Mike Norman - Around The World With 12 Notes

Updates - Health - Family - Benefit

2010-06-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Life has been good for me despite a few minor obstacles. Recovering from medical issues (radiation, chemo etc.) and still working (trying to keep up my pace of the past 20 plus years) is an interesting game. I've found the way to do it is to prioritize. After a large abscess in my neck was discovered in the nick of time (a by product of perhaps a surgical infection - cutting off oxygen to my body), a trip to the hospital was made and the problem was removed. After three weeks plus in the hospital I am finally transitioning out on day passes. Tomorrow is Monday June 21 - my intended discharge date..... fingers crossed (Happy Father's Day BTW!).
My summer will be for healing. I would love to gig live but ..... prioritize! I intend to do that for another 50 years and I don't want to mess that up. I will do sessions in my basement and elsewhere where necessary but only if I'm up for it. Prioritize! My health is important. My great rewards come (now more than ever if that was possible) from my family and I want to be selfish and spend as much time with them as possible. Prioritize!! Health comes first. Everyone knows that and anyone that doesn't isn't a great influence on one's overall well being.
Lots of love to my friends and family as well as extended acquaintances (fans from the road who come out and support myself and the artists I work for). You guys are best.
To the Johnny Reid and One More Girl friends ... sorry I'm going to miss you on the upcoming dates but I'll be back stronger than ever soon. In the meantime enjoy their shows.... they have some great stuff on the horizon.
Finally, a BIG thank you one more time to the all of the artists, friends and fans who attended, organized and played at the Mike Norman benefit and fundraiser on April 7. A lot of money was raised and it was an evening I'll never forget.

All the best and stay healthy - see ya soon!

Classic Rock Fiesta!

2010-03-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about being a self employed musician is the lack of routine. You know you'll be playing somewhere for someone .... you just don't know the specifics a lot of the time. That's okay - it keeps you young. Routine is not really my thing ......
Another great thing about being a self employed musician are the surprises that life throws at you. Take for example a call I received in February 2010 from Loverboy vocalist Mike Reno and his girlfriend vocalist Catherine St. Germain. "Hey Mike, do you wanna go to St. Maarten in the Caribbean for a gig?". The answer of course is yes. "Great - you'll be playing with four singers whose music you grew up on as a youngster." Cool ..... wha???
I knew music was my career path at age 14. It became clear to me when I heard Duke Ellington, Errol Gardner, and Count Basie from my Mom's record collection. It became really clear as my palette expanded - bands like Chilliwack, Skywalk and Steely Dan crept into my awareness and inspired me to no end. From there I was hooked. Allow me to focus in on four acts during that time.
Survivor - led by former Ides Of March singer Jim Peterik - consistently provided rock anthems that were staples on rock radio during the 80's. 'Burning Heart', 'The Search Is Over' and 'I Can't Hold Back' were among their biggest hits and featured the thick soulful vocals of Jimi Jamison.
Toto - some of Los Angeles' finest session musicians formed this supergroup which featured great songs executed with perfect musicianship. The keyboard section of David Paich and Steve Porcaro influenced me greatly - as did the soaring vocals of Bobby Kimball (BTW - check out the great Tubes' song 'She's A Beauty' - that's Bobby on BG's - amazing). Their record '4' won a truckload of Grammys. 'Hold The Line', 'Rosanna' and 'Africa' are classics.
John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band - timeless rock and roll performed by a true rock and roll band. With great songs written by leader John Cafferty - they hit the big time when they were featured on the soundtrack to the movie 'Eddie And The Cruisers'. Their "overnight success" was 11 years in the making. 'On The Dark Side' and 'Tender Years' are timeless.
Loverboy - Five SOLID musicians, great rock songs, great vocals, great performances - a TEXTBOOK example of a great rock band. Loverboy were the arguably one of the biggest bands of the 1980's and continue to rock venues to this day. On a personal note (while they all influenced my playing style) let me say keyboardist Doug Johnson is one of the finest synth players ever. His endless creativity, tastefully crafted parts and fine technique should be held in the same regard of Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman etc. Simply brilliant. Along the same lines - vocalist Mike Reno is brilliant and sounds as good today as he did thirty years ago. 'Working For The Weekend' is routinely played on radio stations everywhere at 5PM on Fridays.
SO - back to the gig: a few sets in St. Maarten playing the hits of the aforementioned bands with vocalists Bobby Kimball, Jimi Jamison, Mike Reno and John Cafferty. Let me try and articulate how strange this is for me. The opportunity to play songs which contributed to the soundtrack of your younger life with the people who created these hits is .... well .... wonderfully strange. These people who, up to this point, were nothing more than images on a TV screen or magnetized cassette tapes were now real. You knew they existed, but seeing then, HEARING them, therefore confirming they're real people .... just plain strange. And WONDERFUL.
Our set: On The Dark Side, Tough All Over, CITY, High On You, The Search Is Over, I Can't Hold Back, Hold The Line, Africa, Rosanna, The Kid Is Hot Tonight, Almost Paradise, Turn Me Loose, Eye Of The Tiger, Working For The Weekend, Tush
The band (Shane Hendrickson, Marc LaFrance, Ian Cameron and Cathy St. Germain) did a great job. The songs are great. Excellent people. St. Maarten is beautiful. My wife even came down! Thank you Charlie, Betsy, Mike, Ralph, and the many other folks who made this a perfect week,

Feeling good in February!

2010-02-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a lot better. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes after my last post. I'm starting to eat soft foods (ice cream, applesauce, miso soup ....mmmmmm) and getting my act together. I am still getting lots of rest and taking it easy HOWEVER the other thing I have added into my day to day diet - gigs and sessions. Let me tell you something - music is GREAT for the soul. I was thrilled to be invited to The Armoury studios to play 5 days of sessions for various artists. Within those five days I came alive. The band (The Lyin' Bastards - Tom McKiliip, Jerry Adolphe, John Dymond, John Ellis and Jay Buettner) all commented on how much better I became between Day one and Day five. I ain't gonna lie - when I play music these days, I cry. I cry tears of joy. I feel great and I realize how much music is a part of my being. It enlightens everything in my life - my family, my friends, my city .... find the music you love and turn it up. Sing, dance, chant .... it'll make your world that much better.
I have gigs coming up for February! I play the Feb. 14 medals ceremony for the 2010 Olympics here in my hometown! The band is great - bandleader Ed Henderson, Jerry Adolphe, Darren Parris, Adam Rohrlick and some new friends - Neal (a great sax/ tabla player), AJ (sitar) and T (a DJ). It's a big multi cultural show that I'm really looking forward to. The great multi instrumentalist Daniel Lapp is also on the show. I've never played with him before but welcome the opportunity.
Also - there's a bunch of other great shows I get to do with One More Girl, John Lee Sanders and David Gogo among others. In between the gigs and my R&R, I'm finishing up Yvan Petit's solo record. It sounds terrific BTW.... can't wait for everyone to hear it.

That's it for now - go Canada go!

2010!!

2010-01-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. It's January 1 and I write this after a flight home from Penticton, B.C. and a lengthy nap. I like 2010 a lot so far. I played a great gig last night with Johnny Reid in the aforementioned Penticton. It was my first bigger concert gig in a long time - September 2009.
I haven't been much of a blogger for a while and here's why: In October 2008 I had a small section of my tongue removed due to a cancerous ulcer which had developed on it. I was given a clean bill of health as of April 30 2009. It was a week or so after that where I noticed a lump on the left side of my neck. Raising my suspicions, I went to the doctor. A series of tests confirmed some cancerous cells from my tongue made their way to lymph nodes and started to multiply.
On July 7 2009 I went to an oncologist for a 2nd opinion on the lump. They confirmed I have two to three lymph nodes with cancer in them. The good news is it's unlikely it had spread into the rest of my body. On July 17 2009 I went in for surgery under the capable hands of Dr. Anderson who removed the ulcer on my tongue. He performed a left neck dissection whereby he cut open my neck and removed as much (hopefully all) of the cancerous areas he could. He ended up taking out 10 lymph nodes and part of my jugular. He says he took out more than he needed to just to be safe.
I haven't drank alcohol since 1994 and even before that it wasn't very much. I've never done drugs - including the herbal stuff. And - I've never smoked cigarettes. So how did I get this? Well, the simple answer is bad luck. It's basically a virus and for some reason it manifested itself in this way.
I recovered well and went on the road for three dates with Johnny on July 31, 2009. It went pretty well! Life went on as usual - I started work as a producer with Yvan Petit (Johnny's longtime guitarist) on his great solo record, the Canadian Country Music Awards (fourth year in the house band!), sessions for Dean Maher, David Wills and others.
The doctors felt (after reviewing my case) that because I was young (ish) and healthy (other than the cancer) that a radiation and chemotherapy program would be a positive step - get rid of every last cancerous cell so we wouldn't have to deal with this again. I agreed. On September 7th I entered the Surrey Memorial Hospital (conveniently located next to the BC Cancer Agency) for the first of 33 radiation treatments and 3 chemo cocktails.
Everything was good for the first couple of weeks. I managed to work a bit and I managed to eat. My last full meal was with my good friends Adam Rohrlick and Chris Meister - delicious tortilla soup and burritos (BTW - as you read you'll see why food is my favorite thing in the universe right now). It was around October and a quarter of a way into the treatments that I became very tired and lost my appetite. I couldn't eat, drink or talk. I would go to a treatment, come home, watch TV and sleep. The option of a feeding tube inserted into my stomach had been offered to me by the knowing staff at the Cancer Agency but of course I was a tough guy and dismissed it.
It wasn't until one day I got out of bed and fell back down. I could barely walk and was blacking out. There was no way I was coming in for treatment today .... however once you start they don't want you to stop for anything. So a call was placed by me and my beautiful brother in law and bass player par excellance Shane Hendrickson came and picked me up. We went to the Cancer Agency where they hooked me up to an IV and got me back to a better condition. A week later I was the proud owner of a GI tube in my stomach. I was admitted to hospital for 12 days and was closely monitored.
The radiation and chemo ended on October 26. I had no voice, lost some hair in the back of my neck, a sore mouth and throat and had lost nearly 40 pounds. The expected recovery time was two to three weeks. As it turns out, as I write this I am still recovering. I spent November and December mostly in bed. It was tough for me to have to sub out of Tom and Alison Jackson's Singing For Supper Christmas tour as well as CP's Holiday Train which I've done for the past 5 years - both great cross Canada tours benefiting food banks. The fact was I needed to get stronger. Of course all parties involved were incredibly understanding and I transitioned out of both tours with no problems (thank you all again).
I slowly got better but the one thing I couldn't (and still can't do) is eat. For some reason I can't get food down my throat. It is for that reason the GI tube was so necessary. I miss food so much. I treasure the smell of it so much.
Thanks to the help of my wife Wendy the tube feeds went well. I managed to get some strength back. Wendy became a great nurse - changing my dressing on the tube, keeping the bed and towels laundered, picking up supplies and doing a million other things while trying to balance her already insane schedule. She's awesome and I owe her an awful lot - I love you.
Wendy went to Edmonton for Christmas where her family lives. From there my sister Kimi and brother in law Shane took over. I was in there care. They switched me over from the Boost supplement drinks I was taking in the GI tube to Vegan smoothies and vegetable juices. We went to Vancouver Island to be with our Dad and Nana for Christmas. I stayed on the couch again for most of it - feeding tube in tow. A parade of guests came through to say hi - I didn't eat Christmas dinner but it was a wonderful trip. My Dad is amazing. He and his girlfriend Vicki are so supportive and my Nana is incredible. I have a wonderful family and I love them all.
Kimi and Shane kidnapped me and I've been living at their house on the couch again where they continue their program with me. I feel a lot better - however the 'not being able to eat' continues. This is the next hurdle we are trying to overcome. As soon as I can eat I can gain some weight, get my strength up and everything else will fall into place.
And so, here it is - January 1, 2010 - a new year - a new decade. A little older and deeper in debt. The cancer is gone. The recovery is nearly over. I'm ready to work. Resolutions? Yeah - I have a few. I'm gonna take more time for myself. I'm gonna hang with my family and friends a lot more. I'm gonna get to the gig earlier and leave a little later. I'm gonna sit in my back yard and listen to music. I'm gonna go a little slower. The daily "to do" lists will generally not get done on THAT day. This is a beautiful life we have, people. If you were like me - work crazy - reconsider. I'll always be a little work crazy but I'm sure gonna enjoy the benefits surrounding it. I have the greatest job in the world. People envy me up on a stage in front of copious amounts of people. I'm gonna savour that more now ..... for as long as I can.
I have amazing friends - I know so many people and the support I've received has been unsurpassed. It's been an emotional time for me. I cry tears of joy an awful lot these days - many of you have bore witness to this. I am so happy and blessed to have you all in my life. Thank you.
So now, I finish up this "note' and it's January 2. What's up for me? Not much on the books but work will come in. Yvan is coming out here in January and we're gonna finish his album which stalled due to my condition. It's gonna be a great year. Always is! Take care everyone.

July 2009

2009-08-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-15T10:28:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-14T11:26:00.001-07:00

Johnny Reid - Dance With Me Tour 2009 Part 1

2009-03-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

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....

Barbados and The Leafs

2009-02-26T13:37:00.001-08:00

Feb. 17 came and the first extended trip away from home began. From Feb, 18-24 I was to meet producer Randall Prescott and his wife / tremendous singer Tracey Brown for a business / vacation / gig type excursion to their vacation home in Barbados. My business can get pretty rough sometimes. In a stunning case of 'right place at the right time', Vancouver Comedy Fest president Will Davis was flying to Toronto on Feb. 17 .... the day of the first segment of my flight. I had nothing to do that evening. Will was meeting with some members of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization to discuss some business matters. This resulted in an unexpected invite for me to attend the Leaf's game against Buffalo. While the outcome was not as positive one for the Leafs, I did enjoy the game. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. B. for your generosity.
I flew to Barbados the next day and my mind was blown. The sun, the crystal clear water, the friendly locals, the food..... I met some great people from all over the world. I was especially excited to meet Inchiz and Bashment (The rasta man wit da rasta plan) .... two exciting hip hop artists.
The gig at Smoky's Soup Bowl Bar was rustic and a lot of fun.....thanks to everyone .... Randall, Tracey, Kaylen, Sophie, Breanne, Phil, Terry, Stevie, Lawrence and Jeanette, Michael Bolton, Orlando, Inch and Bash ..... until next time.... off to Toronto now to begin the 'JR' experience.....

