Hey everyone!

I have two awesome announcements to make!  Firstly, the ECMA nominations have been released and I am very grateful to have been nominated for two ECMAs this year for Rock Recording and Rising Star. Congrats to all the nominees! I am looking forward to spending ECMA weekend in one of my favourite cities in Canada…Moncton, NB :)

Many moons ago, I was very fortunate to have met Dave Bidini (Rheostatics/Bidini Band/ Writer/Director/National Treasure) and  was lucky enough to sing with The Rheostatics during their Fall National Shows in Toronto  on several occasions.  I can still remember how TERRIFIED I was to sing lead with one the greatest bands in the Universe. I have been a Rheostatics fan for a long time and those performances are still a highlight of my musical adventures. Once again,  I am really excited to have been asked by  Dave Bidini to be a part of  ”Stolen From A Hockey Card” an amazing show that is happening in PEI next month. We will be celebrating National Hockey Day, Feb 9th @8pm at  The Confederation Centre.  It was my duty to write a song related to the good ol’ game. I can’t wait for you to hear it! It is quite different from my usual style. My poor roommates have had to listen to it a million times…but they dig it!  Oh and Sarah harmer, Chris Murphy, will also be performing!  *eeeek*

We are also hitting the road for a rockin’ mini tour at the end of February! See you soon in Moncton, PEI, Halifax and St. John :D

Love and Rock

Carmen

Hello,   I’ve been laying very low these last few months, so forgive me for not keeping you up to date here :)

I survived another Christmas. It is the hardest time of year for me. I know there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way. I found a lovely quote that really sums it all up….

“Isn’t it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so
lonely for – I don’t know what exactly; but it’s something
that you don’t mind so much not having at other times.”
~Kate L. Bosher~

I had a very quiet New Years Eve as well.  I can’t believe the things I have seen, the places I have been and the people I have met over the last year. I spent a solo night at home strolling through those memories….thank goodness for  my iphone camera :)  It was the first time I was able to be on the outside and take a look into the experiences and realize that it really was my life. I know I’ve said it a million times, but I honestly can’t believe how lucky I am. So once again, much love to everyone and thank you so much for  enabling me to live the dream.

I can only hope that 2012 is as amazing as the people who have supported me through the good and the really bad. I am not sure what is next. I know I want to keep on keeping on, but I feel a change is upon me. Maybe a move to another vibrant city? maybe a retreat? maybe….a little change up musically? Who knows. I have a lot of unfinished songs to complete ( I did not get an attention span for Christmas :/)  and I  miss the road terribly. I miss you too.

Until we meet again, smile, dream big, laugh louder, dance more, enjoy your aliveness and love yourself. I hope to see you soon.

Love and Rock

Carms

Psssst…Hey, what’s up?

I am living in a garage :) very close to the edge of the water. It was well overdue for me to chill out and be quiet. After a very hectic year I have had very little time to actually breathe in all of the awesomeness of the last 12 months. My brains are delightfully scattered all over the place from so many crazy adventures. I even quit coffee and tea for a week! Yikes. It was somethin’ else.  So, I am in the middle of nowhere with lots of songs to bring to life.

I have extended thanks on facebook and twitter to everyone who voted for Jason Levangie and me for the 1ox10 Video Program as part of the Atlantic Film Fest. Mo Kenney and Greg Jackson took the grand prize for their excellent video “Eden”. It was a wicked experience and as usual, Halifax proves once again it is loaded with talent and beautiful people. I’d like to extend a mountain of thank yous to all who voted for the Music Nova Scotia Award for Entertainer of the Year. I feel the love. I am pretty excited to head to Yarmouth again. We are a lucky bunch.

The Halifax Pop Explosion is upon us! The crew responsible for this extravaganza of music and art have really outdone themselves this year. I can’t believe F@*ked Up are playing. So looking forward to another sweaty love fest of rock :)

Catch up with us in PEI on October 14th!! We will be heading to Hunters Ale House to play with one of my favourite bands The Town Heroes!

Until then, I’ll be reeling over the finale of Breaking Bad this weekend ( :0) and enjoying the sights and sounds of mother nature. Oh, and releasing some new tunes from my weary but hopeful heart.

Love and Rock

Carms

Yikes. I forgot about you again. Hello everyone, I am still on the go and this summer has been quite a thrill.

I’m not really sure where to start! We had a little bump in “The Road” again. We landed in Calgary all set to play downtown for The Stampede….and it was called off due to rain :( It was a long trip to make but thankfully we were invited back next year!  We cheered ourselves up at the amazing Heritage Records store and had a great time on a patio with some old and new friends :) Many thanks to Sarah MacDonald for being the best host EVER.

We have played some excellent shows this summer, but I must say Evolve has once again taken the cake. Thanks so much to everyone who came out and rocked the field with us. I was pretty overwhelmed by the love and all around awesomeness from everyone we met that weekend.  We did indeed cover “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys and now we want to play it all the time :D So happy that so many of you felt same about that tune….it rocks and it is so fun to play!

