Shawna Caspi

For as long as I can remember, in my life as an artist, I’ve heard about this magical place in the mountains of Alberta called the Banff Centre. It sounded like a utopia of creativity and collaboration and peace and inspiration. A place I could only dream about.

Three years ago, while on tour in Alberta, I took a detour to explore the beautiful town of Banff, including a brief moment on the grounds of the Banff Centre, just to see what it looked like.

This month, I’ll be spending three weeks at the Banff Centre’s Singer-Songwriter Residency, writing, sharing, playing, and learning from some of the best singer-songwriters in the world. I can’t wait to see what will happen.

Freezing rain, gale force winds, and snow storms – my British Columbia tour had it all. I’d never seen Vancouver’s firs and cedars covered in white.

I managed to move through the necessary international airports, with only some delays, slipping in and out right between the worst of the weather.

After five days in a hotel in Montreal, doing the Business of Folk Music at the Folk Alliance International conference, I’m preparing for two shows coming up in upstate New York, in Akron and Binghamton. I’ve got a couple of new songs to share and a determination to tug at the mid-winter darkness.