Townsman, 1991-09, Page 11record company that I believed under-
stood my product, came along." Warner
Brothers, she attests is that company.
"The idea is for them to be an extension
of what I am. I guess what it's all about,
it to be an inspiring body not an interfer-
ing body ," she theorizes.
Putting it into purely simple
thoughts, she exalts, "I'm tickled pink.
They are my brothers and sisters, my
family, really. I adore them."
Although the album is not due to be
released to record stores until Septem-
ber 21, she says, there seems to be a lot
of initial excitement regarding the prod-
uct. "It has even taken Warners by sur-
prise," the elated artist states. "They are
really thrilled and for me it's like hang-
ing onto the tail of a runaway horse."
So far, it's been an exciting ride.
"The last two days have been haywire,"
Ms McKennitt says, her accompanying
chuckle as melodious as her soft-spoken
voice. "I have been wondering if I
should be in gardening or something,"
she adds facetiously. In addition to
tending to the on-going production and
administrative aspects of her career, she
is now coping with the increased work-
load that goes along with promoting a
new record. At the time of the inter-
view, she was in the midst of planning a
35 -day tour and making trips to Toronto
for the purpose of discussing details for
the release of a possible video. This
proved to be even more hectic with a
TTC strike in the urban centre. "Just try-
ing to move from one place to another
made this a particularly intense day,"
she said.
Taking control of her life, both in
business and personally, is a situation,
Ms McKennitt explains, she "designed
for herself" and if her fame continues to
make demands, it may take an architec-
tural genius to help keep the two in pro-
portion. Throughout her career she has
quite literally run the show herself, but
since business is booming she has hired
two women to help in the production
office by co-ordinating performances,
finding out the terms and structure of
contracts for their employer to do the
production work. The role of business
manager is one more thing she has
always put herself on the line for. When
she performed a concert in the Winter
Garden in Toronto in April of 1990, she
signed the theatre rental a month earlier,
knowing that the expenses would reach
$16,000 and she was personally respon-
sible for every penny. Though it was a
big risk, she knew two days before that
she was safe and would clear expenses.
Six hundred tickets had been sold at
$22.50-$27.50 and by the evening of the
performance almost all of the theatre's
999 seats were filled, including promo-
tional tickets. She had financed and pro-
moted her own cassettes and compact
discs so this was the first time record
producers and distributors had seen her
in a live performance. That evening the
number of her admirers swelled. "From
the opening moment, she captivated the
audience, many of whom had never
heard her or her recordings," wrote
reviewer, George Cadogan, in the Strat-
ford Beacon -Herald. "!She] electrified
the full house with her unique voice."
She admits that over the last year
there has been a significant rise in her
popularity, but it has, she said, been
nothing compared to the current recog-
nition and demand for her talent. "This
next little while is going to be may-
hem," she said, and though she finds
that decidedly exciting she docs admit
that it is maybe time to look at finding
herself some kind of management to
help with the multiplying list of
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