Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Turning A Page

Last night at Mikey's Juke Joint was a total blast ! Thanks to John and Oli from the land down under for the opening set, and thanks to buddy Bryan Bowers for joining me ( sans autoharp) on a version of "Po' Lazarus"...he hung out at my gig before getting up at 6 a.m. on his birthday to go hiking in the Rockies. Speaking of birthdays, I want to thank all the well-wishers for the outpouring of birthday greetings last week; it was truly great. One of the many non-negotiable percs of being a roots artist is the sense that time doesn't run out on you and you can keep doing what you do. No messy hair-pieces or dye-jobs, and no oldies packages in casinos (thank the stars).

The rest of this week is busy, with a private function on Thursday, two nights at old pal Rusty Reed's House of Blues (Edmonton) and Sunday afternoon for the Parkland Community Association. I'm in the very last stages of re-releasing "Evenings Among Friends" (my live solo disc from 2000) with a couple new tracks and a wonderful re-mastering job by Dave Horrocks of Infinite Wave Mastering. Pending manufacturing delays I might have it in hand by Labour Day. Also on the horizon is the release of my blues mandolin instructional dvd from Learn Roots Music.

I had to go yesterday to Megatunes, Calgary's great indie music store, to sort out our business dealings before they shut their doors. Although there was good news (they were sold out of my stuff and instead of carrying cds home I'm waiting on a check) it was like sitting at the death bed of a dear friend. I keep reading about vinyl and even cassette making a come-back, and yet distributors and retailers of independent music keep dropping like flies...will it ever end ? Keep on supporting the music you love by attending shows, purchasing worthwhile recordings, and in general keeping the faith.

No comments:

Post a Comment