Debut diva: Nancy Weisler's first CD, live by letting go, will be hitting the shelves this month.
ically.
Ms. Weisler is taking on the cut-throat world of pop music. But only time will tell if live by letting go can appeal to this fickle audience. The album is neither the heroin-addled angst of Nirvana nor the gritty rock of Melissa Etheridge. Infused with a whiff of country, the album's 10 songs are musically middle-of-the-road. Ms. Weisler has written all the songs. "I don't think Tm a lig^t person," she says. "The music is coming from a very deep place." '
In one cut. Everything Bums, Ms. Weisler writes of infidelity and heartbreak:" 'Cause all you have is an image left of me in someone else's bed...skin and bones and a ravaged heart are all that's left of our rocky start."
But she also has fun on the album, especially with the song ' Clear, written to give her vibrant vocals free rein.
Ms. Weisler says she tried to avoid "being preachy. I think we managed to create an album that all sorts of people can relate to and enjoy within a pop market place.
"On the other hand, we stayed 100 percent true to me," she says, adding being Jewish has influenced her music. "It's a sense of community. People are there for one another. It has shown me commitment. ^
"I couldn't be happier with the way things turned but," she says, sipping decaf, coffee while a cold Vancouver winter rain sloshes down. ,
Although rehearsal for the CD started in May and production wrapped in October, the lyrics have gestatcd for years, she says. Ms. Weisler worked as a waitress
and in retail to save enough money to produce an album. She won't reveal the cost. "It wasn't el cheapo." She admits the Baiik of Mom and Dad chipped in.
And she's not starry eyed about her future in music, admitting that she sometimes has qualms about ignoring parental advice to study for a more traditional career. She plans to send the CD to all the major and independent record labels to try to clinch a contract. If no one bites, she's determined to distribute it herself.
That's typical. Ms. Weisler has never been daunted by the" prospect of tough slogging. Although her Grade 8 music teacher in Israel encouraged Ms. Weisler's parents to send her to a prestigious New York music school, she bowed out. "I had the presence of mind to know I just wanted to continue on my own path, find my own way instead of being so influenced." . Her heroes were Aretha Franklin and Patsy Cline. And during high school, she worked with a professional musician, refining her harmonies singing Beatles cover tunes and Simon and Gariunkel hits.
Ms. Weisler started penning her own songs after high school, something she says was a tremendous release valve for her emotions. "I always felt a little bit alone and isolated," says Ms. Weisler, tossing back the long, dark hair draping her shoulders.
"I can freak out over what's happening in Bosnia," she explains. "Everything touches my emotions. Even as a kid, I was always very emotional, very sensitive to people and energies and things that go on around me." □
Jack's Weekly Financial Planning Tip
Q. Can increasing tiie foreign content level of my RRSP improve my results:
A. Canada only represents about 2% of the world's equity markets. A diversified portfolio of domestic and foreign investments has historically resulted in better returns at lower volatility levels than has concentrating i 00% of your investments in Canada.
Current legislation allows a maximum of 20% of your RRSP assets to be invested outside Canada. However, it is possible to increase this level to a more optimal 40% without using derivatives.
The accompanying graph illustrates the historically superior reduced risk/return characteristics this 60/40 mix possesses.
03
eg .o
14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7
World Index C$
1100% Global I
110/90.
■ 20 Canada/80 Global (30/70
^140 Canada/60 Global ■ 50/50
□ 60 Canada/40 Global _■ 70/30.
180 Canada/20 Global I
190/10 ■ 100 Canada
TSE 300 index C$
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Low—Overall Porfolio Volatility (%) —high
For the answers your financial ✓tS questions call     at 643-0227 xA/
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Jack Serlin, BA
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