peruse your material it costs anywhere from $5-$40. A modest year of submissions to 'competitions' for which you have a good chance is approximately $400/year.

#2:
The second problem is that some talent buyers will not accept any submissions from any other sources other than SonicBids. This situation creates a monopoly and in a free market this is an ethical dilemma. For some reason though whenever I try to address this issue in the industry there is no room for discussion.

#3:
The third problem is that the money the artist submits for the 'competition' is shared between the talent buyer and SonicBids itself. So, the more money gathered, the more money that goes to the talent buyer and to SonicBids. I know first hand that SonicBids pitches the idea of generating income for the talent buyer as the hook to monopolizing the EPK market. And guess who pays...the artist.

My strong opinion is that SonicBids is scheme to bilk struggling artists with both the USA based business and the talent buyers profiting.

I come from the school of thought that whenever you have an criticism one should also have a solution. My solution...that talent buyers receive electronic press submissions from multiple sources not one monopolized out of country business. I beleive that I should be able to send my EPK link (which has all the necessary information to make a decision about hiring me) from my website and save myself literally hundreds of dollars each year.

It shouldn't cost the artist to be considered for a gig. Period.

Soap Box Kat

Masters in Ethnomusicology Here I Come!!

2009-03-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
Man, oh, man what a week. Everything from having an electronic grant application I'd worked really hard on get wiped out of cyberspace to frustrated people critiquing my work. But hey, what can you do. All a part of this wild ride.

Good news though, I received the final, final confirmation that I'll begin graduate studies this coming Fall. I'll be working on my Masters in Ethnomusicology and I'm definitely up to the challenge. I look foward to expanding my ability to think critically and to engage different processes that will expand my world view. It's been 20 years since I've been in University so that will be a steep and welcome learning curve. More music...less Social Work sounds like a recipe for reduced stress to be sure.

On a performance front I've been performing this past weekend at the University of Alberta Graduate Music Students Conference. I had a terrific time and was exhausted but in a good way at the end of it all. I did a presentation on "Images, Pen & Performance: Inclusion of the Listener in New Works of Art". It felt good to share my musical life in that setting and thank Micheal McDonald for including me.

Because I love performance and writing so much it may be hard to share space with demanding academic work but I feel like my developmental flow is to learn about music and the interface with culture that shapes it. And, it'll definitely accord me the privaledge to study about blues and grassroots music at a deeper level. I'd better love big words and complex thoughts :-)

I hope you are well. Rock on...Kat

Mississippi Bound...Again!

2009-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,
I've been on a little hiatus managing winter, the cold and a car accident. I'm doin' really well though and back to writing again which always makes me happy.

When I got back from Mississippi I found a group of people who could help me understand the breadth of my experiences at the Canadian Centre for Ethnomusicology located here at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Long story short, I ended up realizing that I wanted to continue my artistic development in Mississippi and decided to apply for a graduate studies. I have been accepted and, much to my surprise, I'll be starting graduate school full time in September 2009...this year. I am very, very excited to have this opportunity and to be willing to give it to myself. So what does this have to do with Mississippi...well, I'll be focusing my thesis on the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band of North Mississippi. For the first time in the lineage of that style of blues music the fifer is a young woman named Sharde Thomas.

After 24 years in Social Work it is quite a thing to realize that I want to dedicate my life to music. My new motto...if it doesn't have music in the title I don't want to do it!

I've also made application for some music grants and have had a blast working on my 3 song demo with don benedictson and Christian Dugas. The songs turned out great now we wait to find out if the coffers will open for a brand new CD project. I'm very excited that this will happen for us. Positive thinking.

I hope you are well and that you'll drop me an email at: katdanser@shaw.ca so we can keep in touch with each other.

xo Kat

Mississippi Medicine Show

2008-12-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

Hi there....
November came and went so fast that I didn't have a moment to catch y'all up on what's goin' on in my music life. The summary...two sold out shows, great audience (minus the out of control fan ...aka...the toe licking stripper) and the catfish...yummy! Great nights of music and a wonderful way to share the adventure. Right after that I hopped the train to Winnipeg and back to do some pre-production work with don benedictson and Christian Dugas. It is very exciting to be moving in the direction of the new disc. We've got a solid start with the demos and the grant writing will begin tomorrow. Yeehaa! Bring on the funds.

I'm in a holding pattern right now with festival applications and such. I was very fortunate on my tour down south as I'll be playing a bigger festival this coming summer. Can't say which one just yet but I'm really, really pleased.

Solstice and Christmas are creeping up so quickly. It'll be good to be moving into days with more light after December 22nd. One of my favorite days of the year is...boxing day. No, not for the sale, for the quiet and reduction in consumerism.

On that uplifting note...ha ha...I'll wish you all the best of the season and catch up with you again in 2009.

Thanks for a great year! xo Kat

MJB & Me

2008-10-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

I had the immense privaledge of recording my song (Notes from) The Other Side with national roots musician, Michael Jerome Browne. We recorded it in the Twilight Lounge with sound engineer Ian who managed to get a sound that was incredible! The producers, Graham Guest and Grant Stovel, were simply outstanding to work with. I couldn't even imagine a more calm, centered and caring environment. I think it will definitely reflect in the finished project!

One of the great blessings music has bestowed on my life is working with like minded, sensitive men!

xo kd

MGAM Inc. & Busted Flat Records

2008-10-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Fellow Music Lovers...
What a week...what a week this has been!!! I am very pleased to announce that I have signed an exclusive international artist management agreement with Toronto based MGAM Inc. With clear minded and inspiring Marilyn Gilbert at the helm I fully expect to be putting into place even more foundational career building blocks. It is wonderful to have the support of a professional of this caliber in the business. I feel very blessed and look forward to a long and productive working relationship.

Busted Flat Records from Kitchener/Waterloo, an indie label, has come on board to support and distribute my next recording which I'm temporarily naming 'the mississippi project'. Mark Logan and the gang have been super positive and wonderful to work with. Just the energy I need to welcome my new 'baby cd' into the world. Ha ha.

And, to complete the trifecta...funding has come through to complete my pre-production with my producer, don benedictson, and our kickass percussionist, Christian Dugas (The Duhks). In mid November I'll ride the rails to Winnipeg for the first in a year long process of recording this disc.

Over and Out...Kat

Pilot Design & Website Update

2008-09-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

I am lucky to have Pilot Design working hard for me on my website. I am making some changes to specific aspects and you will note a new button called "Musings" in the coming weeks. It will provide some interesting links and information that should intrigue roots and blues lovers. Although the overall design will remain the parchment and old radio, there will be many updated photos and access to this blog. Already this blog has received over 13,000 hits so I'm pretty excited to think that there will be access to my website as well.

Very cool thing happened this week...I received an email from Blues DJ Charly from Florida. We met in Clarksdale at the Juke Joint Festival and he emailed from out of the blue. That lead me to reconnect with the fine folks in my Clarksdale family and has renewed my integration and passion for this experience. It won't be long and I'll be back in Mississippi...I just know it in my bones!

If you get a chance check out www.ratpackstlouis.com and see some photos of me with a big laugh and some playing at the Riverside Motel with Frank Ratliff.

Keep on keepin' on my brothers & sisters in the Blues...Kat

Centre for Ethnomusicology & Folkways Alive!

2008-09-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

The last week has been absolutely amazing for me and my musical evolution! At the encouragement of my dear friends Russ Baker and John Newton I have made contact with and am being supported by a team of wonderful people at the University of Alberta's Center for Ethnomusicology and Folkways Alive! There is alot of space for my artistic expression and I find myself deeply stimulated by the conversation. I've resisted academic pursuits in the past because I could not see the point in furthering my education..until now. Resistance is futile as I have a huge YES in my mind's eye about this connection. This is very, very needed and a major boost to my career.

The gifts of the Mississippi Delta and blues music continue to be abundant in my writing and overall creative process. It is too early to go into specifics but I will say that the November concerts are just the beginning of grounding my Southern USA trip into the Alberta musical landscape. The most exciting piece is the amateur documentary which will provide alot of information about how to pursue a full length documentary. I don't think it's too early to say but I want you all to know that in the midst of this fellow blues woman Ndidi Onukwulu and I will be working together for part the larger documentary. I admire her artistic work and am thrilled that this connection has been made. I can't say more right now but will as time moves forward.

I hope you can take time and join me in November. If you cannot please check in with this blog from time to time and keep in touch! It means alot to me that you are reading.

Happy Fall Season!
Hugs, Kat

Evangeline & Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

2008-09-02T09:56:00.001-07:00

Hi again friends...it is great to be back blogging once again. I sure appreciate you checkin' in with this ongoing process I'm in.

Nova Scotia was more than I had imagined it would be. The people are second to none (as my mom would say), the scenery and the musical vibe was outstanding! I had an terrific time at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival (first three photos) and really want to thank all the volunteers and organizers. The blessings on my music were abundant in Lunenburg and there were too many moments of gratitude to even measure. What I will say is that on the Wharf Stage on a sunny Saturday afternoon playing music across from the Bluenose II all I could think of was "I can't wait to tell everyone back home about this experience". Who knew 9 years ago that music would become such a joy in my life.

If' you've been following along in this blog you'll know that I was introduced to Evangeline in Lafayette, Louisiana this past Spring and she has continued to be quite a source of inspiration as I learn about the story of the Nova Scotian Acadian people. As luck would have it I ended up playing a gig in Wolfville, Nova Scotia which happened to be along the 'Evangeline Trail' and the National Historical Site of Grand Pre which is where the Acadian deportation of the 1700's occurred. Amazing!! That thread continues to lead me in interesting directions. If you get a chance to read Longfellow's prose poem, Evangeline, it is worth it.

