In the category of crazy tour routing, Kendel Carson's upcoming adventure flat out takes the cake.
A tour with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings sees the Victoria-raised singer and fiddler play Friday in Calgary. Following that performance, Carson will hop on a plane headed for Victoria for a Saturday night performance with Barney Ben-tall and the Grand Cariboo Opry.
Seems simple enough. But wait. Hours later, Carson will zoom east for a Sunday date in Toronto with Spirit of the West. Shortly thereafter, she will board a plane back to Vancouver Island for a Monday stop at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
"Probably the worst routing between Courtenay and Victoria ever," Carson, 27, said Tuesday from a hotel room in Saskatoon. "It is incredibly crazy."
Carson said her schedule has been "nuts" for some time, but changing her clock five times within the span of a week - for gigs with three different bands - is a little extreme even for her.
"I do it to myself. I want to be as involved with all the projects as I can be, which means flying out pre7 a.m. for many, many days in a row."
Carson, who was born in Calgary, has been touring the world like mad for nearly a decade. After amicably dissolving the country group she formed with her guitar-playing brother, Tyler, in 2004, she went on to notch a series of impressive accomplishments with help from Chip Taylor, who authored songs recorded by the Troggs (Wild Thing) and Merrilee Rush (Angel of the Morning), among others.
Her relationship with Taylor continues - her third solo album for his Train Wreck Records is due next year - but she has plenty of other projects keeping her busy at the moment.
Dustin Bentall and The Smøkes, the group fronted by her longtime boyfriend, and Belle Starr, a trio she formed with Stephanie Cadman and Miranda Mulholland, are two of Carson's ongoing concerns.
Carson and Bentall (along with The Smøkes) released an EP in October, and have a full-length coming early next year, while Belle Starr - who released its EP The Burning of Atlanta in April - is planning to deliver its debut full-length next year as well.
Carson and Bentall have kept a permanent residence in Vancouver for the past four years, though the couple has spent a fair bit of time in both Toronto (where members of The Smøkes are situated) and New York (where Train Wreck Records is headquartered).
With the amount of scheduling on her plate at all times, Carson has had to become a time-management master to survive.
"I think I spent maybe 12 nights at home between January and July," she said.
In addition to her recording commitments, touring has accounted for a large part of Carson's business in 2012.
She occasionally plays dates with Great Big Sea frontman Alan Doyle and, whenever possible, Spirit of the West.
"It remains such a huge honour when they call," Carson said of the Vancouver-based group.
"They are one of my first influences, and one of my biggest. That's why I'm willing to fly to Toronto between Victoria and Courtenay for them."
She guested with Saskatoon friends The Deep Dark Woods when they performed at the Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry, in September. Carson was already in Nashville with Belle Starr for concerts at the Americana Music Association awards showcase when she got the call from The Deep Dark Woods to play the Ryman, an experience that remains one of her fondest memories.
Her far-and-away fondest, however, will be hard to beat, Carson admitted. She has played more than a dozen concerts with John Prine, the revered Chicago songwriter. "He's every bit as warm and personable and funny as he is on stage," she said of Prine, a longtime personal favourite.
"You hang with him, and while he's not necessarily the loudest guy in the room, he takes it all in. When he decides to say something, he kills everybody. He's so funny with what he picks up on and how he phrases it."
Carson first played with Prine in 2008. Immediately there was a musical spark, she said. "I prayed that he would one day call me up to do some shows."
Prine came calling again last September. She and Bentall opened six Prine shows in Idaho, Montana and Washington, which led to a cross-Canada run in May, including a thrilling, rapturously received Victoria date at Alix Goolden Performance Hall.
During that set, Carson duetted with Prine on three songs - Paradise, In Spite of Ourselves and The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.
"The whole experience was beyond incredible. He's such an influence, it's crazy."
The rest of 2012 is already planned out for Carson, including a Hawaii trip with Bentall and her family, much of whom still live in Victoria. She always longs for the Island, and hopes to return home to possibly raise a family one day.
But until then, the road beckons.
"I would love to spend a bit more time in Victoria, but I have let go of the idea of roots for the time being," Carson said.
"I'm willing to go where the calls are and the muse is at the moment. I want to put down some roots sooner or later, but for now, I'm doing these crazy flights."
Kendel Carson will appear Saturday in Victoria at the First Metropolitan Church (932 Balmoral Rd.) with Barney Bentall, Ridley Bent, Dustin Bentall for the Grand Cariboo Opry. She will also perform Monday in Courtenay at the Sid Williams Theatre (442 Cliffe Ave.) with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Amy Helm, Matt Andersen and Wil.
