Jesus Rocks!

I've spoken a few times in this blog about playing in my church band. Well here it is. The shot of me playing hard for Jesus! LOL. This shot is me 'posing' with my hand made Tele guitar wearing my JESUS ROCKS t-shirt. I'm the second oldest guy in the band and it was a blast shocking the teenagers by wearing this shirt to service one day.

The candlelight service last night was amazing. The whole service was in the dark with the band playing 6 numbers interspersed with readings and commentary. At one point about 4/5 of the way through all the congregants lit up candles and we all sang Silent Night. Soon it was over and we drifted off to family celebrations and the last minute preparations of the night.

I have been blessed this year with an embarassment of riches. This past year I played twelve different music festivals as well as countless shows and house concerts. At each stop something struck me and has left an indellible mark that shows itself in each new performance. I covered thousands of kilometers in my little Toyota and found new friends and added new experiences to lifelong friendships. At Sled Dog Music I sold hundreds of folks their first guitar or their first real guitar. I've had the pleasure of helping many pick out a good ukulele and taught several the value of good strings. As Artistic Director of the Trout Forest Music Festival I have met scads of musicians and artists who are becoming part of the fabric of my life. Many of the young acts have never been to Northwestern Ontario before or have never stopped as they drove by. I have been pleased and honoured to share with them this wonderful place.

This year as I go forward I will keep you all close to my heart and remember to honour our friendship and to celebrate the moments we shared. I will be playing more music, selling more guitars, and hopefully meeting more interesting and amazing people. My Grandfather once said to me that music isn't much of a living, but it is a great life. I know he understood what I have been saying to my friends and fans this season. Without you this past year would have been very lonely and empty. YOU have made all the difference to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. God Bless.

Festive Ukulele

Here's a shot of me onstage in Nova Scotia at the Ukulele Ceilidh this past October. Notice the bright RED shirt!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Don't forget to come to the Central Baptist Church Candelight Service at 6:30pm on Christmas Eve. It will last about an hour and is mostly music. See you there.

Two new reviews

I have two new reviews posted in the Press folder. First is a review of the RESONATOR CD by one of the directors of the Thunder Bay Blues Society. The second review is a review of my appearance at the first ever International Ukulele Ceilidh in Liverpool, Nova Scotia this past October.

Both can be found here.

Juke Night was a huge success!

Well the JUKE NIGHT gig last Saturday was a huge success and the band had a blast. We performed lots of old blues by Willie Dixon, Tampa Red, Robert Johnson, Big Joe Primrose, Barbeque Bob, BB King and Bo Carter. The band consisted of the traditional blues fare - drums, bass, guitar and harmonica. The real fun for me was that I got to play electric again for the first time in years. And I used my new Telecaster.
Anyway the night was a blast and a half and the band all want to do it again so expect more JUKE NIGHTS in the future. Plus plans are underway to record a demo for the band that we can use to book club dates. In the meantime if you have a party and you want a good blues band to play we can be contacted here.

Hibernation Dreams

It's really cold here today. Something like -30 with the wind chill. When it's cold like this I want to stay inside and light all my belongings on fire. I want to curl up next to the flames and go to sleep and wake up in the spring.

I dream of one day owning a cabin in the woods somewhere where I can go and just do nothing but read, write music and watch movies for the winter months. Not so these days where I get up get dressed and go out in the cold to work everyday.

I think the bears have it right. Sleep for four months and emerge when the weather is more hospitable. Sounds like a nice dream to me.