 |
|
 |
Jun. 24, 2009 We ran, drank, and rocked around the clock; raising $1.4 million for Easter Seals kids, at The 24-Hour Relay this weekend. It was an honour to share the stage with so many talented artists, and all for a great cause. The new Elephant & Castle downtown is showing promise as a live music venue. It's a beautiful room. They have committed to Sunday evenings, till the end of the summer; I'll be there once a month, occasionally with the duo. Thanks to Dale for the Patron, and the lovely couple who bought a CD. Thank you for supporting live music. We've added some new venues to the roster; check the shows page for details.
My latest journal entry: June 18th Facebook is a trap; sign our guestbook! Legend:
Jun. 18, 2009 So much has happened. Hosting a crowd of 60 000, The Sun Run had another record year, and we had a great time entertaining as always. Thanks to Jane Samis at SL Feldman and the techs at Audio Image. The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival was a blast. We hadn't seen 54-40 since `03. The Crystal Lounge was off-the-hook. Thanks for having us, Jono. The Rusty Gull jams are becoming the haunt; the lads from Ministry were in the house. Check out Stayte and Sex-O Olympic-O. Too many gigs in my wake to recap them all, but this weekend past, in particular, was most uplifting. I want to acknowledge Tim, Mike, and the RCMP crew at The Delta, for the fine scotch and generous tips. It was also a pleasure meeting Tatiana, Anita, and George; so long and thanks for all the fish.
Mar. 14, 2009 Some moody musician walked out on The Rusty Gull and fixed the hole in our calendar; how nice of him. Much obliged. There was a positive charge in the room last night. They danced, they clapped, they knew all the words to Big Butts; Riche and I were so proud. We're on for tonight as well. See you there. Thanks to Candice (très belle) and Graham for buying CD's. A few noteworthy shows in April and June: The Sun Run, The World Ski & Snowboard Festival, and The 24-Hour Relay.
Sept. 25, 2008 An unplanned performance at The Rusty Gull turned out to be the soul of September. What a charming crowd indeed. It was a pleasure meeting Jim, Erin, Amy, Steve, Julie, and Alice (a.k.a. Starr—with two R's). Thanks for listening and buying albums.
Sept. 15, 2008 It was a treat to see some real talent out for the open jam at The Rusty Gull, and quite the draw the night's becoming. Hosting is a gas, despite the odd sonic assault, and a valuable networking opportunity to boot. That said, folks, for the love of music, if I hand you the guitar tuner... It was The Scene to the rescue, this weekend, for Herb's birthday at The Pump House; they found themselves bandless, last minute. Herb joined us for a little Lightfoot and a lot of Tequila; good fun, but a bit of a shipwreck. (smirk) OK, I'm off to my Dad's cabin for the week.
Sept. 08, 2008 The last few weeks have been so heartening: warm, attentive crowds put faith in my ability to entertain, night after night, as new songs met open ears over slow-sipping drinks... Saturday night at The Pump House, however, reality took fantasy with a two ounce shot of 151 and a request for Sweet Home Alabama. Thanks, Dom (smirk).
Aug. 20, 2008 A generous group at The Delta filled a pitcher to the brim with tips, and I took time to sing and play another song for the people uh-huh! I started the evening in a slump; so I want to thank Mike, Jim, Sue, and the deep-sea fishing crew(s) for turning my mood around. It seems The Rusty Gull has finally taken to the duo. Owing to new neighbours, the venue has recently [reluctantly] had to adopt a new acoustic music format, and we've been the "compromise". The locals like it loud, so it's been a tough sell thus far. This time, however, we had them drumming on tables and demanding encores, two nights in a row. Thanks to David, Andrew, John, Nicki, Cheryl, and so many others (including the bar staff and management) for embracing the change. The Pump House got a tad slapdash as we celebrated Steve's birthday, Friday night. Drinking resumed, Saturday afternoon, and continued through Sunday morning... Birthdays are good for at least a week, no?
Aug. 04, 2008 Friday night's show at The Sands was perfect: cordial crowd, refreshing requests, pat repartee; it was the kind of gig that keeps a performer going. Jason and Tina, full of life, bought a couple rounds after the show; and our ensuing conversation revealed so many commonalities, it felt like friends in the making. Saturday night, Dewy's got boozy, then boozier...par for the course with Andy at the helm. It was good to see Mike, Val, Karen, and Ryan again; they're good people. Later, Andy and I hit the town and kept drinking, like we needed it (smirk).
Jul. 28, 2008 There was a little more legroom than usual at The Pump House this weekend, but we made fans. We talked with Phil at length about music and the state of the biz; thank you for taking an interest in Sandcastle Theory. Thanks to Phil, Dom, Steve, and Rae-Lynn for buying CD's.