David and Sidney and Sierra and Johnny

2009-02-13T00:19:00.000-08:00

The start of each year as a musician is traditionally a fallow period. Work is scarce - and generally musicians stow the bounty they made on their Dec. 31 gig in the back of their bank account to live off for the first two months of the new year. I am one of the lucky ones. My January and February have been busy - exceedingly busy and filled with the intensely joyful creation of new music. Fellow Vancouver Islander and gentleman guitarist David Gogo have been hanging out, laughing and writing new songs which will hopefully end up on his new recording which he plans on starting this year.
The tremendously talented Sierra Noble graced my house for the better part of two weeks, We wrote songs and recorded two of them as well - just Sierra and I. She is a young lady who I am more than convinced is destined for super stardom and I hope that on her meteoric rise I can grab a hold of one of her legs and have me sponge off her celebrity. All indications point to her becoming a star - whether or not she brings me along remains to be seen (ppllleeeeeeaaasseee Sierra pleeeeaaasssee!)
And then, from out of nowhere, comes the wonderful Sidney York. How do we peg Ms. York? Hmm. She's a booking agent's dream. Folk, jazz, rock, a tiny dash of country, comedy, drama, tragedy, joy - all wrapped up in an alluring, charming, kind, gentle and complex package. She is a wonderful artist - a true renaissance woman and my newest friend. I love her to pieces. I have had the distinct pleasure to produce her new album which is, as I write this about 3/4's done. Gracing the album have been the talents of drummers Pat Steward and Jerry Adolphe, guitarists Tom Mckillip and Jay Buettner, bassists Rene Worst and Doug Elliott, trumpeter Derry Byrne and the aforementioned Sierra Noble on vocals and violin. More on that as it develops.
I've also been working on three new recordings for Aaron Pritchett. I won't get into that now but it's been a whole lot of fun. As a player - recording sessions have been surprisingly plentiful as well - stuff for producers Tom Mckillip, Bill Buckingham, Ray Roper and Jose Cardenas - as well as some soundtrack work for Tony Rudner for a mini series called 'Revolutions'.
I must also recognize our recoding engineers - Mr. Dean Maher, Soren Lonnqvist at Studio Downe Under in Abbotsford, BC, Chris Vaughan Jones and Mikey the dog (see above) and my good friend Chris Aiken .... all of which are contributing to the above projects and doing a great job.
I'm looking forward to March and April when I'm joining Johnny Reid's band for his 'Dance With Me' tour across Canada. There's about 40 dates in theaters and casinos. I'm filling the utilities' player chair on sax, guitar and keys. It's going to be a lot of fun and interesting as I only know two people on the sixteen person entourage. I guess that'll be the subject of my next entry. Until then ..... all the best!

2009!

2009-01-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

Hey there-

Another year has flown by. I had a wonderful Christmas with my family. I look forward to all the good that 2009 holds. As a Canuck it is nice to see optimism flowing in our southern neighbors. In my life - I'm working (producing I guess is the term) with a great singer / songwriter named Sidney York. In addition I seem to be taking up a residency of sorts at the Yale Hotel in Vancouver with various musicians including David Gogo, Norm Fisher, Shaun Verreualt, Jerry Adolphe, Tony Robertson and others. All the best to you and yours.

Holiday Train 2008

2008-12-23T04:35:00.000-08:00

Hello again. Here are some excerpts from blogs I wrote for CP's Holiday Train blog ..... for more info on what the Holiday Train is - check out past entries on this blog. It was a great trip .....

DEC. 1 2008
So another year begins. I read of the adventures to date of the US train. It's no surprise that their train and performances are receiving rave reviews. The train is the star, but of course the talent is unsurpassed. Introducing your performers: Bass guitar virtuoso and resident 'handsome man' John Dymond. The thunderous drumming and smoky vocals of Ken Post. The soaring vocals and daunting presence of Marty Mctiernan The fiery axe slinging and soulful vocals of Wide Mouth Mason and acclaimed solo artist Shaun Verreault. Finally, a talented instrumentalist on violin, guitar or any other instrument she chooses, an amazing songwriter and vocalist whose sweet siren song captivates listeners and never lets go - the incomparable Melanie Doane. Those of you fortunate enough to see these performers are lucky indeed.
So here we are in Canada .... we gotta do our part and rock the North! Today we arrived at the train - drum legend Pat Steward, renowned for his work with Colin James, The Odds, Bryan Adams and many others. Yvan Petit - a terrific guitarist/ vocalist who works with many artists including Johnny Reid. Randall Prescott, Holiday Train producer (North and South) and multi instrumentalist second to none! He was nominated for a Grammy, people! Multi CCMA award winner and smoky voiced soul serenader Johnny Reid. Finally, truly one of the greatest voices on planet Earth today - Tracey Brown. She knows not the phrase "wrong note". We rehearsed for about two hours and put together our set.

Due to the efforts of all of the wonderful CP employees who worked on prepping the train (I'm not gonna name names - I'll forget somebody) everything was in perfect working order. The stage car was amazing - organized, sounding good, clean, comfortable, warm. Awesome.

The crowd at the first show was 1000 strong. Tracey opened the show - a rollicking shuffle medley of Mabel Scott's 'Boogie Woogie Santa Claus' and Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree'. Yvan and Tracey's bilingual duet on 'White Christmas' was a delight. Johnny was up next with his version of Tom Jones' 'Darlin''. He followed it up with his hit 'Love Sweet Love'. Yvan treated the crowd to a French version of 'Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'. Randall wowed the crowd with his take on J. Geils' 'Whammer Jammer'. The finale featured Tracey and Johnny on 'Silent Night' and the oft covered 'Put A Little Love In Your Heart'.

From a musician's standpoint - it was a success. No "train wrecks" (pardon the pun) ... the crowd was great and we're off to a rocking start. Can we match the thunder of the US train? Time will tell. We hope so.

Submitted - Nov. 30 2008 - 6:00AM

Mike Norman - musician

DEC. 4 2008

We are seven shows in. I sit in my room - enjoying some tea and toast as I'm sure people who rode this train in the past did. I consider myself fortunate in my day to day life. Without trying to sound cliche, this time of year makes me feel especially blessed. I mean, here I am, riding around on a piece of Canadian history .... seeing Canada by rail! I get to play music for appreciative crowds with unbelievable musicians. I meet great people. My living quarters on the trip are second to none. I can't imagine what it would cost to buy a trip like this. This is my fifth year as the "musical director" (hate that term - it sounds so pompous) of the Canadian Holiday Train. It's always a great way to cap off my year.
Watching all of the good this train brings is an uplifting experience. Everyone's face lights up as the train pulls in. As the big doors open, Santa Claus performs his opening song and revs the crowd up into a frenzy. The food bank reps are thrilled to get the big cheque from CP. Then the music - Tracey, Randall, Johnny are all show-stoppers. My old friend Pat and new friend Yvan are a tremendous musical force. What really blows my mind are the people who come out to the shows. I've heard so many times from food banks reps about the increases in non perishable goods they receive when the Holiday Train comes through their respective towns. That is entirely due to the support from their local communities. That, my friends, is the Christmas spirit. No matter what you believe in at this time of year - whether or not you think it's become to commercial etc etc - if anything - check out the good it does the less fortunate. I've never gone hungry and I count myself blessed for that fact alone. I hope people like me NEVER take that for granted.
The crowds have been awesome. The requests for the train to come and visit communities in Canada is overwhelming. I have no idea who does the logistics for the Holiday train tours. It ain't your average rock and roll tour. This has so many more factors - other trains, safety, protocols, time of arrival and departure, making sure the train arrives at a spot that can accommodate a large crowd etc etc.. It's amazing and a simple musician such as myself can't comprehend it. Even after their schedule is finalized, the CP logistics people get requests for the train. Even after everything has been mapped out, the T's crossed, the I's dotted and the ink is dry on the itinerary, they do their best to figure in these places. Sometimes a longer stop for a full show is just not possible. Thus the '10 minute off the back show' was born. If anything, the opportunity to stop, sing a couple of Christmas carols and show off the train for a short while is the best that can be done. It's not the full show, but I applaud the efforts and am more than happy to participate.
We partook in one one these stops recently in the town of Brighton, Ontario. A huge crowd came out which took everyone in the crowd by surprise. Brighton - FYI - you guys were the topic of conversation that night. Please understand if a full show could have been accommodated, we would have done it. However, circumstances dictated that the shorter stop was all that could be done this year. Your numbers spoke volumes to the people on the train and while I have no say in scheduling, if I were a betting man ..... don't be surprised if you get a full show next year (bear in mind the predictions in this blog are mine only...). What a town - Brighton Rocks (we caaammmee to roocck! Sometimes it's all you got.... from the 80's metal band of the same name)....
Finally - we had a cool thing happen in Smiths Falls Ontario. The US Holiday Train stopped and we had a brief visit from the cast and crew! What a great treat. So cool to see them all ... if you're reading this - hope you are doing well. We miss you all.

That's it for now - season's greetings everyone!

Your humble servant Mike Norman

DEC. 10 2008

We're about 10 days into our journey in the sovereign nation that is the Canadian Holiday Train. We have no concept of time, date or what is going on in the world around us. All we see are bright smiling faces of people enjoying a taste of the holiday spirit. The gigs have been great - we are currently on show number 5 of our 7 show day. In between shows, we enjoy the unbelievable scenery that is offered up by this great country. We wave at people in cars. Drummer Pat Steward and myself grind premium coffee and serve it up in abundance. Our lives on the train are the makings of perfection. We are blessed.
It is interesting to watch the evolution of our holiday train team. CP employees have become well oiled stage hands. Everybody has their tasks and we are working in tandem with flawless precision. We're a swiss watch up there! However, the repetition has not staled us yet. The crowds fuel the energy in a Celestine Prophecy type manner - I can almost see the green glow of energy.
Johnny Reid has caught the Holiday Train bug in a big way - so much so that he wrote a song on the train. 'Everyday People Making A Change' represents the entire spirit of the train. The lyric is entirely based around life on the train and what it stands for. We learned it and immediately incorporated it into the set.
Tracey Brown has taken to 'working' the crowd. Sing alongs have been the order of the day - during 'Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer' ,Tracey will offer the microphone to youngsters to sing lines from the song - much to the delight of the onlookers.
More later ..... support your local food bank!!!

Mike N. - musician and Christmas fan

The Tongue, the BCCMA and a session

2008-10-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

So I've had this lesion growing on my tongue for the last few months. I had it removed at the advice of my doctor (I mean - of course....who wouldn't?). The lesion was about the size of a quarter. It was uncomfortable but not crippling. I went in on the 24th of October for day surgery. I had some general anesthetic administered and they went to work. I was home by 1:00PM that day. I had the rest of Friday and Saturday off to recover.
On Sunday it was time for the annual BCCMA awards show at the Red Robinson Show Theatre in Coquitlam BC. The Lyin' Bastards were called to order and we assembled for the performance. We were fortunate to perform with some of BC's best (as well as some great out of towners) - Deric Ruttan, Art Pruce, Ginette Genereaux, Jordan Doell, Sandra Wainwright, Kelly Brock, George Canyon, Fera, Ridley Bent, Aaron Pritchett, George Canyon, The Higgins and Jessie Farrell among others. The show went great. I went straight home and resume recovery. I had my Monday off which was nice.
It's Tuesday now and I'm feeling good. I'm at the Armoury Studios right now doing a bed track session for three artists - Sheila Deck, One More Girl and Fera.In the meantime the doctors are going to biopsy the growth to see if there are any other concerns .... I'm sure they'll find nothing out of the ordinary.

CP Spirit Train Sept. 21-Oct.-18

2008-10-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

My wonderful association with producers Tracey and Randall Presto and Canadian Pacific Railways continued with the CP Spirit Train. The CP Spirit Train is a program put into place to promote the 2010 Winter Olympics across Canada and to get the "spirit" going. We (Tom Mckillip, Chris Meister, Dennis Marcenko and myself) were hired to backup artists across Canada. While the entire trip was presented over three weeks, we only did 12 shows which made for a reasonably easy trip. People we backed up included Duane Steele, Tracey Brown, Marty Mcteirnan, Matthew Mukash and Kayla and Kelly Prescott.
The featured acts who played on every stop were Dallas Arcand and Sierra Noble. Dallas is a tremendous performer. Along with his guitarist/ vocalist Curt Young, they combined hip hop, country and blues with traditional aboriginal rhythm and traditions. The set culminated with a hoop dance - which Dallas is renowned for. He has won a world championship twice. Sierra Noble is a wonderful singer/songwriter/fiddler. She combines Metis fiddling with great songs - very honest songwriting. In addition she's a beautiful person inside and out. We have become great friends.
The stars of the trip were the Olympic athletes. We heard many inspirational stories of Olympic triumph from them - especially from the Spirit Train Olympic Ambassador - Paul Rosen. Paul is a Paralympic Sledge Hockey Goalie. He won a gold medal in Torino. Listening to him speak is amazing. His presentation is down to earth and speaks to everyone - whether you are an athlete or not. He was a constant ray of light on the train and a huge music fan. He gave me an autographed picture and some great memories. I look forward to watching him and the rest of his team bring home the gold in 2010.
Colin James and his band were along for the ride as well. We had some great fun hanging with those guys as well.
The trip was not without controversy - protesters appeared at almost every stop. Without going into my views on this subject, this is what makes this country great. Free speech and peaceful protesting are a right we all have - it was good to be reminded of how great we have it in the Great White North,
We had a great time in Thunder Bay and Smith Falls jamming with some local bands as well - thanks to Mark Potvin and his band as well as 'The Roadies' for letting us thrash around on your gear and letting us get our musical rocks off.
I want to write more about this trip .... but deadlines loom...must get to work. Thanks to Randall, Tracey, Cathi, Brea, Mark, the King, Kevin, Jon, Jill, Rob, Rob, Marty, Orest, Doug, the village people.... the list goes on and I'm forgetting people..... sorry....THANKS!

Vancouver Comedy Fest 2008 - Sept. 18-20

2008-10-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Once again, my friend Will Davis had myself and a few of my friends to provide some music to accompany the fine comedians performing at the Vancouver Comedy Fest. Of course, I jump right in - I love this gig!

Sept. 18

Chris Meister and I (aka The World's Smallest Trio) do the first gig of the night at the Vogue Theatre - Scott Auckerman and BJ Porter's Comedy Death Ray - three hours of standup (which turned into four hours - a marathon of funny). A wealth of comedians including Janeane Garofolo, Matt Besser, Andy Richter took to the stage. BTW - Reggie Watts - check him out. One of the most talented unique individuals you will ever see. Amazing talent! Afterwards - we went to the Media Club for the first of three nights as the house band for Andy Kindler's Talk Show. Andy is great - super quick -excellent at dissecting people and situations. He has recently been doing correspondent work for Letterman. Andy's sidekick for the show was Eddie Brill. Eddie is a talent booker for Letterman and also does audience warmups for the show. Chris and I realized this may be as close as we'll ever get to being in the Letterman band! It was awesome ... guests included Tim and Eric.

