Taking some time in the next months to write new songs, work on some new collaboratons, and scheme, scheme away! One of those schemes is the my words / your art project. But there are also other things in the works.... will keep you posted!

So very looking forward to playing at the One Man Band Festival this weekend in Montreal! This year, there are 4 days of music, at 6 different venues!! I'm at Divan Orange on Saturday night (May 25), sharing the stage with Ira Lee, Chris Velan and Oldfolks Home (our 4th show together!!). Indie Montreal is sponsoring the night and have included Robot Bomb Shelter for all your late night dancing needs!

I'm also speaking at a festival workshop that afternoon called "The Lonely Road of the One Man Band." I'll try not to cry.

It's almost time to unleash the hermit-like, control-freakish eccentrics that are one (wo)mand bands... myself included, of course! 

AMAZING!!! The people of St. Catharines made wonderful artwork inspired by my song lyrics!! I loved seeing how people interpreted my lyrics differently and it was heartwarming to see people's positive reaction to the project! I was also pleased to get mentioned in the St. Catharines Standard's article on the festival!

You can see some of the artwork created, alongside the songs that the lyrics come from here: my words / your art. This experiment is part of a larger project I've been scheming about, so stay posted for more details!

Here's me, happy in the sun, as the first creations flap in the wind!


Here are many of the pieces... at the end of the night.


Thanks In the Soil and St. Catharines for another wonderful festival!

This year at St. Catharines' In the Soil Arts Festival, I'm going to trying an idea I've had to create "crowd-sourced" artwork. I'm asking festival goers to create artwork inspired by lyrics to my songs. That artwork will then become part of the live video mixing that Etienne will do at my performance that night. I'm going to be set up at the Festival Hub on Satruday, April 27, from 11am to about 2pm with art supplies, and then my musical performance (with live video) will be at the Festival Hub at 8pm. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this turns out!!

I was invited to take part in an In the Soil Arts Festival Mash-Up in which I'll be joining dancer Susanna Hood and illustrator Brittany Brooks as the three of us perform 30 minutes of interactive improvisation together! I think it's a brilliant idea, which is why I jumped at the chance! Now as I get ready for it, I'm realizing that while I have improvised with other musicians, I've never had to improvise completely on my own.... 30 minutes...just me making music with my sampler, Wurlitzer and loop pedal... eek! The event is called The Loop, and if you're in the Niagara region, come to the Mikado in St. Catharines on Saturday, April 27, 3pm to see if I can pull it off!!!

I'm so very excited to be going to St. Catharines again this year for the 2013 In the Soil Festival! Here's a promo video for the festival that includes images of my audience-made yarn art from last year's festival!

The new year has begun with children's music! I've been having lots of fun writing pop/rock songs for a toy that will be out for next Christmas - can't say yet which toy, but when it's out, I'll let you know!! I also got to meet and work with some wonderful young singers! Can't wait to be able to share it with you!

Had such a great time at my recent show at the Lo Pub in Winnipeg - my hometown! Hamilton'sWax Mannequin and Winnipeg's Oldfolks Home were amazing! Etienne did some superb live visuals! And thanks to everyone who came out!!

The bittersweet side of things, as it turns out, is that the Lo Pub closed its doors suddenly about two weeks after this show. We all knew it was a possibility, but were shocked that it ended up happening so quickly (no fault of the owner - you can read the full story)! What a shame and such a loss to Winnipeg. Jack and the Lo Pub staff created such a wonderfully musical place that it will be very very missed!!

So... here's a photo my last ever show at the Lo Pub. 

 Was so happy to have two features come out this week in the Winnipeg press - both starting with the letter U. Thanks Jen and Aaron!!

