Lightning Is My Girl

Although I am on a maternity inner journey for this beautiful year, I have agreed to step out for a special event in the name of Women and Music. Women’s Music Summit is a unique music camp experience nestled in the magical Catskill mountains in upstate NY – it’s quite a deluxe and extravagant WEEK long event. The full package includes accommodations, food, the natural beauty all around AND the musical workshops with the guest women musicians (such as me, kaki king and meshell ndegeocello among many others!). This is certainly a one of a kind experience for any music loving woman out there, i look forward to sharing it with any of you who can make it.

Visit their website for all the info Women’s Music Summit

Get updates on their FaceBook Page

xMAdMx

The exceptional Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, has once again invited MAdM to participate in one of their innovating art exhibits. As you may remember OUT OF OUR MINDS (OOOM) Film was programmed along side Pre-Raphealite master painter JW Waterhouse retrospective just over a year ago. This time, MAdM is honored to be part of BIG BANG! a groundbreaking show of contemporary Montreal Artists, all of whom were invited to roam freely the archives of the landmark museum. Here were the ground rules they gave us….

BIG BANG!
“As part of this fall’s celebrations, the Museum wished to pay tribute to contemporary creativity by organizing a multidisciplinary exhibition, an innovative and unifying event, free of charge and accessible to everyone. Some twenty renowned artists from several disciplines have been given carte blanche to create an installation, the only condition being that it be based on a work of their choice from the Museum’s collection, to renew and reinvent it. Art inspires artists for all time: “With this original project, the Museum’s collection becomes an open work, justifying the essential mission of this institution: to conserve the works of yesterday that inspire the artists of today,” states Nathalie Bondil, Museum Director.”

so off I went… through the vaults. first looking for swiss art, as i continue my hunt of my heritage and blood lineage. i discovered Hodler and his romantic portrait of an ancient Swiss National Guard aka Hallebardier (yes the ones that guard the pope and Vatican til this very day and the most sought after and deadly fighters of the middle ages). this brought me back to my reoccurring hunt and theme of my weapon of choice….. my photographic project began. i went deeper into their collection of weapons, and found a diverse collection, such as this ceremonial dagger  from the congo below….

…. then i brought in some of my own; favorite vintage russian panoramic camera, viking axe etc…..

as during my photographic studies in university, i turned the camera on myself, at which time i was 6 months pregnant. sneak peek below, but to see the whole image and whole piece, you must be in Montreal between now and january 22 ….

WEAPON OF CHOICE
“Inviting Ferdinand Hodler’s 10-foot tall “Hallebardier” painting as the central muse for my piece initiated my exploration of the hunt for one’s own Weapon of Choice. L’homme d’armes depicted in this portrait, circa 1895, reflects aspects of my favorite painting traditions happening around that time in Europe. There are echoes of the mysticism of the Pre-Raphaelites that came just before, and the fantasy and nature worship of the blossoming Art Nouveau movement, but here the subject is a Man and his weapon. My Swiss ancestral roots only add to my need  to explore the history of Swiss Mercenaries…. Whose battle would you fight?”
xMAdMx

What an honor and weird virtual reality being invited to be part of the virtual cast of Jean Paul Gaultier muses at the first ever Gaultier museum retrospective!

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has put together a retrospective of his 30 + year career – displaying many outrageous original pieces from his Madonna “justify my love” corsets to his inspired-by-Hasidic Judaism line. The man has worked in themes and concepts all along, not just with clothes, as it was pointed out by Nathalie Bondil (the sexy museum director at the opening I attended last week), but he has also built a fantasy world where all people can co-exist with total tolerance of each others differences… freaks & princesses alike. An amazing artist who has shaped a lot of what pop culture is today (gaga!). It’s an honor to be cast as three of the virgin mermaids in the show, standing along side a virtual version of the man himself…

Here’s some info on the show, if you find yourself in Montreal, between now and October 2nd you must stop in!

MONTREAL GAZETTE : As Good as Gaultier

FASHION MAGAZINE : The Glitz from the Opening of Montréal’s Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibit + Watch talking Mannequins in Action

oh! me as a mermaid in crutches! my triplets are singing OUT OF OUR MINDS a cappella in the show! on a loop for many many months to come….

Once again UK Artist James Prorok has met us on the darkside with another incredible poster for the MAdM Bass – Synth -Visual Tour.

Summoning his old fashioned black & white ghost of M.C. Escher to create mystical tall pyramids turned pawns for women’s hands.

Clearly it connected with the concert attendees, as we sold out of our limited edition of 60 on this tour!

Thank you Prorok and those who hang a piece of our May Mini Tour on your wall.

xMx

WELL, SINCE THE 1999 AND 2000 GIBSON BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS, I HAVE NOT WON ANY HONORS IN MUSIC.  WINNING BEST ALTERNATIVE / HEAVY ROCK ALBUM FROM USA’S INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS FOR MY LATEST ALBUM OUT OF OUR MINDS, IS THE GREATEST HONOR YET.  I’VE WORKED HARDER ON THIS ALBUM THAN ANYTHING I’VE EVER DONE – REMEMBER THERE WAS A FILM, COMIC BOOK AND IT WAS INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED, PRODUCED, FINANCED… THOSE ARE THE REASONS FOR THE HARD WORK, NOT THE MUSIC ITSELF. THANK YOU TO THE HONORABLE JUDGES AND THE ORGANIZATION FOR RECOGNIZING OOOM AS A GOOD PIECE OF INDEPENDENT WORK.

THERE IS A PEOPLE’S POLL TO PARTICIPATE IN IF YOU LIKE – YOUR CHOICE OF WHO YOU LIKE BEST! VOX POP!

www.independentmusicawards.com
CONGRATS TO ALL THE INDEPENDENT HARD WORKERS OUT THERE!
X
M

I AM AN INDEPENDENT MUSICIAN! 2010 marked my first totally independently created, produced and released project: OUT OF OUR MINDS: ALBUM – FILM – COMIC
i am happy to know there are organized, organizations, taking the time to recognize and support these efforts made by musicians. it’s the wave of the future i hear! a great wave, promising a tidal wave of experimental sounds coming out way this new decade! It’s the 10th year of the INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS and OOOM has been nominated in the Alternative / Hard Rock category. THANK YOU to the IMAs for recognizing and nominating my album.
there is also a “listeners” poll, for you to vote for my album to win:

VISIT HERE TO VOTE FOR OOOM

thanks for listening,
xMAdMx