Welcome to a special edition.  This issue celebrates the life and talent of Christine Fellows, a Canadian musician who lives in Winnipeg and has released her second CD, "Last One Standing".  If you've read this ezine for any time you may remember the review of had on her first one, '2 Little Birds'.  I called it the best CD of the year 2000, and looking back in reflection, I don't think I was using hyperbole.  It was a great CD.  It was dark, moody, lush and gothic.  The perfect music for January.  The combination of her voice, writing ability and stringed instruments, especially the cello gave it the lushness that I appreciated.  
    Well things ar different with this one, Christine has been reintroduced to the piano and uses it a great deal in the CD.  You can read my review down below.  Before that, you'll read a bio on her, view some photos and read an interview I did with her a couple of months ago, before her release tour.


Christine Fellows’ skewed perspective on the possibilities of the three-minute pop song has charmed critics and audiences alike since the release of her debut CD 2 little birds (2000). Backed by an ever-changing array of instruments—cello, viola, piano, guitar and drums – her songs are alternately tender and terrifying.

    Described by some as avant-folk, by others as chamber-pop, her music is distinct.  She has toured nationally and has appeared at several festivals, including the Winnipeg and Calgary Folk Festivals, North by North East, New Music West, the Halifax Pop Explosion and Canadian Music Week. She has shared the stage with artists and friends such as Veda Hille, The Weakerthans, Snailhouse, and the Rheostatics. In 1998 she received much recognition when she was awarded first place regionally (second nationally) in the Standard Radio song writing competition. Last year she was recorded and broadcast on CBC Radio(Definitely Not the Opera and Radio Sonic).
    Christine is currently based in Winnipeg, where she is an integral part of the city's vibrant arts community. Along with frequent collaborations with other musicians, her desire to reach across artistic borders is displayed in original scores for dance (commissioned by Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, renowned independent choreographer Lesandra Dodson, and Trip Dance), and varied work with writers like Clive Holden ( Trains of Winnipeg, Endearing Records, 2001) and Alissa York. 

from www.Christinefellows.com

     

1) Let's get some background; you were born in Windsor and then spent some time out west planting trees.  After a time, you eventually settled in Winnipeg.  What has kept you there and what do you hope to accomplish?

yes, i was born in windsor, ontario.  grew up in kelowna, moved back to windsor, then to france, went to school in toronto and guelph, moved to vancouver, montreal (with five years of treeplanting in between, so i guess i consider prince george one of my homes), and finally to winnipeg where i have remained for the past 10 years.  the idea of home has always been a preoccupation of mine.  winnipeg kind of snuck up on me.  when i finally hit the prairies heading back to winnipeg at the end of the last tour, i was laughing at my intake of breath, and sense of relief at the sight of the prairies. (they're pretty beautiful, even in november. who would've thought?) that might have been the first time i fully realized this is my home.  i've always been a little slow figuring things out.

2) For some reason, Winnipeg has a rich tradition of music.  This has been the home of the Guess Who, BTO, Neil Young, Crash Test Dummies and the various groups of Endearing Records, and yourself.  Why does Winnipeg have such a heritage.

people always ask me about the why of winnipeg.  like we're hiding some marvelous secret from the rest of canada.  there are a lot of good people here doing good things in the arts, but aren't they everywhere?  i should hope so. i don't know if i can pinpoint exactly what makes winnipeg a little different, but there are a few contributing factors: manitoba possesses that rare bird of provincial arts funding (sound recording, touring, etc) and you can live in relative poverty here and still be able to afford single malt scotch every now and then without holding a bunch of gross service jobs.   i think that makes us all nicer people, don't you? and there seem to be endless opportunities for artistic exchange.  and sometimes they build a skating path on the river in winter and it's the best thing ever.  this year i am determined to learn how to skate backwards and play hockey.

3) Tell me about "2 Little Birds", a CD I thoroughly enjoyed, what was it like to plan develop and produce the cd?  The use of the cello I thought gave it a rich lush, very melancholy sound, was this the mood you were hoping to achieve.

