Cat Jahnke Mews

4/12/08 – Serendipity Café, Rossport, ON

I had a double scoop of cookies n’ beef!

My eyes were glued to the window of the car today in an effort to spot Terry’s Taxidermy and Mounted Animal Nature Trail. I’ve just learned from Wikipedia, however, that it’s on Manitoulin Island and I’m not going anywhere remotely close. But even though I can’t visit the hotspot, I can still view my share of not-yet-deceased crows which seem to be abundant round these parts. I have never seen such huge, intimidating birds in my life! Today I saw one flying with a freaking snake in its mouth!!!

I went online and looked up any association between a crow and a snake, thinking it couldn’t be anything but an omen. I found this fable online:

THE CROW AND THE SNAKE
A hungry Crow spied a Snake lying asleep in a sunny spot, and, picking it up in his claws, he was carrying it off to a place where he could make a meal of it without being disturbed, when the Snake reared its head and bit him. It was a poisonous Snake, and the bite was fatal, and the dying Crow said, “What a cruel fate is mine! I thought I had made a lucky find, and it has cost me my life!”

Someone explain to me how this means that I will live a long, happy, properous life.

The gorgeous arched ceilings in our fantastic room at the
Serendipity Café guest houses. And a big head…

4/11/08 – A-Frame Gallery, Sioux Lookout, ON

Being a person with little to no fashion sense, with a complete indifference towards home electronics, and living in a cheap old house on the wrong side of the tracks, there’s not much on which I’d need to spend my hard-earned cash. Luckily for me, I’m a musician, and those tricky decisions regarding what to do with my next thou rarely come up.

Still, I’m learning that being in this business requires a certain cannibalistic acceptance of where the moola is going. Right back in, baby!

So Darren and I have hit the road again and all I’m thinking about is that we’ve got to buy my beloved vehicle, Enjie, a new set of tires. The ol’ gal needs to be pampered every once in a while too! And when my father learned that I had driven through BC in December on 70,000 km old all-season tires, he was rightfully shocked. (He was less shocked when he heard about our adventure in Rossland)

But despite the fact that she has no diamonds on the soles of her shoes, she still cleans up nice and is very presentable. We went for a good long drive today and ended up in Sioux Lookout at the fantastic A-Frame Gallery. If you’re looking for some sweet folks to spend time with, it’s well worth it to veer 70 kms off the Trans-Canada to visit this community. Some of the best huggers around, and eagerly generous with them too!

Some new friends offered their home to us while they were gallivanting down south (Brian/Andrea – were you gallivanting? Business-ing?) so doors were left unlocked and beds were made up for us. Happily no chairs were broken in the absence of the home’s usual dwellers, but that might be because I’ve never been a huge fan of porridge. Hmm…

On that potentially puzzling note, I will sign off on the first blog posting of my April 2008 tour. Let’s see how far I get this time…

12/11/07 – The Old Fire Hall, Rossland, BC

We were stopped by some police officers today as we drove through a small town. Lucky for them there was a four-way stop controlling the hectic streets, and this is where they set up shop. Now Darren and I are both remarkably “lame”; we have no vices to sparkle up our arresting allure. And the only time Darren’s had a run-in with the law, even the cop handing over the speeding ticket told him to contest it!

I have NEVER been pulled over. Technically we weren’t even pulled over; our departure from the stop sign was merely delayed by a few seconds. In any case, it was quite an adventure for me, especially since I (the non-driver) was the one addressed. “What are you doing?” he asked me. Apparently it’s very curious for a passenger to be typing on a laptop. If it was a ploy, asking a trivial question to elicit any kind of mouth-opening response in order to assess sobriety, why wouldn’t he direct it to the one in charge of operating the machinery?

I’m just surprised they weren’t pissed that our gear nearly blocked out our panoramic view of the road.

And as if I needed more excitement, we discovered the merits of winter tires on a very slippery hill this afternoon. Who would have thought it wasn’t a great idea to traipse halfway around Canada for the fifth time in a year on the same set of tires… During the winter… Enjie put up a good fight but I’m sure it was only a slight nudge from our Lord God above that prevented us from snowballing back down that hill. I think we were going .5km/hr when we crested the rise; that was slow enough to allow time to contemplate what the best course of action would be, but not enough time to implement it.