No matter where I go during this time of artistic development in my life...my Southern USA adventure continues to unfold.

I've included some photos of funnin' and playin' in Lunenburg as well as a photo of the statue of Evangeline in Grand Pre. Enjoy!

Hugs,

Kat

418 to Clarksdale

2008-07-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Part One

418 to Clarksdale

By Kat Danser

For years I’ve literally dreamed the Mississippi Delta culture…the land, the people, the food and, of course, the music. Until I was 30 years old though I didn’t realize that my dream life was issuing a strong call. It wasn’t until hearing Bessie Smith sing “T’Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness” by coincidence (if you believe in coincidence) on a Columbia House give away entitled Roots ‘n Blues Sampler that my connection to blues music was born.

As we blues lovers know the well is deep and rich. A veritable feast at every sip. I realized that I could not just take a sip from the well so I dove in headfirst and I haven’t surfaced yet. As my music career developed so, too, did my wish to take a trip to my personal Mecca…the Mississippi Delta. And I began to dream again of taking a train…the 418…down south to Clarksdale. (Not only was that the train number but it was also the exact time I woke up in the middle of the night for the first three months of 2008.) After some research I learned that the Canadian National Railway system runs coast to coast in Canada and also runs south from Winnipeg along lines that follow the Mississippi River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. On March 31, 2008, I left my home in Edmonton, Alberta and headed for my hometown of Waldron, Saskatchewan…ground zero for the journey.

In 1967 I was born and raised near the hamlet of Waldron on a mixed farm. Our family home was converted from a two-room granary built on top of an old vehicle landfill site. (It was a common occurrence to hoe potatoes in one of our three gardens and pull up an old chrome mirror, door handle or piece of windshield glass.) My father, a CNR engineer, and my mother, a schoolteacher, worked hard to earn $80 a week and we mostly lived off the land. The relationship we held with the land was equal with our relationship to the rails. Only a few hundred feet from our home, I recall feeling the tracks rumble and hearing the iron on iron roar. Many times throughout the day the whistle blew announcing it’s arrival and we were always super careful at the crossings. The sheer locomotive energy made me want to jump aboard and ride the boxcar to wherever it was headed…freedom! Instead, I left pennies to flatten reminding me of my desire.

However, on this trip my desire to travel would be met. This time I held onto my pennies and in the sun’s first light I watched as the train floated by issuing a couple extra whistle blows for my early morning efforts. Then I followed the highways along the CN lines to Winnipeg and continued to follow them as they diverge south meeting up with and eventually following the Mississippi River into Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

There are many names for the Mississippi River – the Great River - the Big Muddy – Miza’zippa – but to me the only nickname I could create that would reflect my initial meeting was ‘trickle creek’. Following the roads and rails I met this legendary river at her headwaters of Lake Itasca, Minnesota. Melting snow on her banks and Canadian Geese gliding on the water introduced me to a river that looked like a small Alberta creek. But by the time I crossed this river again in Memphis, Tennessee she was flooded and two miles across. Quite a contrast.

I arrived in Memphis on the marking of the 40^th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The National Civil Rights Museum built on the site of this visionary’s tragic death, the Lorraine Motel, is very moving and informative. A must see for anyone and especially for blues musicians and fans who long to understand African American history from slavery through the civil rights movement and into present day. It is here that, in my opinion, a true understanding of blues music is held.

The historic downtown of Memphis is host to the famous Beale Street. Thanks to the commitment of BB King and many others the neon signs light the way to live electric blues, beer, ribs and peach cobbler. Some criticize the street for being “too touristy” but my thought was “thank goodness for these efforts or the history would be completely lost. Bringin’ folks to the blues one tourist at a time can’t be nothin’ but good for the survival of blues music”. Regardless of which side of the fence one’s opinions lie, blues music is alive and thriving on Beale Street alongside statues of WC Handy and, much beloved, Rufus Thomas.

Other than the Civil Rights Museum my most meaningful moments musically were centered at Stax Records in a very poor area of West Memphis. When you think Stax it’s impossible not to whisper the names of some of the all time greats: The Staples Singers, Rufus Thomas, Al Green, Otis Redding and on and on. I felt like I’d found a piece of my musical longing in the blues funk of the 1960’s. It all sounded energetic and brand new being in the studio where it all happened. Incredible!

Legend has it that the Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis and ends in Vicksburg, Mississippi. As I would discover through reading, listening and talking with locals, this too is in question. Anthropologists indicate that the official Delta begins in Tunica, Mississippi. I am joined by many music lovers who contented that perhaps “The Delta” is more that the actual geography and is also about the energy of art through music. But hey, this is the blues after all…one-quarter truth mixed with three quarters storytelling. However one wants to view it, I entered the Delta from the lobby of the Peabody destination Clarksdale on Highway 61 alongside the Mississippi River and the CN Line.

It is quite the deal to realize a dream and driving into the Delta was awe-inspiring. The blistering, dry heat on flat alluvial soil exuded the traditional Delta blues energy. Memphis Minnie, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patton, Tommy Johnson, Skip James, Howlin’ Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Othar Turner, Robert Johnson, Louise Johnson…all ridin’ the 418 into Clarksdale.

I was feeling very romantic as I drove into Clarksdale, that is, until the State Patrol pulled me over and I thought “oh great…my moment is ruined”. They searched my vehicle inside and out with all the charm of a rock and I learned at the end of it that they were looking for an escaped convict from close by Parchman Farm. I realized immediately that indeed my own blues story was getting richer by the second with this ‘real time’ story about escaped murderers. We songwriters are always on the look out for good material and this was already turning into a great store. A sign of many amazing experiences to come.

[Stay tuned for Part 2: Turtle Crossings & Frog Leg Wipers.]

Long Time Kat Check In

2008-07-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I've been off this blog for awhile but I'm back. In between touring and writing I have been swamped. And, most importantly, I welcomed my new niece into the world. Her name is Olivia May Lewis born May 30, 2008. She is precious beyond belief. What an absolute miracle babies are!!

In the meantime I wrote the first of three articles for the Ottawa Blues Society (thanks Liz) and I have posted it above. On November 7 and 8, 2008 in Edmonton, AB. I will be doing a multimedia presentation on my pilgrimage including songs written while on that trip. Check out my website for the details (www.KatDanser.com).

I hope you enjoy part one of a three part series from yours truly.

Keep on keepin' on all! I'm off to Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival...home of the Blue Nose.

Kat

WC Handy Awards

2008-05-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

I've given my camera a break from the grind of the last 7 weeks...okay, maybe I've given myself a break too. Tonite I'm in Nebraska reviewing the events of the WC Handy Awards (International Blues Awards) in Tunica, MS on May 8, 2008. One thing is for sure...awards shows are reeeeaaaalllllllyyyyyyy boring and this was no exception.

The lineup was amazing but after 4 hours and only a third way through I let go of my need to stay to the end. Instead I waited until the performers I really wanted to see where completed. Here are my top 10 best loved things about the WC Handy's:

10. Having a scotch with Gaye Adegbalola (Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women) in the hotel lounge after sharing our admiration for the music of Ma Rainey.

9. Joking around with a great guy in the shuttle en route to the award show and finding out that it was nominee Jackie Payne. We were quite impressed that we've both played the stage at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton.

8. Patio coincidental meeting with Edmonton Labatt's Blues Festival captains Cam Hayden and his lovely partner. Great way to ground my blues community in Edmonton!

7. Writing and recording three new songs in the hotel room waiting for it all to get underway.

6. Great food!

5. Watching the show of my new buddy, Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes.

4. The lap slide prowess of Mary Flower. (Holy shit can that woman play!)

3. Shakin', rollin', heavin' bosom of killer blues woman, Diunna Greenleaf.

2. Queen of the Blues - Koko Taylor won big.

1. Being there as the crowd saw Ruthie Foster for the first time (they didn't seems to know her music) and standing with the crowd in standing ovation after she finished Son House's 'Grinnin' In Your Face' a capella! Her destiny is written to be one of the greatest... of that there is NO doubt.

Freezin' in Nebraska (it's Oc right now, storming and my southern tan is fading fast),

KD xoxo

Bubba & Robert Plant @ the Blues Corner

2008-05-10T17:48:00.001-07:00

Immersion is a strange experience. It's not like I knew when exactly I was immersed in the Mississippi culture but that didn't change the fact that I did allow myself to immerse. It was a feeling of belonging and understanding...an energy rather than a moment I guess. At some point I felt myself let go of concerns and agendas.

So, on May 7, 2008, when I met, sat with and talked with owner of Bubba's Blues Corner in Helena, Arkansas and Robert Plant (yes, Led Zepplin Robert Plant) it really wasn't a big deal. The three of us sat around debating the age old issue of who owns blues music and how do royalties for the early music get paid. I was surprised at the opinions and knowledge I held about these issues and the historical aspects of the blues. Integration had occurred without me even really knowing it. And, when my sweetie asked if I took a photo of Bubba, Robert Plant and me, I could only say that "it never even crossed my mind" because it didn't. We exchanged information and carried on with blues discussions. When that was over I moved on to the next Delta experience. Funny thing...I don't even wish I had the photo. It's held in my heart and in my mind for me to enjoy and share with blues lovers back home.

