Elke Robitaille: News

2009 was a great year for music. I'm looking forward to a wonderful New Year with much more music to share. Here is a recap of some of my favorite musical experiences from this past year.

Favorite Concert(s): Muse @ WaMu Theater in Seattle with Jen & JP.
Pearl Jam @ Clark County Amphitheater with JP, Jen, Ryan, Andrew, and Rob.
Xavier Rudd @ Crystal Ballroom with JP and Paul.
Ani Difranco @ Britt Amphitheater with Rosie.
Jewel @ Oregon Zoo with Mary and Chloe.
DMB @ The Gorge with the whole crew. The double rainbow was especially memorable.

Favorite Home Town PDX Shows: Playing with Carley Baer @ The Hawthorne Lounge and Chris Parreira @ Mississippi Pizza Pub
Favorite Out of Town Shows: CD Release Party in Powell River, BC and Cafe Luna on Vashon Island with Ronnda Cadle.
Favorite Venue: Mississippi Pizza Pub
Favorite Musical Experience: Collaborating w/ Carley on some awesome harmonies and arrangements!
Favorite Recording Studio: The Toadhouse - recording "Flowers in the City" with Adam Pike
Favorite Musical Achievement of 2009: 1) Releasing "Flowers in the City" 2) Having "Bright Lights" included on the GoGirls MusicFest 2009 Compilation CD 3) Having "Interlude" selected to be in the forthcoming DVD Release of the TV Show- Dallas.
Favorite Musical Inspiration: My new niece Ella and living in Portland!

Some Lovely Reviews & Interviews for "Flowers in the City" in 2009:

Just Out Magazine
Inclination Webzine
Twolia
XoXo Jes
Music Connection
Immanence Magazine
The Peak
Wildy's World
Fresh Music Express
John Price, Freelance, VA

And a special shout out and thanks to Nette Radio, Womens Radio, KOUG, and KZME for playing tracks from "Flowers in the City" in 2009. You guys rock!

Happy New Year everyone!
xo Elke

Please Vote for Elke in the Test Drive 2009 Taylor Guitar Contest. She has a chance to win a Taylor Endorsement!

Vote Daily in Round 1. Help her to advance to Round 2. Only the Top 25 Bands will advance.

A banner for Elke's song "Out of my Life" is being displayed on the website www.hisgoldeneyes.com - a Twilight Fansite.

Hi friends. elkemusic.com now has a new layout! It's really easy to navigate, and it still contains all the same great information, music, pictures, links, and more!

Hope you like the new look!

Hi Everyone,

I have some exciting CD Release News to share.

"Flowers in the City" is currently in duplication at DiscMakers, and I should be receiving my copies back in about 2 weeks.

The new album is going to be available for purchase through my Website and Myspace via PayPal, as well as CD Baby, iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, DigStation, and many more online retailers. And of course, the best way to pick up a copy = Live Shows!

I'm incredibly pleased with the way this new album has turned out, and I hope you will enjoy it too!

You can hear a sneak peak of one of the songs "Bright Lights" on my myspace page myspace.com/elkemusic and you can also watch the video "The Making of Flowers in the City" at youtube.com/elkerobitaille

Also, for all you friends out there on Facebook, please visit my profile and check out the "My Band" application. (It's on my wall tab up top, and also in a box on the left) It's a great Facebook Music feature provided by Reverbnation. Click on "Become A Fan" or also Join the Mailing List. It's a great way to hear my new songs, get show info, and keep updated on Facebook! Become a Fan today! :)

Now for some Live Show Info!:

We have 2 CD Release Parties planned, and a couple other shows to announce as well (more to come!) Mark your calendars and Save the Date!

