words
from the road...
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Thursday, July 17 hey friends,
Wow, Peacefest was magic, if perhaps a little too epic. Huge thanks to all you beautiful people who made the trip
out to savor freedom, good tunes, good food & good company with us. And a big "your loss!" to all those who didn't.
You'll have a chance to right your wrong next year. |
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Thursday, June 1 Hey good people, The only downside of all that is that this summer's tour will be much shorter than expected, but I'll be sure to take a spin around Alberta & perhaps out to the Kootenays (maybe with a band along), & stop in to hang with the good people at the Sasquatch Festival. My heart swells thinking about it. Summer in Canada is IT. I've been playing solo a bit around here, including a couple at Bliss
in Taipei with ex-Incriminator Jason Grenier, also known as Mister
Green... Ty & I also played as a duo for Valentine's & St. Patrick's at
the new bar in Longtan, in front of Bai Nian Da Jeng, called
Azul... real nice place, on 3 round floors. And we've made some noise around
River of course, including a raging party to celebrate the bar's 7th birthday & the opening of
a swanky new restaurant upstairs. In April we headed back down to
Spring Scream... it was
a blast & a great reunion. The last time I left there I was in pain & on my way to the grave; felt a little
funny to be back. Ty won the perserverance award for making it down there despite his broken leg. (You guessed it, scooter crash.) Good people, there's one last thing that's been occupying a fair bit of my attention for the last few years & I hope you'll spend a little time looking into it too... I hate to mention politics in such pleasant company but this is important. There's a video & an essay that I think everyone should make time to check out, regardless of your political beliefs. I've spent countless hours reading on- & off-line & these are the clearest presentations I've found of the reasons why we ought to reconsider what happened on September 11th. Please click here to go to my politics page & have a look for yourself. Please write & tell me what you think about all this, because I'd love to know... & of course any criticisms or questions are most welcome. Ok, enough of that heavy stuff for now. Wishing for sunny skies over all of us. Strength, courage, & guidance. Keep love in your hearts, s |
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sunday january 22, 2006 hello from rainy taiwan! yesterday I hooked up with tyler & crees by the pond, & caught up & jammed. paid papa's lover a visit for the delicious zha dofu & kong pao ji ding & bamboo shoots & all that good stuff... & then to River bar, where a happy reunion awaited. emma, emma & niamh are bidding us all adieu, & wow, has it ever been a slice! the bar was packed with old & new faces & the girls were sent off in style. we were joined by jubba, john, rob & nick from wise manoueuvers in a rocking jam. people getting rowdy. beautiful to see you all again. we'll be laying fairly low around here for awhile as we get things going again... will let you know when we're back at it. meantime I've gotta find some young minds to shape. or at least astound with new heights of absurdity & slapstick. laters, scott |
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sunday, january 8th, 2006! thanks for the love. last night's reggae party was a raging good time, & a sweet sendoff for me, as I'm headed back to Taiwan this coming saturday. it was really wonderful to see all your smiling faces & feel the love coming back from all of you. we had great musical help from brian gregg on guitar, original spangler liz estioko on vocals, our old homeboy vizion with an impromptu flow, jay carscadden on hand percussion, & sista j as the voice of the talking bear--"lively up yourselves!" souljah fyah & auresia & the constellation-ites both rocked out big time. nice to be in their musical company. sista j is playing the bass now too, & holds it down sweetly. mick sleeper was on the decks all night with a mix of old & new selections that kept the people dancing... where there was room to do so, of course--it was sold out, a packed house. glad to see there's so much support for reggae in this country town. maybe one day we can have a reggae fest of our own... back around the new year, we made a run down to the southern part of alberta for a few days... rejoined adam goring for a great show in banff, & partied with mike b, lynda & friends from calgary there... then to calgary for a couple days hanging around drinking with our taiwan friends there (B, Kid, you know who you are), a visit with alia & xiao ai (still her ridiculous self), and a friday night show at jackdaw's that was packed out & rowdy. huge thanks to everybody who came out, it was a really special night & it's great to see everybody getting to know each other. I spent new years dancing the night away with a horde of young & old albertans at tom & anne-marie's wedding in okotoks. the bird dance got a rewind. big steve & diane were even out; we went out for fireworks under the stars after the clock struck twelve. Another year coming round; sure it'll be bigger, hairier, better, deeper & stranger than the last. anyway, that's it for us here for now. I'll be back in july & we'll get things fired up again then. We've been very, very grateful for all the help & support & lovely dancing people we've seen here in Canada this time around. look forward to hanging out with all of you again. happy trails, s |
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wednesday, december 7, 2005 well hello there! first off, a huge thanks to all you lovely people who came out to the party at o'byrne's on thrusday. we had a great time & it was sweet to see so many familiar faces. red magic (shamik & crystal) & laurelle really warmed things up between sets, jay helped us out on hand drums, & lotsa beautiful people helped us out by getting down... more of a testament to our wonderful hometown crowd than to the songs; they're the same songs every time, but people don't always dance... glad we know such a funky bunch around here. We're enjoying the springtime weather around town... We'd been steeling ourselves for some real Farley Mowat-like conditions which never really materialized, although I sure whined like it. For awhile there I was wearing 10+ layers, shocked at the hardiness of the locals... Darryl & I are gainfully & glamorously employed, taking photos of kids on Santa's lap in the malls around Edmonton, every day til Christmas. I'm squeezing in a show at the Druid tomorrow night, with a little help from my friends... then putting my shoulder to the wheel for the real santa rush. once finished, darryl & I are celebrating our freedom with a little spin around alberta. calgary people, get ready! Hope you're all doing well, wherever you are... & hope those of you in Taiwan who may be wishing for a little dose of Christmas hoopla can take comfort in knowing that we're overdosing... & besides, your memories of the season are selective, & may be sweeter than the real thing anyway. Christmas is always whiter on the other side of the world, right? or something like that. peace on earth, goodwill to men & women, s |
