July 2009

I write this as July comes to a close. So far the summer has been ablaze with it's familiar sights and sounds - fairs, outdoor music festivals and mini donuts among other things. The donuts you know about... here is a brief account of some of the gigs I have done this month.

Canada Day (July 1 for the tourists) was in Toronto in Woodbine Park with One More Girl for a free concert. The 10,000 plus crowd were great and the girls put on a great show. The band (Denis Dufresne, Darren Savard, Tom Mckillip, Gary Craig and John Dymond ) took no prisoners and played the gig like they'd been doing it for years. The record company reps were out in force and it sounds like they were impressed.

Johnny Reid's dates this summer have been impressive. The crowds are on
his side. Merritt, Dauphin, Rabbit Lake and the Calgary Stampede among others have brought the Tartan Army out in force. Thousands of screaming fans always do wonders for one's morale. Carrying around a shiny instrument such as a saxophone makes you a bit of a spectacle and people seem to like it despite the old adage .... You can tune up a car but you can't tune up a saxophone.

Sadly, the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose suffered some devastating bad luck. The day AFTER we were there, Mother Nature showed who was boss and flipped the mainstage over. As I write this details are sketchy but I'm sure by the time I post this news reports will be filtering out. I've heard of casulties including a death .... I hope this isn't true .... what a shame.

Sidney York's record is selling well and she seems to have an endless supply of gigs around Canada which is very encouraging.

I started helping Johnny Reid's guitarist Yvan Petit's solo effort. Yvan came to Vancouver for a week where we cut beds, guitars and his vocals for 11 songs. August for me will be spent comping, editing and overdubbing on his project. I'm very excited to be working on it as he is a real talent and the songs (most of them co written with Johnny) are excellent.

Until next time.....

Drummers

As a musician, I count my blessings on a regular basis. One of the great perks is getting to interact with other musicians - feeding off their skills, personalities and individual musical ideas. The musicians in my 'circle' are among some of the best in the country - NAY - the world. They are all very high calibre, aware, intuitive, creative, sensitive and very giving. Permit me to tell you about a week in my life and introduce you to some of my drummer friends.

June 27 - Chris Meister - I first met Chris when I started playing for the Rick Tippe band in the mid '90's. He was a quiet unassuming fellow with an excellent sense of humor. We became fast friends and have been playing gigs ever since. Any gig - from a big concert event to a quiet casual (as was the case on this date) is always a pleasure. He has a great sense of groove and is effortless to play with.

June 29 - Pat Steward - A fellow Vancouver Islander, I met Pat while I was still in college. He had just finished up his tenure with Bryan Adams and had moved on to play with some of Canada's (and elsewhere) elite - Colin James, Jimmy Barnes, Matthew Good and his own band The Odds (among others). This particular night was the debut live performance of The Rothschilds: a band that Pat and I belong to along with Wide Mouth Mason guitarist Shaun Verreault and Pat's fellow Oddsman bassist Doug Elliot. We played The Yale as part of Vancouver's Jazz Fest. The results were a great night of jam rock / blues. Pat's boundless energy and creativity were a huge driving force.

July 1 - Gary Craig - Canada's biggest acts can't be wrong: Blackie And The Rodeo Kings, The Wilkinsons, Anne Murray, Tom Cochrane, Bruce Cockburn, Jann Arden, et al enlist Mr. Craig whenever necessary and with good reason. With minimal rehearsal, On this day Gary played the Canada Day Jam in Toronto with One More Girl and NAILED the gig. Tremendous ability, feel and experience make him one of Canada's first call timekeepers. An amazing guy.

July 3 - 5 - Chuck Fields / Marshall Richardson - Two of Memphis' finest. Johnny Reid's regular drummer - the remarkable Mr. Fields - could not attend three dates (festivals in Grande Prairie, AB, Rabbit Lake, SK and Dauphin, MB). In his place, Marshall Richardson (whom I just met) steps in. COLD - no rehearsal - he NAILS the show. His remarkable work ethic and attention to detail solidified his place in the Reid band. He recognized the need for the artist to be as comfortable as possible and rose to the occasion. Needless to say the gigs rocked.

