way out west

Flying over the rockies on a clear day was quite a 3-D experience and doing my Tai Chi in the morning air on Harry's deck on Salspring Island facing the tall pines with hummingbirds buzzing around..that's a great way to kick off my great escape to the West. Ran over a couple of tunes for the show tonight...I get the feeling half the hall will be musicians. This is a little piece of paradise...maybe it will inspire a song or two while I'm here. Just as I arrived the Monkey Junk guys were headed out on the next leg of their tour. They left me the new CD and I'm looking forward to hearing it.


Here's a good quote from the eminently quotable Bob Lefsetz: "Anybody who can survive in today's music world deserves credit. If you make some people happy, you're on your way. If you try to make everybody happy, you're doomed to failure."

Quote of the Day

"the sounds which are audible are *not* the music, but build the frame that
carries the music, or not, as the case may be". - Polish composer Witold
Szalonek

Mission Accomplished

I know I did OK when I find out that someone said "Who is that guy?" or when
there's a audible display of approval after a guitar solo. I got a bit of
both yesterday at my gig at the Sky Restaurant and Lounge in Mississauga. I
was guesting at Jerome Godboo's Sunday Matinee (I believe the Sockman said
it was the 14th edition). Great to play with Chris Burgess, one of the
city's least recognized and most capable guitarists in terms of knowing what
to play and when to play it. He proved the point when the surprise special
guest Elvis Impersonator (did I mention that??) sang Del Shannon's "Runaway"
and Chris was able to pull out the signature organ solo practically note for
note. James Rasmussen is one - solid bass player (I just discovered he plays
on an Album of Nig Dave and the Ultrasonics, one of my all-time favourite
roadhouse-style non-stop touring, tight delivery blues bands). And got to
play with drummer Bob Vezpazini for whom I have such great admiration since
I saw him doing the kind of old school drum acrobatics that I've seen only
in some of the old jazz guys like Jake Hanna and Don Vickery. Layla Zoe was
my co-guest and she really rocks the house and shakes her booty. Layla would
do great on the German circuit where I spent 3 weeks touring with Kathi
MacDonald - who is very much the same style of singer as Layla. Jerome
Godboo is one of the most evolved human beings on the blues scene today and
I've thought that for at least ten years. I never talked to him about it but
I think his natural self-contained spirituality evolved from his original
interest in martial arts. Curious.

Quote of the Day

"Im an artist. I don't want to be dealing with all that tech shit."
My son the DJ