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monday, oct 31 a couple weeks to recap: had a great time in lethbridge... corrie from
tongue n' groove hosted me fabulously & dragged me around town partying
afterward, which I really appreciated, tho I protested at first. &
katherine & chris fed me wonderful spaghetti the following night,
thanks friends. from there to banff, where I rejoined the band for a weekend stint at the elk & oarsman. huge thanks to them for hosting. It was lots of fun to be playing with daz & adam again, & to revisit the heavier tunes. the crowd was really nice both nights... thanks to mike for bringing a crew from cowtown, & to joe splane, scott cranston, jane & janelle for making the trip from canmore. it was great to see all of you. & especially sweet to jam with joe on guitar & hear his new sanyang motorbike tribute. great to see those big ol' mountains too. around here, we'll be playing a bit, & I'll be doing some recording for my solo record, which I hope to have out by the new year. decided to make a whole album to replace the goin up the river EP, rather than get another run made, now that it's sold out. those of you who have a copy, you now own a collector's item. so anyhow, I want to say huge thanks again to everybody who came out, wandered in, told their friends, listened, danced, bought records, bought beers, gave me something to laugh about, gave me directions, gave me advice, fed me, housed me, or supported the whole thing in any way this summer... it's been an epic journey & it was sweet to meet you all along the way. I'll be back around before long. also, a huge thanks to my folks, without whose help none of this would've happened. best wishes to you all through the winter. take
care, s |
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monday, october 17 hey there good people, still on the road! I'm in cowcow, about to head
outta town into the wide-open spaces of southern alberta... been here
a couple days, hanging out with my sister, & seeing old friends... playing tonight in lethbridge, then making my
way gradually towards the koots... I'd actually contemplated going home,
as some shows fell through, & it is getting wintry, but the sight
of those mountains & thoughts of the folks on the other side reminded
me this road's not over yet, still got a few more turns left in it. s |
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wednesday, october 12 hope you are enjoying the season. beautiful sunny day in saskatoon... got up a little late this afternoon, after a rowdy night partying with those inimitable cracker cats & friends. played open stage at lydia's last night & had a lot of fun, the people were into it. will be playing tonight at the freehouse & expect more rowdy good times. finally getting around to winding my way home. it's been sweet to pass by the places I first found on my way out east back in august... stayed alongside lake of the woods again, in ontario, with a foot of snow on the ground this time around... & night before last, stayed out at the same sweet little campground in dundurn, SK, & dug the big sky, falling stars. had a good night at the freehouse in winnipeg, thanksgiving sunday... played for nobody but the sound man & the bartender in regina the following night; blame it on the holiday & the bitter cold. I sure didn't mind the paid practice anyway. looks like there'll be some new music coming from our way soon... might even have a new single out by this winter. I'll be sure to let you all know. make sure to have a slice of pumpkin pie. or two. talk soon, s |
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thursday, october 6th hey friends, long time no write. I'm in chilly northern minnesota, & headed further north, back to canada this afternoon... finally having to admit to myself that this long summer dream is coming to an end. this morning the van was frosty, the grass outside carpeted with leaves... still rocking the sandals, carrying them like a torch, but they've got thick wollen socks underneath now... played a feature spot at the open stage in duluth, MN, last night, at a sweet coffeeshop called beaners central... a very lively scene in duluth, tho maybe like edmonton, more musicians than fans... many thanks to Jason for inviting me. Great to meet so many kind folks & hear some good tunes. been getting an eyeful for the past couple days, driving through michigan, wisconsin & minnesota... the hillsides all painted with yellows, oranges, & deep reds, the skies fierce & ever-changing... I haven't seen the fall here in four years & it's truly a beautiful sight. had a good time in fredericton with the kind folks there... thanks to ashley, lori, ronnie & steven for the nice welcome, & to matt & the 3 amigos for the enthusiasm. from there I bade a fond farewell to the maritimes & cut back into the states... across maine, beautiful southern vermont, & upstate new york, digging the scenery & sampling the wide variety of opinions represented on talk radio, from limbaugh on the one extreme to national public radio (thank god for it!) on the other... crossed back into southern ontario for a show at JT's in st. thomas. nice people there. thanks joan & kim for the warm welcome, & go well, uncle herb. It was great to be back in that part of the world, to smell the forests & farmland along the #3, & dig the sunset over lake erie... then back across the border to detroit, where I had to empty my pockets & endure some inane questioning, & up through michigan to the sweet solace of my grandparents' farm. seven generations of our family there; amazing place. stayed a few days with them & then overnighted with my cousin (of "out there in the evening" fame) in northern michigan before making my way west. now headed back to the prairies, dreading the weather to come. feeling very grateful for all the kindness & welcome that's been extended to me all along this long rambling road. hope you're all settling into fall gracefully. take good care, s ps well, whaddayaknow! there it is! just sitting here about to send this & I saw it! snow, falling in the sunshine... you folks in taiwan, count your blessings. peace. |
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thursday, sept 22nd my sincere thanks to anyone who's reading this...