The struggle against the elements was well worth the evening I found waiting for me at The Old Fire Hall, though. It was great food, great people and a great atmosphere. It was a good safe environment to be in when I said goodbye to my pioneer handbag. The experience was bittersweet. I know she went on to a good home but you never forget your first…

12/9/07 – Mocha Cabana, Lethbridge, AB

I love it when I see huge groups of friends in the crowd. Well, I love it, and I’m nearly blind with jealousy simultaneously. What lucky ducks these folks are who have more friends than Friends!

Tonight one of these troops became my Lethbridge posse but we’ve yet to develop a gang sign. Although I’ve played piano for most of my life, it seems I’m not that versed in urban hand manipulation. Please send suggestions! All I’ve come up with so far is an ‘L’ (for Lethbridge) with thumb and index finger, held proudly to one’s forehead, but I have a feeling that one’s already taken.

How’s this for hard-core?

My new friends called me “cutie” and “sweetie” and I felt like I was one of the crowd. After some Sherlocking (care of your favorite stalker zone and mine: Facebook) I find out that I am almost a decade older than them. I’m blessed with a baby face and an elf-body and am consistently in a state of disguised adulthood. I relate to that creepy little girl in Interview With The Vampire, but I’m pretty sure I drink less blood than she does.

Apparently she and I DO share a conviction of our immortal status. Click the image below to see me tempt fate (and squeal for two straight minutes).

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12/8/07 – Gitter’s Pub, High River, AB

Sometimes adventures can be fun. Sometimes adventures can define a day that had had other objectives. Our gear was incarcerated beyond our reach and we spent an afternoon fishing for keys. Thank goodness for small towns! While the familiarity can breed acute boldness, it also means one can walk in to a gas station and ask for “Beth from Irricana” and walk out of it with the number of her best friend’s brother’s best friend’s sister’s cell phone.

12/7/07 – Full Of Beans, Irricana, AB

I always expect a ruckus when I hit Full Of Beans in Irricana. There’s something about the intimacy of a small town that dissolves the inhibitions of the inhabitants. But when you’re told that a seasonal sing-along is more rowdy than “Stripper Night”, it’s time to re-evaluate who is the sheep and who is the shepherd.

Granted they weren’t standing on their chairs, craning their necks to see me pick up various objects with various body parts, but I’ve never heard Christmas carols sound more like drinking songs. They were pounding the table in solidarity with the little drummer boy (pa rum pum pum pum – “rum” being the operative syllable), they were criticizing the opposite side of the room for not singing “Silent Night” with as much gusto, they were bringing out their washtub basses (complete with hockey stick neck) to accompany me.

Click the image above to witness my own attempts at wielding the tub to the tune
of my previously a capella arrangement of “Hush, My Dear, Lie Still And Slumber”.

Click the image above to hear un-spoiled
samples of the Christmas album.

12/6/07 – Saskatoon, Wildwood Mennonite Church

I’ve got my dentist in Toronto. I’ve got my aesthetician north of Saskatoon. I’ve got my car dealership in Lethbridge. Now all I need is a gynecologist somewhere in the Yukon and I’m set!

This sign was near the salon in Warman where I go to be pampered
(if having hair ripped out of your eyebrow area can be considered luxurious).
“Warm Up With Chili Flavoured Cappuccino”?? If you say so…

It’s SOOOO good to spend time with family. I can’t even begin to describe the thirst I had for seeing my kin, and the resulting misery at realizing that the craving could not be slaked by visits crammed in to the tiny scraps of time I had between shows. I managed to leave the city and carry on with the tour ONLY because I know I will be returning for a proper visit after the holidays.

Hug someone you love today!

Speaking of someone I love, Cam Fuller at the Saskatoon Star Phoenix is a jewel. Never in the history of news reporting has there been a better headline than: “Jahnke Avoids Schmaltz..”

Click the image to read the full article.