These are a few of the many - Chris Aiken, Jerry Adolphe, Phil Robertson, Randall Stoll, Chris Nordquist etc etc - I could go on and on about my drummer friends. On the odd occasion I play a gig that is - let's say less than stellar - I know that I can always count on the musical calibre to be high. No more drummer jokes.

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.

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 5 - The Hat and The Deer

MARCH 31 - Medicine Hat, Alberta - SOLD OUT!

After the successful Winnipeg run the tour buses arrived and shuffled us off to Medicine Hat. Again - a big crowd and the gig rocked. We were joined again by One More Girl (aka 1MG)..... The bus ride was great - Yvan and I enjoyed the Game Show Network and I introduced him to the finer points and rules to the $100,000 Pyramid. Awesome!

APRL 1 - Red Deer Alberta - SOLD OUT!

Another great gig. It was nice to see Duane Steele, Greg Shannon and Tera Lee. Ms. Sidney York even made it to the gig from Calgary which was great. It was a nice reunion of the Huron Carole crew as well whom I hadn't seen for a while - Warren Dieno, Rick Wilson and Chris Briere. A love fest!

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 4 - Winnipeg

One week passed - I arrived home from the Ottawa shows and went straight to Vancouver Island. I got together with guitarist David Gogo and worked on material for his upcoming record. I visited with my Dad and Nana. I recorded an album with Soren Lonnqvist and the 'Heartline House Band' at Soren's studio in Abbotsford. Before I knew it, it was time to leave again.

The tour resumed in a big way. I flew to Winnipeg and arrived at the Club Regent casino. What started as four sold out shows over two nights became five. Johnny - ever the humanitarian - volunteered his services to play a benefit concert for the Red River relief fund to benefit victims of Manitoba's current flood crisis. The fifth show was added on Sunday night and - according to casino box office folk - sold out in SEVEN minutes! Johnny donated all profits from the show to the fund - effectively doing the show for free.

As I write this - we have not done the fifth show but the previous four have been wonderful. It was nice to see some familiar faces and incredible Johnny Reid fans. Winnipeg holds some of the best music supporters I've ever seen (and they know who they are). It was nice to see Abby White and his gang as well - one of the nicest guys in radio.

Johnny received great support here - glowing reviews and articles and excellent crowds. What a great way to start out again after a one week break.

PS - Thanks to Johnny's donation, the people who bought tickets to the show and the Manitoba Lotteries Corporation (who matched the profits dollar for dollar), The Red River Relief Fund raised over $30,000.00. Well done. CCMA members - take note - vote Johnny Reid for the Humanitarian Of The Year award.

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 3

March 15 - Kingston - The Grand Theatre - SOLD OUT!

Kingston is a remarkable town. Home to The Tragically Hip, Don Cherry, Dan Ackroyd and many other Canadian ambassadors, it drips with charm and class. I wandered around the town and at one point I attained perfect balance in my life - the temperature was cool yet the sun warmed my face, Lake Ontario was glistening with the remains of the winter ice hanging onto dear life, the Americano I sipped was hot, and Donnie Iris' 'Ah Leah' found it's way into my IPOD. I ate some delicious Indian food and we had another great gig.

March 16 - Hamilton ON - Convention Centre

A big venue - ALMOST sold out .... a great gig (This is redundant. From here on assume all gigs are great UNTIL I tell you otherwise). The catering - oh my goodness - a lady named Michelle came bearing a bounty of culinary delights. Who says you lose weight on the road?

March 17 - Kitchener and/or Waterloo - The Centre In The Square

See above - exact same comments as Hamilton ..... HOWEVER tonight (and for the two nights afterwards) I am doing double duty - playing with Johnny and opening act One More Girl. This is exciting for me as Britt and Carly are two very good friends and a pleasure to play with.... young stars getting ready to occupy their place in the showbiz universe.

March 18 and 19 - Ottawa ON - The Centrepointe Theatre - SOLD OUT x 2

It was home court advantage for Yvan, Ben and Johnny who spent a lot of time here. I saw a lot of friends myself. It's a nice way to end the first leg of the Canadian tour. Home tomorrow - go to visit my Dad and Nana, write with David Gogo, play the Yale, do a session for Mr. Soren Lonnqvist and maybe do some laundry!