I sometimes feel like the late-night cjsr djs ("is there anybody
out there?") when writing this, but some people assure me they're
reading faithfully, so I'll keep posting. & one day had the fortune of walking into the harvest festival on spring garden road... Verbal Warning was laying down some sweet grooves & we were dancing on the grass in the middle of town, sweet. played a short-notice farewell show (I'm sentimental, I guess; staying in a place a week seems to merit a farewell show) at the economy shoe shop, & had fun. thanks very much to the folks who came out for that one, & to shal for her tireless organizing. Also to Rick & Kelly, who made a point of coming out to the second show on account of the first, despite getting the date wrong... :) since halifax I spent a night drinking with Johnny
Eden in Moncton, a night on the coast at parlee beach, & last
night in Sackville, visiting Danica & then hanging around after
I blew a tire on the trusty rockpod. got it fixed up this morning &
back on the road. shows in st. john & fredericton & then cutting
down through the states; will probably write next from there. s |
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friday september 16 I'm writing from the library in wolfville, nova scotia... there's an indoor folk festival on here this weekend, deep roots music fest, which looks great... unfortunately I got limited funds, & a birthday party to attend anyway, so I won't be going... but did make it here to hear a talk just now, bob snider speaking about songwriting... funny enough, last night I slept in the bed that bob had slept in the night before... the hospitality room above the union street cafe in berwick. I even wrote the beginnings of a song, sitting by the open window, looking over the street below, 1am. musta been some muses' scent lingering in the room... the crowd at union street was wonderfully attentive & packed with talent. I almost wished they would start ignoring me or something; all the perked-up ears were making me nervous... vince, caleb, sally, heather & kate (sorry, dunno anybody's last names) were all amazing. It was truly a pleasure to share the evening with so many wonderful musicians, & to be so well hosted. this is the kind of venue that songwriters dream about, & who woulda thunk it'd be found in tiny berwick? thanks meagan for the invite, kate for the warm introductions, & brian for the impeccable sound. today I drove to harborville, on the bay of fundy, & dug the mist hanging over the water... yesterday I was on the opposite coast of nova scotia, where I finally sat down by the atlantic ocean, finally got a feeling for what a long way I've come... gonna be a long trip back too. just landed my first gig in the states; duluth, minnesota. been hanging a couple days in halifax with shali & co., & enjoying carlos' wicked cooking. really digging the city too. full of students & young, sometimes stupid, energy. & here, too, they like their drink. met some funny people wandering around. liane also happens to be out here, by a stroke of good luck. played ginger's night before last, to a small but really wonderful crowd. thanks amanda & mandy for driving into town, & to everybody else who came out. finally got to meet local singer rose cousins, whose work I've admired, & who you should all check out... three of the guys I'm staying with in town are
going to skate across canada next summer, to raise money for breast
cancer. they're on eastcoastlongboarding.com
for now; anybody who can help with the fundraising, get in touch! hope you're all doing well. keep the home fires burnin, alright? s |
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sunday sept 11 I'm in fredericton, sitting in front of the old customs house building... my first time in the maritimes, & loving it so far. fredericton is a town with free wireless internet, provided by the city. it's also a town where a dude (not this dude) can plug in his amp & rock out ALL the hits, & I mean ALL the hits, on electric guitar from the steps of a historic building on queen st. til three in the morning & still not draw the heat! It's also a town quite fond of its drink, as I saw last night. played at the bugaboo creek pub & the crowd was cool, if a little liquored... walked down to the banks of the st. john river afterward & saw the sky overhead flickering with ghostly green flame... the northern lights again, huge this time, filling the sky. & the wind blowing dry & cold. the season is definitely changing; feeling it for a couple days now. guess I'll finally have to break down & buy some shoes; my slippers are getting a little impractical to say the least. had a sweet visit in montreal & even got to
hang with pierre, our long-lost drummeur, up to his old tricks... He
gave me some footage from spring scream monkey that I'll be putting
