Mandi Perkins checked in with fans on her blog at MySpace (@ofverona) on Tuesday (November 10), opening up about her brother’s battle with brain cancer. The Canadian singer songwriter tells readers:

On July 16th of 2008, my brother was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and it completely changed everything. I won’t list the symptoms here because if you’re anything like me, you’ll read the list and might think you have one yourself ? But to make a long story short, he had a biopsy and the doctors discovered it was stage 3. After we learned of the diagnosis, I named the tumor Tommi (sorry if that’s your name!) and we aggressively pursued options as to how we could make sure my brother would be ok. He began chemo to try & kill the cancerous cells & every day for 6 weeks in early winter, we went to Cedars Sinai to run through the horrific task of radiation.

It’s been almost a year since his treatment began and my brother has never once complained. Not when he gained a bunch of weight from the steroids, not when he got nauseas and lost all the weight after chemo, not even when he was too tired to move. He also had to give up all his favorite foods and if my sister-in-law wasn’t such a great cook, I’m not sure what he would have eaten. But yet, he still never bitched about any of it. I’m not just saying this because he’s my brother, but the guy is ridiculous in his serenity. He amazes everyone around him with his unshakable spirit.

Mandi Perkins checked in with fans on her blog at MySpace (@ofverona) on Thursday (August 6), offering an update on the “It’s all Happening Tour”. The singer songwriter tells readers:

It’s my first time touring through blazing hot weather, so I’ve been learning a lot as we move along. Damn el nino! We’ve definitely had several issues with the van overheating and in the last few weeks, I have learned how to cool down an engine, change a van tire and check/replace fluids. Whether I actually do any of these things is another question, but at least I learned how :)

Besides the van ish, we met a really nasty bar manager, passed along a tiny version of the bubonic plague to each other and got caught in an electrical storm.

Mandi Perkins updated fans on her blog at MySpace on Sunday (June 14), revealing that she’s parted ways with Sony Music after last year’s limited digital release of her second album ‘Alice In No Man’s Land’ last year. The Canadian singer songwriter tells readers:

Just to let you guys know…

Due to serious personnel changes at my label, I have asked to be released from my recording contract early and Sony has graciously agreed.

My label was supposed to set up a radio promo tour and have my first single released to radio back in February, but several key executives at Sony were let go, including the label head at RCA Victor who signed me. The powers that be at Sony then decided to completely disband the contemporary artist department for that label.

Mandi Perkins updated fans on her blog at MySpace on Thursday (February 26), talking about how plans to release her Sony BMG debut ‘Alice in No Man’s Land’ in stores and get some radio spins after it saw a limited digital release last August. The Toronto, Ontario singer songwriter tells readers:

Basically, I’ve been asked when my album will be in stores, when people can hear it on the radio and whether I’ll be on a big tour soon.

This is the situation:

For starters, everything with me is actually going really well. But as many of you know, the music industry has been in a state of turmoil for the last several years and it’s grown even more difficult with our super problematic economic issues.

Everyone is now suffering on some level and the record industry has been hit hard too. This means that there has currently been a lot of changeover of execs and staff at the record labels. Basically, people you were working with one day, are suddenly gone the next. This happens without warning and is usually a surprise to many. It is arbitrary, capricious and sudden. It is also really sad.

Unfortunately, just like being unsigned has nothing to do with how talented an artist might be, getting a label deal does not automatically mean overnight success.

The entire post has since been removed.

Mandi Perkins checked in with fans on her blog at MySpace (@ofverona) earlier today, discussing a rather painful injury. The Sony BMG artist writes:

Given my propensity for flashing the middle finger, it only seems fitting that it is the finger I slammed in the car door after my show Thursday night.

Talk about some seriously brutal pain. The nail has turned blue & black… luckily I have almost black nail polish on, so this does not look as gross as it feels.

But I digress.

The point really is that until a couple days ago, I had 2 working hands and now I only have 1 and 1/2. It’s taken me twice as long to type this as usual because I only have my 2 index fingers. I cant open bottle or jars, getting dressed is a pain in the ass and it has been a general disruption to have a finger constantly burn.

Mandi Perkins checked in with fans on her blog at MySpace (@mandiperkins) on Thursday (February 21), talking about doing a music video for her first single ‘Who I Am’. The singer writes:

Hey Guys:

This Saturday, we are doing the video for my first single! So damn excited. It’s being brought to you by the same team that did the ‘Who I am’, video (which you haven’t yet seen ?) But I promise you will soon. The set is being built as I write this… think Tim Burton meets Baz Luhrmann.

Since I want it to be a surprise, I’ll just say that the video involves a crazy wedding scene, special gnarled trees, an amber sky and thousands of leaves… Definitely late autumn gone wrong.

I’ll have some behind the scenes footage and a bunch of new pictures up by early next week. And I think the video should probably be released in April or May. We’re hoping this one goes all around the world. Global baby global!!

Thanks so much for all your support. I wont be able to answer much mail until next week, but please throw me a comment when you can.

Have a great weekend
mp