Christina Unplugged: Tender Things and Tour Dates

In this episode of A Chat with Heart, Christina Martin shares personal stories and updates, reflecting on the arrival of spring in Nova Scotia, her tree planting rituals, and the inspiring journey of her friend living with cancer. She recounts humorous adventures with her cat Olivia, announces upcoming shows and a new live album, and expresses gratitude for listener engagement and heartfelt messages. The episode concludes with reflections on creativity and the importance of nurturing connections.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
• 1:25 Spring Awakening and Tree Planting Rituals
• 4:48 Updates on Michelynn's Journey with Canacer
• 6:59 Adventures and Misadventures with Olivia
• 10:14 Exciting Upcoming Shows and Live Album Launch
• 15:01 Heartfelt Listener Messages and Personal Reflections
• 20:05 Creative Collaborations and Future Plans

Transcript

Christina: 0:02

Hey, you're listening to A Chat with Heart. I'm your host, Christina Martin. I'm a singer-songwriter, curious human. I live on a dirt road in rural Nova Scotia with my partner in crime, Dale, and our Calico cat, Olivia. This podcast is basically just me chatting with people I admire. I like to ask questions that feed my curiosity and my guests have all taught me something. They either crack me up or they punch me right in the If you've got questions, comments, or a burning desire to join the conversation, please call my heartbeat hotline, day or night. It's 1902-669-4769. You can also email me at christinamartinmusicatgmail.com. And if you want to throw a little love my way and help keep this thing going, visit my Patreon page. That's how artists like me get paid. Thanks for showing up. Warning, heartfelt content ahead. Just talk about could shine, we could break a dark day If we just talk about it Hey everyone, welcome back to A Chat with Heart. I'm Cristina Martin and today it is just you and me again. No guests, no bells and whistles, just some stories, updates and a bit of heart. So first things first, uh spring has arrived here in Nova Scotia and wow, it's pretty glorious. ah I can definitely feel my mood uh being a little more uplifted. The grass is super vibrant, electric green this week. The tulips are blooming in every direction. And yes, uh those stubborn but charming dandelions are doing their thing. I know not everybody likes dandelions, but I do. You can boil them and make tea. It's really good for you. And they are little yellow reminders that life finds a way even after you mow them. And in honor of this episode of uh this season of growth, I did a thing this weekend. I planted 80 hybrid poplar trees around our property in one day. I felt like a tree planting machine. Now for those of who don't know, every year I plant trees to honor my Patreon paying members. It's become a symbolic ritual, something that I do to say thank you and to remind myself to give back because I have been given so much. Since 2019 when I first launched my Patreon page, I've planted close to, together with my husband Dale, he's helped me as well, although not this year. ah I've planted close to... 700 trees around our uh 6.5 acre plot of land here in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. So we've got maples, oaks, evergreens, birch, black walnut, shrubs, poplars, more. um I don't remember all the varieties, but I've been told that that's the secret to a healthy forest is to have some variety in there. And I'm not much of a gardener. I don't have a real green thumb, but this has been a very meaningful project to me. So when I walk along the trails that we were kind of curating in the yard, I think about all the people that uh support what I do or that have supported in the past. And these trees are living, growing root deep reminders of your support. So to all my Patreon members, thank you so much. You are officially part of the Forrest Project at our house now in the best possible way. yeah, okay. So I'm going to pivot to something else that's blooming. You may remember my conversation with Michel Intonor, which became... This is my last episode. If you haven't listened to it yet, ah it's become the most listened to episode ever on this podcast. No surprise because Michelin is brilliant, hilarious, and truly a powerhouse. she, it also speaks to how connected she is, like how many people are in her corner who love her, her friends and family, colleagues. Anyway, if you haven't heard it yet, go back and check out the episode with Michelin. We chatted about her experience living with stage four cancer and navigating the healthcare system and fighting for you know, the right, the best treatment, the right treatment for her cancer. And she's done all of this while somehow still, you know, she's just... Inspiring, like she's still inspiring so much hope. It's amazing. It's beautiful. And she has four beautiful daughters, a wonderful husband, ah a hyperactive puppy at home. Like they're busy. Anyway, since we recorded, Michelin has had, and this came as a bit of a surprise