up soon; watch for it. but had to haul ass back down the road toward fredericton; cutting it mighty close on account of my detour... spun through quebec city & dug the old buildings. had to give les plains d'abraham a miss. then along the st. lawrence, north to new brunswick... passed by the wonderfully-named town of St. Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!... for an explanation of the name, or anything under the sun, see the wikipedia. & speaking of the wikipedia, it's even bigger than I thought... For instance, it has an article on the tiny town of Tumbler Ridge, BC, where my family lived awhile, & articles on singers like Corb Lund, Kinnie Starr, even k'naan... where's the anglers article, you ask? just waiting for one of you to write it... there's a scott cook page, but only for that rich scott cook, who founded Intuit. Methinks they need a disambiguation page to cut through all the confusion. headed towards halifax today. loving these little square white houses out here, & these friendly folks. hope your skies are sunny. peace, s |
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wednesday, sept 7 I had a nice week in eastern ontario... met up with yoav at the tranzac club & we went for a few drinks, then wiled away the hours from our perch high up on a fire escape... the next day I was back to cherry beach for a picnic with katie & then out... slept by the lake in port perry, then to uxbridge the next day. nice crowd at sixty-six... swanky place, fine food. many thanks to ann & eric for hosting, & to the coffee shop manager for the jumpstart in the morning. then to peterborough to get a new battery, &
to see mike & ann goede & their two kids, who I hadn't met yet...
roan is a brilliant little guy; lots of fun hanging with him, &
it reminded me how much I miss hanging out with my students. he drew
me a map to halifax so I can't get lost. Played at the spill & had
a great time. James is an excellent host & the PA is great. Went
for beers at the Montreal House afterward... It used to be a men-only
establishment up til a few years ago; real smalltown beer-hall charm
& the same familiar glasses that you find at the Strat & Blues
on whyte back home. Saw Lotus Wight
& the ways of the world, local oldtime string band, awesome,
& danced with the folks there. nice people in peterborough. the next night I was down in cobourg--beautiful town on the shores of lake erie--for a show at the human bean. Nice crowd & a nice place. Thanks to Dave for hosting & buying me a beer afterward. Spent a lot of time there on the beach; it looks like the ocean... Heard that the shelter valley folk festival was going on just down the road, & that raghu lokanathan was there... Hadn't seen him in a couple years so I endeavoured to find him. Barely got to talk with him before I had to head to Millbrook, a VERY small town outside peterborough... So small, in fact, that the bar & the video store are in the same building. Scotty Rabel called while I was setting up & filled me in on all the Taiwan news. Crazy to be talking to him from there. I played the Eagles that night, as I suspected I might; twice in fact. Quite a change of pace for me as a show but I had a lot of fun. Thanks to Don & Margaret for coming out from peterborough. the next morning I drove back to shelter valley to see raghu, & managed to catch the festival producer, Aengus Finnan, singing some heartbreaking songs... Good to see Raghu & John Wort Hannam, who was also there... It's a sweet little festival, only in its infancy, in a beautiful setting on a hillside overlooking lake erie... looks like it'll be around for a long time. sure liked eastern ontario; the rolling hills, the fields & forests, & the lakeshore. now digging the vibe here & regretting all the goofing off I did in french class. soon enough I'll be on the coast. hope you're all doing well, wherever you are. see ya, s |
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monday august 29 in toronto, writing from the bar of clinton's
on bloor... gonna play the tranzac club tonight & then I'm off east. Played the free times cafe, sharing the bill with donna ferra & samantha jones, and caught up with my old friend katie. the show went well & I was very thankful to peter for getting me in on it with such short notice. I spent all day saturday down at cherry beach, by the docks... I'd been getting mail from the Promise mailing list for years; I guess somebody took my address down when I was out in Toronto years back to play my drum n bass at a truly unforgettable party that my friends in why so ltd. organized on the bruce trail... I've often thought I should just unsubscribe from their list, being in taiwan & all, but reckoned that someday fortune might find me in montreal when they're throwing a party. I pulled into town yesterday & got online only to find mail from them, about a party on cherry beach, on the only free day I have here... figured that's what I stayed on that list for all these years. In the morning when I got down the park was full of ravers, come down there after the clubs let out, to chill & get back to normal... well, some of them never made it back to normal, cause by 3 or so there were two sound systems on the beach, both free parties... Reggae, soul, & african drumming at the one on the beach; house, breaks & dub at the other, which was the promise party, tucked away in the woods... They've been doing sundays there for years, which I found truly amazing... you sure wouldn't get away with anything like this out west. No permit, big beats, people drinking beer... a sure heat score in Alberta at least. Maybe the cops have more important things to do here. Anyway, it was wonderful to take it in, & meet the kind folks there... A little slice of eden. Sunlight slanting