Sept. 19

Chris, Bruce Morrison and I started at The Firehall Theatre with Match Game - as we did last year. Our ol' buddy Jimmy Pardo returned with the panel - Scott Auckerman, Brian Posehn, Chris Hardwick, Janeane Garofolo, Matt Walsh and Marcia Wallace (that's right - an original Match Game cast member...Carol from The Bob Newhart Show...Edna Krabapple from The Simpsons!) Awesome!
Next up - night two of the Kindler show with Tim Meadows, Janeane, and some music with David Gogo who of course charmed 'em with some great banter as well.

Sept. 20

Long day - a session at the Warehouse for Dean Maher .... then to the Firehall for Match Game. After that - upstairs at the Firehall for The Todd Glass show - also a lot of fun! Finished it up for night three of the Kindler show .... Jimmy Pardo, Marcia Wallace and Shaun Verreault! More great fun.... love these gigs. Thanks Will!

Canadian Country Music Awards - Sept. 4-9 2008

2008-09-15T00:14:00.000-07:00

For the third year in a row my first week of September was occupied with rehearsals culminating in a the 2008 CCMAs on CBC, GAC and a bunch of other networks around the world. Our band (The Lyin' Bastards under the direction of Tom Mckillip) assembled in Winnipeg On Sept. 4. Incidentally , there's an explanation of the Lyin' Bastards:

More than a band, The "LB's" are more of an entity. Think back through history of famous session player groups - The Funk Brothers in Detroit, Muscle Shoals' Swampers, Booker T and the MG's with Stax, The Section and Wrecking Crew in LA, The Nashville Cats etc. - the "LB's" exist in the same way. We all have more or less been through Lisa Brokop's band and have spilled over into sessions and live gigs throughout many acts in Canada and beyond. Someday I'd love to do a record with the guys and document the discography of the selected players for posterity. As for the name "Lyin' Bastards"..... a bit of an inside story. Ask me in person.

This particular lineup of the Bastards was Jerry Adolphe, John Dymond, Steve O Connor, Robbie Steininger, Jay Buettner, Mike Sanyshyn, Jeff Bradshaw, Tom Mckillip and myself. In Tom's words, "If you're going in to battle, this is the band you wanna have.". I agree - with a band like this you do feel pretty bulletproof.

Sept. 4

We arrive in the 'Peg around 3:00PM. We check in to the hotel and arrive at the MTS Centre where the awards are being held. We get set up in a back room and begin the preliminary rehearsals. We had 11 musical performances on the show, 17 stingers (musical segments played during walk ons, walk offs etc.), 8 bumpers (music going and coming back from commercials) and other misc. pieces which would be dropped on us at the last minute). Our past experiences on the show helped us with this one. With some preparation ahead of time, we were able to blast through all of the acts, stingers and bumpers in four hours. We were able to get a nice dinner and good nights sleep.

Sept. 5

We came back to the MTS, ran everything again and then moved to the big stage. Everything ran quite smooth - the backline gear (Alien Backline - Ed Caron) was excellent and the individual monitor systems were an improvement over last year. Gerald Sawchuk, our monitor man, did an excellent job. For TV purposes, we recorded 18 20-second stingers (music played during people walking on and off the stage). As testament to the band's ability, we did it in 41 minutes which I think is pretty impressive. We rehearsed with Gord Bamford - the song, camera angles, etc..
After the rehearsal I played a showcase at McPhillips Street Station Casino with BC singer Amber Nicholson. She's a ball of energy and a good singer.

Sept. 6

The day started with rehearsals at the MTS Centre. Doc Walker (hometown boys - the big winners of the weekend) were first. Great band - really dig playing with these guys. Randy Bachman, Beverley Mahood and Deric Ruttan were next. It was fun for me - Randy and Deric were late getting to the rehearsal so I was elected to sing their parts. Randy was a complete gentleman and it's always cool to play with a legendary performer.
As Terri Clark had a prior commitment, I was elected to sing her song next for rehearsals as well. I peppered her melody with a few well placed Bruce Dickinson like screams to amuse the crew. All in good fun and with no disrespect intended to Ms. Clark's song. Paul Brandt was up next. After Paul, I slipped out of the MTS to go to a nightclub called Cowboy's where I played a 20 minute set with Aaron Pritchett for the Universal Music party. I arrived at 7:55PM, jumped onstage at 8:00PM and was back at the MTS Centre by 8:50PM to rehearse with Johnny Reid and his fine piano player Dave Cohen. I hit the Paquin Agency party after that for an hour - then went back to the hotel.

Sept. 7

9AM - dress rehearsal with Terri Clark. Bad news for us - Terri had elected to use taped music in lieu of the band. While it is understandable (using a band she's not familiar with, the stress of hosting a nationwide TV show, comfort level in general) I was disappointed as I quite liked her song and thought the band more than did it justice. However, this is sometimes the case. I remember seeing Paul Shaffer, Sid Mcginnis, Will Lee and Anton Fig (world class musicians in thier own right) lip syncing with Laura Branigan at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary performance. Hey, if they have to do it, I guess we do too sometimes. Her fiddle player Janae is a sweet and talented young lady.
Next up was Jessie Farrell with bassist Ryland Haggis and guitarist Jesse Tucker. She did a great job as usual. George Canyon with keyboardist Mike Little and bassist Joe Butcher came next. Also a lot of fun to play with these guys.
After the rehearsal - we went to a soundcheck for Carly and Britt Mckillip's (AKA One More Girl, formerly known as Saving Grace) showcase at the Pyramid Club. The girls recently were signed to EMI Canada and was (or IS) being looked at by Capitol Nashville. We assembled a great band (most of the awards show band minus John Dymond, Steve O Connor and Jeff Bradshaw and adding bassist Dennis Marcenko). After the soundcheck Jay and I headed over to the Gala dinner for a 7:00PM performance with Aaron (2 songs). A quick dinner there and we headed over to the Pyramid Club and did the showcase. The girls rocked - I'm so proud...... I've known them both since they were very young and it was thrilling to see them do so well in their official debut performance. BEDTIME!

Sept. 8

Show day! 9AM - MTS Centre. We arrive and rehearse with Crystal Shawanda and her husband/ guitarist Dewayne (I'm sorry - I didn't get your last name,Dewayne...). WOW. She can sing. What a delivery. We're all blown away by what was (in my mind) one of the highlights of the night. After that, Kellie Pickler took to the stage. She (like Terri Clark) sang to a track. Apparently she had a bad experience with another house band at a theatre I won't mention .... let's say it was a very popular one in Nashville. This left her feeling cold about house bands. Oh well - can't win 'em all.
Lunch break and then - the DRESS REHEARSAL. This particular dress rehearsal couldn't have gone worse. The old showbiz cliche would dictate this is a good thing - however by the end of it we were pretty distraught. Missed cues, feedback, too long between direction.... all added up. We put our game faces on and, after a quick production meeting and some ironing out of our notes it was showtime. If I may be so modest, I thought we NAILED it. 99.5% - as good as one could get. The band was magnificent and I couldn't have been more proud to be a part of a band.
I attended a wonderful party afterwards thrown by RGK Music and Ole Publishing Company.
Overall - another great CCMA week - looking forward to the next one!

More AP, Ghost Brothers and Fireworks

2008-08-11T19:07:00.001-07:00

On Aug. 8 I returned (for one gig) to the Aaron Pritchett organization to sub in on the bass guitar chair. I love playing bass. It's in my opinion the instrument in any pop based band that holds the most responsibility, If you make a mistake on the guitar, keyboards etc. you'll generally get away with it however not so on bass. It was a fun gig - the ol' Penticton Peach Festival. Nice to play some of the new songs from the upcoming record (which BTW is going to be released in Sept. 2008).

I've been doing some gigs with Vesou and Govinda Clayton aka The Ghost Brothers. This is a fun gig - a funky jammy combination of reggae, funk, rock and other flavors.

Also, the fireworks display which I scored was performed in Vancouver on Aug. 2 2008. The narrator is named David Nichols and works for the BC150 team. Musicians on the soundtrack are Jerry Adolphe, Dennis Marcenko, Jay Buettner, Tom Mckillip, Mike Sanyshyn, Chris Aiken, Gord Maxwell, Carly Mckillip and myself. Here's a YouTube link to the performance - thank you to the person who filmed it as I didn't get to see it live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=manQ0VG--LI

July 2008 Part 2

2008-08-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

July 22/ 23 - Sessions for producer/ engineer Soren Lonnqvist in Abbotsford.
July 24 - 31 - SEE last blog entry (July 13-17) except expand it over 8 days and make the touring party be: Carmen And Camille, Taylor James, Donna Huber, Shaun Verreault, comedian Kenny Shaw and musicians Lynae Dufresne, Allison Granger, Chris Meister and Tim Porter. Sound tech Dave Coe, lighting tech Eric Agur and escort officer Lisa Cameron.

and here's a taste of August:

Aug. 1 - Arrive back from undisclosed location. Drop off Tim, Will and Chris (4:00PM) Set up gear at Boulevard Casino (5:00PM) for 1st set sub Adam Rohrlick. Drive to Abbotsford for gig backing up 5 female singers and Kenny Hess at Abbotsford Agrifair (7:00PM). Drive back to Boulevard Casino for 2nd and 3rd sets with Dr. Strangelove band (11:00PM)
Aug. 2 - Sleep in! Casual in North Van. (7:00PM). Watch my fireworks display from afar (10:00PM!) Go to Boulevard Casino for 2nd and 3rd set again (11:00PM.)

I wouldn't have it any other way.

July 2008 Part 1

2008-07-21T02:03:00.000-07:00

After my stint with Chilliwack I returned home to carry on work with the BC150 celebrations. The BC150 Spirit Train (which was produced by Randall and Tracey Prescott) was an event I was involved with which started June 10 and was to end July 6. It was an old steam engine which towed along a museum and a stage among other cars. It stopped in 33 communities across the province of BC. I rejoined the train on June 25 after finishing off the music and final touches for the Celebration Of Light fireworks finale (which is to be performed on Aug. 2nd in English Bay - Vancouver). As is always the case in my life... I get booked up work wise - and then something big comes down the pipe that I HAVE to fit in. See if you can figure out what those big events were:

July 1 - BC 150 train performance in Cloverdale BC
July 2/3 - Finish final historical tracks for BC 150 train including narrative for museum car, Steam Train song and demo for Olympic Spirit Train (more on that later) - gig both nights at Boulevard Casino
July 4 - BC 150 Train performance in New Westminster BC - sub gig at River Rock Casino
July 5 - BC 150 Train performance in North Vancouver BC - hop a BC ferry and do a "casual" in Port Alberni BC
July 6 - Ferry back and do a BC 150 Train performance (the final one) in Vancouver BC
July 7 - Catalogue all BC 150 materials and ship to Ottawa. Send off all invoices. Gig at the Yale hotel with Jerry Adolphe.
July 8 - Rehearse with Govinda and Vesou Clayton - The Ghost Brothers for Saturday gig. Gig in North Vancouver with Mick Dalla Vee.
July 9/ 10 - DAYS OFF!! Go to Vancouver Island to see my Nana who turns 97(!!!) today. She still lives in her house and is in exceptional health for a woman her age. We go for fish and chips with my Aunt Louise. What a wonderful couple of days.
July 11 - Back to the mainland. Session for producer Rick Welin (whom I've never met face to face - he sends me the tracks and I play on them - nice guy!). Gig with Angela Kelman that night. After the gig guitarist Tim Porter comes to my house to play on a session for me.
July 12 - Session for artist Jose Cardenas (whom I've also never met - he too sends me his tracks and I play on them - also a nice guy!). Gig at Thunderbird Stadium with the Ghost Brothers (5:00PM). Drive home - drop my gear off (7:00PM) - drive to GM Place to see one hour on Stevie Wonder (8:00PM). He is 20 minutes late (8:20PM). I only see 40 minutes:( but what a GREAT 40 minutes!! I am happy and sad at the same time. Drive to my gig with Angela Kelman (9:30PM).
July 13 - Finish the gig(1:00AM). Pack up and drive home. (2:00AM). Pack clothes and gear, consolidate session files, burn DVDs and stuff in mailers and address them. Jump in car (4:00AM). Arrive at airport and go to Air Canada counter to check in for 6:00AM flight. Flight is cancelled!! Rescheduled for 7:00AM flight. Arrive in Toronto (2:30PM). Shuttle to Trenton Ontario for rehearsal for show tour to an "undisclosed location" in the Persian Gulf where we will be entertaining military personal (as I have done three other times in the past. Arrive in Trenton (5:00PM). Do the show (7:30PM). Finish the show (10:00PM). Go to bed (1:00AM)
July 14 - Fly overseas. I can't say where as part of my contract... however it was a 14 hour flight.
July 15 - We arrive at our destination (6:30PM). Customs, drive to hotel, get rooms, briefing (10:00AM). Bed (12:30AM)
July 16 - Show day. Due to circumstances beyond anyone's control the equipment shows up very late. I pitch in as do others helping set up the PA with the sound crew and well meaning (but inexperienced) helpers. We barely get it up in time and the show goes off without a hitch. It was fun to work with Carmen And Camille, Patricia Conroy, David Gogo, Taylor James, comedian Pete Zedlacher and our house band (Rod Salloum, John Dymond, Brent Howard, Ian Cameron and Sean O Grady). Sound crew Dave Coe & Eric Agur and escort officer Mark Larose. Up at 7:30AM and in bed at 12:30AM)
July 17 - 7:30AM -up. 9:00AM - leave to go play an unplugged show for the personal who could not attend last night's show. Great gig - nice guys. Back to hotel at 2:30PM. CRASH! Out like a light. Up at 8:00PM. Go to airport.
July 18 - Undisclosed location to Frankfurt (1:30 AM). 7 hour layover. Frankfurt to Vancouver (1:00PM). Arrive home (4:30PM). Go to James Taylor concert!!! (8:00PM) Nod off only ONCE during "You've Got A Friend" (8:45- 8:48PM).
July 19 - BC Ferry to Victoria to ROCK with David Gogo. I feel surprisingly good!
July 20 - Back home - play the Blue Mountain Festival in Coquitlam with Kenny Hess(7:30PM). Back home to do sundry chores etc (laundry, email etc.)
July 21 - Finish Sundry Chores and prep for upcoming trips.... see Part 2.

