Spring Meanderings
Reflections on spring, why I'm starting a newsletter, creativity, and upcoming shows.
My mom has always said that, for her, spring starts when little green noses of daffodils, crocuses and wildflowers start poking out from the soil, tree buds begin to form, the sound of buzzing bees tickles our ears, and when birds prepare each golden morning with a chorus of songs. I have fond memories of sitting on the old veranda at my childhood home listening to them; smelling the soft fragrance of lilac trees just a few feet ahead of the sinking wooden steps where a hummingbird feeder hung onto a branch, swinging side to side with the windchimes. We are nearing the middle of May, well into spring, and there are no lilac trees in my yard. However, I still enjoy watching the fuzzy bumblebees fly clumsily from dandelion to dandelion. Our old house belongs to someone else now, and I am missing the lilacs’ gentle, elegant scent.
A photo I took in 2018 of lilacs in bloom in our old front yard. I always found the white ones earthier, perhaps less fragrant than the purple ones which we also had.
In a world abundant with things to watch, read, hear and discover, I am so grateful you chose to make the time to pause here with me for a moment. If you’re new to my music and online sites, then hi, I’m Freya. I grew up in a small town in rural New Brunswick, and am now working as a musician in Nova Scotia. I studied music at Acadia University, graduated in 2023, released my debut EP Wholeheartedly shortly after and have played on stages and festivals across Canada and in Europe. I also wear various hats for Music In Communities, a non-profit organization based in the Annapolis Valley, which provides accessible music programming for our local communities.
For years, I’ve been wanting to start a newsletter. Why start now? I’ve realized I want to engage online in a more intentional way. Social media is so fast-paced and often surface level, plus, creating and sharing content can be hit-and-miss. With that, I feel called to explore this platform. You will likely receive 1-2 emails or so from me per month depending on how things go. I’ll share music and tour updates, my album of the month (I love to share music I’m listening to), a recipe, and some photos of recent adventures or maybe archival stuff. To be determined!
A sweet moment captured by Memo Calderon back in January of this year. Music In Communities has been presenting all ages shows at the Ross Creek Annex in Canning, NS which feature a local high school student or band to open for a professional musician. I invited Alaina Therese to open the show and sing a song with my band which was such a gift. It is so special to be giving our local youth opportunities like this. Watch a clip of our performance here.
I’ve always loved writing. When you’re an only child, you get used to being on your own, and finding ways to entertain yourself, so I did that by making up stories. English was my favourite class in elementary school because I got to write short stories and poems. At home, I would brainstorm different plot concepts, recap explorations I had with friends, and create free flow stories out loud in my room with my toys; dolls, Lego, Hot Wheels, stuffed animals, you name it.
I was a very creative, highly sensitive kid who struggled with perfectionism. For a while, I lost an interest in writing besides songwriting, but I am hopeful that creating this newsletter will help bring back that spark. Music is the one thing I made a determined effort to keep up with through my teens, no matter how loud and critical those inner voices could get. It was my lifeline and always will be. Since January, I have been working through a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, which is helping me learn how to listen to my younger self again. To let her take me by the hand and show me the way. Art is play, and play creates a body of work. It takes work to allow yourself to play. More on that later.
Making a career in the arts is challenging. There are many high highs and very low lows, but more usual than not, it is always worth it. I don’t think I need a lot of money to be happy, just enough to pay the bills, travel to interesting places, visit the people I love, and a little extra to have something to fall back on. For now, I am happy to be playing music and building relationships. Cue list of upcoming shows!
May 12 - Wolfville, NS - Paddy’s Open Mic
> No cover. Doors at 8:30pm
> Playing a set from 8:45-9:45pm with open mic to follow. Really excited to debut a new setup my friend Tyler McDonald and I are doing for the upcoming tour. He’ll be playing drumkit and bass synth - I’ll be on electric and acoustic guitar! Plus two dear friends, Emily and Shelby, will be singing harmonies on some songs.
May 15 - Cap Pele, NB - Pattes de Mouche Gallerie w/ Tess Poirier
> $10/pwyc at the door. Music from 8-10pm
May 16 - Fredericton, NB - Abbey Cafe
> $10/pwyc at the door. Music from 3-5pm
May 16 - St. Andrews, NB - Red Herring Pub - Paddlefest
> 10:15pm - Freya Milliken
> 11:00pm - David R. Elliott
> 12:00pm - Nate & The Busy Boys
May 17 - St. Andrews, NB - Community Stage - Paddlefest
> 3:30pm - Joel Mason
> 4:10pm - Abby McCartney
> 4:50pm - Freya Milliken
May 18 - Long Reach, NB - Yip Cider
> No cover but donations welcome! Music from 3-5pm.
May 19 - New Glasgow, NS - Shoebox Cantina w/ John McLaren
> PWYC at the door. Music from 8-10pm
May 22 - Halifax, NS - Trident Cafe w/ Seamus Dempster
> $10/pwyc at the door. Music from 6:30-8:30pm
May 25 - Windsor, NS - Avon Community Farmers Market
> Come check out work by local artisans! I’ll be playing from 10am-1pm.
May 30 - Halifax, NS - Arborstone Enhanced Care
> Playing for the residents of Arborstone and their caretakers from 2:30-3:30pm
May 31 - Wolfville, NS - Wolfville Farmers Market
> One of my favourite markets around. I’ll be playing from 9:30am-12:30pm.
If you have any pals in any of these towns, please let them know about a show! Every share helps.
I’ll wrap this up by sharing with you my current favourite album, or as I may call it, my Album of the Month: A Few Small Repairs by Shawn Colvin. My dad introduced me to her music when I was around 16. He showed me the music video for Sunny Came Home while we were hanging out in his music studio one day and I really liked her style. He proceeded to give me a copy of her greatest hits album, or one of his ‘sacred texts’, as he likes to call his CD collection, which I have since played religiously in the car on many road trips. My favourite track from AFSR is The Facts About Jimmy, which Tyler and I have started jamming together. Super cool vocal phrasing and melody, plus I love the overall mysterious, brooding vibe of the song. Check it out here.
Hope to see you at a show, or somewhere along the winding road. Recipe coming to you in the next letter!
Freya
Hi Freya,
Just listening to your Shawn Colvin recommend now! Wow! Really enjoying! Tnx 🙏🏼🩷