sall's journal

camping

2008-03-28T23:42:00.002-06:00

i tried to take a break from music today.

i tried to go camping.

no radio, no ipod, no laptop, no guitar. a happy, no music, listen to the silence, break:)

i loaded myself into the car, sleeping bag, stove, parka.

i drove to elk island national park for a little r & r.

i went hiking through the snow along the lake.

i stumbled across a few buffalo ( i really did, kinda scary)

i stared for what must have been 45 min.

i headed back to my car to make dinner and get set up for the night.

i forgot, spoon, cup and several other critical items.

i debated a night alone without a flashlight, digging out soup noodles from a pot with a stick....

i loaded myself back into my car. humbled by my inability rough-it :)

i am now, warm and fed and showered listening to the National, typing away.

even the best of intentions... :)

s.

New Music West

2008-03-15T21:38:00.002-06:00

I have not posted forever!!!

I have exciting news.

Looks like I am going to New Music West in Vancouver. I wish I could say I was totally cool about it and did not jump up from my desk and run about laughing and causing a ruckus, annoying my roommate...

My apologies roomie... it's good news. I'm stoked.

s.

Whirl-Wind

2008-01-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's been much too long again since I posted here. I have taken a bit of a hiatus from the 'sall-gibson-solo-project'. A few months ago I started hunting around for musicians to start a band with. Everyone told me that placing adds in a music magazine was not the way to go....but I have proven them wrong. My new band FAILING ESTHER made it's debut at the Jekyll and Hyde here in Edmonton last Saturday night and it was smashing, so much better than I ever could have hoped for! Then on Friday night we played the Pawn Shop. I am going to continue to do solo shows...so watch for upcoming dates. However I would love to see you out at one of our band gigs. Please watch www.myspace.com/failingesther for dates.

Cheerio,

Sall

Cafe Select

2007-09-14T22:50:00.000-06:00

Night's like last night are why I play music. Small stage, spotlight, rad ambiance, trendy atmosphere, couches and a full house that interacts and listens :)

Thank you to Jordan Payne for his stellar guitar licks and roadie skills :) Thanks also to Chris Quesnel and Cafe Select for having me.

The Vue Newspaper Article

2007-09-14T22:45:00.001-06:00

I was interviewed last week for an article about women in today's music scene. You can read it below. The Vue is Edmonton's only 100% independent news and music weekly. If you want to know what's happening around the city... this is where you look. A total honor :)

MUSIC

IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP WHEN WOMEN ROCK 'N' ROLL

EDEN MUNRO / eden@vueweekly.com

Spend a few minutes scouring the internet looking for something along the lines of “sexy album covers” and you’ll quickly turn up a vast assortment of images that have graced the jackets of all kinds of records, from Whitesnake’s Love Hunter to Ween’s Chocolate and Cheese to Christina Aguilera’s Stripped. And while there’s plenty of variety in the sounds that each of those albums holds within its covers, the one thing shared amongst them all—and plenty of others, too—is the placement of scantily clad women at the front and centre.

It’s difficult to deny that, for most of its history, rock ‘n’ roll has been a male dominated form of music but not every female is under the thumb of male powers. While someone like Madonna, who keeps a tight reign on the control of both her image and her music, might be an exception in a world that is beset by insta-star making machines like American Idol, with singers being judged more on their ability to perform material written by professional songwriters than their own creativity, the fact remains that there are women out there who are capable of so much more, and who are right now flexing their own creative muscles.

Kim Rackel makes up one half of the horn section in The Wet Secrets, and she admits that there were a few female musicians who intrigued her as a child—The Misfits, the rocker girls from the cartoon Jem and the Holograms, and Joan Jett—but as much as she was thrilled by the images, she was never won over by an aesthetic alone
“I was pretty infatuated with Madonna when I was little, and Michael Jackson—I loved Michael Jackson, as well—but I think it was more the sparkles and the dancing,” she recalls. “It was the music—I loved the music, too—but I think it was the whole package ... I thought it was pretty goddamn cool.”