The Uniter - written by Aaron Epp

Uptown Magazine - written by Jen Zoratti

 
Jon Cohen's brainchild, the One (Wo)Man Band Festival, will come to life two weeks from today! From May 18 to 20, it's three nights of performers who are literally one man or woman bands. I'm playing Friday night at Divan Orange, alongside Armen at the Bazaar, Cocobeurre and others. I'll also be a part of a looping workshop on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night at Casa includes, among others, Wax Mannequin, Lederhosen Lucil and Scott Dunbar. And Sunday, Jon himself will be playing at the intimate L'Envers with Superfossilpower, Camp Fortune and others. I'm so excited to be a part of this event!! 

Iconoclaste, partner of the festival, has put together a playlist of festival performers that you can listen to on grooveshark. For more information, visit the Facebook event page. And for the full schedule and artist list, visit the festival website at www.onemanbandfest.com.


And in June, I'm really looking forward to talking part in Toronto's NXNE. So many great bands! So many great workshops and speakers! I'm playing Friday night, the 15th at Czehoski.

Love is for sharing and so is music! So feel free to download my version of LOVESONG and share it with those you love!

Tune in to CBC radio 2 after 10pm tonight to hear my song "hushabye" on The Signal! It's a lullaby, so snuggle in.

It's been a bit of a whirlwind the last month... CD release, POP Montreal show, Indie Week showcase in Toronto, and of course, a wicked transition-to-fall flu to add to the mix. So i'm just updating the website right now with some reviews and videos from the last month. Of note, The Montreal Mirror dubbed me the "DIY Dame" and Verbicide Magazine made me blush, saying "It looks like the world has proved its need for another singer-songwriter once again, and may many ears appreciate this truly vital record."

You are cordially invited to the celebration of the release of my CD, hush. Your presence is requested at the esteemed Montreal venue, O Patro Vys, located at 356 Mont-Royal East. You will be regaled with music from myself, as well as from taperecorder and Smoked Meat Fax Machine. Festivities begin at 8:00 pm.

My singing, that is. I was physically still on the "American" side of the ocean, but a Hollis P Monroe track that I sang on opened up Jay Haze's set at Ibiza this month!! You can watch the packed room dancing here. Thanks Jay!!

I, as well as many people, artists and non-artists alike, were shocked and disgusted by the recent "interview" with Margie Gillis on Sun News that attacked this Canadian dance icon for the public funding she's received over the course of her 39-year career. Now it's time to respond in concrete ways, so I've compiled and summarized various links and information, in the hopes that by putting it all in one place, people will recognize the gravity of the situation and the importance of taking action. You can read all about it in my blog post.

HUSH, the first single off of my upcoming self-produced album of the same name (out June 15, 2011), was released today! The EP includes splendiferous remixes by Hollis P Monroe, taperecorder and Leon Louder. It's FREE, so please help yourself to it and let me know what you think!! Hope you like it!!

videos... not deer or people.

am shooting 2 videos this weekend. one for the taperecorder song, 'denmark' that i did a version of, and one for my song, 'shine'. if you're in montreal on sunday, come to the mont-royal metro station at 2pm and be in the video!!

I have become a hooker - all in the name of making artwork for my next CD. OK, full disclosure: a rug-hooker. (See, those are the kind of jokes we rug-hookers make… pretty hilarious, right?). you can read more about it in my blog post here: www.jennmierau.com/fr_musings.cfm

Ill Mestizo - Not Today feat. Jenn Mierau (prod by Chris RT) by illmestizo

Hey montrealers... brave the snow and come to a show tonight at Bar l'Alizé at 8:00!
(i'll be singing on a song that Ill Mestizo and I co-wrote)
And it's a launch party for the montreal hip hop label Penny Pockets.
You can read all about them in the Montreal Mirror.

i'm feeling good about 2011... and hope you are too!!

i just finished 3 songs in my first week back at "work":

• my version of 'denmark' for taperecorder
• vocals on a Ryan Hemsworth tune
• wrote a hook and sung all over and Ill Mestizo track

can't wait to share them with you!

done, I say!!! now to do artwork...