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Despite having given birth to daughter Georgia just five weeks ago, the amazingly svelte Roberta is on the promtional trail with husband Ken Harrison, Wild Strawberries multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, in support of the Toronto duo's latest album Quiver.
The couple will also host a CD release party tonight -- Quiver is in stores today -- at the Horseshoe and are gearing up for a cross-Canada tour in April before some Lilith Fair dates and U.S. appearances.
"We're planning to (tour) yeah, with a rock and roll nanny," said Roberta yesterday, sitting beside Ken in their home studio where a disco ball hangs from the ceiling and posters of John Coltrane, the Velvet Underground and Teenage Fan Club decorate the walls.
Nanny or no nanny, baby Georgia is in incredibly good hands.
Roberta and Ken, who met in a church choir in their hometown of Cambridge, Ont., and formed Wild Strawberries in 1989, are also a physiotherapist and physician respectively.
But they've given up their day jobs -- Ken does the occasional shift at Queen Street Mental Health Centre -- to make music.
Naturally their familes were less than thrilled.
"That didn't go over very well at the time," said Ken, who's got a sleeping Georgia lying on his chest.
"But getting a Juno nomination, being on Rita MacNeil, stuff like that, has all really helped," added Roberta.
"Rita made all the difference, God bless her," said Ken with a smile. "It's sort of like instant currency with the folks."
Quiver, a heavily textured mixture of ethereal rock and sweet pop somewhat darkened by Ken's cryptic lyrics, is Wild Strawberries' second album for Vancouver-based Nettwerk Records, home of Sarah McLachlan. Their first Nettwerk effort was 1995's Heroine, which sold 50,000 copies in Canada, and got them a Juno nomination.
McLachlan actually played guitar on Heroine, joining three of her musicans, including drummer-husband Ashwin Sood.
For Quiver, Sood and McLachlan bassist Brian Minato retuned, while former McLachlan keyboardist David Kershaw co-produced.
The crossover between the two groups began when Kershaw attended a Wild Strawberries gig in Vancouver and offered to mix Heroine.
"They were all living in one house at the time so we were mixing where Sarah lived," said Roberta.
At that point McLachlan and Sood were not yet a couple, never mind married.
"They just seem happier all the time," said Roberta. "We stayed with them when we mixed Quiver for two weeks in June and they were just totally happy."
But McLachlan, who is up for three Grammys and should do well at tomorrow's Juno nominations, has put off the idea of having a child for now.
"I think it's 'cause they're so successful," said Roberta. "We didn't want to put anything on hold, given the industry and how precarious everything is."
And, not to sound like a grandparent or anything, but what about a sister or brother for Georgia?
"Someday," said Roberta. "It's pretty great."