When I was a young singer I went to a lot of jam sessions. Jams are great for meeting other musicians, learning how to improvise, and how to communicate with other players. You get up onstage with other ‘jammers’ who…

When I was starting out my music career, I wanted to accompany myself on the piano as I sang, and I wanted to do it well. 

My classical piano studies taught me a lot about technique and reading music…

When I was growing up on Vancouver Island, I loved to complain about my hand-me-down wardrobe. My parents were both artists, and they didn’t have much money. As a kid, I really didn’t care or even notice that my…

For Agents, Managers, and Self Managed musicians: How To Book A Tour Of Australia 

By Nancy Ruth

Australia is a vast country with a lively music scene, well-equipped venues, enthusiastic audiences, and great travel infrastructure. It’s a fun place…

The show must go on. This phrase was drilled into my head as a kid when I was starting my career. I can honestly say that in my 30 years of touring I’ve never missed a show. That doesn’t…

In the music biz, we’re often conditioned to believe that a dream come true is getting the coveted ‘record deal.’ It suggests recognition and a leg up to greater success, which to me mostly means still getting to do…

When people ask me why I didn’t have kids, I give them the closest answer to the truth I can find: ‘I forgot.’ 

When I was in my early twenties, I was sure I’d be a big success…

I’ve always loved horses. When I was 15 I decided to buy one. I didn’t tell my parents, because I knew they’d say no. But since I’d saved $700. by selling kool-aid throughout my childhood summers, I figured I had…

I’ve moved more times than I can count, and I just packed up and moved again. 

Since moving is so stressful and I’ve usually done it on my own, I’ve learned to live with fewer belongings. Sometimes when I…

Have you made a list today? I’ve always been a list maker. Writing my daily and weekly objectives helps me focus, and I like the little adrenaline jolt I feel when I cross off a task. Accomplished! Feels good. 

When I was a child I wanted to be an astronaut. Growing up in the log house my father built on Canada’s West Coast, we didn’t watch TV, nor were there any neighborhood kids to play with. But the undistracted night…

Do you live ‘paycheque to paycheque’? 

As a musician with no job security, having a steady paycheque would be a luxury. Unless it sucked the life out of me. 

While in college I did a brief stint…

What physical exercise clears your head? 

I like to run. It appeals to my practical side: it’s free, effective exercise and it has the added benefit of leading me to solutions. 

Like many creatives, I have a…

I’m fascinated by this thought: with each footstep I take here in Spain, there have stepped before me a long history of characters, from Vandals, Carthaginians, Romans and Moors to Catholic queens. I’ve pondered on paths where Celts may…

​Do you remember when you first discovered the concept of time?  

I was on a beach in Sidney, B.C. where I grew up, and I drew the word “NOW” in the sand with a stick, only to watch…

I love yellow. I don’t wear it much because my skin is so pale that it washes me out. So, I have yellow curtains, instead. I also have yellow placemats, which I alternate with green ones so I don’t…