Chilliwack - Halifax, NS and Triton, NF - June 20 and 21

2008-06-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

'Four men in a rock and roll band, fly at night and in the morning we land...
This is exactly what we did. For two gigs I was lucky enough to join the legendary Canadian rock band Chilliwack. We left Vancouver for Halifax at 7:30PM and arrived at 6:30AM. I lived the song with the band that wrote it. It was surreal
I don't think it's an overstatement to say Chilliwack is like Canada's Beatles. They produced an enormous amount of eclectic music - all with tremendous heart and soul. They had many hits and some success in the US although there popularity predominated in Canada. One significant difference is the constant lineup changes. 27 different members (28 if you include yours truly) have been through the band. The one constant was Bill Henderson. Bill is the singer/ songwriter/ guitarist and leader of the band. He's tremendous... an awesome musical force. I write this sitting on a plane and seated next to him. It's an incredible feeling for me.
I first saw Chilliwack on the Merv Griffin show. Kal Rudman (a major music industry insider) was doing his monthly appearance on Merv bringing forward new acts which he felt were the next big thing. Rick Springfield and William Katt (from the Greatest American Hero) were on the show. The last act up was Chilliwack performing 'My Girl' and 'I Believe'. Merv loved them. So did I. My wondeful Nana bought me Opus X - there second to last studio record - for Christmas. What an impression it left. Rich vocals, great rock guitar, thick chord, soaring melody. In my mind it is perfect pop.
Fast forward twenty years or so. I stand on stage with Bill, drummer Jerry Adolphe and bassist Doug Edwards. The band gets introduced and Bill launches into a two minute guitar intro... then Jerry counts in 'Lonesome Mary' , a hit around 1970. The crowd goes nuts. Lucky for me it's a simple song with no background vocals. I get my bearings and breathe. 'Whatcha Gonna Do' from 1983 is next. Another big hit.
A procession of hits with some cool album cuts follows - Getting Better, California Girl, Arms Of Mary, Patent On The Wind, Communication Breakdown, Trial By Fire, 17th Summer, Crazy Talk, Something I Like About That, Groundhog, I Believe, Baby Blue, My Girl, Rain O and Fly At Night. I jumped around on four instruments (sax, keys, acoustic and electric guitars) and sang a whole lot. It's actually a pretty challenging gig and Bill is demanding in a very good way. It was incredibly satisfying. The next night we did it again in Newfoundland opening for Dr. Hook.
Truly a dream come true. I'm sad that it's over and hope it can happen again.

Update - no pix though...

2008-06-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to since the last entry? The answer would be same gig... Different people. As a freelance musician the routine is no routine. You wake up at different times, eat at different times, play different styles of music on different instruments (at least for me)....it's never boring and keeps you sharp and vibrant.
In general, I've kept busy with various sessions and live gigs. Lots of great gigs recently at Vancouver's Yale Hotel thanks to my good friend Jerry Adolphe. I had the pleasure of playing with many cool people like Tony Robertson, Brian Scott, Matt Frenette, Paul Kaip, Ric Andre, Mike Wedge, Brian Newcombe, Doug Edwards and Jack Lavin among many others. I played a fun gig for the Merritt Walk Of Stars as part of the house band. We backed up Jason Blaine, Johnny Reid and Jessie Farrell among others. Aaron Pritchett's record is finished (I was a co producer) and will be released in September. I completed sessions for other cool acts like Saving Grace, Sheila Deck and a fellow named Jose Cardenas. I worked with a great guitarist named Steve Ouimette from Scottsdale, Arizona who is known for, among other things, his work on the phenom known as Guitar Hero.
In June a tidal wave of work came in, all of it celebrating my home province of British Columbia. BC turns 150 this year and to celebrate - they hired me!! I was hired to help put together music for the BC150 Spirit Train ... An interactive multimedia spectacle that travels throughout communities in BC. From that, I was commissioned (more or less) to write a piece of music used as the theme song for the festivities. If you live in BC you may hear it.
From that, I was again commissioned to write the music for the finale of Vancouver's Celebration Of Light, a yearly fireworks display that runs over the course of several nights in the summer in Vancouver's English Bay. I'm gonna try and bring my Nana to that one!
This month I also get to live a dream of mine... subbing in with the legendary Canadian band Chilliwack. Lead singer Bill Henderson has long been a big influence on me musically. I am excited and scared terribly at the same time. I can't wait. I'll write abou that the next time....

Kwalikum Jazz Extravaganza - Feb. 22 2008

2008-05-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Growing up my major influence in my life was my Dad, my Mom, my family and friends. Musically, my first profound influence was a musician named Phil Dwyer. Phil is a few years older than me and is an renowned saxophonist/ pianist of the highest order. He has won Junos (Canadian Grammies), recorded many albums, performed as a sideman for the likes of Red Rodney, Aretha Franklin, Gino Vanelli and many others. He is easily a world class player and I am proud to know him. We graduated from the same high school - Kwalikum Secondary School in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island.

Dave Stewart - who is, along with Dan Kramer, one of Kwalikum's award winning music instructors - asked me to participate in a fund raiser for the school's music program. It was to be billed as an 'alumni concert' in which students currently in the program would perform and then the alumni 'all star' band would perform to close out the night. Considering the talent that I was to play with I have a hard time feeling that I fit in to the 'all star' tag - however I was proud to be included.

It was a daunting task - while I am comfortable playing jazz - it is not something I get to do everyday as it is, shall we say, an acquired taste for the general public - therefore most of my living comes from playing and recording rock, R&B, country etc.. The musicians on the stand that night - Johannes Wallman, Pat Collins, Phil Dwyer, Johnathan Lindsay and Pat Steward - all play at an astonishingly high level and (with the exception of Pat Steward and Johnathan) play jazz on a daily basis. It was highly satisfying and inspiring to get the opportunity to play with these people - especially Phil who I consider the main motivation for me to kick start my career as a musician.

Sessions, Gigs, etc. etc. - and Jessie Farrell

2008-04-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

And so comes a new blog from me. While I have been busy I haven't had much to write about. Work continues on the new Aaron Pritchett album where I am listed as a "co producer". This title encompasses many tasks however - accountant, string arranger and conductor, keyboardist, background vocalist, engineer etc. The album has made many stops and starts as the other three producer assess and reassess the material. Though this can be frustrating, generally the end result is always worth it. Looking forward to it's completion and watching it go out into the world.

I have toured with Aaron for the past two years but have recently resigned my full time duties in order to move on to some other musical challenges. Guitarist Jay Buettner will be taking my place and rest assured the post is in good hands indeed!

In addition, the session world has been good to me as of late. Through my friend Kevin Churko I played on a song for Toronto vocalist Divine Brown. She's a wonderful singer and a big talent - as well as a fellow chocolate aficionado. Another highlight was playing on the debut record for producer Tom Mckillip's daughter Carly and Britt - known as Saving Grace. I recently completed a string arrangement for them as well which is always fun for me. Many other sessions also happened in the month of March (some of which were non disclosure) which made things exciting.

As I write this I am in the catering room in the MTS Center in Winnipeg Manitoba. I am on the last of four dates with singer Jessie Farrell. She is touring with Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson as the support act. The shows have gone well and I'm posting some pictures here.

Other than that, not much new on the professional front. Until next time....

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

All the best in 2008. I'm in my studio right now. I'm finishing up Aaron Pritchett's new record and doing some keyboard overdubs for a few people. After so much road work last year, I'm also looking forward to living in my house for a while.

See ya!

Melanie Doane and Wide Mouth Mason - Canadian Pacific Holiday Train - Dec. 1 - 18 2007

2007-12-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have had the pleasure in the past of participating in this wonderful trip. Randall Prescott (musician/ producer/ songwriter etc. extraordinaire) in conjunction with the Canadian Pacific Railways organizes this yearly event which is tough to describe - one must see it to truly understand it's majesty - but here goes:

Nine years ago, CPR decided they wanted to give money to food banks in communities in Canada and the US where they operated. It started as a train decorated with lights traveling from town to town giving out donations. Long story short - I was contacted four years ago by Randall to act as musical director. He explained the train was going "live". CPR had built a "stage car" which housed a PA system and full stage gear - all of which is strapped down tightly. The acts (in the first year were The Moffatts, The Ennis Sisters and Tracey Brown) would perform a half hour set in about 70 communities over a three week period all the while living on the train in very comfortable staterooms. Since then - I have acted as the MD whereby my duties include rehearsing the band, playing the odd impromptu acoustic set for VIPs as well as record specific musical cues on my portable recording rig.

This year saw the return of Wide Mouth Mason whom I met last year and have since become good friends with. Their original drummer Safwan was unable to do the trip so his sub was the terrific Pat Steward whom I've known for years. His accolades include work with Colin James, Matthew Good, The Odds and of course Bryan Adams (that's him on "Summer Of '69" among many others). It's great fun getting to be (In my own words) the "fourth guy" and play rhythm guitar and keys to all their great songs.

Melanie Doane was someone I had not known personally until this trip however her reputation preceded her. She is a tremendous person and an amazing talent. She plays terrific violin and we have only scratched the surface on her abilities as a guitarist, mandolinist, drummer and bass player. Then - she sings like an angel and writes amazing songs. ON TOP of that - she's an excellent hang and a beautiful soul. Her quiet perfectionism and endless positive energy is a great source of inspiration. I hope I get to work with her again.

We quickly became a very good "band". We perform two Wide Mouth tunes, two Melanie tunes and throw in a couple of holiday tunes to reflect the season. The closer is a tune Melanie performs - a 5/8 fiddle tune called "Tamarack" which includes a quote from Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" where we perform the famous solo section from that song.

To break down every gig would take forever as we're making about 60 stops in 18 days - suffice to say it's a lot of fun. We have a great crew and as I write this we have two more days to go. I'll miss it - however December 2008 will come quicker than I think it will. Thanks to everyone including:

Wide Mouth Mason (Shaun, Earl, Pat), Melanie Doane, Randall Prescott, Steve Petrie (Stage Manager) Jill Winkler (our chef), Mark Seland, Breanne Fiegel, John Dorais, Mark Rickerby, Michel Spenard, Heather Jones, Leslie Pitcock, Steve Sugars, Kevin Hrysak, Richard Young, Ian Libby, Richard Alain, Operation Lifesaver, Phil Dangerfield, Scott Hughes, Hoppy and family, Scott, Tom, Larry, Nadine, Mark, Gawiya, and many others that I'm forgetting. Next year - the 10 year anniversary of the Holiday Train and 150 for CPR. Looking forward to it.

APB Vancouver Island tour - Nov. 23-29 2007

2007-12-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

We hit the road one last time this year. A quick recap:

Nov. 23 - ADSS Theatre, Port Alberni BC - Nice gig and their culinary arts department didn't disappoint - another fine meal. A mill recently closed there and despite the hard times the town is facing the crowd was really into it.

Nov. 24 - Tidemark Theatre, Campbell River BC - A nice theatre - a sold out affair. It was Scooter's (our FOH guy) birthday. Aaron brought him up on stage and we ate cake.

Nov. 25 - Cowichan Theatre, Duncan BC - Another sellout - this is one of my favorite venues to play. Great crew and a very nice theatre.

Nov. 26 - Evergreen Theatre, Powell River BC - A beautiful part of the world. Nice gig once again.

Nov. 27 - Sechelt BC - I can't remember the name of theatre however this gig has an interesting story. The promoter could not justify doing this gig due to the expense - however a lady named Erin started a campaign on Facebook to get Aaron Pritchett to play at this venue. It was such a successful campaign that enough tickets were sold to make the gig feasible. Crazy crowd. Darren and I enjoyed our third Thai meal of the trip.

Nov. 28 - Port Theatre, Nanaimo BC - GREAT gig. My hometown (more or less). My Dad and Nana came to the gig as did my good pal Lee Worden and his Dad Marv and daughter Lily. The crew was great and the gig was another sell out. The old hometown rocked it.

Nov. 29 - Pit Pub at UBC, Vancouver BC - College crowd - a residual gig from the one we did at Thunderbird Stadium earlier this year. Good fun - and my last APB gig of the year as I am committed to another tour. Guitarist Jay Buettner picks up where I left off for the final APB gigs of the year.

Nov. 8-11 - Four in four with the APB

2007-11-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

Within four days - the Aaron Pritchett band (Aaron, Mitch, Mike S., Ron, Darren and myself) join our crew (Scooter and Warren), our road manager (Carmen) and our new driver (Don Stafford) for four gigs in three provinces (the equivalent to the USA's "states" FYI). It is testament to the crew and driver that these types of runs can be pulled off. Scooter and Warren always have us up and running in the most difficult of situations and of course we wouldn't be anywhere (literally) without a good bus driver. Donnie is no exception. We got to each gig safe, sound and well rested.

Nov. 8 - Dukes Cabaret, Grande Prairie AB - Big ol' rocking cabaret gig. Nice people and another good time. Joel and his staff made us feel very welcome.

Nov. 9 - North Valley Cultural Centre, Fort St. John BC - This is a theatre I've played several times in the past. Nice gig and always a great crowd. A little girl came up on stage and gave us all flowers. It was very nice.

Nov. 10 - Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton AB - This was a gig for the Canadian Finals Rodeo, which I imagine is a rodeo event of some kind (I'm not really an aficionado of said sport). Nice gig and we got to visit Sam Wok's, one of our favorite eateries in Edmonton.

Nov. 11 - Regina, SK in a big hall by the Brandt Centre - This was a similar event to the night before - a big cabaret for the Western finals of the Grey Cup - the equivalent to the USA's "Super Bowl" (yes I've had some US readers - hence the clarifications). We got in late for soundcheck due to bad weather.... but that is due in part to our driver Don who decided to get us there late and alive rather than potentially not at all. Good call Don - thanks. I could learn a lot from you.

BCCMA Awards Show - Oct. 28 2007

2007-11-03T03:50:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune to play as part of the house band (and damn near the same house band as were at the CCMA's a month and a half earlier) for the British Columbia Country Music Awards show. I got to play with some fine BC singers including Kelly Brock, Ken McCoy and Emily Adams among many others. JRFM's Chris Coburn hosted along with Carolyn Dawn Johnson who also sang a couple of songs. Aaron and her debuted a song that we recorded a few days earlier called 'I Wonder'. Aaron cleaned up as did Jessie Farrell who also performed. Lots of fun.

