6.6 "Homecomings"

monthly musings from a Siren in the City

Sep 25, 2025

“keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable” - Mary Oliver

P R O S E

Good morning from my dark cozy den and a pitter patter of the rain falling outside. It reminds me of the west coast, where I just returned from a little over a week ago. I don’t think I saw a lick of rain while I was there! I had the opportunity to visit many of my homes: Tsawwassen, Salt Spring Island, Gabriola Island, Bamfield, and Victoria. “How’s Toronto been treating you?” they’d ask - Initially I was nervous to respond, but I focused on the good, and my opening line was “It’s kicking my ass”.

I was built to roam, and I enjoy the version of myself that lives out of a tiny suitcase and changes locations every few days. Because of this and the length of time, some very impactful and memorable things happened on this trip. I played 4 wonderful shows and felt so held by the folks in the room. It can be spicy to the nerves to show up to a community you haven’t been to for years and have people you love and adore fill the space to hear your music. In a time where work and gigs have been slow, I was able to make some coins and get my groove back. My cup is still overflowing from those musical evenings.

Lobster mushroom harvest from Siobhan’s inoculated patch - Bamfield, BC

Another thing that made my homecomings so special was that I had the opportunity to make time and space for one on ones with some very dear people. This type of hang is my absolute favourite. Out of this, came some more cup filling moments of deep connection and a realization that I was not alone in my tough year. I would not wish sadness and struggle on anyone, but to know that quite a few folks have been going through it too, gives me hope and a feeling of solidarity. I’ve heard it’s good to reach out to others when we’re struggling, not with our issues, but simply just to connect and realize we may not be the only ones having a tough time.

I ended up winning passes to Rifflandia festival in Victoria which was a perfect cap to my adventure. And through this, I learned that I can be pushed out of my social capacity comfort zone and still be likeable and have a good time. I tend to hide when I’m feeling sad or vulnerabe. But after two weeks on the road, barely any alone time, I rolled into the festival straight from a 4 hour logging road journey from Bamfield. The little bb in my head would whine “I wanna go home” throughout the three days of amazing music – I’d say to her – “and what? Hide and scroll on your phone? You can stay out a little longer, this is an awesome experience”. And she listened and had a really great time. It was helpful that a sweet friend brought me into her badass group of women who were super kind, very fun, and welcoming. I have a mission to keep up my socializing momentum, and yes of course with periods of rest. We need the people, and the people need us!

Myself, Liz, and some friendly strangers at Rifflandia - Victoria, BC

I realized on this trip, that Toronto has kicked my ass for the better. And multiple times I heard “that’s the best we’ve ever heard you”. So, this home has been good for me, and by the end I was looking forward to being back here. A couple of friends mentioned they were wondering if I would come back. I know I have more to do here, and I am so grateful to know that everything I built is still strong out west. I aspire to build strong connections here – with music, friendships, community, and ecology. There is so much to be learned about lakes and deciduous forests and so many talented folks that could play in my band! I returned with an overflowing cup, to this beautiful little home above the knife shop and my roomie had dinner ready at midnight when I arrived. The following day I sang and played the golden hour to a rapt audience on Ward’s Island. It felt very much like home. What a blessing to have multiple places where I feel at ease to visit, to live, to be myself. At times I have struggled to feel a sense of belonging in any one place, but I’ve begun to see these multiple homes as a big part of who I am.

S H O W S + S O N G S

The Island Cafe - Ward’s Island photo by B. Lipton

Spending this coming fall taking in the vibrant local music scene and beginning the process of a new album, and starting to book for 2026! woohoo!

Heres a little autumn vibe for you…

F E A T U R E D F R I E N D

JOHN BORRA

Where are you? What’d you have for breakfast? And what are you up to today?
I am at home in Toronto. I had some watermelon for breakfast and today I will be playing my weekly show at The Communist’s Daughter in downtown T.O.

What three things in your life are you most grateful for right now?
My stepdaughter of 30 years gave birth to a baby boy recently so I’m particularly grateful for my new status as a grandfather. I’m grateful to have been able to have made a life in music for over 40 years and I’m very grateful for all the good friends I’ve made along the way.

What have you got on the go artistically at the moment?
I’m releasing a new record on October 24 called ‘Last Dance at The E Room’ and I’ll be hitting the road soon to promote that.

If I passed you an instrument, what song would you play us right now?
Probably ‘Did What I Could’ from my new record.

What’s been on repeat on your record player/streamer/tape deck/CD player/ et al.?
I recently rediscovered a record called ‘Half Mad Moon’ by The Damnations TX. I listened to it a lot when it came out in the 90s and haven’t had a copy since a post breakup dividing of the record collection. I just got a used copy of the CD from ebay as it doesn’t seem to be available for download anywhere. Fantastic album.

If we want to find your work, where can we go?
You can find me on Bandcamp and YouTube - I have a couple new singles with accompanying videos - and of course my website for all my goings on.

M U S I C

A random assortment of gems as of late…

G O O D O C E A N N E W S

Chemical-eating marine life is “deepest colony” known to exist

Scientists exploring two oceanic trenches in the northwest Pacific have discovered thriving communities of marine life, including thousands of worms and mollusks nearly six miles beneath the surface, making it the deepest colony of creatures ever to be observed.

These findings have been published at what is a critical time for the deep-sea environment. Nations continue to wrangle over the highly contentious issue of deep-sea mining and the likes of China and the United States have expressed more than a cursory interest in mining the deep seabed for minerals, despite the strength of financial and ecological arguments against it.

Ocean scientists have unanimously warned that mining the under-explored seafloor – one of the last wild spaces on the planet – could decimate fragile ecosystems that we know all too little about. Recent studies have shown that the deep seabed would take decades to show any signs of recovery, if it were to show any at all and that an activity such as mining could destroy its ability to harness life indefinitely.

R E A D I N G

currently on the nightstand