The other half of the band’s horn section is Donna Ball, who has also held down the bass for local metal band Some Won Spit, and she agrees with Rackel’s assertion that music is about more than simply the image. Counting off the first bands that she listened to while growing up, Ball doesn’t name a single act with any sort of official female presence.

“When I was a kid I really liked Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, Glass Tiger—whatever my sister listened to is what I liked when I was little,” she explains. “I didn’t really think about female influence. It was always 100 per cent music. I was always more about music—I can play music, I like it, I’m good at it—more so than having an idol in music.”
After moving from the West Coast to Edmonton, singer-songwriter Sall Gibson says that she has been impressed with the number of girls she has seen out playing at this city’s numerous open mic nights. Gibson says that her initial influences were, like Ball’s, more male-centric than female, though for different reasons.

“If anything, women musicians influenced me in a reverse way,” she chuckles. “Because my vocal styling is in a lower range I was frustrated constantly because I couldn’t sing any of the female songwriters that I liked, so I ended up playing a lot of guy’s songs.”

Just as women count plenty of male musicians as influences, the opposite is often true of men. Edmonton’s Eamon McGrath, who performs solo and with both The Wild Dogs and Red Medicine, says that he was already looking up to local all-girl punk band The Homewrekers when he was 13 years old, and today he lists both Joni Mitchell and Lucinda Williams among his favourite songwriters. McGrath is also quick to add that he likes all of them because of their songs, not the novelty of a woman playing music.

In fact, the idea of shaking up the traditional male mentality of rock ‘n’ roll with a female presence is something that McGrath takes seriously—the drummer in his first band was a girl and until just a few days ago his girlfriend was playing bass in The Wild Dogs.

“It’s good to have girls in bands because they do bring a specific perspective to the music,” McGrath considers. “There’s something very male about rock ‘n’ roll and when you see a perspective from the other side of the gender fence it’s really refreshing.

“I’m not trying to say that there are these great, vast differences between guys and girls,” he emphasizes before continuing, “but the reality is that rock ‘n’ roll is a phallic kind of attitude historically, and changing that up is good.”

If there is some pressure for female musicians to put forward a particular image, it certainly doesn’t manifest itself in some overarching rule that applies to everyone, as Gibson makes clear.

“Because I’m a songwriter and I’m a reasonably proficient guitar player, I don’t really think about the image thing too much,” she says. “I mean, I’m most comfortable on stage with my toque and my hoody and would never really think twice about going on stage like that.”

For Rackel and Ball, sexuality is something that they have few problems with when it comes to the stage—in addition to The Wet Secrets, both women also perform with Capital City Burlesque.

“I can pretty much get on the stage and act like a total retard and take off my clothes at the same time, and be okay with it,” Rackel laughs, adding, “So I guess prancing around in the giant boots and the little marching band outfits that we have—we’re pretty comfortable doing it.”

Bobbi-Jo Moore, the singer/guitarist for Vancouver’s The Elixxxirs, admits that she’s never had any serious difficulties in music that she would attribute to her gender and she points out that there are some possible advantages for females in the industry, too, partly due to the fact that there are statistically a whole lot more men playing in bands.

“For me, booking gigs is really easy and it has been ever since I started the band,” she notes. “Even if [a promoter] hadn’t heard our music or anything, if I went up and talked to them they’d seem to give us a show. So I’m not exactly sure if that’s because I’m female—I think that has something to do with it—or if it’s my outgoing personality, but I’ve heard from a lot of my friends who are guys in bands and they don’t seem to have the same success. They have to try harder to get gigs.”

Moore goes on to say that she would be at a bit of a loss if image were the number one concern.
“One of the things that attracts our fans is the songs,” she says. “I’m not the greatest singer in the world and I’m not the greatest guitar player, either, but I write really great songs [that are] catchy and people like to dance to them. As a female, if I was singing other people’s songs it would be a lot harder.”

She sees the respect that she gets from other musicians as a direct result of working her way up from the bottom, rather than being plucked from obscurity and paraded around by a bunch of handlers.