miracle after our chat, because of the work that she's been doing to get the best possible care for herself. She had the first of two major surgeries. uh This is her shot at a cure. She's currently recovering in the hospital in Halifax and I did get to visit her last week and I could say it's definitely been a tough recovery, but she is doing so much better this week physically and uh Michelin's still showing up with that same grace and grit that blows me away. And Michelin, if you're listening, ah I'm sending you so much love. You've got an army of cheerleaders out there, out here. And I am so grateful that Brad and all your family and friends are by your side, keeping you safe and protected. Okay. Time for some more updates. ah Updates that have made me feel very alive these past few weeks. So get this, ah within the span of just one week. I managed to lose our cat Olivia three times. Three fucking times. And one of those times was, two times we were in the forest on a trail and I just accidentally let go of her leash and then that freaked her out and she ran off but we ended up getting her before she could be eaten alive by anything. But then I was in the city with my mom last week. And I thought, you know, we'll take her out on her harness in the big city. And actually we were just in the, in the, in the little backyard kind of hangout space in my mom's building. And my mom accidentally let go of her leash and then the leash has this like, it's a retractable leash. So like the end has, is kind of like a hard piece of plastic. So when that hit the ground, Oh, excuse me. I'm so tired. I'm yawning. Not cause I'm bored of you guys. Or myself. Well, maybe I'm boring myself. But no, I'm just really tired. That's something somebody would normally edit out of an episode, but not me. This is real life here, folks. ah Okay, so mom accidentally let go of the leash. Bless her heart, because I had done it twice, so I knew how easy it was. And Olivia just took off, and she ran, luckily, like... I didn't see where she ran, but luckily there were two women who saw kind of the direction she ran and she's got this leash she's dragging. So at least she had like a collar with her name and number and this harness and a leash. Like I had faith that maybe somebody would find her quickly and call us if we couldn't find her. yeah, I did, I was freaking out. There's another yawn. Like I'm probably making y'all yawn. I hope I'm not. I should totally edit this out, but I'm not going to. Okay. Maybe note to self, don't record these in the evening. So I, yeah, I thought I'd lost Livia for good in the city. Like poor girl. She was probably terrified. We're talking full panic search party. I'm, I'm, I'm dreaming about who I need to call. Um, I made a post on social media, like please help us find our cat. All hands on deck. And then my mom, bless her heart, uh found her. She was hiding under a car in an alleyway and she called her name and she came out. And then, yeah, it was such a relief. Anyway, I did not like the call I had to make to Olivia's father, Dale, my husband, saying that we lost her. uh But it was a good call when I said that we found her. Anyway, don't worry, everyone. Olivia's fine. She's probably better than me. uh Completely unaware of the chaos now that happened. And on the other hand, I'm going to be purchasing a GPS tracker for her immediately for when we take her out for walks. I'm just totally freaked out. Like, I just don't think she would last long by herself. Maybe she would. I don't know. uh I also fell off a horse, my friend's horse. It uh wasn't the horse's fault. It was probably more my fault. was actually probably the bird that possibly spooked the horse's fault. But anyway, fell off a horse, landed on my tailbone, and uh that hurt. And I haven't had like uh a sore kind of back injury like that for a while. And I am getting... I'm pretty much back to myself, but that was scary. But despite the bruises and the panic attacks, uh animal related this week, last week, I do feel very alive. Like why'd I, grateful to be here alive, uh grateful for my friends and family. Speaking of coming alive, I just announced, if you haven't left yet because of all the yawning, I just announced three shows. three exciting shows for September. uh I'll be performing with my trio. That's uh me, my husband Dale Murray on guitar and our incredible friend Hannah Molonson who's going to be playing piano and keys, synth. uh And then we'll have a string ensemble performing with us. Yes, strings. So the dates are September 5th in Truro at the Marigold Center and September 6th in Annapolis Royal at King's Theater. September 7th. It's a matinee show in Halifax at the Carlton. So there's like they're serving brunch and the show will be from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. on the 7th. The other two are evening shows. Anyway, these shows are gonna be super special. I don't play live often these days folks. So when I do, I really want it to feel like a treat for everybody, including myself. And we're gonna