Well, finally, a few days where the temperature rises above -23. January's turning into a fun month musically, however - both the Blues Can Jam and the 8th Annual Hankover (a tribute to Hank Williams at the Ironwood Stage & Grill) made Jan. 1st a cool one. A Saturday night at Mikey's Juke Joint on Jan. 8 marked the return of old friend and musical collaborator Ron Casat to my electric band (The Electro-Fires) after a 5-month hiatus. A pair of shows with the Front Porch Review (produced by Peter North) were wonderful, although the driving was a little hairy. Thanks to all the guys in the show (Stewart Macdougall, Ron Rault, Bobby Cameron, Crawdad Cantera, Thom Moon, and Dwayne Hrynkiuw) and to the staff at the Matchbox (Red Deer) and Festival Place (Sherwood Park) for such enjoyable gigs.
This Saturday I'm in concert at the Grandview Stage Resort, near Rocky Mountain House. Always a good time ! Greg Godowicz will be holding down the Blues Can Jam for me that day (Jan. 22), and I'll be back for the 29th, as well as playing the club Friday and Saturday nights (Jan. 28-29). Tuesday solo shows at Mikey's Juke Joint continue, plus on Wednesday Jan. 26 I appear with a group of storytellers at JT's Pub in the Tri-Wood Community Centre (7 pm show), and on Monday the 31st I am the first guest to play with the new Blue Mondays house band at Cantos/National Music Centre (7 pm as well).
When I Was A Cowboy, the theme cd I put out a while ago, garnered a very nice review in the current issue of Penguin Eggs, the Canadian folk music magazine. Still no word from Sing Out !, who requested review copies of the two most recent discs a while back.
Progress (finally) is being made on the blues mandolin instructional dvd ! No release date yet but we're approaching the absolute end of editing it. Speaking of instruction, my being listed as "confirmed" at a blues guitar camp at Whistler Mountain, B.C. is a little premature - they have until the 31st to send a deposit and a contract. I wish them well, and if it's a go I will be there.
February looks like a month of good and interesting work. Aside from the house gigs there's a house concert for Jeans Off ! in Red Deer on the 11th, a "dirty" blues Valentine's Day show at Mikey's Juke Joint, the Ironwood Stage & Grill on the 19th, The Blues Can with the Electro-Fires on the 25-26, and producing the second cd for the acoustic blues duo Hills & Lemelin (their debut was one of my favorite projects of the last few years).
Keep on listening, and I'll post again soon !
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
That Was The Year That Was
Three weeks (busy ones) left in 2010, and my new year has been made brighter by my acceptance at the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival in Mexico March 8-13 (an event I played in 2007 and very much enjoyed) . This has been a good year, even though I've toured only in Canada's 3 Western Provinces (except for an impromptu performance at a friend's hacienda south of Puerto Vallarta). Playing festivals with David Lindley, Little Feat, and others, and re-connecting with friends including Bryan Bowers and Paul Pigat (only a few among the many), and playing a ton of gigs solo, with my band (The Electro-Fires) and with friends Little Miss Higgins and Foy Taylor have all made the year pass in a happy blur. The re-release of my "live" solo disc "Evenings Among Friends", with a brilliant re-mastering by Dave Horrocks at Infinite Wave, and the release of my "When I Was A Cowboy" disc were both highlights as well.
In the next week I will finish recording and mixing a cd for songwriter Paul Saks, play CBC Radio's Homestretch program on the 16th, play three nights at the Blues Can here in Calgary and three (27-28-29) at Rusty Reed's House of Blues in Edmonton, plus the Saturday Blues Can Jams and Mikey's Juke Joint on Tuesdays. For 2011, I've confirmed the Filberg Festival (Comox BC), Islands Folk Fest (Duncan BC) Northern Lights Folk Club (Edmonton), and many more. There are at least four tentative summer festivals, and one for the autumn as well (confirmed).
Stay warm and hold close to you the people you cherish as the old year passes and the new one dawns, and keep on listenin'.
In the next week I will finish recording and mixing a cd for songwriter Paul Saks, play CBC Radio's Homestretch program on the 16th, play three nights at the Blues Can here in Calgary and three (27-28-29) at Rusty Reed's House of Blues in Edmonton, plus the Saturday Blues Can Jams and Mikey's Juke Joint on Tuesdays. For 2011, I've confirmed the Filberg Festival (Comox BC), Islands Folk Fest (Duncan BC) Northern Lights Folk Club (Edmonton), and many more. There are at least four tentative summer festivals, and one for the autumn as well (confirmed).
Stay warm and hold close to you the people you cherish as the old year passes and the new one dawns, and keep on listenin'.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Goin' Where Them Chilly Winds Don't Blow
The middle of November and Calgary braces for its' first taste of autumn/winter weather. Cooling off and snow in the forecast. The gigs have (for the most part) been going so well I am deeply humbled...thanks to everyone who came out to share in the music. My gig at the Nickelodeon Folk Club here in town Saturday night was the stuff dreams are made of...John Reischman and the Jaybirds remind me of why I play music, and what it can be when you take away ego and flash, leaving only chops and commitment. Summer festivals are trickling in, as are the instructional camps, mostly from B.C. That's fine, the only summer I enjoyed this year was while touring out that way.
Home for most of the rest of the year, with gigs at the Blues Can, CBC Calgary's "Homestretch" show, Rusty Reed's House Of Blues (Edmonton) and my usual Tuesday solo spot at Mikey's Juke Joint. There will be more shows announced shortly, plus several more summer festivals/guitar camps, so keep on checking in !
Home for most of the rest of the year, with gigs at the Blues Can, CBC Calgary's "Homestretch" show, Rusty Reed's House Of Blues (Edmonton) and my usual Tuesday solo spot at Mikey's Juke Joint. There will be more shows announced shortly, plus several more summer festivals/guitar camps, so keep on checking in !
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
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 !
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 !
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
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).
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).
Monday, August 23, 2010
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."
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."
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