There are oodles of plans to be made. I am taking off for a month to live in a tiny little cottage on the water. I have a mountain of songs to complete and I need a little time to chill out…..I started touring November 27 and I haven’t really stopped since!  I am excited to hide away with my songs and the ocean for a month to see what happens. We will be playing the Halifax Pop Explosion as well as Nova Scotia Music Week. Our sights are set on a plan to hit up California and New York City. I think they need us down there eh? :) I am prepared to work both 9 to 5′s to make it happen.  In February we are going to Europe! and I am pretty stoked to be performing at this years Film and Music Buyers Showcase for the Atlantic Film Festival!

Many thanks to everyone involved with Stan Fest, Evolve, The New Glasgow Jubilee, Natal Day, MFest, Fundy Fog Festival, Fred Rock and The Hullabaloo. I am truly blessed to have been a part of all of these awesome shows. You all sure know how to treat a Lady!

Love and Rock

Carmen

Holy frig, I did it. I drove from Thunder Bay to Halifax in our ’99 Band Van alone. I am a Jedi.The Universe is unfolding as it should. I landed in Toronto covered in power steering fluid as I spilled it all over myself after topping it up. Half asleep with legs of jell-o, I stumbled through the door of my best friends home.

Lindsay : “Carmen, get ready. We are outta here in 10 minutes…Aretha Franklin is playing down the street. It’s free.”

Me : “Arrrrreee you for real?”

I literally lost all communication skills and just stood there. I regained my composure, scooped my jaw up off of the kitchen floor, threw on some red lipstick and my leather jacket and was on my way to see Aretha. Now, my van needed to be repaired in Thunder Bay and I land in Toronto on this day of all days? Going to see the legendary Aretha with my bestest, oldest, friend?? Ahhhh…I think this what Dylan sings about…”a simple twist of fate”. It was a very special night <3

I am back in Halifax and it’s almost time to leave again. I am off to play Stan Fest this weekend!! This year will be special as it is a family affair. My sister, her husband and my adorable nephew attend every year. I am really looking forward to enjoying the music and art with them. I am also pretty stoked to see my buds The Divorcees play. It has been way too long.

Here are my set times for this weekend..

Saturday 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Fogarty’s Cove Stage
Saturday 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Boot Camp Writing Rock Songs
Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Hillside Stage
Sunday 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Little Dover Stage
Sunday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Fogarty’s Cove Stage

If you can’t make it to Stan Fest…you can also find me here!

The Calgary Stampede, Evolve Festival, New Glasgow Jubilee, Natal Day Festival, FredRock Festival, MFest, Larlee Creek Hullabaloo, Estuary Fest, Right Some Good Food Festival, and The Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival!

…or any beach on the East Coast perfecting my awesome beach bumming skills.

Thanks so much to everyone who made this tour amazing. I am beaming with happiness that we pulled it off.

Much love and rock

Carms

We made it!! Coast to Coast in our little band van! Time is flying by and I seem to have forgotten to update my website with a post from the road. We are having a blast! Steve ( our new drummer) is an excellent addition to the band. It is really amazing how fast he has picked up the songs and the vibe of our little rock family. This tour would not have happened without him. We are rich in laughter on this wild ride.

We have managed to camp is some pretty sweet spots across the land!  What a beautiful country we live in. I was anxious to see the mountains again but I was not prepared for the Saskatchewan sunset. I have never seen anything so stunning. There has been no shortage of wildlife sightings either. I saw my first Grizzly Bear in the wild…from the van of course. Many thanks to everyone who came out to the shows and helped us along the way. We really do survive on the kindness of our friends and complete strangers. Thank you so much for you!

We are making our way back home. We have a bunch of shows in Alberta, then we hit Saskatoon and Winnipeg. I am excited to get back to the East Coast and prepare for one hell of a summer! Evolve is going to rule <3

Here are the rest of the dates on the Canadian tour and a few more upcoming shows….

Love and Rock

Carmen

Wowza…

The last few days here in Cape Breton have been chaotic, amazing, stressful and full of determination. I’m so happy to be a stubborn Cape Bretoner :) On the eve of our first show on our Cross Canada Tour, my drummer injured  his hand.  The Van was packed and we were Moncton bound to play for a lovely group of people at Plan B Lounge. Our plans were quickly morphed into sheer panic and dispair when we learned that the hand in question was definitely broken.

“Whaaaaaaaat?”  17 years of performing, including 6 years of slaving away in every bar across this country, practically living in my car to make this debut album, and now this?? I cried. I sat in complete silence for a good 15 minutes then, we hit up every drummer we knew  to see if they were willing to brave blisters on their fingers and learn all of my songs in 2 days and THEN head out across Canada….INSANE….but, guess what? We found Steve “Wonder Boy” Wilton from New Waterford!!!  truly amazing.