Oct. 22-25 - The Warehouse - Aaron Pritchett record

2007-10-27T02:57:00.001-07:00

Aaron Pritchett and his manager/ guitarist Mitch Merrett asked that I be involved in the production of Aaron's new CD which I of course accepted. My history with Aaron is a long one. I met him in the early 90's when he was a finalist in a Canada wide talent contest (Paul Brandt was also a finalist - neither him nor Aaron won - and look at them both now!). Over the years - Aaron has been working on his career as a singer and I've been a part of it. His first CD was produced by Tony Rudner - it was a four song EP and I played on two cuts. Next - we did a review show together at Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition. I produced five songs off his next CD - "Consider This". I played on his next two CD's and have written several songs with him - three of which have been on two of his CD's including one pretty big hit - "Lucky For Me". For almost two years I've played in his live band. To come back to the producer's chair is a great opportunity.
We chose 16 songs to record - tunes Aaron had co written with outside writers as well as songs sent to him by publishers. As it turns out - 13 of the strongest songs came from Aaron and his co writers. The studio was set up on Sunday the 21st and we were off.
The roll call: drummer Jerry Adolphe, bassist John Dymond, guitarist Jay Buettner, guitarist/ steel player Russ Pahl, engineer/ producer Dean Maher, assistant engineer Scott Ternan and yours truly on keyboards. THIS is the team you want on a record. A great band - musically very mature. They're all great guys and a great hang as well.
We cut four tracks a day for four days. This included overdubs and as a result - the "bed tracks" are damn near complete musically - it already sounds like a complete record. We had fun arranging the tunes (most of which were demoed using just an acoustic guitar and vocal). All the performances came off very progressive sounding for Aaron which is a good thing - growth from album to album is important.
It was great to spend time with Russ. He's a top Nashville musician - playing on many major records and demos. Currently he tours with Vince Gill. I first met him when he came to play on Aaron's "Big Wheel" album. I took him to Stanley Park one morning and had a great time. He had a lot to offer and I took home a lot of lessons for my own personal musical "library".
On the final day we cut a duet with Carolyn Dawn Johnson which may or may not appear on the CD - there is only going to be room for about 11 songs. Aaron and her will debut it at the BBCMA show which happens in two days from the time I post this.
Next up we're going to get busy at my home studio recording a few overdubs and the vocals. Hopefully by January we'll be mixing! Stay tuned....

More Pix from Greece

2007-10-13T14:15:00.001-07:00

Greece - One for the Navy - Oct. 3-12

2007-10-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Okay - I'm a little tired - it's been a long haul but here we go:

After the APB Ontario tour I remained as I had been asked to participate in a show put together for the crew of the HMCS Toronto - a Canadian Forces ship from Halifax that was coming into a port in Souda Bay which is near Crete. Of course I said yes. I was part of the backup band with Tom Mckillip and drummer Jayson Brinkworth. This was a treat - I love working in a trio setting on big shows. The challenge of making a small combo sound really big is always fun for me.
The headliners on the trip were Wide Mouth Mason singer/ guitarist Shaun Verreault (heartland rocker), Taylor James (chanteuse), Jenny Galt (we'll call her "female rock diva") Patricia Conroy ("the wonderful and classy...") and Mike Macdonald ("funnyman"). Our host was Will Davis - Vancouver ComedyFest head and a great comedian in his own right.... he was the guy who put the show together.
These "variety" shows are always cool - a buffet of entertainment. The crowd -about 250 sailors who'd been putting in some pretty long hours including a rescue mission in Somalia after a volcano took out a base where a bunch of Yemen soldiers were stationed - were primed for the gig.
We rehearsed in Borden Ontario at a military base for three days and did a dress rehearsal show. While at the base I was lucky enough to take in a couple of cool gigs - Kim Mitchell on the base as well as Saga (on their farewell tour) in nearby Barrie.
We travelled almost 28 hours to get to Crete - three flights and lots of layover hours. Crete is a beautiful place - perfect weather and of course there is nothing like a real Greek Salad. The bad thing was our time there was all too brief - three days does not make for much time to sight see.
We made our way to the ship. We got a tour of the whole boat which was quite a privilege. The ship's commander Stephen Virgin was a gracious host and his crew were first class gentlemen in their own right. The show went off well - the Canadians actually invited the crews from other boats that were docked their as well - Germans, Dutch and the American crew of the Bainbridge. The Admiral of the entire NATO fleet (who was the Captain of USS Bainbridge - please excuse me if I'm not getting the ranks exactly right) attended as well.
The Canadian Navy regulations regarding alcohol and partying are a little more lax than that of their counterparts in the other military branches. The rumour was there is more beer than bullets on the boat - apparently the 130 dozen beer they had on hand dwindled away in mere hours and reinforcement measures had to be put into place.
The show opened with the Toronto's house band - four sailors (Chilli, Matt, Dwight and another fellow who's name escapes me) - calling themselves "Halfway To Hell". The name came as the Toronto's boat number is "333". Tough act to follow....but we persevered. Taylor opened - her version of Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On" was a favorite of mine. Shaun was up next - hitting them hard with a mix of Wide Mouth hits, his solo stuff and some fierce singing and guitar playing. Mike Macdonald was next. As a big comedy fan - it was great to meet and hang with Mike. He is iconic a Canadian comedian as it gets - beloved and very funny (he's also a big music fan - I sat next to him a lot on the plane. He'd plug me into his IPOD and lay tunes on me that I'd never heard before. He told me about attending Richard Jeni's wake - which blew me away - really enjoyed my time with him). The troops ate him up.
Jenny Galt was next - soldiers can't seem to resist pretty girls singing rock tunes and naturally she rocked 'em. Patricia of course weaved her usual musical spell. Our road manager Lisa Cameron was up next. Patricia tipped us to the fact that Lisa was once a full time musician who played some pretty mean guitar. Once we called her on it, she admitted that at one time she was a player so it was a no brainer to include her on the gig. She wailed through Ricky Scaggs' "Hummingbird" and killed it. The finale was Neil Young's "Helpless" and Ashford and Simpson's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".
I write this flying home from Toronto to Vancouver. I'm about 30 hours into the commute home - another 6 and I should be in a bed. We all agreed we're gonna find another gig for this ensemble.... don't know where or when but it's gonna happen - too good a group to disassemble after only one show. Stay tuned - until next time.... good night Mr. and Mrs. Canada and all the ships at sea wherever you are...

APB in Ontario AGAIN! - Sept. 26-Oct. 2

2007-10-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Another sojourn into Ontario for the APB! It's a good thing - the people out there love Aaron and it's always well worthwhile to get back there.

Sept. 26 - We meet up with the bus (owned by singer Johnny Reid) and hit the road for Kingston Ontario to a place we've never played before - The Ale House. Rustic old building - a lot of fun. Our opening act for tonight (and the next two nights as well) was Jessie Farrell and her band. It's always cool to have an opening act of people you like - especially considering I've just got to know Jessie having produced a track for her the week before.

Sept. 27 - Cowboys, London - The triumphant return to a club we played earlier this year. Once again - the crowd did not disappoint. Loud and proud - they made us and Jessie's band feel at home.

Sept. 28 - Jackhammers, Brantford - Friday night in Brantford!! A HUGE crowd... Jessie's final night with us. We dragged them up on stage for 'Hold My Beer'. Kylie and Jessie sang and danced. Ryland the bass player played my piano. Jesse Tucker (guitar) grabbed Mitch's other guitar. Jesse Godin (drummer) played tambourine. Cool.

Sept. 29 - Metcalfe - I think this was the last of the fairs this year. Our last chance for mini donuts.... I actually opted for a Pickerel burger - which was interesting but in a good way.

Sept. 30 - The Old Roxy Theatre, Mount Forest - We have played here before ... well ... actually outside in the parking lot behind the theatre but close enough. Our opening act was a fellow named Brian Burn. He sang for a rock band named I Mother Earth and is now showing another side to his musical arsenal - alt country. He and his band were fun to hang out with.

Oct. 1 - No gig - but our pal Mike Denny from Fusion 3 (Aaron's distributor) was good enough to treat myself, Mike Sanyshyn, Darren Parris and Scooter Findlay to dinner and a show at the CN Tower. It was a cooperative promotion between Churchill Wineries and Fusion 3 promoting an artist named Emilie Claire Barlow. She is a wonderful singer who's main focus is the "Great American Songbook".... so think Diana Krall or Ella Fitzgerald. She was great.... excellent band featuring Keiran Overs and Nancy Walker. I sat with Jaymz Bee and his friend Donna... he's a performer/ singer/ TV and radio host as well as man about town. Aftewards - a visit to The Orbit Room to see Kevin Breit and the Sisters Euclid.... a great band - the best thing happening in Toronto on a Monday night - they've been there 12 years - check 'em out!

Oct. 2 - Guelph University ..... Sorry - it was cancelled at the last minute..... I won't get into the reasons - I think an official explanation will be released on Aaron's website. Anyhow - it was a good excuse to get prepped for my next trip. More on that later.

Sept. 18-22 - Vancouver Comedy Festival - My Mr. Show experience

2007-09-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

While we recorded Jessie's song in the day - I was working for the Comedy Fest at night. I was asked by my buddy Will Davis (Comedy Fest president and a fine comedian in his own right) to assemble bands to work at the various venues around town. My turf for the week was primarily the Vancouver East Cultural Centre - the principal residency for one of my favorite comedy "troups" (for lack of a better term) - Mr. Show. Anyone not familiar with Mr. Show (and adventurous enough to trust my comedy judgement) should Google them. The show was created by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. Mainstream audiences would know Odenkirk from his appearances as Stevie Grant on the Larry Sanders Show. He's also a heavy writer/ director - he wrote the "Matt Foley" character on Saturday Night Live ("living in a van down by the river!!"). However - he's been involved in a wealth of comic gold over the years. David Cross is best known for his appearances in movies like Men In Black and TV shows like Arrested Development (Tobias Funke - not to be confused with the Tobias who plays with Charlie Major:)). These guys - along with people like BJ Porter, Paul F. Tompkins, Scott Auckerman, Brian Posehn, John Ennis, Tom Kenney, Jill Talley etc - did an HBO show that ran for four seasons. I can only compare it to Monty Python. The sketches were all unrelated in content yet swam together in each episode seamlessly and in the end would all come together somehow (fans of the Python TV shows can relate). It was smart. cerebral and very funny. This is comedy that I really "get". I've always been a comedy fan and student (it's quite closely connected to music and there's been a long tradition of kindred spirits between musicians and comedians). Therefore getting to work with these guys was a true honor and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Sep.18 - Best Of The Fest Short Films. My old school buddy and now comedian Damonde Tschritter hosted this show - a collection of short films to be voted on by the crowd. Chris Meister (drums) and myself began our tenure and played short stingers throughout the night. Good fun

Sept. 19 - Best Kept Secret - a show of rock solid standup by ... well... it was gonna be a secret. As Chris and I set up our gear, we were approached by none other than Bob Odenkirk. "Are you guys playing here tonight? Cool!"
He then asked how much we were involved this week and asked it we were going to be able to be at their Saturday night "Sketch" shows. We weren't booked but I wasn't gonna let that opportunity slip away.... subs were called following the show.
Odenkirk, David Cross, Paul F. Tomkins, Graham Clark, Sean Devlin, Scott Auckerman, BJ Porter and Marc Maron all performed solid sets - three hours (almost a little too long for a crowd to sit). Unreal. We introduced them by playing them up with stingers suited to each person's personality (the Paul Shaffer in me took hold). It was great.

Sept. 20 - Comedy Death Ray. Chris and I changed venues and went to the Commodore Ballroom for two shows. Death Ray is a regular Tuesday night tradition in LA hosted by Scott Auckerman and BJ Porter (also known as "The Fun Bunch"). It's based around standup and a little bit of sketch. Show one featured The Fun Bunch (with a little bit of music from us) and then sets by Bob, David, Paul F., Brian Posehn, Andy Kindler, Maria Bamford and Marc Maron. The next set they upped the ante by including Jimmy Pardo, Todd Glass and Neil Hamburger (BTW Google all these people and check them out - they were all great). Bob included Chris and I in both his routines - we improv'ed a "Toby Keithesque" country tune and played "smooth jazz" throughout his sets. Five solid hours of funny. I was worn out.

Sept.21 - Match Game - Back to the Vancouver East Cultural Centre (the "Cultch" to locals) for another LA regular show - a live version of the popular game show from the 70's. This was like heaven for me - I LOVED this game as a kid and knew all the routines and shtick. Shane Hendrickson was added as the bass player - I played keys and wah guitar (check out the theme for an introduction to wah wah guitar playing 101).
The Fun Bunch, Odenkirk, Cross, Tompkins, Bamford - local radio personality Martin Strong and host Jimmy Pardo played the game with two audience members. It was close to perfect. The next show WAS perfect. If I say so myself - I thought we nailed it. Pardo made good use of us and we were happy to oblige. The kindred musician/ comedian thing shone through. They may as well had been playing instruments with us - it was like a big jam. I have a souvenir - a Match Game card that David Cross wrote an answer on - for the record it was "Hitler's Moustache".

Sept. 21 - Greg Proops - Later that night (1:00AM) Chris and I set up and did a late show at an after hours joint on Pandora Street. Comedian Greg Proops hosted a chat show with Marc Maron and Paul F. (aka PFT). Greg is a fantastic guy. He is best known for his long running stint on "Whose Line Is It Anyway" - the improv show hosted by Clive Anderson or Drew Carey - depending on what side of the Atlantic he was on. He had some excellent insight into comedy - a real student of it. He talked to me about Elaine May and Mike Nichols and recited some of their routines. Also, we discussed Mort Sahl's influence on Woody Allen and again he recited some of Woody's old standup bits. He was an excellent host and a really unique and cool individual. We set the vibe with a kitsch bossa nova thing. Then we hung until about 3:30AM. Marc Maron gave us the thumbs up which was very cool as well.

Sept. 22 - "Sketch" with Bob and David. Bob handed us a "script" the night before. It included several musical cues which we were happy to oblige. The show was based on some scenes with Bob and David but included several local acts such as Sunday Service, The Cody Rivers Show, Canadian Content and Bucket. As was our way - Chris and I did pretty good on the first show - but nailed it on the late show. We had a great hang with Bob and David in between shows.

Overall - a great experience. I can't wait until next year.

Sept. 17-20 - The Warehouse with Jessie Farrell

2007-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was asked by 604 Records' president Jonathan Simkin to produce a Christmas song for artist Jessie Farrell. I had just met Jessie the week before at the CCMA awards - got to play a tune with her on the show. She was nominated in a couple categories and as it turns out was and is doing a bunch of dates with Aaron.
The sessions went well (and quick - there was a hard deadline). Jerry Adolphe, Darren Parris, Robbie Steininger, Gord Maxwell and Jessie's guitarist Jesse Tucker were the musicians on the date (and me). Dean Maher and Scott Ternan were our engineers. You cannot do a successful recording unless you have a crew like this. All of them outstanding in their fields. Plus - there is nothing more inspiring than recording at a studio like the Warehouse. Owned by Bryan Adams, it's one of the best recording facilities in the world.

Sept. 6 - 16 2007 - CCMA's and the Aaron Pritchett Band extravaganza continues

2007-09-15T00:21:00.000-07:00

After a week of sessions (organ overdubs etc for Doug Fury, Rocky Jr. etc.) and other small tasks (including an Aaron gig in Ontario - a one off which was good fun but not unlike a lot of the other gigs this year), it was time to get prepped for this year's Canadian Country Music Awards. I played them last year as part of the house band where we backed up Michelle Wright and Brad Johner on a "medley" style piece as well as a bunch of bumpers and stingers. Past that, all the music (except the lead vocals) was the tracks from the individual artist's albums which the band would mime too. In a daring and controversial move the producers of the show tried something revolutionary in today's world of "perfect" music ... a LIVE band throughout! What a concept.