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 2 - More Pix

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 1

I was asked by singer Johnny Reid to join him on a tour to support the release of his latest CD entitled 'Dance With Me'. I've had the pleasure of accompanying Johnny on a few occasions in the past. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he is a fine Scottish lad (from Glasgow I believe) who moved to Canada with his family as a boy. He grew up in Brampton Ontario and paid his dues playing the '401 circuit' in Ontario. Fast forward several years - he has recorded two CDs which have sold exceedingly well. All evidence indicates the new CD will break all past records he has set. While his music is most likely heard on country radio, in my opinion his sound resembles the 'blue eyed soul' genre .... his voice resembles Rod Stewart, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding with a touch of Tony Bennett thrown in. My role in the band is the utilities player - guitar, keyboards, vocals and my precious saxophone. I get to hang my toes off the side of the stage and wail on a few solos - which is cool.
The band is pretty big and VERY good - longtime guitarist Yvan Petit, bassist Nick Czarnogorski, keyboardist Dave Cohen, fiddler Ben Rutz, drummer Chuck Fields (who plays with Terri Clark and in the past has worked with Paul Brandt, Chris Cummings and Martina Macbride) and singers Miku Graham and Saida Baba Talibah (both of whom work with Jully Black). The crew - FOH man Ken Turta, lighting tech George Gorton and monitor man Alex Livland are great as well. We have two buses and two great drivers - Mikey and Craig. And so the adventure begins in the Canadian province of Ontario:

March 5 - Brantford, Sanderson Centre Theatre - SOLD OUT!

The first gig was a complete success. The PA went up quickly and the monitors (thanks to Alex tweaking our in ear monitors during the rehearsals) were tremendous. The band played well and to my mind the audience was thoroughly entertained. We had a long day and sleep came quickly.

March 6 - Belleville, The Empire Theatre - SOLD OUT!

Delicious dinner, delicious theatre. The venue apparently sold out the show in a day ... demonstrating Johnny's popularity at this point in time. A second show was added. We'll be back here in a few days.

March 7 and 8 - Gravenhurst, The Opera House - both nights SOLD OUT!

A charming theatre - over 100 years old. The 8th was our first solid night's sleep on the tour. The band is rocking now .... the set is tight and it's a lot of fun.

March 10 - Toronto ON, Canada AM TV Show

The 6AM lobby call came far too early, however we mustered up the energy and at 8:51AM I struck the opening chords to 'A Woman Like You' - Johnny's new single. We played two more songs to the audience in studio off camera and then hopped on the bus and headed back to.....

March 10 - Belleville, The Empire Theatre - SOLD OUT!

Deja vu! They sold out the first show and so they set up another. Great crew BTW. Record time set up and load outs. Johnny's new album was released today as well. Apparently in Canada he sold more CD's this day than U2..... pretty good....

March 11 - Brampton, The Rose Theatre - SOLD OUT!

Home court advantage for Mr. John Reid. This is the town he grew up in. He received a big welcome. The theatre was AMAZING. Really nice people. The big news is we were joined by opening act One More Girl! Britt and Carly (along with Tom, Lynda and mandolin/ guitarist Denis Dufresne) will join us for the rest of the shows! Very exciting to hang with my favorite show biz family!

March 12 - Lindsay, The Academy Theatre - SOLD OUT!

And the sellouts continue! A prior engagement with Jully Black has us down one BG singer as Ms. Miku Graham could not make this show. As a result I step up to the plate to cover her BG vocals with lovely Ms. Saida..... A quick rehearsal and I'm good to go. The show goes well. The big news .... Johnny's new record... 48 hours after it's release was certified Canadian GOLD (50,000 copies sold!). This is an amazing feat and proof that I'm on a pretty great gig!

March 13 - London, Centennial Theatre

A sellout gig? No! Our first of the tour. 40 tickets shy of a sellout! A huge crowd nonetheless and an amazing gig. One More Girl were outstanding and we were pretty good too (if I do say so myself).....
I write this on our bus (we call it the 'Soul Bus' due to the enormous amount of soul music we listen to while riding on it). Everyone is asleep except Mikey the driver and myself. I sit in the front lounge and it is 1:30AM. I look out the window and the moon is big and beautiful. MASH reruns are on the TV. I have internet and gingerale. I again am reminded what a charmed life I lead.

March 14 - DAY OFF!! Go to the gym, get my haircut and comp some vocals for Ms. Sidney York's record....