KevinHutchings.ca

March Update

Kevin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:28:54 +0000

Plans are moving forward for a new CD in 2010: I hit the studio at Cheslatta Records near Pilot Mountain in Prince George a couple of weeks ago and came away with a new 18-song demo, from which we’ll choose 11 or 12 songs for the CD (whose working title is now “Light to Shine”). Last Thursday morning I had the pleasure of chatting about Romantic poetry with Carolina de Ryk on CBC Radio’s “Daybreak North,” after which she played my rendition of Byron’s “So, we’ll go no more a roving” from the new CD. I’ve just completed a new essay on Blake’s Songs, which will appear in the next issue of a London-based publication called eMagazine, and I’m looking forward to attending a Blake conference in Oxford in July. Currently, I’m writing an essay on Scottish Romantic poet Thomas Campbell and co-editing a book on nineteenth-century literature and culture. This semester my Romantic Lit students at UNBC are a really smart bunch, so life is good!

A New Recording Project for 2010

Kevin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:18:20 +0000

During the past week I’ve been making preliminary arrangements to record a new CD in 2010. Tentatively titled “Better than Before” (after a song I wrote last summer), the album will feature eleven or twelve original songs, including one or two I’ve recently co-written with Welsh poet Grahame Davies (www.grahamedavies.com). Although the CD will be recorded in Toronto in June, I’ll begin the project later this month by recording a demo at Cheslatta Records in Prince George. In the meantime, guitarist and producer extraordinaire Jason Fowler (www.jasonfowler.ca )–with whom I had the pleasure of working on my first two CDs–will be arranging studio space and booking hot players for our June recording sessions in Toronto. I’ll be posting updates here as our project unfolds.

Coldsnap Festival Gig January 26

Kevin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:06:39 +0000

On Tuesday January 26th I’ll be performing at this year’s ”Live at Artspace” event being organized as part of the Coldsnap winter music festival here in Prince George. Featuring numerous artists over a three-night period, ”Live at Artspace” will be recorded and will culimate in the production of a CD. Performances begin at 8:00 PM. On the 26th, I’ll be the third act of the evening, and so will likely hit the stage around 8:30 to perform four original songs, one of which will be featured on the live CD. In its entirety, the Coldsnap Festival runs from January 22-30 and will feature on its mainstages such peformers as Joel Plaskett, The Great Lakes Swimmers, Maurice, Out of Alba, and the Ndidi Onukwulu Band. I’m grateful to the Prince George Folk Festival Society for inviting me to participate in Coldsnap this year for the third year in a row.

Grahame Davies at the Wales Millennium Centre

Kevin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:02:14 +0000

In November, one of my songwriting partners, Cardiff poet Grahame Davies, was honoured when his song “Inspiration”–co-written with acclaimed Welsh composer Karl Jenkins to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Welsh National Assembly–was performed to a full house at the Wales Millennium Centre. Check out the story and photos at http://www.grahamedavies.com/cgi-bin/content.cgi?page=/ysbrydoliaeth. Grahame and I began to collaborate a couple of years ago when, after hearing my Blake settings, he invited me to set some of his own poetry to music. My new CD, On the Bridge You Were Burning, features the first two of these collaborations–the hymn-like “Benediction” and the villanelle ”Midwinter.”

CD Launch and United Way Benefit

Kevin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:26:48 +0000

I’d like to thank all of the folks who attended my CD launch last Friday evening. It was great to play for an attentive, full house at Cafe Voltaire, and especially fun to jam with indie artist Eric Tompkins, one of northern British Columbia’s most creative and accomplished guitarists. Best of all, we managed to raise nearly $1000 for the United Way of Northern BC. Times may be tough right now, but folks were generous. Many thanks again!

CD Launch & United Way benefit

Kevin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:10:39 +0000

On 27 November from 8:00-9:30 PM I’ll be launching “On the Bridge You Were Burning” with a coffeehouse concert at Cafe Voltaire in Prince George. Though admission is free, we’ll be passing the hat for the United Way (which will also receive the performer’s fee and a portion of the evening’s CD sales). Situated inside Prince George’s best bookstore, Cafe Voltaire is my favourite local venue: the food and drink are delicious, and so are the folks who hang out there. What better place for a musican/writer to perform than on a music stage surrounded by a roomful of books? It will be nice to raise a few dollars for a worthy local cause while having some musical fun.

CD Debut on CBC Radio’s “North by Northwest”

Kevin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:45:45 +0000

While I was in Toronto last weekend, ”On the Bridge You Were Burning” had its debut in a fifteen-minute segment on CBC Radio’s “North by Northwest.” The segment featured an interview with the show’s host, Sheryl McKay, and the broadcast of two songs from the CD: “When a Man Hath No Freedom to Fight for at Home” and “She Walks in Beauty” (both featuring lyrics by Lord Byron). To listen to an audio file of the broadcast, please visit the show’s homepage at http://www.cbc.ca/nxnw/ and scroll down to the last entry under November 15. After the show, I enjoyed responding to numerous emails sent by listeners. Thanks to Sheryl for having me on her show, and warm thanks to all the folks who wrote in and purchased CDs via the Indie Pool portal on this website.

International Conference on Romanticism–New York City

Kevin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:38:20 +0000

During the past five days I have been in New York City to attend the International Conference on Romanticism, which was held at the CUNY Graduate Center and the City College of New York. Featuring presentations by Romantic Lit scholars from around the world, the conference was a lively event. One of the highlights of my conference experience was a trip to the William Blake exhibit at the Pierpont Morgan Library, which featured original engravings from such masterpieces as Visions of the Daughters of Albion, The Book of Urizen, and Europe. The watercoloured engravings were particularly stunning; it’s no wonder that Blake has been called one of England’s greatest watercolourists. I had the great good fortune to wander through the exhibit with Mark Lussier, author of numerous studies of Blake’s poetry and designs and one of Blake’s most exuberant students. It was an inspiring exhibit, and a great privilege to be in the presence of Blake’s great art.

October Update

Kevin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:29:58 +0000

Next week, on October 21st, I’ll be visiting CBC Studios in Vancouver, where I’ll meet with Sheryl McKay, the wonderful host of CBC Radio’s “North by Northwest,” to tape an interview about my new CD On the Bridge You Were Burning. Once the interview has been edited, it will be broadcast, along with a few songs, to mark the CD’s formal release. When the date and time of the broadcast is finalized, I’ll post further details here. I’ve also been busy this month revising and polishing a new essay on William Blake for publication in a book entitled Romanticism and Pleasure, which is due out next year with Palgrave Macmillan; and I’ve been researching and writing a new paper for presentation at the International Conference on Romanticism, which will take place at CUNY in New York City in early November. This website will be undergoing some big changes during the next week or so. Stay tuned…

Romanticism and Music at the Reid Lake Fall Fair

Kevin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:13:40 +0000

On Sunday, September 13th from 12:30-1:30PM I’ll be hitting the stage at the Reid Lake Fall Fair to sing my musical versions of poems by Blake, Byron, Keats, and Grahame Davies. The hamlet of Reid Lake is just down the road from my own community northwest of Prince George, so I won’t have far to travel. I’m looking forward not only to performing in the event but also to hearing some of the other musical acts, drawn mostly from the local community, and to taking in the ambience of a country fair.