Tom Mckillip (Lisa Brokop's bandleader, producer and a fine musician) was hired as the musical director and hired me as well as a (I'm proud to say) WORLD CLASS band of musicians - Steve O Connor on piano, Jerry Adolphe on drums, John Dymond on bass, Robbie Steininger on guitars and dobros, Jay Buettner on guitars, Steve Smith on steel guitar, Mike Sanyshyn on fiddle and vocalist Taylor James. This kind of band is a musician's wet dream. An unstoppable force. Every conceivable part covered by the best in the business in the most professional and mature manner. If you're going into battle, this is the kind of platoon you want.

Sept. 6
I flew to Regina armed with my book of charts all ready to go. I had arranged a string part to be played by local symphony players for George Canyon's tune. I had put Tom's string arrangement for Emerson Drive onto a notation program. I had prepared loops for Brad Johner and Shane Yellowbird's tunes. I was ready. The rehearsals began pretty much the hour we touched down. We ran the tunes plus ran over and/ or composed the bumpers and stingers for all the cues given to us by the production company. It was exciting to get together with all these players. My favorite thing about being a musician is being a part of something that is bigger than the individuals in the band. Playing these songs with a band like this is just that sort of experience.

Sept. 7
The first snag arrived today. As we got to the rehearsal room, CBC advised us of a problem. For the 5 video of the year nominees, the production company wanted to synchronize the video footage to the band so the videos ran at the same time the band played them. The problem was the band would have to play to a click track which had not been sync'ed to the video. To make matters worse, 4 of the 5 songs had loops which also had to be sync'ed up. I was elected to bow out of rehearsal and spend the day in a CBC edit suite with associate producer Heather and video editor Luke and get this all straightened around (which we did). I made it back to the rehearsal in time for our in ear monitor check and then a run through with the string section (who turned out to be a fantastic group - another minor flame of worry extinguished!) We rehearsed the first of many acts on the show - Johnny Reid. Fantastic singer (and as I write this - we're travelling on his tour bus).
Today began the festivities surrounding the CCMA's. That night after the rehearsal I picked up a gig with guitarist extrordinaire Wendell Ferguson who was bandleader on an artist showcase for a girl named Cassie Young. Nice girl - cool band - Chris Sutherland from Kim Mitchell's band, Steve Smith from The Wilkinsons on steel, Craig Young from Terri Clark's band on guitar and Shane Chisolm from Aaron Line's band on bass.

Sept. 8
Rehearsals with the artists resume. Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Jimmy Rankin, Paul Brandt, George Canyon, Shane Yellowbird and Jessie Farrell make up the day. We run through the music and the production team choreographs camera angles and staging cues. I learn that Billy Ray Cyrus who we were scheduled to play with is not appearing due to 'Hannah Montana' going into production overtime as a TV writer's strike was pending. He is replaced by newcomer Jason Blaine and we receive his song to learn today.

Sept. 9
More rehearsals- Brad Johner, Jason Blaine, Jim Cuddy, Emerson Drive and Aaron Pritchett rounding off the show. It's a lot of fun hanging with the musicians and this kind of pressure is the kind I thrive on. Trying to get the all the cues, bumpers, stingers and songs right the first time is a challenge and it's a lot of fun and wears you out mentally - but the adrenalin gets pumping and fuels you up.
After the rehearsal - Mike, Steve Smith and I ran over to the Casino Regina to participate in the All Star Band Awards. Mike and I were nominated for our individual instruments. We were to play again with the same band we did on Friday except with drummer Jayson Brinkworth instead of Chris Sutherland. The featured singers were Amanda Wilkinson and Prairie Oyster's Russell DeCarle. They would sing an old classic country tune and then present an award. Not coming from a country music background - it's gigs like this that make me love the music. Russell and Amanda are world class vocalists - she is dynamic and balls to the wall .... Russell has a voice that is smooth as silk. What a treat to play these great old tunes they way they were meant to be played. The big surprise of the night is when Mike Sanyshyn won for Fiddle Player Of The Year. He has been nominated several times and this year was his. I was thrilled.

Sept. 10
The day of the big show! My Dad and his girlfriend were flying out for this one which also a nice surprise. We ran the show top to bottom with several interruptions to correct issues technical and otherwise. Generally a bad dress rehearsal means a good show. We did the show and it was a blur - I wasn't sure quite how it went.
Later that night I went for dinner with Dad and his gal and Shane (one of Aaron's bass players and my brother in law). I was tired and went back to my room. I flipped on the TV and saw CBC was rebroadcasting the show. There's no way I could sleep now ..... so I watched the show. I'd give it about a 79 out of 100. We played well - the audio was so so and the vocals weren't too bad. At any rate, a good effort and a lot of fun. Some of the highlights include Aaron and Mitch winning Song Of The Year for 'Hold My Beer', the multi media presentation of George Canyon's 'I Want You To Live', the string section and of course Dog The Bounty Hunter and his wife walking on stage to the rock stinger which I composed!

Sept. 11
I climbed on the Aaron Pritchett bus to a gang of party'ed out CCMA attendees. We left around 9:00AM to make the trip to Winnipeg. Great gig that night.... sold out. Our opening act for the string of upcoming dates in September is Jessie Farrell and her band. This is cool for me to get to know them as I'm going to be producing a song for her in about a week.

Sept. 12
The bus left for Brandon Manitoba. The Forty was the name of the club - we had played there earlier this year. Another cool gig. Got to hang with Shaun Beavis - bass player par excellance who plays with Brad Johner among others.

Sept. 13
Carlyle Manitoba gave us our next gig - the Bear Claw casino. A smaller venue - we brought the stage volume down and played to a seated more reserved bunch of people. These gigs are the ones where the band typically plays at it's most musical which is something I especially enjoy. When there's not as many females screaming in the front row, the band has that much more focus.

Sept. 14
Trouble at the venue.... the club owner apparently (and this is an unconfirmed rumour - I'm piecing it together as I go) has been uncooperative. We sit now on the bus waiting to see if the gig is happening at all. Mitch (Aaron's manager) is dealing with this as I write this....
It gets resolved - the show goes on. A lot of familiar faces in the crowd.... good fun and Carmen the road manager's birthday.

Sept. 15
Finally - a corporate gig for Magna - a big corporation owned by the Stronach family. Good gig - a lot of people who were "into it".
I'm bagged - gotta prep for the ComedyFest, a Jessie Farrell production on Monday and other stuff. Good night.

Summer Concert extravaganzas

2007-08-31T02:08:00.000-07:00

On August 25 I played a gig in Whistler at the 'Campground C Country Music Festival' with Aaron Pritchett and earlier in the day Kelly Brock. What made the gig special for me was playing with my two of my oldest friends - drummer Chris Aiken and multi instrumentalist Lee Worden. We all went to college together (I've actually known Chris of over 30 years - we met in Kindergarten!) and these days the chances to play together are few and far between. Chris lives in Europe and is a successful musician/ producer over there. He came to Canada for a visit and ended up picking up a few gigs including this one with Kelly Brock. It was like coming home to play with them both again.

Also on the bill in Whistler - Spirit Of The West. Twenty five years into the band - they sound better than ever. One of Canada's finest - they put on a great show. Aaron followed them and I wish we'd gone on before them.

Aug. 27 - I played a gig at the PNE. After soundcheck I wandered over to the mainstage to watch Kenny Loggins. Fantastic band behind him and Kenny - love him or hate him as seems to be the way - is an amazing musician and singer/ songwriter. You have to recognize that.

Aug. 28 - Also at the PNE - Christopher Cross! Mr. 5 time Grammy winner in one year! Excellent band yet again and Christopher himself sang well and played some great guitar.

Aug. 30 - The New Odds .... essentially the old Odds with hew guitarist Murray Atkinson.... Murray Pat Doug and Craig made me fall in love with them all over again. Some old hits and a bunch of new stuff .... it's good to have them back...

2007-08-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

Aaron Pritchett - Aug. 18 - Dartmouth, NS - Rodeo Lounge

2007-08-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

Our second go 'round at this club in Dartmouth - a suburb of Halifax. We had a gracious host named Carla who treated us very well. It was a nice way to end our 10 day trip.

Aaron Pritchett Band - Aug. 17 - Lawrencetown, NS

2007-08-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

This was another agricultural fair - the APB seems to play several of these a year. Don't ask me where this town is ... a three hour drive became about five. Although I wasn't paying close attention, we seemed to take a few detours getting to the venue. When we got there, we found an amazing site - a great stage situated by a river at the bottom of a hill making it a wonderful natural amphitheater. The response by the huge crowd was overwhelming - "Warm Safe Place" was sung by the crowd loud and clear. The screaming was deafening.
Afterwards the autograph lineup was well over two hours long. I took some great pictures at this memorable gig. The haddock I had for dinner was also great.

Aaron Pritchett Band - Aug. 16 Charlottetown, PEI

2007-08-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

What a town. I had been there before a long time ago but never got a chance to explore it but it's a gorgeous gem of a town. Charming people and the vibe is amazing. The gig was at the Civic Centre - part of what seemed to be an agricultural fair. It was a general admission gig. When they opened the doors after our soundcheck - people rushed the barricades to the stage. Several thousand people soon started chanting Aaron's name. We hit the stage and it was thunderous. A great gig - the crowd outdid themselves and it was a lot of fun. The stage crew rocked as well - the gear was first rate as was the lighting and monitors. Afterwards the autograph lineup must've been close to two hours long.
The next morning Darren and I got up early to check out the city some more. A cup of coffee and fruit smoothie later - we moved to buy indigenous food items for our people back home. I know my Nana loves preserves.

Aaron Pritchett Band - Aug. 7- 12 - Prairies and Ontario

2007-08-18T12:01:00.000-07:00

Roll call - Aaron Pritchett, Mitch Merrett, Mike Sanyshyn, Darren Parris, Ron Briggs, Scott "Scooter" Findlay, Warren Dieno, Carmen Choney and yours truly (sorry no pictures this time):

Aug. 7 - Edmonton, AB - The first gig of a 10 day trip - a show at the Western Canada Summer Games. Weather was not on our side and the gig was not very well attended - although those that were there were great. It was interesting to note that Jordan (Aaron's son) and his band Roswell opened for us. During 'Hold My Beer' Aaron invited Jordan up on stage for an impromptu duet. It was great - the pride on Aaron's face was a sight to behold.

Aug. 11- Little Current, ON - A festival sponsored by the local radio station, we arrived the night before into Sudbury ON and drove three hours to Manitoulin Island where Little Current is located. Our hotel was a nice Inn on the lake - a great place to stay although unfortunately located about a half hour from the gig. The crowd was great as per usual. After the gig - we got back to Sudbury to our hotel, We slept for about one and a half hours then headed to....

Aug. 12 - Wood Mountain, SK - Well - not directly. We flew to Regina and then drove to Assiniboia SK. We checked in to a hotel (no names will be mentioned) which is probably one of the most appalling hotels I have ever been in. Flies, stains on the floor, walls, and curtains - smoke laden and just plain awful. Darren and I arranged for a ride to Regina (courtesy of Scooter who lives there) and booked our own room in a more livable situation. We felt bad for the rest of the band - but they chose to rough it. The gig however was another story. Another fun time - a mixture of several small communities at a music festival held in the middle of Saskatchewan. Nice folks. Darren and I got back into Regina into our beautiful room and got a good night's sleep.

More With Aaron

2007-07-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Ontario from two gigs with Aaron.

July 28 - Delta ON - A fair in Ontario. We played the set - ate some mini donuts and drove 5 hours to get to our next gig as it was an afternoon start. Nice people. Darren had a hot dog that was half burned and half raw. MEDIUM HEAT people. Also, some carnival folk berated him into playing one of their games. After he won, they berated him into playing again as the prize they gave him was "something you'd find in a dumpster". God bless the Carny folk.

July 29 - Fergus ON - A truck show. Aaron and Greg Evigan from BJ And The Bear. Show business.....

Anyhow - nothing too eventful. We wrote some suggestive songs in the car ... one called "Da Shocka" .... ask me and I'll sing it to you. Bye...

June 21- July 16 - Aaron Pritchett, Al Foreman and Eric Martin (walk into a bar...)

2007-07-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief recount of the last few week's events:

June 21 - Vancouver, BC - A benefit gig for "Rock Against Diabetes". I did a set with jam band Combustible Jimmy and finished up with a set with Eric Martin - a great singer noted for his work with Mr. Big. It's always an interesting experience getting to meet the people you listened to on the radio when you grew up. It's even more interesting when you become a musician and get to play with these people. This has happened to me a few times: playing "Taking Care Of Business" with Randy Bachman, "Working For The Weekend" with Mike Reno, "My Girl" with Bill Henderson. Well, it happened again with Eric. "To Be With You" was a #1 hit around the world. Playing that song as well as a bunch of his others was great fun. Hopefully we can do it again someday.

June 30 - Peterborough, ON - Last year Aaron and band were slated to perform a gig at the Festival Of Lights. However the outdoor gig was cut short as Mother Nature sent in a tornado about five songs in. The gig was rescheduled for this year. Gig went great. This was the first gig for my brother in law (nepotism?) bassist Shane Hendrickson. He nailed it of course. He phoned his other bosses, Natalie McMaster and the Leahy family who all came out to watch us.

July 1 - Toronto, ON - A Canada Day gig for CMT featuring Aaron and a few other bands (Jason Blaine, Corb Lund Band and The Roadhammers). We did a quick line check and hit the stage. Another good gig. Shane and I grabbed a taxi to the airport after wards and flew home.

July 2 - Vancouver, BC - The Yale blues bar. This gig is always fun and the band is always exceptional. Jerry Adolphe and Jack Lavin (the rhythm section) are great players and the hosts of this Monday night gem. The rest of the band was Tim Porter (a fellow Vancouver Islander and GREAT guitarist) and Al Foreman (highly entertaining - pianist/ harp/ vocalist). Al sings a bunch of great tunes and I get to blow lots of sax.

July 4 & 5 - Calgary, AB - The beginning of the Calgary Stampede run began with two corporate gigs with Aaron. These types of gigs are, to be perfectly honest, cash grabs. They're fun but generally because we make our own fun. The audience is never generally "into it" and these gigs were no exception, but they're gigs nonetheless and that's a very good thing.

July 10 - Calgary, AB - This was a gig at the Nashville North tent on the Stampede grounds. This gig always stands out at being one of the loudest onstage - not the band but the crowd. Women screaming for Aaron trumps the band everytime. Great crew and a great gig. See the bottom four pictures above.