Heck, I didn't even ask Robert why he's the hold out for the Led Zepplin reunion tour - ha ha. I already know the answer to that question anyway...

Kat

KFFA Radio-- Show 15, 643

2008-05-10T16:10:00.001-07:00

I am so happy I went to Helena, Arkansas on May 7, 2008! Stumbled upon many interesting people and made it my mission to do as Honeyboy said "listen more than you talk". Good advice. I did just that in Helena and met Sonny Payne (announcer pictured above) who has been host of KFFA "King Biscuit Time" , a blues program, for much of his 80+ years. In fact, he was doing a live show when I wandered in off the street and there he was interviewing Rhonda Rogers who was an absolutely fantastic blues woman from North Carolina. Pipes on that chick or what? Anyhow, it was Sonny's 15,643rd show and he has seen more than a book full of blues events. KFFA is an historic radio program that broadcast 'black' blues music in the 1930's when that was completely unheard of. King Biscuit Flour sponsored the program and their musical hosts were Sonny Boy Williamson II and Robert Lockwood Jr. (stepson of Robert Johnson). I even signed the walls where all the blues musicians that have passed through the studio in its current location have signed. It was such a blast!

15,700th show maybe an on air interview with Kat Danser?? Never know...;-)

Kat

Sweet Goodbyes in Clarksdale

2008-05-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Well folks...my Mississippi time clock is ticking and I say goodbye to Clarksdale tomorrow. I've gone and returned now three times throughout this pilgrimage and every time I come to this blues zone I can hear the heartbeat of the blues and feel the weight of poverty everywhere I look. The people of Clarksdale are like Waldron...salt of the earth folks but if you don't smoke or drink alcohol it'd be pretty hard to fit in. Turns out I've smoked my share of cigars and drank my share of scotch on this trip so it has illicited a relaxed vibe in me. I like that...being on Clarksdale time...but I just couldn't live here for any length. The more you know the town the MORE you KNOW the town if you know what I mean.

The top photo is of the Delta Blues Museum, a cool place run by a great woman, Shelley Ritter, who helped me write the Alberta Creative Development Initiative proposal. It is essentially Muddy Waters driven as his is the Godfather of the Blues and a local hero. They actually have his log house inside the museum all preserved and such. It's worth the trip just for that.

The next two photos are of Morgan Freeman's juke called Ground Zero. You may have seen some inside photos on the Watermelon Slim photos. Anyhow, Mo'n Free'an, as it's said in Clarkdale accent, is a local hero and really why shouldn't he be. He has done a great deal to help this community and to help in preserving the blues heartland. His efforts are likely paving the way for increased tourism which will really help the Clarksdale economy. Inside this juke are literally thousands of signatures from patrons all over the world. It has become Mecca for blues fans and tours are being arranged from New Orleans and Memphis to highlight the attributes of this community as well as forward the importance of blues music.

Then there's true blue authentic Red's Juke. I played in this juke a couple weeks back. It is everything you'd imagine an urban juke to be...dim lighting, bbq smoked, red lights hanging off plastic covered insulation and bring your own hard liquor. Prior to leaving on this trip I read a book on 'Black-White' relations to understand my role in being a good communicator within the Black American communities. One of the great things I learned was how the word 'rap' is a phrase that describes 'talkin' to you with a sense of humor'. There are all different kinds of ways to rap but they are usually filled with one liners. Men usually try their 'rap' consistently with women and I had prepared some one liners to respond as it is considered insulting to be silent and walk by. It is actually a sign of disrespect. Anyhow, I practiced in front of the mirror before I left just in case I needed to be quick on my feet. Well, Red, the owner, rapped on me the afternoon before I played his juke. It went like this...

Sunflower Avenue, I'm walkin' the north side of the avenue trying not to get noticed and there are three buddies smokin' up some pork on the BBQ outside Red's. I knew right away that one of them would rap on me to try to impress their buddies.

Red yells across the street:

"Hey Mama why don't you come over here I'm a player and I need to practice?"

Kat stops and looks.

Red says again:

"Come on baaaabbbbyyy...don't disrespect me...I'm a player and I need to do some practice"

Kat then says with ease and humor:

"Baby, if you a player you must have the lose in es game in town!"

Red throws his hands up in the air and his buddies are killing themselves laughing because Red's just been out rapped.

And, you know, I came into his gig about 10 hours later and even though we hadn't met (he'd just seen me across the avenue) and he was totally hammered...he opened his eyes to full on slits and said "hey baby, you dat woman from this afternoon" then he nodded and went back to snooze mode.

Oh yeah baby!

Kat

Farish Street Marriage Advice

2008-05-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

One thing about the Delta is that there is always the possibility of humor lurking around any corner. It was 1pm but Farish Street, the Jackson musical/historical equivalent of Beale Street in Memphis, was abandoned...that is, until I got out of my car. I'm not sure if the street criminals have each other on speed text messaging or what but out of nowhere I found myself feeling very vulnerable to being robbed, beaten or whatever the will of the group of men I found myself confronted by. I didn't let on any fear and just stayed focus on what I was there to do but that was tough let me tell you. In the end I got hit up for two bits and said 'no' which is even more amazing for me. But I digress...I turned the corner after being on Farish feeling a little more than afraid of what might have been when I came across this sign. It was a relief to know that "Healthy Marriage Mississippi" shared the sole secret of a lasting marriage ...to keep my partner warm. Phew! Here I thought it had something to do with love and respect but turns out as long as my feet aren't cold I'm good to go. Now I can sleep at night...ha ha.

Anyhow, Farish Street was the home of Trumpet Records owned by a woman named Lillian

McMurray. I was interested in her work because I had reviewed her boxes of business records at the Blues Archives in Oxford to learn that she was an outstanding advocate for recorded blues musicians (ie: Sonny Boy Williamson II, Howlin' Wolf, Sam Myers, etc.) royalties and also for raising money for many of the beautiful gravestones you've seen throughout the blog. Thankfully the City of Jackson has declared this area an historical site with intentions to turn it into a Beale Street like atmosphere but that plan has been on hold for the past 10 years. Most musicians around here agree that it's too late to renovate and turn it into something sweet as the crime is out of control in the area and the buildings are beyond decay (and most are) but I could see how this street has the potential to be much like Beale.

The King Edward Hotel is a monstrous historical building that is being renovated into a hotel again. The goal seems to be to turn it into the Peabody Hotel, Memphis equivalent which will be very cool for this city. This building's musical history is that in December 1930 OKeh Records rented the top two floors shown here and recorded the first recordings of the Mississippi Sheiks.

FYI Alert: Steve Dawson from Black Hen Music out of Vancouver will be releasing his Mississippi Sheiks album in the Fall 2008. Check it out it'll be a good another killer album from this young innovator.

Peace out...

Kat

Pure Juke & Duck

2008-05-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

On whim and intuition I pulled into the small village of Bentonia, Mississippi (ben-TONE-ya).

Being a little hungry and a whole lot thirsty I stopped at the Blue Front Cafe. A lone man sat on the stoop eatin' a pickled egg and I awkwardly introduced myself and asked if he was the owner. He nodded that indeed he was and said his name is Jimmie. After sizing me up for a few minutes he quietly motioned to go inside to take a look around.

Well, the Blue Front Cafe was anything but a cafe... it was pure juke joint! Let me say that if the blues was rain this place is flooded. It is 60 years old and has been lived in by the likes of Skip James, Jack Owens and Bud Spires with Skip James receiving the most notoriety for his 'uniqueness' playing in minor cross note tunings. As it turns out Skip James may not have been the originator of the Bentonia Blues style but it was more likely to have been a local hero Jack Owens who taught Skip James. Adding to the stories told by owner Jimmie there was no mistaking the authenticity of this juke from the mismatch kitchen chairs and tables to the beat up acoustic guitar, to the pink pickled eggs, Peavey amp and the strong smell of BBQ smoke.

Cautious Jimmie brought me a Corona and invited me to sit on the front porch with him. He was curious about where I was from and "now, what rrrr ya doin' so fer from home girl?" After he got finished with shaking his head about my answer we got down to it...music. Once we were united by country blues he proceeded to grab his beat up Epiphone acoustic and rusted strings. He told me he has no idea what tuning that "I jus' wait 'til sounds gooood then I knows I'm in da rot tune. Peoples say I'm jus' inna mine-a but I done know. I done read music I jus' listen." I watched as his stubbed finger tips and dirty nails (yeah, kind of a hobby of mine lookin' at peoples finger nails -- weird eh?) move the tuning up and down by a whole step, half steps while I got lost. Jimmie was right, when it sounded good he put on an old steel capo and started to play.

Well, as the story goes, beer drinkin' juke joint Danser with modest Jimmie the Owner, he plucked and pinched and flicked the strings for the most authentic blues sound I've ever heard live (sorry Honeyboy). I nearly fell off my chair when he started to sing...deep holler style...and his pickin' he identified as Bentonia Blues. Absolutely shocking!!! Other than the legends I had no idea anyone was carrying on the country blues.

I sang and tapped and that seemed to encourage him to continue but when it was done, it was done. No fan fare. Careful not to close him off with my assertive communication style he began to offer story after story about Skip James, Bud Spires and Jack Owens. At some point he says that he's travelling to Tunica on the 8th 'cuz he'll play a little bit there. I clued in that he might be playing a juke there so upon further inquiry he indicates that he will be performing at the Grand Casino "for some blues award or something". Then he asked in such a real and authentic way when I showed my surprise and awe.."is that somethin' impordant?" I let him know that indeed it is. It is the grand blues show. Turns out he'll be opening the International Blues Awards and has been nominated in the Traditional Blues Category.

