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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.