Another fabulous instrument you can hear sprinkled throughout my Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure album is the Mellotron.
I first laid my eyes on one in ‘94 at Cross Eyed Bear Studios where I was the studios first ever client. The owner, Chris Bromwich had very poor vision and so he showed me the ropes on how to use the mixing board and left the studio, letting me create a recording which I made and gave to my mother as a Christmas present. Bromwich expressed to me that he had a dream to buy a church and transform it into a recording studio. That he did and then along came Glen Marshall and Dan Achen from Catherine North Studios who brought in their gear and set up shop at the church along with their name, while Chris kept his studio in the basement.
It was at this old church where I recorded the vocal and guitar bed tracks for my album with Dan who has since passed on. Since ‘94, I had this vision to record my solo work with such keyboards and so I was thrilled to access them. I spent hours going through Mellotron tapes, some of which have never been used on recordings and made a list along with all my other very detailed production lists which I had been working on for years for this album release. I got very, very particular as I had 14 years to steep my album making.
Most were excited when I shared with them about my plans for the album however the engineer who approached me to work my the album (when I was about to book Canterbury in Toronto) thought renting these dinosaurs were unnecessary, troublesome and ambitious vs using digital sample versions. Not to me… Afterwards he agreed once he saw what I obtained for the album making.
I’ve always loved the analog route where ever possible and I had always planned to use real instruments vs digital samples wherever possible.
Here is one of the many authentic keyboards that I used on Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure: The Optigan! Watch this guy give a demonstration and you will recognize some of the sounds I chose for my album. I spent hours going through the disks and making notes to choose what to use and where on my album so that when I had the keyboards delivered to the recording studio, I would have everything that I needed… The keyboards showed up a day late which added pressure for time to get things done… In any case, it was great fun!
Here is something for fun! :) There are two small snippets of my circus ditties including Tipsy which are going to be on my long-awaited and forthcoming circus EP release. A small portion of Tipsy is featured on Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure. As well, I play around with a spontaneous rendition of my song, Be You. My friend Deborah is filming and her phone ran out of memory, hence the short clip. This is a dream come true since I had always wanted to play a church pipe organ. Now I want to do it again - I had so much fun! :)
This performance was filmed graciously by Jeff Howard from the band Amoeba Starfish on November 16, 2012 at the beautiful Baltimore House in Hamilton, Ontario as part of the Hamilton Music Awards Showcase where I was nominated for two Hamilton Music Awards for Best Adult Alternative Recording and Best Album Artwork. I won for Best Album Artwork! :) You may listen to and purchase my album here: http://christineleakey.bandcamp.com
Christine Leakey - vocals, guitar, samples from my album
Jay Burr - trombone
Jeremy Sklad - violin
Orange McFarland - double bass
Lily - guest vocals
Very gracious accompaniment by the wonderful Hamilton Aerial Group (H.A.G.),
Lori LeMare, Tanis Sydney MacAurthur, Diane McGrath, Hailey, Pamela Gardner
This is my first full set live show with accompaniment since the 90s. It was a very special show for me to perform because Hamilton is where I first began to perform live with bands, Lightly Toasted where I sang jazz standards at poetry readings and then with the first few bands that I formed including The Double Feature Creatures, Tijuana Knievel, singing with Cadillac Bill & the Creeping Bent and of course my solo music projects.
For years, I was unable to perform or practice my music due to an injury so performing now feels like the beginning all over again. Now, I am warming up and rebuilding my strength instrumentally and vocally to a level I had once achieved with performance. Instead of feeling frustrated by the inconvenience from the injury, I have made a conscious decision to hope for the best and embrace the vulnerability which comes with live performance and being human.
What’s great about live performance is, no two shows are exactly the same. Each live performance can be compared to sculpting clay. When I make something from clay like a pinched pot, I don’t need it to be perfect for it’s one of a kind, handcrafted art - not something mass-produced in a factory. Flaws are endearing and tell a story. I will save my perfectionist tendencies for the studio.