play songs from my whole catalog, very thoughtful arrangements. We're working on them now actually, and there'll be some magic in the air. And all of the info and tickets, uh except for Chirot. Chirot is going on sale in June, but the other shows are up on my website, christinamartin.net, check the tour dates. And Dale and I are also hoping to host another Denim Sessions show in our living room this summer. We're just waiting for a new heating and cooling system to be installed because, you know, comfort is key when you're hosting house concerts. uh So keep an eye out on my website or join me on my Patreon, even as a free member to get the newsletter updates. Denim sessions are a chance to wear as much denim as humanly possible and come enjoy a stripped down show in our home studio. It's pretty awesome. There's small shows like we can only fit about 20 people. uh And I just love them. I love them. Okay, so mark your calendars. I have another big announcement here. This is like happening this weekend. Our new live album drops Sunday, May 18th online first. It's called Live in London at the Green Note. And we're having a little online launch party at 2 p.m. Atlantic, 1 p.m. Eastern Time, 6 p.m. in London, 7 p.m. in Germany. That's this Sunday, May 18th, 2025, if you're listening in the future. So this online event will be the first time anyone has seen or heard the full show, the video and the audio, because we did film it. We played this iconic green note in Camden Town in London last year. We played it a couple of times, but this is our first time headlining the show. Some of you listening might have been there. So it'd be fun if you could show up to the Crowdcast event. The people... Oh, people will be able to buy this album and a link. to the video from my band camp. uh Probably that later that same day. But my Patreon paying members get into the May 18th virtual event for free. And I'll be hanging out in the chat answering your questions. And I'll be in on screen too. So yeah, come on out. Crowdcast is super cool. I don't know if some of you may or may not know this, but I actually work part time uh for Crowdcast. I've been doing that for a couple of years now and I just love it. It's such a fun platform and I love my team there. so it's a cool, the thing about these virtual events is like, I'll be on screen for a bit. I'll show the whole show, the whole video of us performing at the Green Note. And then we'll have a Q &A where I can even pull some of you up on stage if you want. um But there's a whole Q &A section that you can drop your questions in advance and there's a couple polls and ah who knows, I'll probably have like a giveaway or something. I should mark that down and remind myself, what am I going to give away? Okay, I'm going to share something that made me very happy in a teary-eyed best possible kind of way. I got this beautiful email message from Pierre at Trambley. She's a little heartbeat listener. So FYI, you can write to me anytime. ChristinaMartinMusic at gmail.com if you have a question or comment for the podcast. Or you can call the Heartbeat Hotline, leave me a message. So thank you, Pirate. She wrote, I just listened to the podcast. I very rarely listen to podcasts, but I am glad I listened to yours. Thank you, Pirate. That's pretty fucking cool. It's very well done. Bravo for sharing your successes and struggles. you must be referring to my, yes, the first episode I did talk about successes and struggles from last year, 2024, and kind ah of laid it all out there. So have a listen to the episode if you've missed it, but I'm glad you were listening, Pierrette. She goes on to write, my husband and I love your music and have followed your career since we first heard you at Harmony Bazaar in Lockport. Did you know, Pierrette, that The second or third time I performed at the Harmony Bazaar in Lockport, Dale was there with me and he proposed to me the beach. ah It was sort of this interesting moment where I was dying to ask him what he thought about marriage. I didn't know if I wanted to be married again, but like, I don't know, I just had this burning question and then I... I asked him, we were walking on the beach, like, what do think about marriage? We were sitting on this big rock. It's probably still there. Just a big rock in the middle of this beautiful white sand beach. And he said, I would love to be married to you, or I would love for you to be my wife, something like that. And I was like, what does this mean? Are we getting married? And then it's kind of blurry, but at some point he actually officially said, will you marry me? And we were so giddy and excited. And I actually think I left the festival early so that we could go get an engagement ring, which is super unprofessional, but I did not care, I guess. uh Anyway, Lockport holds a very special place in our hearts and uh we have some lovely uh kind of extended family there. uh Tim and Wayne and Barb, if you're listening. Thanks for having us all those years at the festival. yeah, excited to get back there someday. Okay, so