Blue Front Cafe Jimmie is Jimmie "Duck" Holmes and this guy without a doubt WILL be the next legend. He is so authentic that it feels like walking back to 1930. There is no describing just how amazing he is playing these Bentonia Blues. He has some support to record from a guy in St. Louis who runs Broke & Hungry Records. And I felt like I'd discovered a mountain of gold!

We were both getting more than excited to share our experiences and love of country blues. As if the baptism couldn't get any more pure, just as Jimmie finishes giving me a tshirt from a box in the shed, I kid you not, no...seriously...a train whistle blows right outside the door and as it rushes past the engine is painted black with red and the HUGE letters CN on the side!!!

My mind was a juke party...moonshine, BBQ and fireworks! I hooted and hollared as that freight roared by just like I did on April 1, 2008 in Waldron, Saskatchewan, Canada. Holy shit!!! He laughed for a long time about my reaction as I showed him the photos of my birthplace, the CN engine rolling along the tracks there and how our home was as close to the tracks as this juke.

'Sippi Slow Down,

Kat

Belzoni, Mississippi & Area Photos

2008-05-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Legendary Pinetop Perkins

2008-05-03T16:04:00.001-07:00

At 3am I was awakened by the sound of sirens indicating that the 'Thunderstorm Warning' had turned into a tornado. It was fierce and seemingly unrelenting as it ripped through this little town of Kosciusko, Mississippi where I'd decided to anchor in an attempt to escape the storm sweeping southern Mississippi. I got clothed, shoes on and then gripping my bag with all my identification in it I sat in the small prison bathroom of the Days Inn. Shivering, shaking and wanting to call to loved ones but not wanting to panic anyone back home. That hour and a half was very, very, very long. But, at 5:30a I awoke in the bathtub, the tornado hadn't caused me damage but it sure left a path of destruction. I was very lucky to be in a sturdy building that is relatively new. I can't imagine the panic of people living literally in 'shacks' that would not even qualify as inhabitable back home. This appears to be the case for a majority of housing options for African Americans throughout the Mississippi. (I have logged many kilometers and talked with many people so I now feel comfortable having and expressing an opinion.)

Lucky for me the alarm went off and the sun had emerged for the Pinetop Perkins Official Blues Marker dedication today. So there on highway 49 just outside Belzoni, MS, Pinetop's home town, is the marker you see at the top. The Mississippi Blues Commission really should be congratulated for all the work they are doing to mark the important pieces of blues history. I am grateful because even with a well researched guidebook it is very difficult to find pieces of blues history. As one would expect with all the disrupted energy of the tornado there were unfortunate hit and misses throughout this dedication. The marker is beautiful especially the photos and the dedication was heartfelt. Pinetop's musical friends gathered to play with and celebrate him but the show was 2 hours delayed (and in the Mississippi heat that's a looooonnnnngggg time), the sound was absolutely horrible and his piano was terribly out of tune. He played a song then refused to carry on due to these issues and what seemed like seriously deteriorating health. At age 94, and that's a blues 94, it is to be expected. It was no better for Bobby Rush but it wasn't the day that anyone had hoped for in order to show deep appreciation for this fabulous musician!

There you have it...Pinetop Perkins living long enough to see his dedication marker unveiled. One of a few. He still has some serious chops on the keys and you can tell by his socks that he is livin' the life!

Congratulations Pinetop!!

Kat Danser - there in '08.

Beautiful Day in Columbus

2008-05-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to soak my hot feet in the crisp waters of the Chattahoochie River today. It was just what I needed...to cool the jets and begin some integration of these experiences. The Canadian geese are connecting me back to Canada throughout this trip. I particularly love the sparkle stars on the water in the photo.

Thanks for checkin' in,

Kat

Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues

2008-04-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Gertrude Pridgett "Ma Rainey: Mother of the Blues" died at the age of 53 in 1939. Ma was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. She was the first, the grande dame, a savvy business woman, "the boss of it all"(as Honeyboy Edwards relayed it to me) and most definitely a pioneer blues artist. In 1902 it was Ma who introduced 'the blues' to as part of her travelling minstrel act although WC Handy is credited with this honor. (He actually 'discovered' the blues in 1904 in Tutwiler, Mississippi.) Whatever the case, blues music was born from the time of slavery and prison work songs. However, it was Ma who took the true experiences of the 'folk' and gave it back to them through 'the blues'. By all accounts she was loved and admired by everyone and Honeyboy related that "when Ma played for you, you felt like the only one she was singin' too. And could she sing the blues".

At the age of 14 she joined her first minstrel troupe "The Blackberry Bunch" and spent the next 30 years of her life performing and making a major contribution to popular music. She made 97 blues records for Paramount before 1928 and at least 47 were her own contributions. Some of the musicians who worked with Ma included Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, Tampa Red, Lovie Anderson, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Thomas Dorsey. She has been inducted into the following Halls of Fame: Blues Foundation, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Georgia Music, Georgia Women of Achievement and the Grammy. In addition, there has been a US postage stamp issue and the listing of her song See See Rider Blues at the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

The Ma Rainey Blues House & Museum was fought for by the people of Columbus, Georgia and funded by the City of Columbus: Friends of Ma Rainey. I haven't posted the photos of the kind of shape this home was in but as you can tell from this photo of the finished product, it has been a job well done. Indeed curator Fred Fussell has done a marvelous job of creating a place for people like me to find a piece of the magic in her old records, her piano (all the keys work by the way) and in the sparse memorabilia that remains of her musical life.

Columbus is an absolutely beautiful city with lush forest lining the Chatahoochie River. The people are very welcoming and friendly much like the Mississippi. One restaurant owner asked "ware ya frome?" and when I indicated that I was from Canada his response was "oh main, I sho do wish I leeved somewheres liberal leek Canada". We had broad conversation about my experiences listening to both Neo (and I mean Neo) Conservative talk radio as well as PBS talk radio over the last couple days of travel. He said "oooohhhh, ya done wanna do that naw. Juice torn that oweff and have some tay". I wholeheartedly agreed and on we went to other discussion over sweet tea.

Ma Rules!!!

Ooot and Abooot eh?

Cajun Salve

2008-04-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

In 1755 the Governor of Nova Scotia expelled approximately 10,000 Acadian's (say it fast and with a Francois accent and you'll hear "Cajun"). The French speaking Catholics of Nova Scotia refused to dedicate their political and religious allegiance to Protestant Britain. The expulsion occurred quickly (the painting above) and many Acadian people died en route from Nova Scotia to the lands now known as Louisiana. (Louisiana is the only state which divides itself by 'parrish'es not counties. In fact, Lafayette is part of the parrish of Evangeline.)

The poet Longfellow wrote a beautiful poem, Evangeline, about the journey of the Acadian people and the cultural values and principles that kept this rich community of Cajuns alive to be enjoyed by me and countless others who visit here and take the time to understand an important part of Canadian history and the history of the Acadian people.

Last December when I realized that I needed to make this journey I never realized at the time what magic was occurring in my life. Shortly after making the financial commitment (prior to knowing about the grant monies) I received many new songs. One of them, Passin' Time, was a beautiful gift to write. Prior to writing this song I was not aware of the story of Evangeline, the first time I had the blues, my connection to Acadiana or the memories of waiting outside the bar for hours as a child while my father got drunk.

The lyrics are these:

First time I had the blues I was the age of nine

My father flipped me a nickel, flipped me a dime

Said "stay with the car child, I won't be a short while"

Passin' time

Chips with the nickel, cold pop with the dime

Got my very own jukebox I jus' spin the dial

Minutes to hours I go travellin' in my mind

Passin' time

Emmylou singin' 'bout Evangeline

An' I hop on board that Mississippi Queen

Sweat rolls down my neck in the Delta heat

Blues was sent to save me

Folks stop and stare I tell 'em my father's gone blind

Truth is he done drank a tub of that Beausejour wine

I could...but I ain't gonna cry

Passin' time

This ol' Ford's my Mississippi Queen

I hold sorrows in my heart jus' like Evangeline

My mouth might but my eyes don't lie

Passin' time

The power of music in my life is a healer, a salve. It is a way to begin to understand my childhood experiences in balance. Passin' time is perhaps the most healing song I've ever written and reading Longfellow's poem Evangeline in the Acadian Village amidst antique images of my own story on the farm in Saskatchewan was spectacular!

I know that I've been really deep in this blog but I wanted you to know the importance of today. Picture it in your mind...the film is rolling and the image is me looking in the mirror as a child. Then from out of nowhere a stone is thrown against the mirror. It cracks, fragments, splinters and some pieces fall off completely. If you reverse these images...the film rewinds...then I am looking at myself in the mirror as a child, as an adult. Complete, whole, beautiful and precious. It feels as though I have turned back time so that I can now move forward into the life I was meant to live...this one! Maybe this is why the Zydeco and Cajun traditions have so much joy in their music...because it healed them too...who knows? C'est possible!

Bon nuit mes amis,

KD xo

Acadiana Beauty

2008-04-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

Festival International de Louisiane - Day 2

2008-04-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ville Platte about an hour of Lafayette is home to Floyd's Record Shop. I got a chance to practice my very poor french is but he was patient. I had been looking and holding the idea that I would find a scrub board (you know the silver percussive chest plate looking instrument in zydeco music) and it was there. And...it was mine. Floyd was pumped because I dropped a load of cash but it was so worth it. I even bought a Cajun triangle. Apparently I have aspirations to learn a bit more about percussion.