I had so much fun doing this performance and look forward to more. I wish to thank everyone once again for supporting me on this wonderful occasion.
At long last! Footage from my Capricornesque Birthday Celebration!!! Featuring special guest performance by David Celia and Hamilton Aerial Group at The Baltimore House! :D Filmed by Dan Zen and special thanks to Higgins Brothers for graciously giving me special Cirque du Soleil juggling party favours to hand out for my birthday! It made it all that much more special! ~ Ta Da!!!
Christine’s Capricornesque Birthday Celebration featuring Christine Leakey accompanied by David Celia on bass mostly (as well performs a couple of his tunes on keys and guitar) and Gabriel Pinto on saxophone and the lovely pixies, Pam, Tanis, Laura, Trish, Bronwyn, Lori from the Hamilton Aerial Group! Jumple were the headliners.
January 11, 2013
at the beautiful Baltimore House
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada!
Thank you to Higgin’s Brothers for graciously giving me some fun Cirque Du Soleil presents to give as party favours!http://www.higginsbrothers.com
And this time for my candy tray provision tradition, I gave out swirly and happy loli’s and stix, cLove gum, Sonata Amor Brazilian chocolate truffle wafers and much more! :P
Thank you to Dan Zen http://www.danzen.com for filming the show and having fun capturing it so creatively!
And lastly, thank you to those who came out to support the show, for making it fun, and for giving me that comfort and space to just be me, songs revisited with rusty flaws and all! ;) I save perfection for the studio… Life is busy and we just have to go with the flow and have fun with it!
Pre-release Review by Linda Perhacs: Christine Leakey, Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure.
Review of “Tapping Trees In a Trinket Box of Treasure”
By Christine Leakey
14 wonderful songs, total play time, 57 Minutes
Review by Linda Perhacs.
First off, I want to offer my deepest apologies to Christine for not getting back to her sooner.
This is a totally delightful set of 14 songs by Christine (who had asked me to review them for her a few months ago). I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say, the last few months have lent themselves to me as rather difficult. Thank you so much for your patience, Christine!
“Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure” is a true treasure. It is a wonderful departure from some of the music that is put out these days and well worth the time to listen to. And listen to very carefully I might add. Christine’s lyrics are both playful and moody and like true music, also has a message to deliver, but leaves the listener to draw upon their own life’s experience for a conclusion. Her singing voice has no weaknesses as she has found her own style of music, which is quite varied! These songs delight the listener from what I perceive are Celtic undertones to Pop and swing to a cabaret to an almost bossa nova beat and R&B.
Kudos to Christine also for how well the selection of songs were mixed and finally recorded. Nothing rough or left out, very smoothly integrated and seamless. The only exception would be song #14 “Trinket” (plus bonus track)- I really loved the song, but there seems to be a lot of space between it and the very playful and interesting bonus track. I was wondering for a time if the bonus track was really there when it finally started to play!
Each song is just wonderful and shows that much love and thought was put forth. The orchestration and composition work on these songs were masterfully done.
“The Marching Song” .47 – Christine has shown in this wonderful blend of electronic harmonies that truly one can get a great deal for 47 seconds!
“Lovely” 3:46- This is a very happy and lovely song. Lyrics are just fantastic, and is coupled with the really catchy beat and rhythm, this is a true jewel!
“Here I Stand” 4:09- Moody. But not completely dark, very nicely done with a surprisingly wonderful blend of orchestration that really compliments this song. Rhythm and vocals are just a delight!
“Be You” 3:39- Very lovely lyrics and harmony! I was delighted with how the percussion came in past mid point in this song! For me, it uplifted me more towards the Highlands! I hope others can feel this as well! “Travel with me to my world” Beautiful! Powerful!
“Tipsy”- .48 – Cute melody with great blending of background words. Just enough to leave you to wonder! Sort of a carnival atmosphere!
