October 27 (where did the year go ?)

I passed, of all things, what appears to be a Christmas Tree lot setting up for operation four days before Halloween. I appreciate that times are tough (believe me, I get it) but really, don't you think we should wait until the plastic skulls are packed away and the rotting pumpkins are composted (one hopes) ? A busy month. Release gigs for two cds I played on, gigs at Mikey's Juke Joint (solo every Tuesday plus a Saturday night with the 5-piece Electro-Fires), Saturday jams plus a solo gig at the new Blues Can, and one-nighters in High River and the Crowsnest Pass. I just had a re-order yesterday for the "When I Was A Cowboy" cd (from cdbaby.com) and have begun the annual grind of applying for next year's festivals...so far I only have the Filberg Festival in Comox (Vancouver Island) for August long week-end. The re-released disc "Evenings Among Friends" is selling well at gigs (boy, do I miss Festival Distribution) and should be up on cdbaby.com in the next few days.

If anyone had told me a year ago that Calgary would elect a liberal, Harvard educated, brown-skinned Muslim for mayor, while Toronto elected a boob who looks like Chris Farley and acts like an extreme satire of Ralph Klein on steroids, I would have called for an ambulance with restraints to take you back to the institution you'd so clearly escaped from. I now hope city council can stop their bickering ways and unite behind him, and that the populace doesn't expect a miracle in sixty days like so many former Obama supporters did.

I'm enjoying staying put for awhile, although I'm planning two tours of B.C. and one each of Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Alberta/B.C. in the new year. Still no word on the new blues mandolin dvd from learnrootsmusic.com, but how much longer can it be ? Surely by summer. Stay warm as the weather gets colder...many of the places I play get quite warm (they serve beer and cocktails to counterbalance that). Hope to see you at a gig soon !

Falling Into Autumn

October got off to a crazy start for me with two gigs on the 2nd...the inaugural jam at the Blues Can, Calgary's newest blues venue in the old Ironwood space in Inglewood, where the place looked great and there were a slew of familiar faces, and Mikey's Juke Joint for the release (vinyl !) of Erin Ross's new recording. Tomorrow I drive south to Crowsnest Pass for a gig at the beautiful Blackbird Cafe, a former Catholic church with great acoustics, great food, and a great staff, in the town of Coleman. Early start on that show (7 pm). Tuesday is my usual solo gig at Mikey's, and Wednesday night I'll be putting in an appearance at the Ironwood Stage & Grill open stage.

I'm enjoying playing my newest acquisition, a trade, a lovely little Aria electric mandolin. This one is very nicely built with extremely nice pick-up and hardware, and will save me beating up Old Buckwheat, the all-birch Stella mando from the '20s which is now an acoustic-gig-only instrument (I'll still plug it in, but it won't be lying around on cluttered stages or having the crap beat out of it in loud rooms).

For the immediate future I'm hosting the Saturday afternoon blues jam at The Blues Can, Calgary's newest Blues venue on 9th Avenue in Inglewood. I'll also be doing my usual Tuesday solo gig at Mikey's, along with two private functions, an appearance as sideman with Little Miss Higgins and Foy Taylor at the Bow Valley Music Club on the 16th (a great double-bill with Ray Bonneville...if that one's not sold out don't miss it) and a gig with the five-piece Electro-Fires at Carlson's On Macleod in High River on the 22nd. Coming up in November is a gig at the Nickelodeon Folk Club with the brilliant John Reischman and the Jaybirds, one of the best bluegrass bands out there, led by one of the best mandolinists anywhere. I have a soft spot for the Nick because it was the first of Calgary's several folk clubs to give me a job, and I've played there so many times over the years with so many great acts (shows with Tom Russell and Ian Matthews spring immediately to mind).

I find myself wishing I could vote in Calgary's upcoming mayoral election, because I think if enough people cu through their apathy to check out Naheed Nenshi, they'll see there is (finally) a real alternative to "business as usual" at City Hall, with all of us paying to keep the land developers rich and busy. MacIvor is a back room boy so dishonest he can't even look a camera in the eye, and Barb Higgins reads the news...if you think media celebrities make good politicians (Ralph Klein, Arnold Schwartzenegger, or my favorite, Ronald Reagan) then what are you doing reading this ? Enough...just look at their platforms (or the lack thereof) and do what your brain tells you to.

September 11, 2010

The leaves are turning, while the flowers are still in bloom. That doesn't usually happen here in the foothills of the Rockies, and the colours make up in small part for what a shitty summer we've had. Only weather-wise...musically the season was great, with fun shows at a number of festivals and clubs. Last night's show was the Rocky Mountain Folk Club, and it was great. A big audience for the inaugural show of their 2010-11 season, lots of music and laughter. Tonight's gig is at Mikey's Juke Joint, home of my weekly Tuesday solo gig when I'm not touring. I'm joined by my Electro-Fires rhythm section (Suitcase James on bass and Kevin Belzner on drums) and Mike Clark on tenor sax fo an evening of electric/eclectic roots & blues, kicking off at 9 pm.