I wanted to publicly thank everyone for their support and words of encouragement over the last few days. Once again, I was completely flabbergasted by all the people who were willing to drop everything just to make this happen for us. It was a very emotional experience for me. I was aware people liked the music and the vibe we have, but to know that we have the respect and support from so many people  ( mostly strangers!!)  moved me to tears many times in the last few days. I even teared up at Long and Mcquade when the salesman behind the counter told me how great the record sounded. :p

Many thanks to Shane O’Handley for being stubborn with me and putting in all the endless ours of rehearsals, Steve Wilton for saving our band and being so professional, talented and generous with his time, Trevor Turnbull for letting us live in his basement for our emergency jams over the last few days and Darren Gallop for  helping us really see “Where there is a will, there most definitely is a way”

My sincerest of apologies to Plan B Lounge and This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton. We’ll make up those shows to you someday. You have my word. See you in Ottawa May 31st @ Zaphod Beeblebrox!!

Love and Rock

(Eye of the Tiger…)

Carmen

What is up!?

Our adventure  in the UK  was an awesome experience. I love sharing these moments with other bands from home. David Myles, Ben Caplan, and the b’yes from Inflight Safety   were fantastic and represented Music Nova Scotia most excellently.

We were very fortunate to be invited back in February and it’s looking like Europe wants a little Cape Breton Rock and Roll invasion!  Thanks a ZILLION to Music Nova Scotia, The Great Escape Festival, Canadian Blast and The Liverpool Sound City Festival.

 We  made it home safe and we will be packing up our Minivan and camping gear ( yikes) and heading out to finally share my debut album with the rest of Canada. Tonight our Cross Canada tour starts in Moncton @ Plan B Bar and Lounge! Check out the rest of the dates on the website, and hopefully you can check out the band :) We will also be up for sleeping on your floor. There are only three of us, but we are quite fun and funny! Good times ahead.

Lastly, I am sure most of you have heard that Thomas Allen has decided to leave the band to focus on finding a full time career. I hunted him down first in Georges River, Cape Breton when I was looking for “The Goalie” of the band. Shane and I are soldiering on and we wish him all the best and thank him for his time and talent. If you are interested in becoming the “New Dude/Dudette” in the band, please see the link below.

The Show Must Go On!! – Carmen Townsend Band Auditioning New Drummer.

Love and Rock
Carmen

Hello from Brighton, England!

I am so happy to be here! We have a few days to chill out before we play The Great Escape Festival. We are prepared to kick ass and take names at the Queen’s Hotel @ 2pm. Here are our other performances over the next few days. Please share them with your friends and family across “The Pond”

After our little tour in the UK we are heading out to tour across Canada! I hope to see some familiar faces from the HEART Tour. I am anxious for the rest of the country to experience my band and our rock show. The tour wraps up at the end of June and then it’s Festival Season! This summer is going to be amazing :)

Unfortunately, we had a little van trouble last weekend which caused us to miss some shows in New Brunswick. We hope to make up the shows on our way to Ontario. I will be sure to keep you posted.

Thanks again for all the support!

Love and Rock

Carmen

I survived my Birthday Week/ECMAs! I must start this post by congratulating PEI on one of the best ECMAs yet. The Gala show alone was fantastic this year. We had some intense and sold out showcases. So many people to thank for supporting us. Big ups to Darren Gallop, Alison Giovannetti, Adam White, and Becky Walker for all of their support and help over the weekend. I was completely overwhelmed with the response from the shows over the week. Many thanks to everyone who came out, squished up front and sang along. It felt awesome. Oh, and thanks to Hunter’s Ale House for hosting our best Rock show this year. You guys RULE!

I am very happy to tell you that my buds Slowcoaster, Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew and Rose Cousins all took home awards this year. Much love to Rose for all of the beautiful little messages she sends my way. They are always a sweet surprise.. .and arrive at exactly the right time. Thanks to all for their awesome support and love, I felt a lot of it this week.

I was able to catch some sweet shows from bands I am hardly ever able to see live due to my crazy schedule. I was an instant fan of Boxer The Horse, Haunted Hearts, and Raccoon Bandit. So much talent on the East Coast, it is a whirlwind to keep up with. I’m very fortunate to be a part of this musical family.

It is now time for me to pack up my hiking boots, some guitars, some cozy sweaters and a coffee maker, and head to the woods of Cape Breton. I have been looking forward to this escape to the wilderness for a while now. I have a bunch of songs swimming around in my bones and a mountain of gigs to prepare for! I desperately need to be surrounded by ocean and trees for some well needed reconnection with Mother Nature.

I’ll be seeing you soon! Lots of shows coming up… can not wait for festival season! I need a new tent :D

Love and Rock
Carmen