through the trees, kids running around, people juggling, standing on their heads, all that good stuff... great dub from the Reverend & breaks from Rollin Cash. unfortunately the other party (which was also rocking but maybe a little too close to the parking lot) drew the heat & they both got shut down by 11 or so... Only the 2nd or 3rd time it's been busted, which in itself is amazing... Amazing that such a cool thing could go on in the city, & amazing that it isn't bigger & rowdier than it is... maybe 200 people there tops. Thanks so much david & irving for doing something for free, building community, bringing people out to the woods. peace to nova & chris & all the kind folks I met--hope you aren't too hurting at work today. just got mail from alia in montreal, stoked to see her & my canine love xiao ai... Decided in the last couple days that I'm gonna go all the way east, gigs or no gigs... this is where the faith comes in. Hope you are all doing well, talk soon, s |
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friday august 26 a new record for this tour, set last night at the circus room in kitchener... played the whole night for $10 & change. my fault, I shoulda known crackheads got no money to spare. I wasn't too broken up about it or anything, just remembered how lucky I am, that I can wake up & leave here. which I'm doing right now. adios, crack alley. oh yeah, & rick, keep your head up, amigo, it's a hurting jungle out there. s |
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thursday august 25... hey friends, I'm in steeltown, hamilton... first time here. Had a great show to open & close the open mic at pepper jack cafe last night. It's a lot of the old crowd from the Staircase Cafe (closed now), carried over to the other place... A really sweet venue, with a big wooden stage by the open windows & a big shady patio outside, walled in with brickwork--a garden oasis in the middle of downtown... & a really sweet scene there too. Most of the folks know each other & there was a nice family vibe, plenty of collaboration going on, lots of talent. big thanks to ken for inviting me, doug for the impeccable sound, & rob for hosting the stage & kindly hosting the after-party too. good people. yesterday morning I saw niagara falls for the first time with my good friend Cristina, dug the heavy mist raining up on us, & hypothesized about rainbows. before that I spent the weekend at Fred Eaglesmith's charity picnic, had a sweet time. Pascal came down from Ottawa (without a bass player, at the last minute) & we managed to finagle the services of one Mark "Worm" Sinkowski, who works at Fred's Hobo Store in Port Dover... Lots of fun laying the reggae on the country crowd, & they dug it too... House got up on harp & Durrie helped us out with congas. The weekend was excellent. I had little idea just how big a name Fred is around those parts, or around Texas, for that matter. People came from far & wide. With very little help from folk festivals, radio, etc., Fred has built up his own grassroots following, huge, like a Canadian country version of the Dead cult... A big family of wonderful people, most of them musicians themselves... There were amazing jams running late every night. the friday night was my 29th birthday, and a full moon too... I slipped away for awhile to sit on the banks of the creek & stare at it. A beautiful setting for the picnic, Springwater conservation area, with lily pads covering the water, big trees shading the people, moonlit nights... The music was consistently great. Standing out for me were Washboard Hank, funny as always, Carolyn Mark, absolutely hilarious, Slaid Cleaves from Texas, fellow Albertan Matt Masters (who's on a mission to play 100 gigs in Alberta this summer to mark the centennial), House Milner, & Gurf Morlix, who's a big-name producer and no less of a talent himself; he closed his set with an inspired & timely rendering of dylan's 'god on our side,' which I'd been digging on the way here... Of course Fred was awesome; funny ad lib from him & some beautiful textures going from the band. The lineup is stellar & includes Willie P. Bennett, who amazed us all on harp & slide mandolin & timeworn vocals... They travel around in a big old bus with 10 beds, support crew, a big circus pulling into town. When they're off the road, the bus is parked in front of Fred's house down by the water in Port Dover... On the thursday before the picnic I played in port dover, got introduced to some of the kind folks there (hey Pat, April, House, Liz, all!) & dug the little town on the shore of big lake Erie... Fred is well known & loved in Dover, & has his own store, the Hobo store, where they sell off old guitars, mandolins, accordians, used LPs, single guitar strings, cheap harmonicas, amps, and whatever else they pick up in junk shops along the way on their travels. Truly a hobo's delight. Setting up for the show at the Norfolk, I was a little distressed at first... Before I even got the PA set up, a young fellow sprayed the floor with projectile vomit, & another got thrown out for trying to start a fight... It wasn't even 9 o'clock, & I thought ah ha, this is going to be one of those nights... But truly it was a great night, & the crowd got into it... Some even listening, others compensating with rowdy