In the end, Ball agrees that it’s important for women to prove themselves as musicians. “I don’t think a lot of people think that girls can play,” she admits regarding the challenges facing female musicians today, but she adds that, once the initial shock wears off, acceptance is usually not all that far behind. “You just have to prove yourself, I suppose.
“It’s almost not a sex issue and just an issue of talent, because I think that everyone has to go through it,” she says. “I don’t think it matters what gender you are.” V

The Big Reshuffle

2007-09-06T16:17:00.001-06:00

Man!! If I have to re evaluate, contemplate on or dig deep on any more issues in my life... i think i might have to be committed:) too much too much!!!!!

anyway. i have a show next thursday at cafe select. hope to see you there. i am excited about this one :)

Re Booked

2007-08-02T16:11:00.000-06:00

Hi All,

Steeps show has been rescheduled to Aug 17th 8:30pm. See you there.

s.

Nickleback

2007-08-01T15:16:00.001-06:00

Last night I met Chad and Mike Kroeger from Nickleback. Kinda cool...

s.

Double Booked

2007-07-27T20:32:00.000-06:00

Steeps double booked me... just found out the hard way.

They could not figure out who should play... gong show.

Anyhow, I am re booked for Aug 17th.

Sorry Sorry Sorry for any of you who drove all the way there.

I am about to go back and see who I can apologize to in person.

I know free time is valuable and the fact you would spend it with me, is much much much appreciated.

sorry again,

sall

Condo Woe's

2007-07-20T16:58:00.000-06:00

Having a home can consume you :)

I have been in Ikea hell the last few days. I needed a workspace and for $234 have decked myself out. Today, I am pretty pleased with the end result. However, yesterday as I gazed at the football sized bag of screws, allan keys and nameless little metal pieces I found myself understanding why prebuilt costs more :)

Today I tossed a full carload of cardboard over the balcony and stuffed it into my car. Recycling depot two blocks away = 'total bonus'.

Now, sorting through boxes, my guitar sits lonely in the corner. I find myself murmuring 'tomorrow I promise'....

Home

2007-07-19T11:02:00.000-06:00

I am home.

Edmonton. Home? These two words are finally a fit. God it's nice to have a home again. Cozy, bare feet on the kitchen floor, a bathtub that does not need 10 min of elbow grease before entry, clothes that are selected from a hanger not rumpled from a suitcase. Home :)

Its been a long winter, challenging, frustrating, filled with laughs and lows. I have been moody and brooding which makes me impossible to be around (sorry guys).... but creative, man, has this been a year of creative burst.

Last night was a late one. Got home from playing a shared stage with Chris Wynters (Captain Tractor) at O'Byrnes on Whyte Ave (thanks to everyone who made it out). Sat up eating toast and drinking white wine from the bottle (classy me) by the blue flicker of the tv. Happy is the only word I could use to describe my little late night indulgence/wind down. One of those gorgeous simple moments that catch you off guard, that you want grasp with two hands, but if you give it too much focus, it slips away. So alone I sat happy, ignoring the fact I was happy :)

Next week I have a gig at Steeps Tea here in Edmonton. Hope to see you there.

s.

Terrace

2007-07-11T01:07:00.000-06:00

There are voices drifting over the muggy night air from somewhere up the street. I have arrived in Terrace and am happy to be staying with friends I have not seen for quite some time. Too long really. We had the most amazing dinner of smoked black cod, baby potatoes and asparagus. I have eaten like a queen this past two weeks. Fresh fish almost every night, halibut and salmon. mmmmmm

This trip home to the Coast has been eventful as usual. It has been a long time since I have been in the North West in the summer and not been tied to a day job. In some ways it's a lonely time of year as it is the busiest time of year. Everyone is working long hours or away on holiday with their family. I did get to see everyone I wanted to see, but only one or two at at time. Fall and Winter are the big gathering times.