After the swamp, the scrub board buy, fried alligator and boudin I settled in for an evening of fine music with Rosie Laddet (la-day) and Her Playboys. Some of the top photos of are the characters doing the fais-do-do a Cajun dance. It was awesome to watch! Rosie hardly had her accordion on when the dance floor filled in 2.5 seconds...literally. People of all ages dancing, switching dance partners and visiting. Finish the evening off with Habib Koite and there you have it. From Africa, to the Delta, to Louisiana and back to Africa again. A blues trip around the world!

I am very, very, very taken with Louisiana. Not the first person to feel that way but it is the sheer spirit of the music in the hot sun, the community and all the trials of preserving the Acadian culture (with roots in Nova Scotia no less). There's history here which I will explain when it's not 11pm.

Full on Life...

Kat xoxo

I Can't Even Make This Shit Up!

2008-04-25T20:18:00.001-07:00

I can't even make this shit up that's just how good it is!!! When I was a very young child I created my own little bayou. A slough in tall grasses, murky water and a turtle. Now I did go and drill a hole in the outer shell of the turtle, hooked a small, long chain to it and spiked the other end of the chain in the ground so I could play with the turtle whenever I wanted. I know, I know...but I was just a child exploring my environment let's say ;-). We didn't have trees rooted in that water or 15 foot alligators but today really brought back a flood of memories I'd had as a child.

An air boat skirted us across the black, calm waters of the Achafalala Basin Bayou this morning. It was cool (26c), cloudy and calm...the perfect day for photos because the colors are so brilliant. It was no time at all and I spied this alligator, the Egrets, Mallards and a flower that reminded me of the Wild Rose of Alberta. Apparently the gator was a small one and definitely wanting to avoid us but I caught this one shot. As it is above so it is below with the trees of the swamp and the blown moss gave it mystery. The boat just skims the water and my arm literally a couple inches from the water's surface. Let me just say that I made very sure to keep my hands in given the first alligator sighting. Wanna keep these fingers for all the future playing I need to do!

Then I ate fried gator for dinner...mastery of the environment...NOT!

Kat

It's All Comin' Together in Lafayette

2008-04-24T19:36:00.001-07:00

Aaaaoooo! from Lafayette (la-fee-ette) for bayou virgins. :-) I won't lie to you but I haven't been my usual joyful Kat since being in Lafayette. Being sensitive on ALL levels this bod had some trouble adjusting to the climate change. Delta heat is blazing, no question. Dry heat and 30c is really different from 38c and 92% humidity here in the swamp lands of Louisiana. I've been a little grumpy but a trip to Baton Rouge this mornin' really changed my mood. I mean, who's stoppin' me from taking some lunch in Baton Rouge...no one. Po'Boy Lloyd's treated me well and it was sittin' along side the Mighty Mississippi that really brought me here. To see the rails and the river together at the end of the journey was terrific! Waldron, Saskatchewan, Canada...hop the rails. Ride them tracks to join with the 'little muddy' in Lake Itasca, Minnesota, USA. Ride the river and rails through the Delta of Mississippi and have it all end together in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...a thrill beyond compare!!! Aaaaooooo!!!

And to top it off like whip cream on bread pudding the music of the Blind Boys of Alabama at Festival Internationale d'Louisianne here in Lafayette...killer day...and my pants weren't even backwards.

Tomorrow the extreme swamp adventure from McGee's Landing. Me, the gators, the egrets and the guy driving the air propelled boat deep in the swamp lands. Stay tuned...

Over and Out,

KD xoxo

Slavery & the Blues

2008-04-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Amidst white fluted pillars of plantation homes, mountainous magnolia trees with sweet scents to transcend and the sheer beauty of this port city lies it's real history with these things being the glorious parts. What isn't glorious is that the Natchez bluffs overlooked the slave ships as well as steamers. Liberty Square, an unfortunate naming of the square where thousands of West African slaves were bought, sold and tortured is 'not discussed' as one woman told me at a local restaurant this day. This city remains obviously sharply segregated minus the 'colored' and 'white' signs of days gone by like so many cities visited in the Old South.

Thankfully I met Nathan, a park ranger, at the Melrose Plantation (pictured above) which is a National Park. Through frank discussion I learned for myself the realities facing this and many other towns in Mississippi. There was a heaviness and sadness that we shared as we sat on the porch, in the shade with Wood Carver Bees flying about as we discussed issues we had concerns about. I spoke of the continued segregation I've witnessed in Greenwood, Clarksdale and throughout the Delta. Maybe Nathan summed it up best when he said "woll Kat, theese hera is Mizza-zippi".

This plantation is an example of the immense wealth accumulated during the centuries of slavery. It is the only plantation home, of which there are many in Natchez, that has retained 'slave quarters' with a concise history of slavery. This home is massive at 16,000 square feet as compared to the 300 square feet of the slave quarters. I learned that in the area at the time there were 32,000 white people in the area and 147,000 slaves.

It is pretty spectacular to begin to understand from first hand experiences what blues really means to me. Yes, the birth of North American Blues is from the time of slavery, from Africa...the work songs, 'field hollers' and prison songs. And, yes, blues spirituals were also born from a deep wish to be free...truly free!

Over the past century it seems to me that the strength of blues music lies in its ability to adapt..to be flexible, to change and to allow change. My impression is that blues captures the energy of being human...facing challenges in life, holding out for better and never giving up. This is why I am a blues musician because I can completely relate to difficulties in life and unceasing optimism for a brighter day.

Who knows what will be next for this art form. It continues to evolve and has already given us all forms of popular music today...gospel, jazz, country, rock 'n roll, pop, zydeco, Cajun, rhythm & blues, rap and hip hop. I don't believe there is a limit. It is not disappearing, it is getting stronger as it ages. Africa, the Delta, a trip around the world and back to Africa! How many art forms can lay claim to that? I feel so blessed to have this passion and this creative 'calling' in my life.

Alrighty then...deep thoughts by Kat Danser. Fair amount of intensity today until I came upon my true mantra ..."Don't DODGE Jesus". Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Now that's a 'Passion for the Christ' eh?

Soapbox Kat

Port Gibson & Vicksburg

2008-04-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

The energy of Ma Rainey, her importance to blues music as we know it, is really starting to strengthen as I continue this journey into Louisiana and onto her home in Georgia. Port Gibson, MS was home to F.C. Wolcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrel troupe which Ma Rainey was an integral part of in the Classic Blues period. It was with this troupe that she met and mentored many young women (in more ways than one) including Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Victoria Spivey and many others. She worked this travelling minstrel show with Sid Hemphill, Jessie Mae Hemphill's much loved grand father. This photo is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail markers. Very helpful to have given that there would be no other way to mark the spot of this once thriving traveling minstrel company.

The Vicksburg murals on Willie Dixon Way were spectacular. This town is considered the southern most part of the Mississippi Delta region. It began in Memphis in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel and ends here in this town. The rising Mississippi waters were very evident as flooding continues to close off many roads in the area.

I shall return dear Delta but for now the swamps are humming their tune...

Kat

Juke Joint Festival #3

2008-04-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Roadkill count...

397 deer

14 armadillos

2 turtles

86 opossums

1 beaver

101 cockroaches

AND...

1 pair of really ugly flip flops with socks no less.

(Jill, are you as appalled by this fashion as I am? What would In Style or Tyra say about this?)

Over and Out,

Juke Joint Festival #2

2008-04-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

And Watermelon Slim goes for them blue ostrich and muddy boots...

(top: Eddie Cusic - legendary Leland, MS delta bluesman)

Juke Joint Festival #1

2008-04-21T16:26:00.001-07:00

Honeyboy wears sensible shoes!

Riverside Hotel

2008-04-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

April 18, 2008 - Supper Time

Alrighty then...after Jessie Mae and Honeyboy I check in to the Riverside Hotel in downtown Clarksdale. Frank 'Rat' , Joyce and their daughter, ZL, are keepin' history alive as this is truly a blues drenched atmosphere. There is mojo and then there is MOJO...musicians that have stayed &/or lived here through history...John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Ike & Tina Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson, Levon Helm, Jessie Mae Hemphill and on on it goes.

In 1944 Rat's mother Zee Ratliff converted the Afro American Hospital into this hotel. As many of you know it was hearing Bessie Smith's - T'Ain't Nobody's Biziness - that woke me up from a deep sleep. Once bitten I have been infected with the blues ever since! Bessie, in 1937, was in a major car accident and she died later that day in this building in room #2. As this room is not rented out (not that I wanted to stay in the room anyhow...spirits and such) Rat placed me in room 2A across the hall in the "JFK" room.

There is a fine line between 'tourist' and blues history. It wasn't until I played the blues for Joyce and Rat, smoked a cigar, drank beers, went to Red's Juke and hung out on the stoop that I really felt like I was living my blues history. It wasn't about the reading any longer...this has become an integral part of my own story!

So many stories from Rat and Joyce and the other fine guests...so little time!

Bessie Smith...you were one amazing, complicated and tricky woman...

Kat

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

2008-04-21T15:53:00.001-07:00

April 18, 2008 - PM

So this day just keeps getting better and better! My pants are on the right way and everything.

