May and June - gigs abound. Mike counts his blessings!

It's been a welcome change to not be on a a plane or a bus for a while. I've had a rewarding month and a half of playing with some great people including some fun nights at the Yale .... I sat in with the Tim Hearsey Band - Jerry Adolphe, Darren Parris and Dave Webb along with THE Mr. Hearsey himself. Bill Henderson sat in for one night with the core Lyin' Bastards band playing hits of old by The Coasters, Wilbur Harrison etc.. It was fun to get Bill out of his routine - he was fantastic. He's a wonderful musician. Later on that month we played with Bill again, along with Victoria Banks, Michelle Wright, One More Girl, Lisa Brokop, Aaron Pritchett and others at the Merritt Walk Of Stars gala. Another two nights of sensational music .... Also, I did a corporate gig with Mike Reno - lead singer of Loverboy. I lived another childhood dream playing hits such as 'Turn Me Loose', ' Working For The Weekend' and 'Lovin' Every Minute Of It' - reaffirming my role as the luckiest man alive.
Sessions have been good.... I've done a bunch of overdubs in my studio for various projects. One project I'm very happy with is an album by Sidney York. I co produced this record with Ms. York and it sounds great (see past blogs for details).
My summer includes dates with Johnny Reid and One More Girl. Preparations for that have begun ... Assembling bands...... Figuring out arrangements, itineraries, etc.. I also have a few dates booked with guitarist David Gogo (who tells me a couple of our co written efforts are on his new record. Awesome).
My friend Will Davis was good enough to fly me to Regina. He was promoting four Canadian shows featuring Ms. Carol Burnett. Her shows are essentially a Q&A format - not unlike what she do at the beginning of her classic CBS television show. It was a thrill to meet Ms. Burnett and speak with her about Peter Matz... her brilliant musical director. It's not everyday you meet a living legend.
I write this on a plane from Saskatoon to Vancouver. The One More Girl 'power trio' (which is Britt, Carly and myself) opened up for Aaron Pritchett at the Dakota Dunes Casino. It was a fun gig and great to hear the re vamped 'APB'. The band has never sounded better and it was very exciting to hear such a well oiled machine. Aaron, Jay, Scott, Shane and Jayson took no prisoners. Rob Esch had it pumping out front and it was nice to meet Amil (the monitor guy). It was great to hang afterwards and catch up.
I lead a charmed life.

RIP Wayman Tisdale

I never met Wayman - but I sure liked what he was all about. A positive spirit and talented musician - gone WAY too soon. Cancer sucks. All the best.

Rise Again - May 13 2009 - Winnipeg

The province of Manitoba has had a rough time this year. Excessive flooding has left many of its residents homeless and in need of great financial help. Actor / musician / humanitarian Tom Jackson and his crew (Alison, Shelley and MANY others) rallied and with tremendous support pulled together 'Rise Again' - a benefit concert for the flood victims. I was called in to join the house band.
The five days of rehearsals went by fast. The event itself was amazing. The house band (Darren Savard, Jayson Brinkworth, Phil Hall, Tom Mckillip and myself) played a diverse selection of music - Bet. e (bossa nova), Deborah Cox (R&B), Beverley Mahood and Ken Munshaw (pop), JD Fortune (Rock) and One More Girl (Country). It was fun to jump around like that. The cherry on top of this musical sundae was getting to play 'Life Is A Highway' - a worldwide hit - with Tom Cochrane and his great band (which included guitarist Ken Greer and the quintessential Canadian bassist Ken 'Spider' Sinnaeve). It was good to hear the other acts as well - The Barra MacNeils, Moses Mayes, and Nathan. A fun musical night for a good cause.

The Final Leg - Martimes - Johnny Reid Dance With Me Tour 2009

April 22 - Moncton NB
The DWM tour's third and final leg began with a bang at this great gig at the local arena. One More Girl opened up and received a rousing round of applause after the first couple lines of their hit 'I Can Love Anyone'. This was a good sign. The crowd did not dissappoint.

April 23 - St. John NB
The J train rolled in to the towm where he received his first ever CCMA award. Excellent gig and .... On a personal note ... The poached salmon was exquisite!

April 24 - Halifax NS
This was amazing. Four thousand fans attending made this gig truly special. The show began with two bagpipers walking through the crowd. I couldn't hear them through the cheering. Amazing. To make the day complete, Denis Dufresne bought me fish cakes from the Blue Nose cafe. Marc Perry from EMI bought me sea bass at the Five Fisherman. Life was perfect that day.

