*Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dan and I can’t play Peterborough tonight opening for Elliott BROOD. Their show will still be happening at Historic Red Dog though
*To cheer things up, we’ve added the film I made last year ‘The Apartment Show He Never Gave’ to our YouTube channel. Initially it was only available to Newsletter Subscribers for a limited time but hey, it would really lift my spirits today if you subscribed to the YouTube channel and Newsletter, if you haven’t already. Onwards and upwards!
Hey Gang, Hope all of you are doing well out there. We just premiered another video from the Latent Lounge series with fellow Latent Recording artists, Cowboy Junkies and Townies (Michael Timmins with Andy Maize of Skydiggers). Watch this live off the floor version of “Underground Blues” from the current album, Nothing Pressing here: https://youtu.be/c7GqM5ncYhk
In other live news, I’m excited to play Peterborough, ON this Friday night, supporting Elliott BROOD at Red Dog. It’s been a long time since we’ve made it to that town and I have a feeling it’s gonna be worth the wait. I’ll be joined by Dan Mock on upright bass/vocals. Tickets and more info here: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/36984/
It’s been 6 months since Nothing Pressing came out! Thank you to all those who have supported this album. Under the circumstances, it was the most unique experience making this record. The band and I had a small window of opportunity to head into the studio with Mike Timmins in the summer of last year. A couple of tunes were also recorded at home on my 80s 4-track cassette recorder.
We were fortunate to tour Europe and the UK again in support of Nothing Pressing this past Spring, where we enjoyed some sold out shows and a feeling of reconnection. The album received kind words in Uncut Magazine, Rolling Stone, Globe & Mail and was placed in one of AmericanaUK’s “Top 10 Americana Albums of the 21st Century”, pretty wild for a record that has been out for half a year. It is an album that digs deeper if you give it the time. It’s dedicated to my best buddy, Sean Whelan and huge supporter, Groningen record store owner, Jan Kooi. We lost these two beautiful people in the last couple of years.
Hey folks, I’m looking forward to being part of a great event happening at the beautiful Koerner Hall in Toronto this coming Tuesday, September 13th (TONIGHT!). It’s celebrating the “Forgotten Festival” that happened in 1969 at Varsity Stadium called “Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival”. The one day festival featured artists such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Doors, Alice Cooper Band and in his first appearance on stage since The Beatles retired from touring in ’66, John Lennon.
Lennon put a last minute line-up together of his “Plastic Ono Band’ with Yoko Ono, gathering Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Alan White and they flew to Toronto, learning the songs on the way. Upon his return to England, Lennon announced to the rest of The Beatles that he was leaving the group for good, though it wouldn’t be made public ’til the Spring of 1970 via Paul McCartney. The Plastic Ono Band set was released on record as Live Peace In Toronto, hitting the Top 10 in the US and going Gold.
I’m very excited to sing a couple of songs from the Lennon/Plastic Ono Band set, with a great band led by one of my best buddies, Tim Bovaconti. The event will also feature new interviews with some of the musicians who played the festival, including Klaus Voormann, Alan White, Alice Cooper and others. If you’re in Toronto, I think this is a show worth coming to, for the music and the history. Grab your tickets and learn more here: https://forgottenfestival.com/
Do you have your copy of Nothing Pressing on Vinyl or CD yet? Thank you if you’ve been streaming it, keep on streaming but please consider purchasing it as a download or picking up a physical copy for yourself or a friend. It’s probably no secret at this point that this is the most helpful way to support your favourite artists. Thank you for all your support!