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards is a handful of musicians still living from the years that birthed blues music. Born in 1915, Honeyboy is a spry 92 year old and it was an indescribable honor to spend time being mentored by him. I got a chance to play for him and, as you can see by the photos, he was interested in the Estralita so he took her for a spin too. He conveyed many stories about Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson and Ma Rainey in a talk at the Delta Blues Museum before hand but it really was his presence that was most striking...and his playing...let's not forget those HUGE blues notes he can still pick out cleanly. Wow!

I wasn't looking for anything specific from him but to just appreciate the life he has lived. Toward the end of our time together he took my hands in his and said "Kat, you really got it goin' own. Sweeeeet tone. No matta what, keep playin' 'em blues. It ain't gonna make you rich but it's gonna make you really happy...and other peoples gonna see that in you someday!"

As Yoda might say "insightful he is".

Knees A Knockin',

Kat

Women of the Delta Blues - Pt. 4-Jessie Mae Hemphill

2008-04-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2008 - AM

Vines draping fences, mist stroking the rolling hills and the tapping drizzle of rain created a surreal feeling long highway #4 from Oxford to Senetobia this morning. Jessie Mae has been a constant companion on this pilgrimage. Previous entries make regular mention of this pioneering blues woman and I make consistent musical identification with her rhythm and trance like songwriting. Indeed she is a regular in my thoughts as I write and record my new music here.

I have managed to find all of her recordings and have immensely enjoyed her strength and spirit! Her success was primarily through the 1980's and a stroke in 1993 ended her playing but not her sense of musical community. The granddaughter of Sid Hempill (Rabbit Foot Minstrels, Fife & Drum Tradition, etc.), Jessie Mae indicated on a weird and wonderful segment on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood (I saw it at the Blues Archives) that she began playing drum at age 9. She is joined on that video by the legendary fife and drum player Othar Turner.

This woman was as unique and lovely as any blues figure in history! Thank you Jessie Mae.

Kat

Blues Archives: Ole' Miss

2008-04-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Dear loyal viewers :-)...heeding the advice of the New Orleans Police Department...at least 1/2 of it. I mean ... really...who wants to deal with 'pickpockets' ... (pause for big ol' Kat belly laugh). I'm not against 'loose women' but I have to tell ya that it was so funny this morning over breakfast to look up and see this sign! I almost choked.

For the last few days I've been here at the University of Mississippi (Ole' Miss) in Oxford, Mississippi. A beautiful campus hosting the world's most extensive collection of blues called the Blues Archives. Greg Johnson, the curator, a young hippie lad has been awesome to me! And let me tell you I've put them and myself through the paces searching out records, articles and photos with a whole lot of dust on them. In fact, for the first time on this trip I'm extending my stay here so I can see all I want/need to see this first time 'round.

I am learning more than I can possible write. It's a book's worth of learning. I will however tell you that there was a certain energy charge and mojo that got cookin' when I held the weighty, thick Paramount recordings of Ma Rainey. Yes indeed I held it, listened to it on headphones through a great turntable system and smelled it! They waited since 1924 for me to get my mitts on 'em and I'd just like to thank them all. (I'm feelin' very weird tonite.) Let me tell you that the CD remastered releases which are accessible from all kinds of sources can't hold a candle to the tongue an' groove!

Other highlights include the VHS of "Wild Women Don't Get The Blues". It is an old documentary and it was incredible as were the "Yazoo Delta Blues & Spirituals" 78 record and the VHS "Bluesland: A Portrait of American Music". Wow! Wow! Wow! There are alot of videos out there on the market but nothin' like these two. And the 78 drew a perfect picture of blues and spirituals.

I really could go on an on but...why? I'll save it all for the house party you host where I present the summary and such of this trip -- ha ha! Second time I've mentioned it on this blog site so it must be a wish or somethin'.

Take good care,

Kat

Lost but Not So Much!

2008-04-14T17:47:00.001-07:00

Mississippi John Hurt

2008-04-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

My musical positioning is natural to the music of the Delta Hill Country (north Delta region) in the loping, lush green hills. A genteness and an ease that is reflected in the musical artistry of folk-blues legend, Mississippi John Hurt, and Jessie Mae Hemphill. There is not alot complicated in the music...strong on melody and on trance repetitive patterns would best characterize this style from my point of view.

Mississippi John Hurt has been a long time favorite of mine ever since I saw a short video clip of his work a number of years ago. His infectious smile and rhythmic nature are hard to resist and I found him to be a shy, humble and happy guy on the clips. By all recollections of him this is true.

He took me on quite a ride today to find his place. It is the remotest location of all I have been to so far. Deep in the groves along winding gravel roads I came upon his home, a shotgun shack now a museum. The peacefulness of setting was beautiful and it was hard to leave. But then it was like I couldn't leave because for the first time on this trip I was lost. Circled his place for a couple hours growing tired but persistent. I threw on a Jessie Mae disc and all was well with the world.

Although Miss. John wrote alot about Avalon, his place is actually close to Valley (photo of the store). It is a maze but well worth the trip! Thanks for all your great tunes and perfect Delta attitude MJH !

Kat

Legendary Robert Johnson

2008-04-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Robert Johnson's life and death have been the kind of tales that blues music is famous for. Bursting the bubble ever so gently, it is evident that this 27 year old man was like other Delta musicians of the era--a traveller, a story teller, a thief of other's material, a ladies man and an amazing talent. He learned from Charlie Patton and Son House and went on to develop a style and a skill that likely took him many, many hours of practicing and a load of natural talent.

Like so many, Robert grew up on a plantation (photo at the top) in Tunica, MS and moved around alot. What is known about him on a factual basis is that he was a scoundrel that sought redemption in his final days before being poisoned in Three Forks Juke just outside of Greenwood, MS. (Although cause of death from the medical doctor listed Syphilis). Robert Johnson memorabilia is housed at the Robert Johnson Museum on the second floor above the Blue Parrot Cafe in Greenwood. Steven LaVere has put this together for all of us to remember the archetypal figure Robert Johnson was in blues music. And, as I understand it, there is continued controversy surrounding this collection as the descendants of Robert Johnson have not been paid their 'dues' (or so rumor has it...don't want to get myself sued here).

Despite all sorts of myths about where he is buried, the Little Zion MB church just north of Greenwood is the location as you can see in one of the photos that makes the point. The other two graves are cool for the mythology but that's about it.

It is hard not to get caught up in the mythology of it all but he is, in my mind, impossible to imitate because he is the culmination of all that is the Delta.

'Nuff said...

Kat

WGRM & Greenwood, Mississippi

2008-04-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Greenwood was really, really good to me. First Bobby Rush then Ben Wiley Payton (acoustic blues legend of the area) and salads, salads and salads! One thing about the Delta...not too big on veggies unless it's fried...it ain't food. But in Greenwood I got my vitamins on track. The Dancing Rabbit Book Store was this great little shop on Howard Street...I bought so many books and CD's I was almost embarassed...well, almost. Really hard to find material was readily available in this shop. After that great find I found Ben Payton. A lovely gentleman with chops like you wouldn't believe on that acoustic guitar. He made it look effortless and I learned alot by watching him play, sing and move his body. We spoke for a long while at a break and he would really love to come to Canada and I would really like to make that happen for him. A true blue acoustic blues legend in the area and let me tell you that's hard to find in these days of electric blues rock.

Greenwood is very important to the history of Delta Blues from my perspective because it is also the town where Robert Johnson (I'll say more about that in the next blog). But it is home to the Robert Johnson Museum in the building that housed the groundbreaking radio station, WGRM. I put the information photo up so you could have a look. And can you imagine just how much ancestral spit there is in that old microphone? Lots of DNA let me tell you. Ha Ha!

To make life even better I stayed in this luxurious Victorian mansion that is a B&B. The owners had to be out of town so they left the keys under the mat and I helped myself to the entire place. Quite the shift from the plantation cabins to this place. And the view of the Yazoo River from the balcony was glorious! Blessed I am.

Peace out...Kat

Bobby Rush: Raw (#1 CD of 2007)

2008-04-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Every time I put my pants on backwards I have an incredible day! So when I realized that I had indeed done it again I knew this was gonna be a good one and was it ever...

It all starts a few months ago when my friend Vlad Gomez phoned me from a club in Toronto as he was listening to Bobby Rush and Honeyboy Edwards acoustic at a club. At the time I couldn't believe what I was hearing in the background. When he got home Vlad lent me each artist's CD (both signed) from the gig. I had Bobby Rush's RAW playing in my car for 3 straight months. (Even beat Lucinda and Mary Gautier's record.) Well, as the story goes, and this will be a surprise to Vlad, I lost Bobby Rush's CD at the Saskatoon Blues Festival. CD's are like socks in the dryer in my life...they just go missing no matter how much I value them. Anyway, I was on a mission to get another one for Vlad but how to get a signature? In the planning phase for this project I realized that Bobby Rush was playing in Greenwood, Mississippi the same time I was going to be in the Delta. So...

Tonite I was taken to the side of the stage by Bobby's son, Carl, where I watched, video taped and photographed the show. The vibe was incredible. Funk like you wouldn't believe and that band was TIGHT! Now it wasn't the acoustic show but I didn't expect that. What I also didn't expect was how friendly and open Bobby and his son were with me. After signing a few new RAW CD's (Vlad, yours is on its way home), he gave me another of his discs, signed a photograph and gave me his card to contact him at home any time I would like to. Can you freakin' believe it!!!!!