Pira, thank you for bringing that up. And you also wrote, uh you had the privilege to be at a concert at the Petit Rivier Winery a few years ago where we met your mom. And we hope you'll be back on the South Shore of Nova Scotia this summer performing. P.S. So glad you adopted a pussycat. Pets bring so much joy to one's life. Pirate, thank you. Your message went straight to my little heart, my stone cold heart. And yes, Olivia does bring joy mixed with chaos, but mostly joy. And I definitely hope to return to this so sure. I don't know if it'll be this summer. I haven't, I don't have anything scheduled yet, but I'm holding out for something really special. Actually, that's, I'm partially lying, Pirate. I do. I can't announce it yet, but I do have a gig. just was offered this week as my memory is kicking in here and I did accept the offer. So keep an eye out. There will be a gig in the South Shore in October, but I can't spill the details yet, but I'm excited. So don't let that stop you from coming out to Halifax brunch show with the string section because you don't get to play with the strings often. ah It's very expensive. awesome, but I think the costs sometimes just prevent us from being able to do that sometimes and venues don't always have the budget either. ah So, Pierre, I hope to see you in Halifax maybe or and the fall, which to be announced soon in South Shore. And just an update to everybody. uh My mom is doing really well. She went through all her cancer treatments. She's just on a preventative pill and We got her a cat before she started her chemo last year. And we both have cats now. And it's maybe the sweetest unexpected bond we've developed with our cats and each other. Life just feels better with cats around, doesn't it? And uh yeah, mom's doing great. I've been really enjoying our visits. Very quality. I think we've probably have the best relationship we've had in our entire life in recent years. So I'm very grateful for that. We also had a lovely message on the Heartbeat Hotline from listener and friend, dear friend, Helen McLean. Thank you, Helen. We're going to share a bit of that soon in an upcoming episode that includes audio from a game night we recorded with Helen. So there's a whole conversation that came out of it about social media, stepping back, setting boundaries for yourself. So I look forward to editing that and sharing it with all of you. And before I go, just a little peek behind the scenes. I've been writing again, collaborating with friends, some musicians, some not musicians. There's no pressure, no big plans, no release dates. Just creativity for the sake of it, which feels really good. I actually wrote two country songs with two of my best girlfriends who are not singer-songwriters. And I'm making plans to write with a bunch of friends and musicians in the future. And I'm so thrilled. Yeah, it's been, it feels really good. uh And stay tuned, I do have two songs recorded, they're sort of in the can. I just haven't had time to kind of put together the launch plans for y'all. But we've been working on this Live at the Green Note uh album and video launch that's coming up this Sunday. Don't miss that. Join my Patreon as a paying member to get in for free. uh Or wait and... Buy the album on Bandcamp and I'll send you a link to watch the whole show. Sometimes you just need to get your hands in the dirt and plant something, whether it's a tree or a song, and then see what grows. So I guess that's the moral of my chat with heart today. That's it. That's it for today. Thanks for hanging out with me. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend, leave a review or call the Heartbeat Hotline and leave me a message. I love hearing from you. ah Go be kind, stay curious, plant something beautiful, and don't lose your cat three times in one week. Okay, chat soon. Love I don't wanna say goodbye to you I don't wanna say goodbye to you Welcome to the Heartbeat Hotline, 1902-669-4769. I'm the host of a Chat with Heart podcast, Christina Martin, and I'm so excited you called. Leave me your question, a suggestion for the podcast, or a comment about this episode. Please be aware your message may be used on the podcast and social media. Tell me your name, where you're calling from, and it's also fine if you want to remain anonymous. Thanks for listening. Have a great fucking day. uh You can snag CDs, vinyl, digital music, and some weirdly delightful merch like custom puzzles and temporary tattoo packs over on my bandcamp. If you're into keeping indie art alive or just want good karma, become a monthly or yearly member on my Patreon. It's a platform that helps creators get paid to keep making stuff we love. I swear by it. Sign up free or paid at patreon.com backslash Christina Martin. If this podcast made you laugh, cry, think, or rage text your best friend, do me a solid, share it, rate it, review it, and hit that follow or subscribe button wherever you get your podcasts. And to all my little heartbeat listeners, stay weird, stay tender, and I'll catch you next time.