2 little birds.  well.  i'm glad i made that record.   it was the first time i'd made anything on my own before, and it was fairly a fairly terrifying, seat-of-the-pants experience.  i was working on a ghost of a budget, but with some very fine people, so we managed to make to most out of very little.  the first day of recording was pretty special.  we recorded all the collaborative piano pieces (monica's prelude, hypothetical, fold into june) live off the floor in a couple of hours, just like that.  the next couple days were rough, trying to record the other stuff live was problematic, and by the time mixing rolled around, there was a lot of duct tape holding the thing together.  2 little birds was more like making a little movie than making a record, i think. or that's what i'd hoped it would be.

4) What can you tell me about your new CD.  As I have been listening to the MP3's on your site, I notice you've added more piano and less strings, is this a brighter sound and outlook for the new CD? 

recording "the last one standing" (july/august 2001)  was probably the most fun i've ever had in the studio ever.  it was the perfect combination of having enough time and enough of a budget to relax and build everything the right way from the outset.  the cellist (leanne zacharias) and i had been touring together as a duo for the year prior to the recording; the violist (monica guenter) was living in montreal and flew in for the recording along with the drummer (jason tait, who lives in toronto).  we rehearsed pretty minimally, and it seemed like the songs arranged themselves, but i know it only seems that way when you're working with fantastic players.  they are all incredibly creative individuals and i am lucky to know them let alone to get to play with them. i had a couple guest musicians: keith mcleod (my neighbor. he came in and played mandolin on one song) and john k. samson.  john did some backing vocals, an inspired guitar solo (in one stunning take), bass guitar, vocal coaching, song titling, and a whole bunch of stuff i've probably forgotten.  the producer/engineer, neil cameron, worked really hard at getting great sounds to tape (and although he calls himself a curmudgeon, he didn't get grumpy even once, even when i insisted that everyone get drunk to record the last song.).  he made it seem effortless, but listening back i realize he has a great ear.  i included some little samples of a couple scores i wrote for dance that seemed to fit perfectly with the material.  it's much more of a collection of songs than the last record, i think because i was enthralled with the piano and that affected the writing in a big way.  and it is more overtly optimistic than 2 little birds, just because.

5)Your past musical experience has been interesting to say the least, what has made the difference this time?

it's only music, i realized.

6) A number of articles mention that in your high school yearbook you were voted "most likely to be a bag lady", first of all what high school and why did they say this?

 

i think i've outgrown my bag lady-ness.  i guess i was "the new kid" my whole life and now i'm just regular. 

7) I understand you have a cat or two?

i've lived with lots of creatures over the years.  i love slap, the cat who has lived with me for the past ten years.  he is a good little man, he practices his english down in the basement from time to time.  he's getting pretty fluent.  i'm impressed with myself that i've managed to keep him alive for this long, but i think he is mostly responsible for that.  i just found out yesterday that our family dog died.   i've hugged slap about 80 times since i found this out and he's starting to get irritated with me.

8) what does the future hold for you both musically and personally?

the future is always a weird thing to think about when you live in poverty and uncertainty.  i hope that i won't always live in poverty and uncertainty.  i hope that i will always play music and listen to music and read lots of good books and i hope i'll be able to learn to skate backwards.  i hope a lot of things.

 9)  If I can ask another question, could you talk about your involvement with the "Trains of Winnipeg, with Clive Holding.

it was a great process, super fun to work with those fine folks (clive holden, jason tait, john k. samson).  it took about a year in total.  spoken word has always fascinated me (i love to be read to), and clive is a fine writer with a musical sensibility, as well as a talented filmmaker.  some of the pieces from the record have since been made into films, which can be viewed on the website. 

for more info on trains... www.trainsofwinnipeg.com

Review- "the One Left Standing"

