NEWS
June 28, 2009 - Getting prepared this week for 2 big events, my show at Bluesfest coming up on July 11, 2009 and the workshop I'll be attending next week with Hawksley Workman, I am really looking forward to that. Happy Canada week everyone!
June 1, 2009 - My music was played in Haiti this week on Sweet FM 99.7. Two of my songs were added to their Music Choice list and have now been introduced to music lovers in my father's home country. This is the first international airplay the CD has received and I could not be happier that it was in Haiti.
I played for the first time at the Elmdale Tavern this past Tuesday evening. This is a good venue in Ottawa for music and I look forward to playing there again. I also welcomed a guest that evening, Jane Whittington a local songstress introduced us to a couple of her songs.
Deepest Shade of Blue
My debut cd "Deepest Shade of Blue" explores life transitions from darkness to daybreak. The songs tell a story, as we face the realities that confront us on our journey personally and the challenges we face, as people that are part of a global community. There is usually some beauty that comes out of difficult times in life, that is the paradox of the deepest shade of blue. I hope the songs on this cd reach out to you in some way, as they did to me.
MORE NEWS
May 20, 2009 - The Local Songwriters evening turned out to be a success, check out my blog on Myspace. Peter and Jill both put on exceptional performances touching on the stories behind the songs they performed, it made for an intimate yet truly entertaining evening for those who made it out. Looking forward to the next one! I just returned from the Elmdale Tavern where I am going to be playing Tuesday May 26th. There was a good group of musicians out for a songwriters jam being held once a month at the Elmdale, we were treated to some great songs and some Bluegrass, how about it, phenomenal Banjo and Fiddle playing on a Wednesday evening here in Ottawa!
May 4, 2009 - I have finalized the bill for the Local Songwriters Evening at the Rainbow May 13. Jill Zmud and Peter Voith will be joining me, hope to see you out.
April 23, 2009 - I am playing the Ottawa Bluesfest on July 11, 2009, Press Release, as part of the Bluesfest's Acoustic Series at the Ottawa Rideau Centre. I am really looking forward to playing this festival that I have attended for years and I hope to see you all out on July 11th!
April 20, 2009 - My next show is coming up at the Rainbow Bistro on Wednesday May 13. I am planning it as a Songwriter's Evening, myself along with 2 other local songwriters will be performing. I will be posting shortly who will be joining me. They will most likely be other artists in Ottawa that are part of the Bluesfest Collective. The Bluesfest Collective, supported by Bluesfest, ensures that local Ottawa artists have visibility in the Ottawa area Music stores.
Come on out Wednesday May 13 and enjoy an evening of uniquely local to Ottawa songwriting!
Blusefest Collective - Ottawa Region Music Stores
The following music stores support local music in the Ottawa Region through the Bluesfest collective:
- CD Warehouse - Kanata / Nepean / St. Laurent Blvd
- End Hits
- Sounds Unlikely - 5 Arlington Ave.
- Ottawa Folklore centre
- Legend Records - 2525 Carling Ave.
- Mags & Fags - 254 Elgin St.
- Fab Gear 64 - 1109 Wellington W.
April 13, 2009 - A great time at the Avant-Garde show or as some friends of mine referred to it "the crazy Russian bar", thanks to everyone who made it out on this past Easter weekend. Thanks especially to Razor Mike Philainen who got up and performed the "Cajun Attic song" in all it's glory to mark us recording that song
March 20, 2009 - Hey, as happy as I am to see the good weather coming I am a bit bummed to see winter leave. Didn't make it out skiing this year, I do feel I have to say for the first time ever that I am sorry to see winter leaving us, hard to believe but true. That said, Spring is always something to celebrate, so join me at the Avant-Garde Bar on Besserrer, on Good Friday, April 10, Easter weekend. It has been an interesting couple months, I've been laying kind a low, but you know, keeping an eye on things, Obama's progress, what Harper is up to, his tricks... Earmarks in the budget to get around environmental laws, sticking their fingers in municipal politics, that kind of thing, anyway enough about politics.. So come on out April 10, lets catch up!!
January 13, 2008 - Happy New Year everyone, I like nothing better than a New Year, so much potential, a new canvas to paint on! And what an exciting week with Barak Obama to be sworn in to office on tuesday! I wish all of you a great year ahead and wanted to let you know about a show coming up at the Avant Garde bar this coming thursday hope to see you out!
September 28, 2008 - I just booked a show at the Avant-Garde Bar on Besserrer, it is a great little bar right in the heart of downtown, a cool spot nestled away on a side street a block south of rideau and just east of Dalhousie. I hope you can make it out I'll be playing 2 sets on acoustic, Friday October 24th, getting started about 9:00.
If you missed it I have to tell you the Cajun Attic get together in September with John's authentic cuisine no less, and original menu items including the Big Mamou, Jambalaya, cornbread and John's awesome Pecan Pie was a real treat. Great to see our good friends from the Cajun Attic days.
August 30 2008 - I discovered an amazing little place and made it out this past Friday to check out the jam... The place is called the Umi Cafe on Somerset Street, they've got live music on friday nights, they show documentaries and regularly have poetry slams. They've also got killer Fair trade coffee in this underground spot. I experienced some amazing poets get up and cut their stuff and I also got the chance to get up and perform a few of my tunes. The jam continued for some time, a very memorable evening!
June 27 2008 - The Echoes music festival was great (once we found the place...), up at a campsite in Curran Ontario, the Whispering Pines. We had a new line-up with Bill Brookes on guitar and Robert Cross on drums. We played the first night of the festival, Gini Sigler performed just before us, a very sweet acoustic set. We had a pretty good group up there the band had a lot of energy on stage, and my 2 year old daughter danced through the show it was a very memorable evening.
May 10 2008 - We had a show at Humphreys on Bank St., 2 sets, I got up and did a few songs on Acoustic to introduce each set. I got to play a new song I've been working on called Firekeeper about the war in Afghanistan. It was a pretty good night over all.
Some changes are taking place again in the band, Shaun has moved on to other projects.
April 27, 2008 - I've got a show coming up on the May 10th at Humphrey's on Bank St, hope you can make it out, should be a good night. Just getting back in to rehearsals this past month, Bill Brookes is now playing guitar with the band. He played last year with us at the Ramsey Road Music festival, Bill also played on the CD and has been playing music with me since we were kids. As well I'm playing the Echoes Music Festival on the weekend of June 27th in Curran Ontario.
March 12, 2008 - Just back from Canadian Music Week in Toronto, it was a great week! It was a great opportunity to meet people in the music industry promote the new cd.
I'm happy to announce that, after a few years.. my new cd Deepest Shade of Blue is complete and is now available direct from me or on-line at indie-pool or through the ITunes Music Store. The cd Release party took place at Zaphod Beeblebrox on December 7 at 8:00, the local band "Thats the Spirit" opened up the show, it was a great night, we had a great turn out, thanks to everyone who made it out for all the support!
If you weren't at the show please take a second and add your e-mail to the mailing list form so I can let you know about upcoming shows.
The site will be updated every month with upcoming shows, blog entries, photos and music. If you're not familiar with my music I would call it Acoustic Alternative Rock.. that said I invite you to have a listen. I have posted 2 tracks off the new cd, Goodbye and Gold, feel free to drop me a line. I hope you'll consider picking up a copy of my new cd.
My thanks to everyone who contributed to the making of the cd, in particular Ross Murray who produced the cd with me, Darren Mundt and Shaun Clare for their tremendous contribution to the making of this cd!