Women Who Rock PDX Showcase
April 16th @ White Eagle Saloon
836 N. Russell St.
Portland, OR
8:00pm
Free / 21+

CD Release Party - Portland
April 26th @ Mississippi Pizza Pub
3552 N. Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR
8:30 - 11:00pm
$3 / 21+

May 8th @ Coffee Cottage
808 E Hancock St
Newberg, OR
8:00 - 9:30pm
By Donation / All Ages

CD Release Party - Powell River
May 23rd @ McKinney's Pub
6251 Yew St
Powell River, BC Canada
9:00 - 11:00pm
By Donation / 19+

Hi Friends,

2008 has been a truly amazing year for me. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have spent the majority of this past year fully pursuing my musical goals.

The first few months of the year, JP and I were musicians onboard the Diamond Princess. We performed nightly in the Wheelhouse Bar and traveled around Hawaii and Mexico for 4 months. We met a lot of amazing people onboard, that I am happy to say still keep in touch, and I hope that our paths will cross again - perhaps on another ship contract. It was an incredible experience to play music and travel on the high seas.

After we signed off the ship in March, we travelled up to Canada in our super-loaded van. We spent a month of rest and relaxation in my home town of Powell River and had the chance to catch up with a lot of family and friends. This was also the time that we were incredibly focused on booking our North American Tour. We knew that after the cruise ship gig we wanted to invest in a national tour, and we knew it wouldn't be easy. We spent a lot of time researching, mapping our route, bookings shows, mailing posters, writing songs, practicing, and promoting as much as possible. In April, we hit the road and didn't stop until September. We traveled through 35 States and 6 Provinces... playing a total of more than 50+ shows. It was an incredible adventure, and I can hardly wait until we have the opportunity to do it again. It was amazing to play for so many different audiences, receive great press, visit so many wonderful places, meet some very cool people, and catch up with a lot family and friends along the way.

The Tour finished back on the West Coast and we felt happy to finally have a place to call 'home' once again. We didn't rest for long though. Very quickly we got into the recording studio and started work on our new CD. ("Flowers in the City") We are still currently in production and hope to have the CD finished by early 2009. This is a very exciting project for me. My last CD came out in 2004, so I am very happy to finally be releasing a new CD.

Thank you to everyone (all of our family and friends out there) for making 2008 a wonderful and memorable year.

I wish for everyone to have health, happiness, and great adventures in 2009.

Here is a Video Picture Montage that I created to recap some of the great memories of 2008. Click Here to Watch Video in High Quality or simply click on the embedded video below.

(*note: for some reason, the embedded video does not play in a very good quality. If you click the link above, and then click on 'watch in high quality,' the pictures will look much better. Either way... enjoy!*)



Cheers,
Elke

The new CD "Flowers in the City" is coming along very nicely. We've finished recording all the 'scratch tracks' and this week is Drum Week! Yay. After the good drum tracks are complete, we can start recording all the other 'keeper' tracks. I'm very happy to announce the addition of Beak Wing on drums. Other instruments that I'm very excited to record include Cello, Piano, Didgeridoo, and possibly some Banjo and Glockenspiel! (oh yeah!)

We played a show in Portland a few nights ago, where we gave the audience a taste of some of the new songs that will be on the CD. The response from people was great. There are also a few other songs that have not yet been played live... and they won't be until the CD Release Party!

The Track Listing is also complete now and includes the following songs:

(no particular order)

Brights Lights
I'm Doing Fine
My Own Way
Slip Away
Move
Song For a Friend
Gravity
Home
Out Of My Life
*Untitled (Jam/Interlude)

So all in all, I'm totally amped with this new project. Aside from the musical aspects and recording, I'm also very excited to get the photography and graphic design under way.

Info about the CD Release Party and Mini Promotional Tour should be announced after the holidays!

The Final Tour Video Blog from our amazing cross-country experience. Footage includes our last trip through Montana and Washington.

Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Tour Video Blog featuring Old Montreal, Canada Parliament, and Niagara Falls!

Here is a short one! Contains footage of shows and travels in the North East, including MA, ME, and VT.

Hello Friends – Coast to Coast

The last Tour Update I sent out was at the end of June, and we were two months into our summer tour, the exact mid-way point.