So, as I mentioned on Facebook, if the "Reverend" Terry Cook thinks he can ignore the parts of the constitution he disagrees with (freedom of religion is very carefully and specifically protected) then he shouldn't have a problem with anyone else doing the same...telling him to shut the fuck up (1st Amendment) and taking away his guns (a fanatical "christian" minister from Florida ? I'd be amazed if he didn't own a few under the mis-applied 2nd amendment). And if he really wants to live in a country with essentially one religion and basically no separation of church and state, I know just the place for him...IRAN.

Next week is a quiet one, Tuesday at Mikey's and a fund-raiser for the Alberta Wildlife Association on Saturday (Red & White Room at McMahon Stadium).

Still A Month From Autumn

If, like me, you are driven crazy by talking heads who start moaning on June 1st "Where's Summer ?", you probably are smart enough to know that seasons change by the solstices and equinoxes, not by the school calendar and the advertising schedules of shopping malls etc. That being said, with approximately a month until Autumn, man it feels autumnal out there. Here's hoping for a nice September/October !

A big thanks to everyone at Rusty Reed's House of Blues (management, staff, and the kick-ass house band) and everybody who came down to see the show. Saturday night was exceptional fun - the band was on fire, the house was full, and numerous musicians in town for the Labatts Edmonton Blues Festival dropped by. "Hurricane" Dave Hoerl and Brandon Issaks of Hurricane and the Twisters, Steve Kozak and Roger Brandt all sat in and numerous local and traveling musicians sent the good vibes to the stage. The new club is great, with a menu to match. Although next time I either want a higher stage or my own "dancing Drunks" police (I took a microphone to the head both nights).

Got up on 5 hours sleep to make my afternoon gig in Calgary, only to be held up for AN HOUR in downtown Edmonton by runners for a marathon. I reached the booker for the venue (Parkland Community Association) and he decided between the shitty weather and my likely delay we should cancel. However, Parkland is planning some events over the coming Autumn so look for a re-booking there.

This week it's Mikey's Juke Joint solo on Tuesday night, Mount Royal College for a guitar clinic on Wednesday afternoon, the Ironwood Stage & Grill on Friday (wih Suitcase and Kevin on bass & drums and accordionist Howard "Schmengie" Chapman. I'm waiting for one license from CBC to send the re-master of "Evenings Among Friends" (a "live" solo disc) for manufacture, so stay tuned for a "re-release party."

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.

Sweet Home Alberta

After a crazy five weeks, I'm home for most of the Autumn now, and my Tuesday nights at Mikey's Juke Joint resume tonight. It was a great condensed rush of the summer festival season and I want to thank the Pincher Creek Cowboy Poets Gathering, The Solstice Festival in South Calgary, Vancouver Island Music Fest (and Derek Bird at Vancouver CBC who recorded the mainstage for "Canada Live"), The Harrison Festival of the Arts, The Dream Cafe (Penticton, BC), The Island Mountain Arts School and Arts Wells Festival in Wells, BC, The North Country Stomp (Driftpile First Nation, Alberta), The Blue Loon Grill (Clearwater BC) and the Calgary International Blues Festival.

There are upcoming gigs at the Ironwood, Rusty Reed's House of Blues (Edmonton) and others, so please check the calendar from time to time. R.I.P. Megatunes - another of the brilliant independent recorded music stores expires at the end of this month.

Summer tour, 2nd leg

A week of teaching slide/fingerstyle guitar at Island Mountain Arts School and performances in the Sunset Theatre and St. Gregory's Church (all in Wells, BC) finished out July in high fashion. It was good to see friends Linda McRae (too brief) and Ken Whitely (too much fun). Then it was on to the Driftpile First Nation at Lesser Slave Lake for a set at the First North Country Stomp, followed by a hang with Romi Mayes and Jason Nowicki (Romi's guitar player and a member of the Perpetrators). A long holiday-clogged drive home where I'm doing the rock star stuff : bank, litter bokes, laundry, change strings and re-pack the car for tomorrow's drive to Clearwater (North of Kamloops on the Yellowhead Highwayin BC) for 2 nights at the Blue Loon Grill. Home in time to play with old pal Morgan Davis at the Calgary International Blues Festival (a late show in the ballroom of the Ramada Inn) on Saturday. Tuesdays resume at Mikey's next week, and there's lots more going on, so check the calendar !