enthusiasm... The climax was a hair-raising rendition of 'brown-eyed girl' with a drunken dutch sojourner... Also had some funny jams with the local kids on spoons, bells, harmonica & whatever else out of my tickle trunk... The night before that I was at the Rock Bottom in Windsor... Good times, nice place. I got there just in time; thankfully, the border people were very nice to me & declined to search my van. I guess they probably figure a longhair like me knows he's a heat score; wouldn't be stupid enough to try bringing anything across... I wowed at the lit skyline of detroit as I crossed the bridge. My time in the states was no more than a cruise through... Checked out the scene in Duluth, pretty town, & stayed overnight in Marquette, Michigan... Before that I came down from the western end of Ontario; drove through Kenora & down to Sioux Narrows, alongside Lake of the Woods... stayed out by a little bay on the lake & dug the loons & the ghostly mist on the lake, the low yellow moon, starry sky... thought I heard gitchee manitou in the breezes. ...which takes us almost back to where I wrote last... After the night in saskatoon I drove a short way out of town to sleepy little Dundurn, SK, where I found a sweet, cheap campground, with nobody around... Stayed a couple nights & played the banjo & got my computer worked out (using Ableton Live for the late-night sets), & dug the big, ever-changing sky... On the first day, a tight double rainbow right in front of me, both ends cutting sharp to the ground, big golden thunderheads piled up behind it... And on the second night, northern lights (special for the japanese dudes there who'd never seen it), & the perseids, which I hope you all saw, raining down brilliantly overhead. Thanked God for the wonders in the sky & the rest & set out on my way a couple days later, bound for brandon. Met some nice folks in Brandon at Second Troy, a very cool space... Checked out some venues in Winnipeg & then out to Ontario. Now off to kitchener for a show at the circus room; hope to run into some of Canary Mine's old posse... then to the big smoke, hog town, T-dot itself... wish me luck. big love to you all, speak soon, s |
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thursday, august 11 thanks for checking in. I'm in saskatoon, enjoying the free wireless that seems to just be filling the air around this town... Drove 6 hours across near-featureless prairie & got here in time for a beautiful sunset last night, sky full aglow orange & purple... played kind of a sleepy show at spadina freehouse, where the staff were real nice... trouble was they were the only ones left by the second set. well, them & dylan, who filled me in a bit on all things sk'toon. started on a song, or a verse of a song, about this poetogenic little town, standing by the south saskatchewan river after the show, surprised by a beaver right in front of me... headed now to regina to have a look around, & brandon on friday, to meet the folks at second troy, who were kind enough to offer me a supper that I don't even have to sing for... then thru the states to southern ontario. the folk fest was sweet as always. john prine in particular had me in his grip. vusi masahela from south africa blew me away with his complicated phrasing, precise lyrics, and huge vocabulary of vocal sound... Also dug alpha yaya diallo, the bills, the men of steel (don ross & co), johnny clegg, abstract minimal bluegrass from bill frisell, portugese/african rhythms from waldemar bastos, deep slow reggae grooves by alpha blondy & the solar system... nice to dig the beautiful candle-specked hillside & sunset thru the skyline again. & to see all the good folks from town. we got a good thing going. a huge thanks to all the friends, old & new, who came out for my farewell at o'byrne's... we were all tired after the folk fest but you guys were still up for more, good on ya. the city's not dead! the good people were dancing on a monday night. musically, it was a train wreck--I felt like it was my first show or something--but the feeling is what counts, & you folks had feeling aplenty. Extra special thanks to Paul McGowan for saving the day with a g-string, & to Maurice Jones for the excellent tunes, warming up the place & getting the dancers out on the floor. wonderful. we'll see you all again in october. wish me luck at the border. cheers, s |
| tuesday, august 2
hey friends, back in edmonton, getting some rest in at my folks' place & gonna take in the folk festival this weekend. A fine time to be an edmontonian. the western leg of tour's done now, & it's gone sweetly... visited some magic places & reconnected with old friends. almost broke even, too, which is an accomplishment. had a hard time turning around & heading back east... on the ferry off the island, I had a sudden vision of myself on the 401, stuck in a sea of cars & exhaust, & wondered why I was leaving... but it's all in your mind, isn't it? the birds got their own way of hanging out in the city... cortes was fabulous. I stayed a few days & soaked up the love. Blue Quarter came to the island & rocked manson's hall under a big full moon. a beautiful circle closed at milan's art festival, singing to my old friends. I swam in hague lake every day & finally got some sun on my white ass. gabriola was wonderful