April 25 - Sydney NS
Traveling with One More Girl (I was helping with the driving of their minivan as both Britt and Carly are not old enough to drive a rental van), I bore witness to some of the most beautiful terrain Canada has to offer. The people in the Maritimes are the most charming down to earth people you'd ever want to meet. Cape Breton is a special place. Johnny brought up two of the coolest little ones onstage to 'jam' with the band... I've posted two pictures which I snapped onstage at this gig. Adorable.
On another note, the pub that catered the gig (I think it's called 'The Govenor' or 'The Grosvenor') blew my mind. Thai cous cous, blackened salmon and a pepperpot soup left me speechless.

April 26 - Charlottetown PEI
Carly and Britt lost their minds as we crossed over the Confederation Bridge.... A 13 KM engineering marvel which connects PEI with the mainland. The regal quaintness of this community never ceases to amaze me and I couldn't think of a better way to end the tour.


Thanks to all the local crews, the promoters, agents, catering, runners, drivers and other people I'm forgetting for helping out. Thanks to the GREAT fans for attending and keeping us working! Thanks to media for supporting it. Thanks to Britt, Carly, Tom, Linda, Denis, Marc and Fraser from the One More Girl gang. Thanks to our crew Ken, Warren, George, Gary and Alex. Thanks to the band: Chuck, Nick, Dave, Yvan, Ben, Miku and Saidah. Thanks to the Zen gang: Tracey, Brianne, Cathy,
and Mr. Sakamoto. And last but not least, a big thank you to Mr. Johnny Reid for giving me this wonderful opportunity to make great music and memories. Until next time.....

In Praise Of The Road Crew

The artist is the one that gets 90 percent of the attention at a show. The band, the crowd and other elements of the visual presentation make up the other 10 percent. It's time to give some extreme credit to the crew... The roadies, the techs, the guys with the black shirts, mag lights and laminated backstage passes. On the 'Dance With Me' tour, we've had a great crew. Warren Dieno and Ken Turta have shared the front of house duties (the sound which the crowd hears). Alex Livland is at the monitor desk (the sound which the band hears). George Gorton is the guy who runs all the lights. These guys are the crew which travels with us on every date. However, the local crews (who are provided by the venue or local sound company) round out the people who work on the show - setting up the stage, rigging, putting up the lights, the speakers, 'hucking boxes', setting it up, breaking it down... Etc etc. . They operate the spotlights, they drive the trucks and buses, they provide security, they cater our meals ..... I'm thankful for every one of them!
Jackson Browne was far more eloquent in praise of the 'common' roadie than I could ever be... But let it be known the roadie rules. Bill Henderson said 'if there's no audience there just ain't no show'. There wouldn't be a show without the roadies either. Next time you're at a show and the monitor guy says 'Check, check' into a mic.....give him a round of applause! All hail the roadie!

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 6

April 2 - Edmonton, The Jubilee Theatre - SOLD OUT!

The Reid train arrived in Edmonton in this beautiful theatre. The show was filmed for a DVD which will be released at some point. Director par excellence Joel Stewart and his crew did a great job of capturing Johnny at his best.

April 3&4 - Calgary, Deerfoot Casino - 4 shows SOLD OUT!
April 6 - Lethbridge, ENMAX Centre - SOLD OUT!
April 7 - Moosejaw, Mae Wilson Theatre - SOLD OUT!
April 8 - Saskatoon, TCU Centre - SOLD OUT!
April 9&10 - Regina, Casino Regina - 3 shows SOLD OUT!

At the risk of these journal entries sounding like Groundhog Day ..... let's just say "Great crowds, great venues, great gigs!" Thank you to everyone who came out. Looking forward to the Maritimes!

Mr. Jack Velker - RIP

Jack Velker was one of the most unique individuals I ever met. He was a pianist / accordion player / vocalist and one of the most engaging entertainers I've ever had the pleasure to play with. Articulate, wise and always surprising and inventive - whenever a gig came up with Jack I was excited and delighted. He left this world doing what he loved and I learned a valuable lesson from him - the gig is what you make it. It's a lame gig if you make it a lame gig. I've enjoyed playing music even more after meeting Mr. Velker. Rest in peace Professor.