Jul. 22, 2008 The Elephant & Castle's crew came out for a nightcap at The Foggy Dew. It was fun to see everyone off duty for a change; and by "off duty", of course, I mean tanked. Our master tapster, Tim, joined us onstage for a little Seven Bridges Road; he's good! We're thinking trio... The Pump House is on deck; be there!
Jul. 14, 2008 Thursday night was yet the busiest I've seen The Elephant & Castle; it must be the music (grin). Dewy's became a shooting gallery, Friday, and Riche and I were the targets: eighteen shots of tequila later, we fell down and someone got a giant teddy bear. Mike, Val, Karen, and Ryan returned, Saturday night; perhaps to see if we had a pulse... It was a good weekend.
Jul. 07, 2008 It seems obvious to me that harmonious acoustic music and the IFL don't really belong in the same venue; yet there we were, like jesters.
Jul. 02, 2008 The long weekend is in our wake, and what a weekend it was! The open jam at The Rusty Gull, though fraught with dissonance and disgrace, was a good time overall; I mean, you don't see someone beatbox with a didgeridoo everyday. And there was drinking, of course. Na zdorovye, Alex and Volodimir! It was business as usual in Port Coquitlam: tequila, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and the shame of it all. There's talk of a Tuesday night house gig at Dewy's; call the bar, tell them you want it.
Jul. 01, 2008 Happy Canada Day, eh!
Jun. 12, 2008 Sorry for the media blackout, folks; sometimes a little cyber-vacation is necessary for the sake of one's sanity. Thanks for all the concerned emails though; it's encouraging to know someone actually reads this claptrap. OK, so we played and we drank...and we're all caught up (grin). An international crowd, here for the 2008 Triathlon World Championships, breathed new life into The Sands, last weekend. I met José, Pablo, Aaron, and Team South Africa; all of whom were passionate about music. For the sake of open borders and trade, however, we're dismissing José's opinion about our beer. This weekend is a musical marathon: The 24 Hour Relay bookended by The Pump House, Friday and Saturday night. Booze, coffee, booze, coffee, booze... What could possibly go wrong?
Mar. 08, 2008 I may be growing on the mob at The Sands; Friday night was a great gig...right up to the point where some punk-ass-crack-head broke into my car and used a crowbar to open the unlocked glove-box. There was nothing in there to steal but my good mood, and I recovered it behind the bar shortly thereafter.
Mar. 07, 2008 Raised a few with Brad and Linda between sets at The Delta; we toasted small-town living, Canadian music, and their leaving for Puerto Vallarta. Thanks for buying a CD. Tiene un buen vacaciones en Mexico. Jules, Don, Peter, and "Waterloo" Keith all came ashore like clockwork. The character of The Elephant & Castle is without doubt in its patrons and staff. I later closed the place down with Rob, the barkeep, over a snifter of Maker's Mark. Cheers!
Mar. 03, 2008 After only two weekends, two months apart, it was nice to see so many return faces amidst a notably larger crowd at Dewy's. Here's hoping the trend continues. Of those present, Leland gets the first nod of approval for supplying the hooch; crucial for the near two hours of winging-it that followed. Shannon (les purr) joined us onstage for some Tracy Chapman and left us panting. Stacy made changing the chalkboard better than Showcase (grin). It was good to see Andy on our side of the mahogany, Friday night. We met waitresses Janelle and Deanna for the first time; and of course, props to our returnees: Wallace, Jenn, Josh, Steph, Martin, Tiffany, James, and Devon (the drummer). Thank you for buying albums.
Feb. 25, 2008 The Foggy Dew is truly our room. Another great weekend had by all. Many thanks to our lovely dancing girls; of course, we are going to need copies of those pictures (grin).
Feb. 18, 2008 More tequila! Six shots hit the stage before the third song... Erik, Kyle, Elaine, Drew, Kelly, and Kayla were the core of a modest group at The Great Bear, Saturday night. Yet more proof that you don't need many at hand to make a show worth while, as long as they're listening. Enjoy the CD's, and thanks for the support.
Feb. 14, 2008 Kamloops is being rescheduled; avalanches have the highway closed. Time to hit the slopes!
Feb. 11, 2008 Friday night at The Pump House was jammed but docile. Saturday night, on the other hand, an unassuming audience of fifteen people would see us smashed on tequila before the witching hour; their treat, our undoing. I lost count after the tenth shot; it's all a little hazy.