    This is a different CD from '2 Little Birds', whereas that CD was dark, and I do mean everything about it was dark, from the cover, liner notes to the CD itself was dark and the music sombre and moody.  "The One Left Standing" is different. Everything about it is much lighter and brighter.  You will note the cover features a picture of a green matchbook, in fact green is the colour seen throughout the CD.  The lightness continues with the CD itself, which is white and features some simple pen drawings of a bird on a house, a bed, a glass of water and a few other things.  Christine has also gone to a different record company, sixshooter instead of Endearing.  You also have liner notes and so you can read her words as well as follow her music. Monica Guenter and Leanne Zacharias return to provide the strings for this CD.  
        What impressed about me"the Last One Standing"is Christine's voice, she is perfect with the piano and paints a wonderful sonic picture throughout the CD.  Her voice, the piano and some duets with Leanne give some of the best work especially "Roadkill".  I was also interested in comparing the finished product with the songs that have been posted on her web page over the past couple of months, and they are good.  The first song, "Regrets" gives us a lounge style of music, coupled with the use of the snare drums.
    I will admit I had to stop and remind myself this is not '2 Little Birds', her mood is far brighter and more hopeful.    Another favourite of mind is 'ColourBlind', again for the combination of her voice and her sensitive piano work.  
    Would I say this is as good as '2 Little Birds', for the most part, yes.  There are just a few troubling parts; in a couple of songs, it seems as if the drums were too close to the microphones and there was a risk of Christine being drowned out by them.  Also the song '2 for 1' suffered from some questionable engineering.  I'm sorry but a cough is never good.  I guess it would be safe to say that the troubles I have deal with the production of, rather then the contents of the CD.  Christine with this CD demonstrates again her skill as a singer/songwriter and may I say, I look forward to more music from this talented individual.
    Do I recommend this CD, yes.  Take the time and discover her incredible talent.

Poetry

LOST AND ALONE

A NEW GOD IN DAISYVILLE

TV talks so much of evil
but here our terrors are less soaked
in colour & stage.
Other bibles speak subtly to the mild.

Born well pre-millennium,
a guy when symmetry demanded a woman. It's
somehow embarrassing		to walk home from school,
adidas trainers raising dust. 30 degrees - when you tread on some grass
it stays down.
Trees are leaning over, closing on just
the allegation of breeze.

In primary school
I hunted leeches in Prindle Park creek
thinking they were tadpoles.
Now the gully's filled in beneath well mowed lawns.
While surrounding homes grow tidy trees & aluminium cladding
water sneaks like old age through an underground drain,
one protruding grate must carry
all her wild terror in concentrate


At high school I focus
on geography, astronomy & (naturally) art.
This new god is developing plans.

I tell my single mother but she has long abandoned hers -
only follows the words with a vague archaeological interest.

The social workers haven't planned for my needs,
school reports sound puzzled & my powers
do not yet extend to schoolyard self defence.
Jesus the carpenter
died on tools & nail
with no more grief than a tree. I can't beat that.

Other gods fail to mention
the secrets of dating & for three months
I was blinded by some blond,
Epiphany Tiffany -a chain smoking phlegm fatale.
I remember
the one fuck in the back of a ten year old mitsubishi -
even that was a miracle.

So beneath the roar
of expressway traffic like data racing toward the city
I make my way home alone.
Then behind a locked bedroom door
the cat & I marvel
at a bud sun's growth -
the first of millions!

                                 Les Wicks

                                 3/105 Ebley St
                                 Bondi Junction 2022
NSW Australia

PLANTED

Six roses placed upright in the sand
must mean something.
Perhaps history of a late party
or a thought to a friend
lost somewhere in
the dangerous sensuality of tides.

Maybe just an offering
to this dark gold susurrus tranquillity.

We pray before this day
but cannot understand
this beach has always
been layered in its knowledge.

She can terrify babies
& still astonish old men
		who washed up here like kelp,
				then never left.

Light adorns like a robe,
her heart is quartz.

                                 Les Wicks

                                 3/105 Ebley St
                                 Bondi Junction 2022
NSW Australia

FALLEN OVER

Why does it hurt & the child is asking
& will always be asking when the blood is rioting from a brutal wound
when the friend suddenly has no word,
the relative lets a love rot like vegetables.

