If there was one female Canadian musician you were going to drop into a sea of testosterone and expect to come out unscathed, Lee Aaron would be at the top of the list.

Another safe bet would be Holly McNarland.

She proved that last year when she was the only woman on the Camrose Stage 13 festival bill, which featured rock acts such as Nickelback, The Tragically Hip and Default.

"That was really cool, actually," says McNarland, who performs tomorrow night at The Whiskey. "We were a little afraid because there was a lot of (guy) rockin' going on, and I was the only female throughout the whole festival.

"But people were really nice -- I didn't get anything thrown at me."

Yet another small victory on the performer's return back into the Canadian music spotlight after a four-year hiatus. Her biggest step in that direction was the release last summer of a new album, Home Is Where My Feet Are, which was her first since 1997's Stuff.

McNarland admits re-establishing herself as a pertinent part of this country's musical landscape hasn't been the easiest thing, especially since it's changed so much in the past several years. In fact she says "it was a little bit harder" than when she was first starting out as a young artist.

"You almost have to backtrack a little bit and try and pick up the people you left

behind and keep going. But there's a lot of new fans out there so it's evening itself out."

And while she's reconnecting with her fans, she's also made the decision to reconnect with her upbringing.

McNarland, her husband and her four-year-old son recently made the move from the West Coast back to Winnipeg, where she spent her teen years. The Prairies, she says, are a great place to bring up kids.

The road is apparently also pretty good, as her son and husband will drive out to meet her in Calgary, and travel with the tour back to Manitoba.

When they hook up, she'll have been away from her son for a couple of weeks, and although she admits to withdrawals, McNarland says she's refrained from mothering the guys in her band.

"God, no," she says with a laugh. "I do miss my boy but he's way smarter than my bandmates. He knows how to wipe his own (butt)."