Feb. 08, 2008 I brought a new set to a generous crowd at The Delta last night; I'm slowly working up a whole new show. Met Jules and Lady George; talked about their many crusades, cheating death, music...and how it all comes down to sex. Tonight, it's back to The Pump House.
Feb. 04, 2008 Came out of hibernation early, Saturday night; some band got fired at The Pump House (single tear). We had friends visiting from Australia, wanting to catch a show; so the last minute gig was opportune. Safe flight home, Lauren and Andy...we'll miss you dearly.
Jan. 23, 2008 No phone, no computer, but there was whiskey; you could fill my head with water, roll me around, and make swish. I'll be taking the rest of January to write, rehearse, and recover from my vacation. Chinese New Year, it's back to the grind.
Jan. 06, 2008 Happy New Year, all and sundry! So many gigs over the holidays; what a blur: The Foggy Dew, three in a row, leading up to and beyond the onset of `08; an impromptu appearance at The Delta, so much so that the show posting went straight to the tour archives; and a new room in Port Coquitlam called Dewy's. Crammed the big show into The Foggy Dew, New Year's Eve! The stage ranneth over; drums on the dance floor. Still they danced, drank, and took a rather uncoordinated stab at counting backwards from ten. A rapt audience at The Elephant & Castle kept me onstage, encore upon encore. Met fellow pilots and guitar aficionados, Chris and Sean; discussed the pros and cons of the two jobs and the obsession that drives one to both. Got hopelessly lost on the way to Dewy's and just managed to hit the stage on time. Doughboy and his sidekick Blockhead picked a fight, but we subdued them with love songs, tequila, and peer pressure from the peaceful masses. A great gig overall, thanks to Andy (recently immortalized in a hand-whittled bobblehead), Shannon (les purr) and her family, and all who bought disks. Having worked through the holidays, I'm dropping off the grid for a couple weeks; Ontario bound, for a belated Christmas. I'm very much looking forward to joining my Dad and Brother at the cabin, for an icy-bearded soak in the hot tub, scotch, backgammon...
Dec. 25, 2007 Merry Christmas, everyone; feast, drink, and all the rest!
Dec. 22, 2007 The Sands can be a tough room; the regulars there are a wee world-weary. Nevertheless, whether it was the Christmas spirit or just the spirit, some hard-earned applause did come my way. Pleased to have met fellow musicians, Clayton and Sonia.
Dec. 21, 2007 An animated cast at The Delta last night; we tested my aptitude for ad-libbing and the theory that one can never have too much Christmas cheer to air-guitar convincingly.
Dec. 20, 2007 Thank you to the crowd at JP Malone's for being so appreciative; folks lined up, between sets and after the show, to talk to me...I've never received so many compliments. It was all very flattering. The bar owner hated it. Much success in all your musical endeavors, Britney!
Dec. 17, 2007 Home from a long weekend on the road; it felt good to get out of the city for a stretch. Driving the interior can be stressful in the winter, but thankfully the weather on the Coquihalla was in our favour. The Thirsty Dog turned out to be well worth the journey. There's a real sense of community in Kamloops. Thanks to Geoff, Shaunda, Terry, Jen, Annie, Shaye, James...and everyone who bought CD's. Grunge is alive and well at The Pump House; good times, but the Three Wise Men...nasty!
Dec. 10, 2007 The Bridge Between has real potential as a live music venue; they just have to get the word out. Here's hoping the Sunday night jam catches on. Good to have met Terry, Curtis, and Lance. Kamloops is confirmed...road trip!
Nov. 30, 2007 The Delta lifted my spirits; between the staff and the locals, The Elephant & Castle has become one of my favourite rooms to play. Reese, too smart for two, charmed me out of a pick and a CD...what a cutie. Thanks for the brew and sharing of stories, Don and Peter.
Nov. 29, 2007 Wednesday's @ Westside Bean will no longer be happening; proving you can lead a horse to water ackhem!... Don't worry Kerrisdale, we'll bring the music to you yet...somewhere we can stay up late and drink!
Nov. 25, 2007 We had a great time in Whistler, Friday night. The Crystal Lounge is perfect for acoustic music and pints. It was a spirited crowd with good requests. The highlight of the night was John Doe, with the best drunken wipeout ever...happy hangover! Thanks to Jono, for having us on short notice; we asked for this one. Love that little town when it snows.
Nov. 23, 2007 After 48hrs of tea, sleep, and enough ginseng to raise the dead; I seem to be in decent shape to play Whistler tonight. See you at The Crystal Lounge, 9pm - 1am.
Nov. 21, 2007 Tonight's show @ Westside Bean is cancelled:
Nov. 17, 2007 BCIT w/ Angie Nussey was a success:
|
 |
|
scroll, access page archives, etc.