too... a friend from taiwan, andre nobels, lined up the show for me... The crowd was great--very attentive, & sweet people. Peter at the surf pub was very kind & even sat in on bass for a couple numbers, along with another local named Dave on djembe. The jams cooked. Little Jen & Xiao Go were out, too, to add fuel to the party fire. We hung around the next day & dug the beautiful land. I'll definitely be back. stopped in vancouver on my way back & saw my old friend elese at the backstage lounge... dropped in on pete & alex from taiwan the next evening, then off on the road under a big moon to Hope... Played an impromptu gig in Penticton at Fibonacci's the next night, & met some kind folks there, including Jeff Greene, who plays stellar guitar, & Aaron Goodwin, who plays six-string & harp. Great people. then to canmore to hang with friends & to banff the next day to reunite with the daz bear, who I'd been missing. Adam Goring was back on the drums for us & we had a great time at Johnny Ray's. Thanks loads to Lynda, Mike, Joe, Scott Cranston, Beth & all the other kind folks who came out & partied. The next day found us in Cowcow with more old friends... Huge love to Lynda for help spreadin word, & to Kev & Jody for driving up from Lethbridge... And of course to Adam for making the trip out. He & Daz are in the pocket. Also great to see Thom, Anne-Marie, Amanda, & my old friend Nate, who are all doing well... We escaped without a parking ticket this time, congratulated ourselves. next time you hear from me I should be on my way east. Hope you are all flourishing. blessings, s |
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Tuesday, July 19 Came down the gorgeous sea-to-sky highway (in this case, sky to sea) from whistler right to horseshoe bay, & in doing so managed to avoid vancouver altogether, & thought myself very clever for it. There's folks I love in Van, I know, but I'm just too fresh off the boat, can't take the city & its parking laws... Guess I'll stop by on my way back through, play the backstage lounge's open mic--incidentally, the scene of two notorious happenings of last summer: the face of james lanbro (of canary mine) colliding with the pavement at the hands of our drunken bass-playing bear, & the rockpod colliding with a pole at the hands of the only one who wasn't drunk, old slowhand himself... For now, headed to Cortes to see the folks there... Milan's throwing a music festival this friday & saturday & I just may squeeze my way on stage at some point... The Tak has changed hands & Squirrel Cove's changed format but I may get a show in at one of those places too, we'll see. Then on Saturday to Gabriola for a show with Andre Nobels, who we met while he lived in Taiwan. watched a heron fishing this morning. wishing you all sunny skies, s |
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Tuesday, July 12 I'm in the Kootenays now, enjoying the ample hospitality & greenery... the shows so far have gone sweetly, particularly starbelly. I bade Darryl adieu yesterday; it was sure great travelling with him but I'm going on alone for now. Left the city in a rush, as always... We were still drummerless up til the 11th hour but Brian Gregg told Gary Bowman about our predicament & Gary recommended Adam Goring in Banff--a funny coincidence cause we knew Adam from last year, when he interviewed us for an article in the Crag & Canyon, though we had no idea he was a drummer. Adam saved the day for us in a big way. Tuesday night at Johnny Ray's turned into a jumping party with the help of Lynda, Leah, Adrian & friends from Calgary, & Vanessa, Chris, Paul, & Joe Splane (with his folks) from Canmore. Joe even jumped up on lead for a few tunes. Wednesday night was ghostly quiet in Golden but some enthusiastic folks made it out & partied anyhow—thanks to Sasha for bringing some friends by. Thursday night was similarly quiet in Nelson—everybody we knew was out potlucking—but we managed to round up some crowd, who danced & dug the tunes. Papa Roots (our buddy Neil) was on the decks & kept the reggae cuts coming. Neil was with us again the next night in Kaslo where we played to a packed house at the Crooked Cafe. Chris, Serge & the rest of the staff were very kind to us & we'd gladly go back anytime. The good people of Kaslo, young & old, came out to listen & dance, & warmed our hearts. Beautiful perfect community right on the shore of kootenay lake. On drums we had help from Jay, who Daz met by sweet coincidence while searching around town. Jay plays with hometown reggae favorites Sound Foundation, & he cut it up sweetly for us. We made our way to Starbelly the next day, &
were blessed with a full day of music & only a little rain. Particularly
inspiring were H'Sao, from Chad via
Montreal, who we also saw up at the fair, the
Twisters, who we played with on Haida Gwaii two years ago, Jose
'Pepe' Danza, local drum & dance troupe Afrique! & the local
Samba band, both of whom were in Ymir last year... I'm just laying low for a few days now, sitting by the water & sorting myself out... Even got my home (the van) cleaned up some. Headed to Kelowna in a couple days. Talk soon, scott
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Anglers' news May 05: a look back It's been a year
since we saw many of you last, so here's the news...