This day and night will live vividly in my memory for the rest of my life. I will get a chance to see Bobby again as he is nominated for two International Blues Awards: Traditional Blues and Soul. Talk about versitile eh?

That's it...over and out!

Kat "Delta" Danser

Charlie Patton: The Mentor of All Mentors

2008-04-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

Charlie Patton is credited with creating the Delta Blues sound we love so much. He is the grandpappy of them all and was born, raised and worked on the Dockery Plantation. Musicians he is credited with teaching include Muddy Waters, BB King, Elvis, Robert Johnson and Son House. Chances are if you were playing acoustic blues early in the 20th century you learned from Charlie Patton.

Everything in the Delta seems 'just around the corner'. In this instance just around the corner from Dockery Farms is Moorhead, Mississippi where the 'Southern Cross The Dog'. A famous crossroads all of their own referring to the Southern and Yazoo rail crossing. WC Handy went on to write and record Yellow Dog Blues. As you can see there is little left of the track but thankfully it has been saved for the 'Delta Blues Hunters' with a monument as well.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better...

KD xoxo

Women of the Delta Blues - Pt. 3-Tutwiler Women: Carolyn & Millie

2008-04-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

The food, the fishin' and the blues walk hand in hand at the crossroads. A road trip video of Jesse Mae Hemphill shows that when asked about her life as a musician she goes on and on about the food prepared...the chitlins, the collard greens, the fried pickles, the catfish...no mention of music at all.

Millie with a mouth full of gold teeth as too shy to pose but carried on with her fishin' for catfish in the swamp. Carolyn, the first black woman to own a business in Tallahatchie County, served up a load of stories with a huge plate of catfish which, like BB King, has become my favorite southern dish thus far. Carolyn was quick to point out that you can't really get clogged arteries from her deep fried catfish cuz she cooks it at such high temperatures. And did this woman have stories or what. Turns out she's invited me back to do a blues concert in her place and we discussed all kinds of marketing strategies. Despite knowing of technology both actively resist it for "all the 'evils' that brings".

There have been many times when I've been poked fun at for being 'slow and methodical' in my movements and speech. Today I realized as I woke at 10a and lazily caught lunch at 4p that my mind is on Edmonton speed but my heart and my body are on Mississippi time!

That's the truth y'all,

Kat

Sonny Boy Williamson II

2008-04-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

There've been some great harp players but I've never heard or seen (on video that is) anyone like Sonny Boy Williamson II. The mural in Tutwiler, Mississippi (Home of the Blues) is not only beautiful but helpful as you'll note by the map in the bottom right corner indicating where the grave for Sonny Boy (aka Aleck 'Rice' Miller). I needed a bit more help so thought local historian Dennis who noted my awkward tourist manner and happily volunteered to lead the way to this grave site...thank goodness! Blues harp (harmonica) players pay homage to this great musician and leave harmonicas and coins (which Dennis says usually get borrowed...indefinitely).

No Reed Kat

Signs of Hopson Plantation

2008-04-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

I'm at the Hopson Plantation south east of Clarksdale on highway #49 just off #61. The photo opportunities are just too many to post on this site but imagine the free dinners you'll invite me too at your house so I can show you ALL the great shots! :-) Anyway, here are some of the signs around the property which is being cared for by a couple great guys, Bill and Guy. They work very hard to try and keep things up and are getting ready for a welcome home bash with Pinetop Perkins who was raised on this plantation and worked the land for many years.

Hopson has become a very important blues historical marker and the commitment to keeping blues alive is evident everywhere I look. Just this morning over a cup of coffee I wrote two new songs. Other than me though -- ha ha -- many of the Delta musicians played out here with Charlie Patton, Son House, Sonny Boy Williamson II and, and, and.... Today I followed the train that goes right by this farm and could've hopped it no problem as it was moving so slow. That old diesel Santa Fe was smokin' to beat 60 and ridin' down the crooked, slanted tracks clinging on for dear life. Wild! I managed to get me a couple toots off the engineer again. Man that makes me happy!

An that line keeps on keepin' on...check the next couple blogs...

Kat

Clarksdale, MS - Birthplace of North American Blues Music

2008-04-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

As I dipped my fingers in the "Big Muddy" (as the Mississippi River is called here) catfish and turtles swimmin' I realized that I am in the Delta! I think I'm in shock and awe to realize this dream. There is no reading or writing or singing that can replace actually being here. Just think...I ate fried green tomatoes ('ta wanda') and a catfish sandwich, baked in the heat and hung out at the local 'gas station' stoop with the people of Clarksdale all in one day.

I don't know what the people of Clarksdale thought of me all decked out in my new clothes driving a relatively new Toyota and buying a 6 pack of Corona. It is too soon to talk intelligently of Clarksdale but I will say that this is truly a 'community' of people. Sitting, waving, talking, arguing people who know each other by the first name. Amidst the activity there is time for each other. The closeness is what it sometimes feels like for me at the Blue Chair Acoustic Cafe in Edmonton.

Some things I've never seen:

1. 4 bags of groceries costing $18.90.

2. No 'brand' names in the supermarket.

3. Security at the supermarket.

4. $.50 at the car wash lasting 10+ minutes.

5. A wall of plexiglass enclosing the server and all the hard liquor at the local liquor store.

Above you'll see I've posted photos I took today of an abandon cotton gin. It is difficult to know how old this gin would be but there were signs that updates to the building were had. I walked out into the rows of harvested cotton, grabbed a handful of dirt and literally baked in the 10 minutes of standing doing the photos. It was impossible to ignore what picking cotton from morning to night in this heat on this dry and sandy ground would've been like. I felt a deep sorrow for what has been.

I'll be taking the next couple days off to write, relax and rejuvenate so that I can remain open to this process. There is no fire here, I'll learn what I learn and translate it into music. Much is brewing...

Corona Kat

Women of the Delta Blues - Pt. 2- Louise Johnson

2008-04-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

In the blazing 27c Mississippi heat I found that little remains of blues piano player, vocalist and writer Louise Johnson. Her fame seems mostly contained in the Delta but she was impressive nonetheless. Charlie Patton is quoted as saying "if you wanna hear the finest piano player around come out to Fosters Juke and hear Louise Johnson". Above is the original Kirby-Wells Plantantion sign where Louise was raised and worked. (Nothin' like John Deere green mailboxes eh?)

Tickle them L.

Kat

Women of the Delta Blues - Pt. 1- Memphis Minnie

2008-04-07T18:38:00.001-07:00

Memphis Minnie is the heroine of any serious blues woman even to this day. She was a musical genius who held her own in songwriting, playing and singing through the 30's and 40's. Much has been written about her.

When I first began my music career it was amazing to see a photo of a woman with an acoustic guitar from an era that is overwhelmingly male. The first blues song I ever played on stage some 8 years ago at the Hornby Island Blues Camp was "When The Levee Breaks". I sat on stage with Rick fines accompanying me after a very strong verbal push by Sue Foley to "just get up and do it and quit 'chore whinin' ". Good advice and lucky to receive that kind of support!

MM Rocks,

Kat

CN Lineman: Anthony Broach of Walls, Mississippi

2008-04-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

I introduce to you...Anthony Broach, CN Lineman for Chicago Illinois Line. He lives in Walls, Mississippi the birthplace and resting place for Memphis Minnie (aka Lizzie 'Kid' Douglas). As I turned on the camera, no word of a lie, Lineman Broach and I heard a train whistle in the distance. (If you've been following from the beginning you'll note that this also happened in Waldron.)

And, a gift for me at the Walls crossroad...an old, rusty, bent railway spike. How much better does this get?

Slide on,

Kat

Saved By Soul

2008-04-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

I went to Full Gospel Tabernacle and couldn't find it. I went to the home of the King of Rock and Roll and couldn't find it. But in the poorest neighborhood I've ever seen...I found it! I found just what I'd been looking for all day...something real.

'Soulsville USA' it is nicknamed and a truer title couldn't be had. For the better part of a decade STAX records recorded some of the most amazing music since the Classic Pre-War blues period. The Staples Singers, Otis Redding, Al Green, Isaac Hayes and the list goes on and on. Uptown beat and room to pour every ounce of emotion into a song. That's what it is all about!

I was noticeable again today and was welcomed by Al Green himself right outside the studio. Pretty cool! (Man these guys know how to dress.) The museum itself is a treat filled with a rural Mississippi Baptist church (transported and preserved inside), a history of gospel and blues and all the memorabilia you could fit in on the STAX years. The main lessons today:

1. Gospel is singin' for God and Blues is singin' for the People.

2. Religion is the main method for shaping the character of a child in the South.

3. Music is all about community!

I admit that I went to Graceland not because I felt a pull to it, I didn't. I went because I truly happened to be in the neighborhood. I view Elvis as a bluesman but there was no mention of that at Graceland. There was also no mention about his mentors like Mahalia Jackson and there was no mention that many of his hits had already been released on 'Race Records'. For example...Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog". Case in point. What I saw was a lot of 'smoke and mirrors'. Souvenir shops, 24 carat gold plated sinks in an airplane no less and a home frozen in 1977. Imagine how amazing Graceland could be if his early artistic development in Mississippi had been explored? It could serve as an education for the people who will never really understand that Elvis was mentored by the African American artists of his day!! (Okay, rant now over.)

But after all was said and done on the day I was reminded that staying open and following a thread really can lead somewhere really fine. Thanks to STAX and Soulsville USA for an amazing and real day!