July 11 - Calgary, AB - Another corporate gig at the Sheraton Au Claire. An acoustic gig - the change up was fun. I also saw Bon Jovi in the lobby of the hotel. They looked stunning. They were all wearing sunglasses inside which made them all look "incognito". Nothing draws attention like a party of ten wearing sunglasses inside. On steel horses they ride.

July 13 - Lloydminster, AB - A gig where the stage was in the middle of some rodeo grounds. My first mini donuts of the season. Finished the gig and got back on the bus for an all night drive to Peace River. Incidentally, our bus was used the previous two nights by Bon Jovi. So yes, I rode the steel horse they rode.

July 14 - Peace River, AB - This was a cool little music festival at a really cool location - a train trestle behind us and a river beside us. This gig was especially fun for me as we shared the bill with Nazareth and The Headpins. After the gig I planted myself side stage and watched both band's sets. Great fun. Hits aplenty and I took sadistic pleasure in watching the security weed the Peace River "undesirables" out of the crowd. There was a lot of arrests - and the police chose to put the guilty parties right beside our bus. We thought about bringing out the rider for them to snack on as their "last meal" before their incarceration into the town drunk tank. However, we chose not to as we were hungry. Sorry guys. Next time, perhaps.

July 15 - Craven, SK - Another all night ride and we pulled into the Craven Music Festival. We closed up the night in the "beer garden" after Reba Mcintire's set on the mainstage. As expected - another loud rocking night where the women were screaming at Aaron's every move. Aaron extended the encore and we pulled off a 2 hour ten minute show. Dwayne our bus driver intercepted a few young men who, fueled by alcohol. made their way onto the stage (perhaps they were from Peace River). The crowd was estimated at no less than 10,000 people. It was a nice way to finish up this little run. See the top two pictures including the sign which was thrown up onstage. Rock and roll.

July 16 - 5:22AM - Regina Airport - flying home to my own bed.

A Week In The Life - June 4 - June 10 2007

2007-06-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this in point form to add to the hectic tone. I didn't bring my camera so unfortunately I have no pictures to share.

June 4 - Leave for airport at 3:30AM PST - flights to Nashville. Arrive at 4:30PM MST - hotel by 5:30PM. Quick nap - 7:30PM leave for gig at Stage lounge on Broadway. Gig at 9:30PM with Aaron Pritchett - back to hotel at midnight.

June 5 - Leave for airport at 5:30AM MST - flights back to Vancouver. Arrive at 1:00PM PST - get in car and drive to Vancouver Island ferry to Victoria. Ferry is delayed an hour. Arrive in Victoria at 6:00PM. Soundcheck at 6:30PM - gig at 8:00PM with Vancouver party band Dr. Strangelove. Back to hotel at 1:30AM.

June 6 - Leave hotel at 6:00AM - ferry to Vancouver at 7:00AM. Arrive in Vancouver at 8:45AM and head to gig - CKNW Orphan's Fund picnic at 9:30AM - have pre arranged my gear to be waiting for me - it was tight but I made it. Home at 2:30PM -sleep for two hours - head to Coquitlam (suburb of Vancouver) to a casino for a casual - soundcheck at 7:30PM - gig at 8:30PM. Home at 1:00AM

June 7 - 6:00AM - pick up my wife from the airport - back home at 9:00AM (rush hour) - sound absorbing fabric guy arrives to install panels in my brand new home studio and isolation booth. Pay bills, learn new material etc. until he leaves. Afternoon nap again - gig at 9:00PM - home at 1:30AM.

June 8 - Session at 9:30AM - three songs - organs and keyboards. Home at 12:30PM - pack and head to airport for 3:30PM flight to Toronto. Arrive in TO at 12:00AM EST - hotel at 1:00AM.

June 9 - 8:30AM lobby call - two and a half hour drive to Minden, Ontario - a small town with a big heart. Soundcheck at 4:00PM - gig at 8:00PM with Aaron Pritchett - back to hotel at 12:30AM.

June 10 - 4:30AM lobby call - drive back to Toronto. As some of flights leave earlier than others we arrive early to YYZ - my flight is at 11:00AM. Email - eat and catch the flight. Back in Vancouver at 4:00PM PST. Session at 5:30PM - the producer on the session has taken very ill and needs me to bail him out while he recovers - I create drum loops and play my parts for 14 songs - it has to be done by 9:00AM the next morning. I work - drink coffee - work - nap - work - order pizza - work - eat - nap ...

June 11 - 8:30AM - Done! Acoustic guitarist is arriving at 9:00AM - however - the producer is still ill and someone has to record the guitarist .... he's a friend and I agree to do it. Andreas Schuld (the guitarist) arrives and wails through his parts - they sound great and go down very quickly. Home at 11:30AM - and sleep. 2:30PM I awake - unpack - put gear away - laundry - string arrangement for a producer ... send it off. Bed.

June 12 - Recap and write the blog.... so there was a quick snapshot into my life as a musician. Good times.

Aaron Pritchett Band - May 19-25 - Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and beyond

2007-05-28T00:23:00.001-07:00

Roll Call - Aaron Pritchett, Mitch Merrett, Ron Briggs, Mike Sanyshyn, Darren Parris and me (the band), Scooter Findlay, Warren Dieno (the crew), Carmen Choney (tour manager) and Dwayne Nemlander (bus driver, security).

May 18 - The bus rolled out at 9:00PM for an overnight drive to Creston B.C.. The "sedative" of the evening is a beverage called the Mojito - discovered by the band in Boston. Although the recipe for this drink has several regional variations, the band seems to favour a mixture of crushed mint, cane sugar, ginger ale and white rum. Being the teetotaler of the band I have my own version of the drink which excludes the rum - the "Nojito".

May 19 - Creston B.C. - We arrived at the District Center - the gig was a fundraiser of some kind. Our opening act was Jessie Farrell - a wonderful young singer destined for greatness. The gig went well - nice stage sound considering the room and a nice way to start the gig off. Aaron had a lot of family in the area which is always a good thing.

May 20 - Travel Day - drove to Jasper - stayed overnight - uneventful - other than the bear we saw on the drive up - see picture at top!

May 21 - Fulham, AB - A mid day gig in a community about 2 hours west of Edmonton, this gig was another fundraiser for a local charity of some kind (I guess I should pay better attention to the causes we're playing for). Mitch bought some firecrackers and set them off in a field. Good times.

May 22 - Day off - We travelled to Edmonton. Aaron, Mitch and I did a radio spot with a fellow named Mike McGuire from a local country station. Nice guy and a gracious host. After that we retired to the hotel where I went over the score for the next days gig with the ESO.

May 23 - Edmonton, AB - APB with the ESO - The big day! This gig has been on the books for a while and I had been really looking forward to it. Maestro Claude Lapalme wrote arrangements for 9 of Aaron's songs (Big Wheel, Lucky For Me, Gone, The Weight, After The Rain, Done You Wrong, Drivin' Song, Warm Safe Place and Hold My Beer)/ The day began with Aaron and I doing another on air spot for another Edmonton radio station. After that, it was off to the marvelous Winspear Centre for the soundcheck and rehearsal. Claude conducted and did a marvelous job of coordinating over 50 musicians into one big beautiful sound. It was a great night - the CBC recorded it for broadcast at a later date - looking forward to hearing it again!

May 24 - Fort MacMurray, AB - Cowboy's Night Club. - Going from the Winspear with the band being augmented by 53 members to a Northern Alberta nightclub was an interesting transition - the surroundings were a little more rustic - the volume was several decibels louder - the alcohol was served in bottles and shots rather than glasses.... but it was a good time.

May 25 - North Battleford, SK - Gold Eagle Casino - Newly renovated - the gig was great. The house techs were great. It was a nice way to end the trip. Until next time....

Bass/ Keyboards/ Guitar/ Vocals - Aaron Pritchett Band April 12-15, 28

2007-04-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had a couple of interesting gigs with the Aaron Pritchett band this month. I have always benefited in my career as being a guy who plays a few instruments (keyboards and saxophone tie for first - bass is next on the list an guitar would be fourth - flute and other instruments barely qualify but depending on your standards of quality I play a few others as well). With Aaron's band currently having a rotating bass guitar chair I have been thrust in the rotating instrumentalist role. I enjoy it because it keeps me thinking. We played Calgary's Rodeo Royale on Thursday which is a precursor to their famous Calgary Stampede. The gig was good although not as enthusiastic as most other AP gigs - due to the fact that the Calgary Flames were in the venue right next to us in a do or die playoff game. This was the second gig for Darren Parris - a tremendous bass player known mostly for his work with singer Daniel Powter (remember 'Bad Day' from American Idol? That's DP on bass). Darren kicked some serious ass on this gig and the band loves him which is good as he was my recommendation - no one except myself knew him.
However as Darren is working with singer Hayley Sales on her upcoming debut he was unable to join us for the gigs in Banff so to save some headaches I was elected to play the bass and double where I could on keyboards. It was good - the only thing really lacking from the gig in it's normal 6 piece configuration were the rhythm guitar parts. However Mike Sanyshyn, Mitch Merrett and I rallied and they covered some of the crucial rhythm parts. 75% of the keyboard parts I played with my right hand while fretting the notes on the bass with my right - easier on the ballads but tricky on some of the up-tempo numbers like Perfectly Blue (which is a 12/8 thing with a feel a la 'Sea Of Love' or 'Treat Me Like A Fool'). I enjoyed watching our stage tech Warren laughing at me as I played both instruments and sang harmonies - it was pretty amusing. I managed to cover everything with minimal error - so much so that I reprised this role for our gig in Boston.
Our gig outside of Boston (in Waltham at Bentley College) was an eye opener for me. Aaron's people have been trying to make inroads for his career in the US and has started looking into college gigs like this. Aaron is generally an unknown artist in the US so I wasn't expecting a huge reaction. However what was reenforced to me in this gig was the power of the internet and downloadable music. A lot of the people attending the shows knew a lot of Aaron's tunes (we even got a request for 'You Can't Say That I Didn't Love You', a tune from the first album). I could feel the "ground beginning to break'. Anyhow - fun gig and nice people.
When I get home amongst other things we begin demos for the next record with Aaron.... looking forward to getting creative!

Aaron Pritchett - Thunderbird Stadium April 12

2007-04-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great gig last night. We were palying on a bill that included Finger Eleven and Sam Roberts. As Aaron tends to lean a little more to the country side, I must admit I get a little skeptical as to how we're going to go over with a body surfing audience. However, since I've been playing with Aaron nothing surprises me anymore. The crowd was great. They sang along to all the hits (even the verses of the ballads) and Aaron won over several more fans. I wish I brought a camera as the crowd was wild. Our bass player for the gig was Darren Parris who played the gig for the first time and nailed the set.

Susan Aglukark and Sierra Noble - Vimy Ridge - France - April 5-9 2007

2007-04-10T13:38:00.001-07:00

Tom Mckillip (bandleader for Lisa Brokop, producer for Aaron Pritchett, Amanda Stott and many others) called me a month ago and asked if I would like to be in the house band for a celebration that was taking place April 9th at the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France. The Vimy Ridge Memorial is a huge monument that was dedicated in 1936 to pay tribute to the many Canadian soldiers that perished during a big and bloody battle on April 9, 1917. While the battle was considered a victory for the Canadians and the French, the death toll was staggering and many of the bodies to this day have not been found. The names of the missing are printed on the monument. If and when a body gets found and the identity is established (which does happen from time to time) the name of the found soldier is filled in and a military funeral takes place.
The monument itself is overwhelming. It was designed by Walter Allward over a period of 15 years and is made from limestone from a quarry in a Croatia. Unfortunately time had worn down the monument. The Canadian Government saw fit to refurbish it in time for the 90th anniversary of the battle.
Drummer Craig Bignell, bassist Phil Hall, Tom and I left on April 5 for Lille, France on a military flight to begin rehearsals with singer Susan Aglukark and violinist Sierra Noble to perform two small sets after the main ceremonies. We had a lot of downtime which was okay with me as it gave us a chance to explore the monument up close as well as take in some of the ceremonies. The 110 piece military band was awesome - excellent arrangements and despite some cold weather during Saturday's "Sunset Ceremony", their intonation was impeccable.
On Sunday we attended a dinner with Canada's Prime Minister Steven Harper and performed with Sierra. Especially fun for me was getting to hang with Tom's long lost cousin Major Jim Mckillip - the man primarily responsible for the ceremony. A man of considerable clout and intelligence, he was charming and an excellent hang. One of the boys.
Monday's ceremony was brilliant. Jets screaming overhead, choirs, soldiers with parachutes, the military band, the Canadian PM, the French PM, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip - it was all grandiose and a fitting tribute in my mind. After the main ceremonies I couldn't but feel that what we did was a little insignificant - however it was all made worthwhile watching Major Mckillip grinning from ear to ear.
As I write this I'm beginning my 15 hour commute home. It was all very worthwhile - another amazing experience all thanks to the fact that I play music. How lucky am I.

Aaron Pritchett Eastern Canada Dates March 21-April 1 Part 3

2007-04-02T12:08:00.001-07:00

Yes indeed - the band's weary heads rose slowly after a night's worth of good natured debauchery. The hospitality in Burlington was amazing by all accounts (I was holded up in my room recording vocals for producer Allan Rodger so as a result I missed the festivities).
We arrived in Tweed, a municipality near Trenton, Ontario. It was an interesting locale - a "lived in" venue. It's a dance hall with a bar and hotel attached to it. Once again we were welcomed with open arms. The gig had sort of a "community dance" vibe to it - except we did our regular 90 minute show. The crowd was once again over the top crazy.
The party continued and I once again bowed out to complete my vocal tracks from the night before.

April 1 - London, ON - Cowboys

The final night of the tour. We got into London late due to a few traffic snarls on the 401. After a brisk soundcheck we headed back to the hotel - got cleaned up and hit the stage at 9PM. Another great crowd - the place was packed. A few people who saw other gigs on this tour made it out to this gig for one more look. A great way to end this trip.
The bus left the hotel at 3AM and we made our way back to Toronto for our 7AM flights. Band and crew (with the exception of myself and Dwayne) are fast asleep in their bunks. We fly home and Dwayne deadheads the bus back to Edmonton for some upgrades and then to Vancouver. I don't envy him.
So ends another exciting APB jaunt. More to come at a later date. Over and out.

Aaron Pritchett Eastern Canada Dates March 21-April 1 Part 2

2007-03-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

March 27 - Toronto, ON - Gibson Show Lounge

This gig was set up as a show for contest winners in the Toronto area as well as for industry types as invited by OPM records. The show is a one hour acoustic show with guitars provided by the Gibson people - makers of quality instruments for many years.