“The Man With The Golden Heart” 3:51- Rather ethereal! This has to be a tribute to anyone’s uncle, father or grandfather who, even in his later years, still has much to offer with a “Golden Heart”. Sadly beautiful, angelic melody and voicing, done with so much love! “With every end, a new life begins” “Tell me sir How do you do?” “I do fine!” How wonderful, Christine!
“Tap Dancers” 3:56- Really a cute song! “A million tap dancers on my roof” Waiting for the sun to shine again!
“Miss Betty Grable” 5:06- Beautifully intense and tragic tale (I believe taken from Betty’s real life)- Melodies and lyrics are very nicely done!
“Shine My Tarnished Sheen” 6:25- Great ballad of searching for love, or perhaps for yourself. “So, love yourself within- find an end, then begin” Truly words to live by!
“Lullabies and Apple Pies” 3:31- Really great rock and roll song! Has it all! But still so 21st century!
“The Day My Flower Died” 4:18- A moody, dark, blues-ish ballad. The balance of electric guitar and synth is amazing! Beautiful lyrics and voice!
“Gloom Chime” 2:55- Trippy use of special sound effects! Song goes into a R&B and cabaret style and back again in a very nice way, great voicing and melody!
“Quand Tu Dors” 2:30- Ok, I have no idea what she is singing in this song, but it’s done with such a nice “breathy” melody and beat, you can make up your own words! Wonderful song!
“Trinket” (Plus bonus) 11:41- Dreamy little song, nicely done! The only problem is the real long space between the song and the wonderfully playful bonus track! I think the idea for the pause between the songs is great, it just needs to be limited to perhaps 10 to 15 seconds.
Christine, dear Christine, this is quite a show of talent! You also managed to pick your musicians and all your back up voicing very wisely! This set of 14 beautiful songs are such great examples of just how you and everyone behind you paid such great, loving attention to detail. Very refreshing to listen to as your lyrics, combined to absolutely such fantastic vocals and music and instrumentals is really incredible.
Again, I apologize for being so late on getting all this back to you- but after what I have been through lately, perhaps this was the time for me to do this, as surely your music with its kindness and so much love in it has really helped me! What a blessing!
Thank you so much, Christine. We’ll stay in touch!
Much love and light!
Linda Perhacs
http://www.timelesslindaperhacs.com/
Christine Leakey album pre-release review by legendary Mark Wirtz (EMI/Abbey Road Studios Producer and Composer)
LISTEN TO THIS TEN TIMES,
AND EACH TIME YOU LISTEN
HEAR IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. AGAIN.
The problem with originality is that it’s hard to review in the absence of familiarity, comparisons or references. Like, try to explain the taste and texture of an avocado pear, banana or chocolate to someone, perhaps a kid who has never tasted, seen or touched any before, and you’ll go crazy in the head before you surrender the mission as impossible.
Christine Leakey’s new solo album (“Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure”) is a such-like challenge. Delicious, seductive, enigmatic, hauntingly captivating, mysterious, ecclectic, cerebral, moody, obscure yet laced with reminiscent undertones, genre-defying yet at once embraceable and undeniably commercial, even seasoned with catchy hooks, marvelous arrangements, and melodies delivered by Christine’s sensual, mesmerizing vocal renditions that slyly get under your skin and stay there.
This (“Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure”) is hallucination-friendly, neo-sike pop at its best, which could easily have been recorded in a small, smokey, avant guard Paris night club, a 30’s Chicago cabaret, in a timeless corner of the Twilight Zone, a bohemian bar in New York’s Village,” or a magical circus — but not the kind your parents took you to when you were six years old, rather like a wonderland circus in space.
Like I said at the outset, originality is nigh impossible to describe, and (“Tapping Trees in a Trinket Box of Treasure”) is a very original piece of pop music. Hence, instead of self-defeatingly trying, I merely described how listening to Christine’s work made me feel. The best thing for you to do is — buy a copy and lose yourself in a hypnotically spellbinding music journey! Listen to it twenty times, and….
Mark P. Wirtz
Ivor Novello Award-winning 60’s EMI Records/Abbey Road Studios producer/composer.