Terrace. I have now left the coast and am 132 km's inland. It was a beautiful day aside from the humidity (felt a bit like Southern Ontario). Went for a quick jaunt on my friends motorcycle to pick up some dinner items. The water line on the Skeena river is astounding. I missed the actual flooding by two weeks, but the muddy scum left several feet up the trees makes me realize the magnitude of the flooding in these parts.

Thursday night I am playing at the Artful Cup on the main street in Terrace. The show starts at 8pm and Gary Maltin will be joining me for some songs. Tomorrow I have a full day of prep ahead of me, so I should be off to sleep.

s.

Thanks to everyone... and Raid the North

2007-07-04T23:25:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me in the past week about the new songs... totally rad to have all that support.

The gig on Saturday night went well... the room was soosooooo long and skinny!!!!! Thank you to the Undecideds and Dwayne Harrison for letting me use their gear and to Mark Ciconi for running the sound. My PA would have never cut it.

A truly unique show to play at. Teams from all over the world competed in the 'Raid the North' extreme event. It was video taped and will be broadcast on Global and the Outdoor Life Channel at some point. Our local Rupert team finished the course and placed 10th!!! I performed at the awards banquet on Saturday night.

This weekend i am playing the Crest again. Several long nights of music ahead. As I was working on my set list tonight, i realized that i am only about 5 songs short of being able to play 4 sets of my own songs. I did not realize I had that many.

s.

Credits

2007-07-04T23:19:00.000-06:00

I still have to add the credits to the music page for the new songs... here they are in no particular order:

Look in Her Eyes :
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar: Sall Gibson
Organ, Drums, Piano: Jordan Payne
Bass: Mike Saunders
Produced by: Jordan, Mike and Sall
Mixed by: Jordan and Mike

Three More Days:
Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar :Sall Gibson
Backing Vocal: Emily Gibson
Electric Guitar, Drums: Jordan Payne
Bass and song intro: Mike Saunders
Produced by: Mike , Jordan and Sall
Mixed by: Jordan and Mike

Plaster:
Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and Tambourine: Sall Gibson
Bass and Drums: Jordan Payne
Electric Guitar, Percussion: Mike Saunders
Produced by: Mike, Jordan and Sall
Mixed by: Jordan and Mike
Vocals

In a Nutshell

2007-06-25T00:55:00.000-06:00

I am the tardiest of tardy journal writers....

It feels amazing to be back on the road again.

Smithers and Midsummer Festival is great for the soul.

The demo is done. Yippee!!!

more to come...

Tuesday @ The Druid - Edmonton

2007-05-27T22:58:00.000-06:00

It's been a while.

The summer tour is shaping up and the snow is finally gone.

This Tuesday I will be playing at the Druid (11606 Jasper Ave, Edmonton).

Its free. Come in and have a beer (not free :). I will be on around 9:00pm

s.

Video

2007-03-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hiya,

I put up a video on my Sonicbids EPK. Its a clip from my CD Release Party last year. The song is 3 More Days. You can view it by:

Going to www.sallgibson.com/bio.htm

Then click on the View Sonic Bids EPK link

Then click on Video.

You need either Windows Media Player or QuickTime to view it.

Hope you enjoy,

s.

New Music and Email Appologies

2007-02-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

A good and a bad day. I want to start off by apologizing to everyone who received my Newsletter today. I am painfully aware that I somehow disclosed all of your email addresses to each other. I had put the 'Group' in the BCC.... so it should have been blind.... but somehow they all were exposed. My apologies. I personally know everyone on the list and am certain the addresses won't be used for evil or used at all.

The good news is that I finally have some new music to share with you. I have put up the song 'Look in her eyes'. Hope you enjoy it.

Sorry again :(

Sall

New Website

2007-01-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

My website is finally up and running. No new music to post yet. The tracks are still in the mixing process. Some more recording is in the works this week. Monday night I will be playing the open mic at Side Track Cafe. If anyone is around and wants to check it out, I would love to see you.

This week has been hectic. Wednessday night I saw Emily Haines at the Citadel Theatre. Awesome. I can say nothing but awesome. awesome. awesome. Had dinner at the Four Rooms prior (not bad), drank too much red wine and felt perfectly mellow for the show.