March 28 - Whitby, ON - Johnny B's

Just outside of Toronto is Johnny B's. A lot of effort went into this gig on the part of the promoter - great sound crew - nice stage sound. Promo throughout the town - cars sporting wraparounds with Aaron's picture driving throughout town spreading the word. Also excellent was the dinner we had at the restaurant. Gourmet all the way - I enjoyed Chilean Sea Bass with fresh vegetables and jasmine rice. Delicious.

March 29 - Toronto, ON - Sheraton Downtown

This was what we call in the business a "corporate gig". We were hired to play a private concert for a bunch of people who worked in the insurance business all over Ontario. Corporate gigs, generally, are humdrum affairs. You get in - set up - play a polite set to an empty room as have the people are in the foyer drinking and socializing. It is a way for bands to make a quick and healthy wage.
This gig was different. I have NEVER been in a room at a corporate gig (and I've done a lot of them) where everybody sat back, listened and enjoyed it. There was no audience murmur, nobody who left, no requests for "Brown Eyed Girl". They were an excellent bunch of people and one of my favorite gigs on the tour.
My one question though .... explain to me why, when staying at a Sheraton, the local phone calls are $2.00.... yet when you stay at a Comfort Inn they are free?

March 30 - Burlington, ON - Big Bucks Saloon

After a grueling 45 minute bus ride we arrived at our next gig. Our hotel? A COMFORT INN! Free calls! Free breakfast! Free internet! Love this place! We had an interesting twist before the gig. Carmen informed us that there were some contest winners whose prize was a four song acoustic set aboard our bus. All of us (except Ron) piled onto the bus and situated ourselves on a couch. The fans came in and we did the three new songs as well as an barbershop arrangement of 'Hold My Beer'. Let me explain. When 'Hold My Beer' first hit the charts in July of last year it was (and still is) getting a great crowd response. After an excellent festival gig the libations began to flow on the bus. One thing led to another and we came up with different ways to perform the song.... heavy metal, reggae, cocktail jazz. Barbershop was the style that stuck. Hopefully we'll document it someday.
The gig was an exciting 90 minutes - filled with screaming women, really loud guitars and drums. I bailed out of the post gig party to do some work in my room. I'm looking forward to the post gig report tomorrow.

Aaron Pritchett Eastern Canada Dates March 21-April 1 Part 1

2007-03-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my observations of the March Eastern Canada run of Aaron Pritchett and the APB (roll call - Aaron (fearless frontman/ guitar), Mitch Merrett (guitar/ vocals/ management), Dennis Marcenko (bass/ vocals), Mike Sanyshyn (violin/ mandolin/ vocals), Ron Briggs (drums), Carmen Choney (tour management, merchandise), Scott "Scooter" Findlay (sound technician), Dwayne Nemlander (bus driver) and yours truly (keyboards/ guitar/ vocals).

March 21 - Dartmouth, NS - Rodeo Lounge - Meet and Greet

The trip started with the band flying out to Toronto from Vancouver and meeting up with the tour bus. This particular bus will be our primary mode of transportation on the longer runs as it was purchased by Aaron's "people". It's past owner (or at least the guy who held the lease) was Kenny Rogers .... which is a good thing. I have a feeling Kenny is a somewhat clean living guy -by comparison my brother in law Shane Hendrickson (who plays bass with Natalie McMaster) is currently riding around on a bus that belonged to Tommy Lee. What happened on those couches and bunks on that bus is a mystery I don't think anyone wants to unlock.
Due to prior commitments I flew straight to Halifax - the rest of them rode for around 18 hours to Halifax. I missed the meet and greet but apparently the event went well - hands shook, babies kissed, autographs signed and pictures taken. I got a report from the crew that the hospitality of the club was overwhelming ... as evidenced by the slow start everyone had the next morning. The club was nice enough to buy us breakfast the next morning which was most welcome. We are slated to come back for a gig in two days..... looking forward to it.

March 22 - Liverpool, NS - Astor Theatre

Nice gig. A small theatre in a wonderful little community about and hour and a half from Halifax. They were a great listening crowd. We hadn't played in quite about a month and a half with the full band so this was a nice way to get back in the groove.
By the end of the trip we should have six new songs added to the set including three new tunes written by Aaron, Mitch and some Nashville based writers. We're also doing a tune from his very first record called 'Perfectly Blue' - a slow 6/8 shuffle a la 'Treat Me Like A Fool' as well as 'Right Down The Line' - a Gerry Rafferty song from the 'Something Goin' On Here' CD. We managed to rehearse and add 'After The Rain' (a new ballad) at this show.
I think the town had a sale on digital cameras that day - every time I looked out that crowd every other person was snapping photos.

March 23 - Dartmouth, NS - Rodeo Lounge

Back for the show - we had a quick soundcheck. Due to some production issues (apparently the truck with the PA and backline broke down en route to the venue) we had time for a quick soundcheck as the lineup to get into the club was around the block (general admission). This impeded our chance to rehearse our second of the three new songs - 'My Kind Of Woman'.
We managed to have a hotel room rehearsal and worked MKOW up and got it in the set for that night.... it went pretty good - we'll hopefully have time at the next gig to nail it down a little better.
The gig was great - another one of those AP shows where the crowd deafened me. The band hung around after and enjoyed the hospitality once again .... very nice. I unfortunately had to retire early and get back to the room to complete some overdue tasks (accounting - tax time.... FYI deadline is the end of April - mid April for our US friends - so do your part!).
The next day we were invited back to club for more hospitality in the way of breakfast again! Good times.... we look forward to coming back.

March 24 - Truro, NS - Cobequid Education Centre

I'm on the bus by myself - the rest of the gang is in the venue signing autographs and I opted out to write whilst watching some romantic comedy with Hugh Grant where he plays a handsome and whimsical yet awkward English gentleman who gets caught in a "sticky wicket" eh wot. (Which movie was that again? Oh right - EVERY movie he's been in!)
A quick drive to Truro - about 45 minutes. Soundcheck was far more plentiful.... we had a couple of hours. We used most of the stage time to fine tune "After The Rain" and "My Kind Of Woman". We are especially excited about "After The Rain". It's a very good song written by Mitch, Aaron and Deric Ruttan. We are in preliminary arrangement stages and it is starting to really feel huge. It cries for big strings and we're setting it up for just that. Chances are it'll be in the set all year.
The gig was great - crazy crowd. Aaron, Mitch and I debuted a new tune that they had written called"All Over Again" - the third in the trio of new tunes. We did it acoustically - by the end of the trip I'm sure we'll have the band in on it as well. Dwayne our driver has started up on other duties - he escorted a couple of young ladies off stage when they made their way on stage to touch Aaron.
Great crowds in Nova Scotia - we're coming back in August - thanks everyone!

March 25 - Moncton, NB - The Rockin' Rodeo

We were here last year and I guess we're back by popular demand. Especially exciting was the prospect of hitting Captain Jack's, a restaurant on the water that serves an exquisite lobster feed. We left Truro early, looking forward to a lunchtime arrival. To our dismay our restaurant was closed for the season. After a slightly less satisfying lunch at another local eatery (which franchises into many other communities around the world) we carried on to soundcheck.
The gig was a madhouse - a party crowd as only the town of Moncton can provide. It seemed as those the party could've continued long into the night for the patrons and band however the bus had to be on the road by 2:30AM as we had to be in Toronto by Tuesday and wanted to allow sufficient travel time. Apparently rumours abound that we will be back here in August as well. The party will continue then. That's what we do. We party. Yee. Haw.

March 26 - New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario - Trans Canada Highway

Dwayne is earning his money by putting in several "overdrives" (bus driver lingo for overtime and double scale wages) to get us to Toronto in time for our show tomorrow. The time on the bus is passed several ways - movies, sleeping, writing blogs, editing recording projects by other artists (those two are mine), texting or calling friends and loved ones, confirming gigs and organizing booked ones (Carmen) and a new pastime - playing Jacks (not the card game - rather the game where one bounces a ball and you have to pick up as many jacks as you can - you know the one). Posted for your viewing pleasure is a little home movie (or pictures depending on which blog you visit) of this activity. It's actually a very nice way to travel. Exciting to note was the truck stop we visited. The typical pedestrian food fare was accented by a selection of East Indian food which was prepared by the owner .... very good and a very welcome surprise for myself and Carmen - the band Indian food aficionados.

Nazanin Showcase Dates - March 6-16

2007-03-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was contacted by Bodog Music to assemble a band for an artist named Nazanin. Nazanin is a remarkable person. She was born in Iran and raised in Vancouver. She studied Political Science at UBC and speaks three languages. A former Ms. Canada and Ms. World runner up - she has received accolades from around the world for her humanitarian efforts.

She was instrumental in the release of a young Iranian girl whose name is also Nazanin. While walking with her 15 year old niece, three men attacked and tried to rape them. In self defense, she stabbed one of the men who later died in hospital. She was charged with murder and to be executed until Nazanin (the artist) collected over 350,000 signatures and through pressure from the UN and other organizations the young girl was released.

In order to strengthen her voice for humanitarian causes, she recorded an album which will be released her on April 24. A few showcase gigs were set up for publicity's sake - Vancouver at Ginger 62, West Hollywood at an amazing home one block off Sunset in the hills and New York at the Plumm Club.

The band was a pleasure - great friends all of them. I played bass and some piano, Chris Meister on drums, Lee Worden on guitar and vocals, Rick "Boink" Bazuin was our road manager and Carly Mckillip on keyboards and vocals (you may know Carly as the star of CTV's "Alice I Think" or from the singing duo with her sister "Saving Grace" - she's also the daughter of producer Tom Mckillip). It was Carly's first trip to NYC and we had a lot of fun. I learned a lot from her on the basic principles of cell phone texting - something I was not that versed in before.

Being fans of Woody Allen, Chris, Lee, Boink and I made certain we visited the Carnegie Deli, made famous on Woody's movie 'Broadway Danny Rose'. We ate some great food - I went for the Blintzes. Chris ordered a Rueben snadwich - the size of which had to be seen to be believed. Therefore - I am posting it .... and no, he did not finish it. The two pictures are before and after....

Nazanin is a pleasure - we had a great time. The gigs went well and everyone who met Nazanin fell in love with her and her message. She is a beautiful person inside and out. I hope we can do it again sometime soon.

RIP - Andrea Boorman, Brad Delp, Richard Jeni

2007-03-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

One more thing.... sad news. Three people - one of which I knew personally passed away in the last couple of weeks.

My friend Andrea Boorman - comedian, production manager, producer to be, all around beautiful person - passed away at the age of 33. Far too young. Say hi to my Mom and Nipsey Russell. You know....

Brad Delp - Boston blew my mind. What he sang on record he could do live as well. One of rock's truly great vocalists. I'm sorry you felt it was your time. RIP.

Richard Jeni - underrated and had probably the funniest bit from "The Aristocrats". Also taught me the importance of emphasis - "A&E - time, well, spent!" RIP.

Aaron Pritchett Fan Cruise - Mexico - Feb. 26 to Mar. 4

2007-03-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

What makes my life so cool these days is my lack of routine. I hate routine. My life is laid out for me in a daytimer. Most people have a general idea of where they need to be during their work days. My life is in a different place - different city - different gig - different style of music - different instrument almost every day. This keeps me on my toes - vibrant and loving what I do more and more. I mark down the appointed engagements in my daytimer and then generally forget about them - a way of downloading so I can keep my mind (or operating system) functioning at optimum efficiency for the tasks at hand.

So when you look at the daytimer and realize the gig for the next week is a cruise through the Mexican Riviera where your workload consists of a couple of one hour concerts - well as you can imagine it is a nice surprise. To add to the jubilance - my wife, my Dad and his girlfriend are coming with me.

This was a "fan cruise" featuring Aaron Pritchett and a couple hundred of his close friends and fans. This was a chance to get to know him - sign autographs, get pictures and enjoy a cruise. My wife Wendy who rarely attends Aaron Pritchett shows finally got a chance to check out what the gig is all about. She met some of the hardcore fan club and even made some new friends.

When the onboard PA system proved to be more of a hinderance than a convenience, our better judgement prevailed and both our shows turned out to be as acoustic as it gets - three guitars, three voices - no mics or speakers - "without all the assistance" as Buddy Rich said on the infamous outtakes. It turned out well - the gang seemed to like it which is good. We debuted three new tunes that Aaron and Mitch wrote with some of Nashville's finest writers.

We hung around onboard - saw the shows (big Vegas medleys always amuse me), gambled, watched karaoke singers butcher Neil Sedaka and got to hang with a buch of cool people.

So after some ample buffets, sun, trips to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas ("Let me take you down, I will show you all around...) we bid goodbye to the Carnival Pride. I enjoyed it.

Lucky for me.

Aaron Pritchett BC Tour and The Yale!

2007-02-07T03:17:00.000-08:00

2007 - my year to begin documenting my life a musician....

I have a brief bio on my website - www.mikenorman.com as well as www.myspace.com/mikenormanmusician.

Here's I'll try and be more immediate and post all things which may or may not be interesting in the life of your average working musician.... ahh if only I'd done this 15 years ago....

In the meantime ... here's some pictures....

January had me head out on the road for a six day tour with Aaron Pritchett and his band - Ron Briggs, Dennis Marcenko, Mike Sanyshyn, Mitch Merrett, soundman Warren Dieno and our road manager Carmen Choney. Had a great time with many well attended shows. Vernon, Kelowna, Duncan, Port Alberni, Courtenay and Campbell River - back to back. It was a little grueling but I prefer that kind of schedule. In addition to playing with Aaron I was also hired by the promoter to play acoustic guitar with the opening acts Erik Neilson and Nadine. Just the three of us, we did a short 8 song opening set - 4 songs each. As I'm from Vancouver Island my Dad and 95 year old Nana came to the show which was cool - I love the fact that amongst the young girls which make up a large percentage of Aaron's fan base was my Nana - 5 times the age of most of the crowd!
The picture of me with the yellow Les Paul was taken by Stacey Phillips - a big Aaron Pritchett band supporter. As I'm always at the back of the stage it's rare to get photos of me but she did and I think ol' Les looks pretty good.

The other picture was taken by Carlo Laertini (glaertini@yahoo.com) whom I never met. I did a gig with my buddy Jack Lavin at Vancouver's Yale Hotel at the end of the month (Jan. '07). Periodically you arrive at a gig where you meet everybody on the bandstand for the first time and then literally 5 minutes later you're counting in the first tune. This was one of those times. Jack was the leader and I've played with him many times before - but I had never met guitarist Marty Bernard, his wife Hannah our vocalist or drummer Lou Hoover. A lot of fun - off the cuff blues and r&b. Carlo is a friend of Jack's and Marty's and was nice enough to snap a few pictures.... his email address is above if you ever want to hire him as he is a pro.

3:42AM and the first post comes to a close. See ya!