Peace & Love,

Kat

Corner of Beale and Rufus Thomas

2008-04-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

What more could I say about Beale Street than these photos? After wandering with a Guinness, BBQ and listenin' to the tightest, laziest blues I've ever heard I was tired and full to the brim with Memphis joy!

Sweet dreams all...Kat

National Civil Rights Centre-Memphis, TN

2008-04-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

The National Civil Rights Centre is the site at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was killed. It is much more than that...it is a well organized, detailed account of slavery, emancipation, segregation and the civil rights movement. The very bus Rosa Parks sat on refusing to give up her seat which sparked the Civil Rights Movement is inside along with many, many historical details and other artifacts from that incredible time in history.

Today, part of the weekend commemorating 40 years since Dr. King passed, was heavy with emotion for most people I saw. I didn't feel out of place being the only white skinned woman there (although I certainly noticed it as I am rarely in this situation)...instead I felt a part of something larger...a community of people who believe in civil rights and in a peaceful way of being in the world! The energy was almost too much to hold and I could feel the room getting dark and my knees shaking. (I truly thought I was going to pass out.) The wall across from some 'grayish' manikins held me up until I could catch my breath. I moved slightly and this woman standing near me let out a fairly loud peep, covered her mouth and said "oh my God, I thought you were one of those manikins so when you moved you just scared me girrrrl!". We laughed like you wouldn't believe and I felt freer than I had been feeling.

My inner lightbulb all lit up and glowing I finally had some more answers in my questions about the dance between blues and gospel music. Next stop...Beale Street...

Hills of Iowa

2008-04-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

The mist was levatating this morning and defined the soft, rolling hills of Iowa through most of my drive. The landscape was so stunning that I couldn't help but to hum a Dar Williams song line..."I've never had a way with women but the hills of Iowa make me wish that I could". The photos above couldn't capture the beauty of the feminine energy of the land. In perfect juxtapostion to yesterday's billboards were billboards with a photo of the Dalai Lama with the caption "He doesn't just talk about peace, he demonstrates it in his every action".

The front page of the Iowa Gazette today had a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. on the cover with the caption.."Inspiring Still: Message of racial equality remains relevant 40 years after King's death". I was just a baby when he was assassinated in the Lorraine Motel. It is now the National Civil Rights Museum and will be my first stop in Memphis tomorrow. I realized that after such a great drive that I could now make it to Memphis as I'd planned. The energy is pulling me in. All the reading and preparing over the past 5 months will be in action. Glorious!

Blessed Be,

Kat

Day 4

2008-04-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Amidst billboard after billboard of children with downs syndrome who have somehow become the poster children for "Pro Families Across America", ultra right wing radio and guns held on the back window of pick up trucks it was VERY refreshing to settle into the hotel and see a documentary on the Mississippi Delta. Last night I caught the 'Guide to the Best Bar-B-Que' in the Delta. Turns out even the politics of the Presidential election can't keep down great food and great music!

All that aside, I'm 2,600 kilometers into this journey and have another 1,400 to go before reaching the Delta. Two thirds way there...yaaahooooo! And that Mississippi is growing wide and strong as I travel along. I can hardly wait to post new photos of just how mighty she is. In fact, there is a major flood watch on in the Delta right now. With driving safety coaching from the weather person on TV I shall soldier onward.

Stay well and write...okay?

Kat

Winnipeg & Mississippi Headwaters Photos

2008-04-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Lake Itasca & the Mighty Mississippi

2008-04-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

The 'Rivers'

Mississppi River

Lake Itasca, Minnesota

The Ojibwe gave this river it's name...'mizi-ziibi'...meaning "Great River". Lake Itasca, a glacial lake, in northwestern Minnesota is the birth mother to the Mississippi River. A sign nearby said...

"What makes a River "Great?"

It's easy to imagine a river as a living force,

shaping the landscape and impacting the lives of the people it touches.

How do you measure the greatness of a river?

Is its significance a result of geographic statistics

or its influence on people's lives?

A terrific question and not one easily answered unless you love the Delta Blues. Then the answer is...the people's relationship to the River is the greatest indicator of all. In the case of the Mississippi...she is revered as the "Mighty Mississippi", a living, breathing part of the lives of the people in the heartland of blues music, the Mississippi Delta.

Anyway...much like yesterday this day was serene with no problems at the border;however, when I stepped out of my car at the headwaters of the Mississippi River instead of a train whistle I heard a gunshot! A sign that I had crossed into a different culture with many similarities like box stores, 4x4 trucks and really bad mullets but with a different relationship to weapons and the importance of the militia. Thankfully the Canada Geese in the photo on the right honked reminding me that their migration can be a thread to connect me back home.

With the railway tracks from Saskatchewan and the Mississippi now joined geographically I will follow both the next 3,726 kilometers to the Gulf of Mexico and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The next blog are other photos from today...a scenic shot of the melting snow on the Mississippi and the CN Symington Triage Yard in Winnipeg that sends trains west or east in Canada or south into the USA.

Rock 'n roll...

Kat

Waldron Photos

2008-04-01T16:00:00.001-07:00

Stop the Trains at Waldron!

2008-04-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

The 'Rails'

Waldron, Saskatchewan

And so it begins...it was mighty chilly this morning (-18). A more perfect morning I couldn't imagine though because, as I set up my video camera to catch the 6:24am sunrise, in the distance of azure skies and a sundrop of radiant orange a train whistle broke through the silence calling me home. Such sweet perfection...I couldn't have scripted it any better!

My mother went into labour while pregnant with me and, despite a snow storm and 30 miles to travel to hospital, she attended to the guests in our home by playing an encore on her auto harp. (Seriously...that's my mother.) On November 25, 1967 I was welcomed into the world with music in my soul and, one thing I know for certain, I shall leave having lived the soul of a musician!

Our family farm located a few hundred feet from these tracks was a very modest two room home 'strategically' built right over top landfill site mainly for old vehicles. It was common to hoe the potatoes (did ALOT of that) and dig up an old car side mirror, handle or some other metal or glass object. In the back yard a blue clothesline stand that we would stand on as children and shout at the top of our lungs... "Stop the trains at Waldron!!". If my father, a CN engineer, was on the train we'd hear a couple extra toots to acknowledge our efforts.

I was reminded today of placing my dreams and pennies to flatten on these rails. They were my hope for freedom and now they are the very conduit of it. This trip is a 'journey of a lifetime' and it seems like I've stepped back in time today to gather images.

In the next blog you'll see the CN train engine with the gracious engineer who gave me two extra toots today. You'll also see the old truck and Anglican church as well as the boarded up one room school I attended for the first six grades.

I am overwhelmed with memories and gratitude today. Blues music has truly saved me!

Keep on keepin' on,

Kat

PS: I learned today that the Alberta Creative Development Initiative, a joint funding opportunity from the Canada Council and Alberta Foundation for the Arts, approved my application for financial support for the next 6 months to develop this project and my artistic contributions to blues music. HUGE, and I mean, HUGE thanks to everyone involved in making this happen!

Ground Swell of Support

2008-03-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

I'm now counting the hours until I leave on this voyage. Monday, March 31, 2008 will be an amazing day to let the wind blow in my hair and leave my concerns behind me. I am very excited for the freedom despite internal conflicts about leaving my sweetie to 'hold down the fort'. However, our agreement is to support each other in achieving our individual dreams and this is mine.

I feel such support as I move into this experience and the culmination of energy was rich for my March 15 concert at the Blue Chair Acoustic Cafe. What a night! I really needed that support and encouragement. Thanks to everyone who gave it in spades. The idea is to do a couple dinner concerts upon my return with photos and video backing the new tunes. We'll see how that develops. My goal is not to erase the tapes at this point. :-)

Keep in touch and see you soon...Kat

Video Journal

2008-02-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

I did it...made the big splurge (which is tough before a trip of this magnitude)...I purchased a camcorder. It not only video records but takes still shots as well. I think it's an excellent purchase and who knows where it will all lead? We never know...

I can feel the Mississippi vibe in my every thought and hear it in my writing. Creatively I'm spending alot of time writing of my childhood years in Saskatchewan (the 'Holy Land'). I feel such a deep connection to everything Saskatchewan. It seems fitting that I'll be playing the Saskatoon Blues Festival just before leaving to the Delta. Coincidence? I think not.

Take care and stay warm. Kat

Blues Road Trip: The Holy Land

2008-01-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

This is 'ME'.

I'm Kat Danser and I'm getting ready to fulfill a dream I've had for years. Thanks to a fortunate tea break with Steve Williams last fall (2007) this dream was reactivated. I leave March 31, 2008, setting out for Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana. I will be learning about myself as a blues artist. How did a young girl from a poor family in Saskatchewan during the drought end up married the Blues?

My guides along the way will be Ma Rainey and Muddy Waters, two blues artists who provide endless inspiration. I will see where they lived: Muddy in Clarksdale, MS, and Ma in Columbus, GA. I will receive an education about the Classic Blues period and why I am so drawn to this time in musical history.

More than that, I will receive mentorship from Bill 'Howl'n Madd' Perry a blues historian and musician in Clarksdale, I will eat Bar-B-Que, watch the Mississippi flow, listen to and absorb the experience. At the end of it all I will have written my new album. Two glorious months to get back on track with my soul.

It means alot to me that you will checkin with me from time to time, keeping tabs and letting me know that I'm not alone on this journey. Please view, respond and keep in touch!

Blessings,

Kat