The show tonight was rejuvenating. I am thankful every day for Darren’s geekiness, for without it I would not have had the capabilities to present my new Christmas album with backing vocals. It was a nice way to debut O Night Divine and I was very glad that so many of my closest peeps were in the audience to witness it. I am a big fan of the holiday season and apparently I turn into a little bit of a suck when I start thinking of the big picture.

We even had the chance to show a couple films that we scored recently. One of these films, Ctrl Z, is actually up for an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008. For more info about the film visit: http://ctrlzmovie.com/index.htm . You can watch and rate the five finalist films at http://www.delta.com/flyinmovies . The filmmaker with the highest average rating wins an amazing prize package to be presented at the festival– so please spread the word. We love our director friend and would love to see him honored as he deserves to be.

Thanks so much to Pauline at Wildwood Mennonite Church for helping make everything happen tonight. And thanks especially to my mom and sister for filling in the blanks and making sure it all ran smoothly. XOXO

12/5/07 – Prince Albert, Turk’s Coffee House

One more time we hit the road before hitting the hay. No one had better accuse me of being a lazy musician. Lazy implies lolling about, and I surely have no spare time for such frivolities!

I have no time even to sweep a patch of floor! I apologize publicly to our darling house-sitter for leaving the digs in such disarray. It was a whirl-wind of “home time” during the week and a half we were able to spend there. We were baking, we were trimming the tree, we were putting the finishing touches on some hand-made Cat Jahnke merchandise. All fun; all disruptive to the neatness.

Here are some photos of the aforementioned Cat brand schwag.

1. Reversible Messenger Bag
2. Croc Toque – front & back

Have I already discussed the love I’ve developed for my new-used sewing machine? Be not afraid: there will be many such tributes. And for anyone sharing my fondness for DIY, make sure to check out http://www.threadbanger.com. They’re the best!

Thanks to everyone who came out to Turk’s tonight. It was great to see so many friendly faces!

TITLE EXPLANATION: A lovely chap manning a gas bar in the middle of nowhere obviously intended to ask if I was playing a “gig” tonight.

Click HERE to read an article from the Prince Albert Herald.

10/20/07 – Old Fire Hall, RosslandWhat’s better – to throw a banana peel in a garbage can or to throw a banana peel on the side of the road? I really want to know. It seems to me that putting it in a bin just means it will end up in a plastic bag at the landfill. At least on the shoulder of a highway it can find some peace under the stars and live out it’s browning existence in nature. Where’s the harm in that?

The show at the Old Fire Hall today was exactly what my soul needed. Not only were the acoustics in the revamped station conducive to a great sound, but the audience that attended were all people I’d love to know better. It was a late night and my eyeballs are paying for it today, but it was nice to stay and chat and be educated about jazz and raw food and sign language and a host of other things.

An Old Fire Hall Tradition
Click on the image to watch the video

There are two things in this picture that I’m not excited about:
1) End of passing lane sign
2) My first snowfall of the season

A Life Lesson Brought To You By Cat Jahnke

10/19/07 – Minstrel Café, Kelowna

I’ve got to give it up to darkness. While I’m not a big fan of it at night time, I find it snug during the day. There’s something relaxing about seeing the sun vainly doing its best to peek through the cracks in the blinds. Especially during nap-time!

A few days ago I mentioned that it seems difficult to break out of a social habit, to go beyond the familiar boundaries of a lengthy relationship. During our few days here in Kelowna we stayed with some extended family and had the chance to cast off some ancient molds. It feels good to learn someone better.

It feels bad to learn that our home was vandalized. This afternoon we checked in with our house-sitter and found out that our garage had been broken into. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I think: blah – I don’t have any energy to care about some neighborhood punks busting up our property. Besides, we knew what we were getting into when we moved onto a crappy street. On the other hand I think: what the hell is out there to stop these little creeps from doing this again and again? Were we just lucky that they didn’t feel like burglarizing our house?

And does it ever feel gross to think that strangers were traipsing through our yard knowing full well that they were not welcome. Yuck!

At the Minstrel Café tonight: Little Emma England pulled her chair right up to the stage and sat quietly and politely there for most of the evening. Her attention span put to shame many others belonging to more mature audience members.