It’s hard to believe that we have been on the road since April 25th, and we only have 3 weeks left to go on our 4 month tour… bringing things to an end, back in Oregon after Labor Day.

We have had an amazing time over the past few months, living on the road and playing our music coast to coast. We’ve met so many great people and musicians along the way and have had the chance to catch up with old friends and family too. People have been very supportive of our travels and music, and very generous as well… offering us places to stay after shows and just so much help and hospitality. Thanks again to everyone that donated to our “1 Dollar for Gas Drive” as well.

We’ve received some great Press and Radio throughout the tour too. Reviews, Articles, and Interviews have been posted in publications and websites around the country from Powell River, BC to Wilmington, North Carolina. Check out www.elkemusic.com/press.html to read the stories.

We have played shows in 24 States and 2 Provinces this summer, and we still have 4 more Provinces to go over the next 3 weeks.

Of course, we take a lot of pictures and video of our travels and performances. These can be viewed at www.elkemusic.com and also www.youtube.com/elkerobitaille
(Still a lot more pictures and video to come in the next 3 weeks.)

Our last Tour Dates are as follows:

8/11/08 – Superior, WI @ Thirsty Pagan Brewing
8/12/08 – Duluth, MN @ Sir Benedict’s On The Lake
8/15/08 – Thunder Bay, ON @ CILU Radio Interview
8/16/08 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Women in Music Seminar (morning)
8/16/08 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Women in Music Showcase (afternoon)
8/16/08 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Madhouse (evening)
8/19/08 – Winnipeg, MB @ Mondragon Coffeehouse & Bookstore
8/20/08 – Regina, SK @ McNally’s
8/22/08 – Calgary, AB @ TBA
8/27/08 – Thompson Falls, MT @ Boondogglers
8/28/08 – Trout Creek, MT @ Naughty Pines
8/29/08 – Chelan, WA @ The Cantina
Labor Day Weekend – DMB @ The Gorge (a great end to the tour!)
9/24/08 - Portland, OR @ Twin Paradox

Hope all is well. And if we haven't seen you yet in our travels... hope to see you soon. Don't forget to check out the websites and sign the message boards. We love to hear from you.

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The New York - New York Tour Blog!

Tour Footage from Pennsylvania & New Jersey. Featuring Josh Karis on Drums.

Nashville & The Carolina's

"The Deep South"

"Everything is Bigger in Texas" or "The All Texas Blog!"

JP and I are exactly 2 Months into our Summer Tour, and we have 2 Months left to go... so we are right at our mid-way point.

So far, our music and travels have brought us through BC, WA, OR, CA, NV, UT, CO, WY, MT, ID, and then back to WA and OR. We then took a 1 week break in Portland and hit the road again. We started through OR, ID, UT, CO, NM, to where we currently are in Texas. From here, we are heading to the Southern East Coast and will head North along the seaboard. Once we hit Canada, we will travel back West and our Tour will come to a close Labor Day Weekend. Talk about covering a lot of ground and mileage, right?! We've traveled about 8,000 Miles so far!

Some of the highlights of the Tour have been:

Telluride Bluegrass Festival in CO where we saw some amazing performances up close.
Camping in beautiful places like UT and CO.
Playing some great shows and selling merchandise to our new friends/fans.
Meeting amazing new people everywhere we go, and seeing old friends along the way too!

Don't forget, we take a lot of Video Footage of our Shows and Travels, and then we post episodes online. So far, we have posted Episodes 1 through 8 and there are still a lot more come. Visit www.youtube.com/elkerobitaille to view the Tour Videos.

You can also visit www.elkemusic.com and www.myspace.com/elkemusic for a full Calendar of Upcoming Shows, as well as Pictures and Videos too. Please sign the Message Board on our website and myspace and keep in touch.

Hope all is well. And if we haven't seen you yet in our travels... hope to see you soon.