I have never stopped this crying
when you turn on me
when our love is just another appointment.
You say I'm childish
as you break my toys. I joke "massive aggressive".

Our bed is as hard as alphabets,
little lunch is forgotten.
No one tidies the playground.

                                 Les Wicks

                                 3/105 Ebley St
                                 Bondi Junction 2022 NSW Australia 

I am not one of those poets

fluent in the Latin of bees and flowers

I play Coltrane to drown out the parrots

I store books in my head for the long walk to town

granted I am not the most patient of men

but I consider the language a marked deck

the sequence of letters on a keyboard

more illuminating than the sun

when we’re young time is magistrate

bare-headed and pliant

and the newspaper on his desk

is always open to the sports page

but as middle-age creeps closer he dons a wig

pounds his gavel on the bar

shuffles our dog-eared file

whenever the word justice is mentioned

I appreciate the bounty

in this circle of sun

this notebook this old chair

this cup of steaming coffee

and I have touched the infinity in a heart beat

believe me

but tell me how can I quiet those cockatoos

screeching down the wires?

- Justin Lowe

there is out there somewhere

in summer’s hard light

beyond the back of every mirror

something dull as zero

as the gauche whisper of tides

something dull as the first words of a great love

this dull thing passed through language

as though through a pinhole

exhausting the world

and it emerged more dull

and stubborn than ever

‘ever’, of course, being all it knows

you may think you spot it

on maps sometimes, a kind of crease

where there has been no fold

but as I say

it is a dull thing

dull as each syllable of a prayer

whenever I blink

out pops its dull little head

I mean, whenever you close your eyes

can’t you see it?

HEIRLOOMS

The shattered bowl lies in all its colors,
an oil-slick caught in glass. My clumsy
fingers. At my feet, a fossil leaf
remains, contained in fluted ever-changing
amber shades of crystal, multi-colored
wonder in a child’s fancy, elven-leaves
I was never meant to touch.

Shards of time, it lies in smithereens
on the tile. Ancestral globe, a mirrored
family history at the west window
where downing arcs of sunlight measure
everyone’s face reflected in breakable
glass.


ADAM,

called forth to name
each planet, bush
and bracken, herb and insect,
each stone in its way
singing its new name –

Adam to his ending days
reworked his own
name, searching for the lost
blinding syllables
of praise.


SPRING SNOW

comes down white
in curtains so dense
the pines step back
and bough. As snow
comes down darker
than daylight, we draw
our circle tighter,

comforters,
a small fire
in the stove.

Snow still coming down
piles twilight
higher, by night-
fall we can’t count
how much comes
down to bind
us, by morning

bright as snow.


AFTER SCHOOL

His clever kites balance all tunes with wind,
while in a vacant lot the other kids
practice their shots and learn the dusty
dances of balls, the spirals of everything
that possibly might be, someday, between
a hoop and a leap. His red kite sings,
what lazy clouds turn those dreams till dark.


INNOCENT

Here we start again this morning
alive with all our ambiguities.
You’re whipping up breakfast,
a deep image golden brown
that steams up the southern
kitchen window. Just outside,
a minor winter sun is wondering
the weedy frost-nipped slope.

It’s bound to melt. The phone
will ruin everything. Some-
one will ask a question
I can’t refuse.


Taylor Graham
piper@innercite.com


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Closing Words

	Special thanks goes to Christine Fellows for taking the time to answer my questions and
to give permission to use the photographs which are found in this issue.  Thank you to all who
took the time to write in with your comments and your contributions, without you this does not 
happen. I'm still working on a theme for April so keep contribution your work.  Spread the word
I always enjoy reading the works of others.  
	All work is copyrighted and the copyright is owned by the various poets, writers and
contributors. 
	If you want to submit, or just say a friendly hello send your email to:
 pabear_7@yahoo.com

The homepage is still: https://www.angelfire.com/on/abovegroundtesting