Wednesday night, went and saw a friends band play at the Urban Lounge. Great music. You can check out 'Wish' on their myspace account.

Friday night found out my friends, friends band was playing at the PowerPlant at the U of A. The Yoko Casionos rocked the place after enduring a crazy 14 hour drive from Kelowna earlier that day and arriving with not much time to spare for their set. The local band Social Code was pretty solid as well.

I just spent the last 3 hours playing and working on some songs for the open mic. My friend and stellar musician Jordan Payne and I are working on some material together. We might unveil it at the open mic, and might not. We will see how it goes.

Life is good.

s.

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today I have been working on finding the calm within the storm. I have been feeling restless, cranky and blah. It's always hard moving to a new city and lately every time I turn around I feel like I am smacking into a brick wall. I am starting to feel emotionally battered. I am trying to be optimistic. Being that its the eve of a new year I am willing myself into a good mood so not to start 2007 on a bad note. I am off to see Mstrkrft and Shout Out Out Out at the Citadel Theatre and then to a hot tub party.

My head aches. I have not eaten all day. That is a recipe for disaster.

I usually put down New Years Resolutions. This year I have said screw it.

s.

Four in the Morning

2006-11-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

You know those nights where the clock ticks and you are exhausted but can't fall asleep? Well, I am having one tonight. I guess I have a lot on my mind. My website is coming along well. My ideas have worked out nicely. The only problem is the drawings are taking a lot longer than I expected. I had hoped the site would be done last week. Now I am thinking, it will be closer to mid December. I can't believe it's 4:23 in the morning. I bought some Safeway bulk coffee today and made a pot in the afternoon. Maybe it's the caffeine keeping me awake. Well, I am off to toss and turn some more. Hopefully, sleep will come soon.

s.

Open Mic, Recording and Website

2006-11-07T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

It's late. I just got back from a open mic in St Albert at LB's Pub. What a great spot. The house band was fun. Thanks to Tyler for playing fiddle.

The last week has been busy, getting settled in to the new place, trying to find my way around the city and brave the cold (I keep getting told, this is nothing!).

I did some recording this weekend. The tracks are rough, but the essence is there. I have a couple of friends working on the project with me and I am eager to hear what they come up with.

I also started my much needed website redesign. Hopefully, within two weeks I will have the new site launched.

I am off to bed.

s.

Edmonton

2006-10-31T00:36:00.000-07:00

The drive from Prince George on Saturday was tedious and a bit scary. Lots of cars and truck in the ditch. Snow and ice everywhere. My heater in my van is not what it used to be. I had to wear my touque (sp?), gloves and big down jacket the whole way. I was a popsicle by the time I arrived.

Up next, a month in Edmonton testing my songs in a new market and doing some recording. I'll keep you all posted on upcoming shows as they are confirmed.

I am off to hunker down beneath the covers and try to get the chill from my bones. Its cold here... It feels more like Christmas than Halloween :)

s.

Snow

2006-10-25T13:08:00.000-06:00

hmmmm.... snow.

It seems too soon for snow.

Was I not just on a beach.

It's going to be a gross drive to Edmonton.

Yuck!

Friday night I will be at Cafe Voltaire in Prince George starting at 8pm

Hope to see you there

s.

Live @ the Kiva

2006-10-21T13:58:00.000-06:00

I had the best time last night. Gary and I played to a full house. 100 people in an intimate environment. What a great crowd. Thanks to everyone who attended the show and came and chatted with me. It was nice to see familiar faces and a slew of new ones :). The atmosphere was so encouraging it was a pleasure to share stories. It felt like sitting in the kitchen with good friends over a glass of wine.

Special thanks to Elaine at the Kiva for organizing the event, postering, setting up and arranging door staff. Also, a thank you to the North West Community College for paying for posters and advertising the event.

Up next, a week in Prince George and a show at Cafe Voltaire. Friday at 8:00pm.

On the road again,

Sall