The Anglers are currently scattered across three different continents--with any luck, there's at least one on your continent right now!--but the three of us here in Asia (ty, crees & I) have been doing our thing together, for the moment, and having a good time. We had the Daz bear here for two weeks in the fall, rubbed his tummy & sent him on his way. He was without a visa to stay in Taiwan & his new fiancee back in Canada was without a man, so he was inextricably hinterland-bound. Glad to hear he's having fun in Edmonton through the winter, & good to know that it's even possible... It's been so long we can't even remember. Dunc stayed on in Canada & flew to Africa from there, leaving us a much mellower band, with a rhythm section of one. But we started out here, just the three of us, so we've been enjoying doing that again. Playing lots more country & folk, learning a lot of old bob marley, & covering 'boxcar' by our friend Rae Spoon. We haven't pounded the pavement for gigs this time around, but plenty of good opportunities have come our way... So far we've been happy to play at the big Resistance party up on the hill in Donghai, Taichung, which was probably the first big gathering of the tribe this season, for solar new year's at the golden plaza in Taichung, & for Bob Marley day (it woulda been his 60th birthday) at the Wall in Taipei... Over the lunar new year (the big holiday here) we had to forgo the customary quick adventures around SE asia, with lots to do, & not a lot of cash on hand. Scotty Rabel, Ty & I took a bike trip down south... we tested our beat-up 125cc rides with 1300 km of winding mountain roads & they came through fine. For lunar new year's eve we were down in the mountains, Nan Tou county, camping at Xi Tou, hearing the fireworks crackle down below... We spent two sunny days camping on the beach in Kenting, & then went around the corner to Dulan, near Taidong, for a sweet weekend festival, hosted by the aboriginal arts group there - the adolan museum of arts & brown sugar... Got to know some of the Amis & Taiwanese folks who live down there & dug the local vibe--a huge contrast from the north, where there's loads of English speakers, loads of handsfree phones, loads of money flying around... It actually rekindled my hopes for this funny, undecided little island. Around home, our shows at Wonderbar turned into a bona fide concert series ('groove revival presents'), and we were able to bring up Boogie Chillin', Schlumpy & DJ Shebie from Taichung, and show off new local bands Orenda (two girls from Florida who play great latin jazz & folk) & Wise Maneouvers (oldtime Jungli jammers at it again), before mismanagement finally sunk that bar. We all shed a tear; they (& old manager A-Ban in particular) did a lot of good for Jungli, bringing a lot of good bands to town by hosting shows with no cover charge for the last three years. one big show was in Kenting, on the southern tip of the island, for our fourth Spring Scream. A couple of foreigners started the festival over ten years ago & it's grown huge--this year over 100 bands played on 4 stages over 5 days. We played twice: on Saturday as the Anglers, & Sunday with my new project as mc long gone & his Lux Sound System. It's homemade dub, reggae & dancehall beats that I toast over live, with friends jamming along. You can hear a poorly-recorded demo here. The set went sweetly. Ty asked for a dance partner & ladies poured onto the stage. Patrick (our sax player) got so carried away that he asked his girlfriend to marry him on the mic. Big love going around. The next day, though, I woke up in serious pain. Thinking it was food poisoning, I just tried to get through it. By Tuesday it hadn't gotten any better & I bussed home. Still thinking it was nothing serious, I went by the hospital Wednesday morning & didn't come back out for 19 days. Ruptured appendix. A word to you men out there: we know you're tough, & self-reliant, & can take the pain, & all that, but really, when you have a sharp pain inside you, go get it checked out! A couple days earlier & this could've been quick & easy; a couple days later & I could've been dead. A little lesson. The whole thing slowed me down a bit, & left me feeling very thankful. some pics: click on the thumbs for a full-size image... lots more taiwan photos here
I've just gotten back to all the work I'd left lying undone (which goes partway to explaining how this lunar new year greeting turned into a spring thing)... Lining up this summer's tour now, & it's already late. Tyler & Crees won't be making it; we're still crossing our fingers for Duncan. But I'm going ahead & booking things anyway--a small act of faith. So far we're confirmed on North Country Fair, Starbelly Jam in the kootenays, and Fred Eaglesmith's Charity Picnic in Ontario. We'll be out west for the beginning of the summer & then I'll be heading east alone in mid-August... Going all the way to the east coast & back up thru the states in the fall. I'm stoked--never even seen the Atlantic. I'm in the process of booking the bar shows now; if you know a great place we oughtta play, or know somebody who can get us a show, especially out east, it'd be much appreciated. I'll sure have a hard time leaving this place. We just had the second Peace Festival this month & it was truly peace-full... The first one, two years ago, was a beautiful event, in the mountains by our house at Kunlun Herb Garden (or Herbal Drug Touring Garden, or Herbal Drug Recreation Centre, as some signs call it). They had Kimbo (famous aboriginal bluesman here), Biung, Da Hai, Takanow & a who's who of foreign bands in taiwan... We circled up at sunset & hoped for the world. Sweet standing silent, everybody smiling, the frogs & birds & crickets thrumming... At nightfall they got the fire dance going & eventually it evolved (somewhat predictably) into a drunken gong show, with Milk playing from 6:30 to 8:30 in the morning. The second time round, loads of people pitched in & we put on a two-day festival, with camping, same place. It was amazing to see it happen. It would've been unbelievable just a few years ago, particularly in our neighborhood. But here it was, grown bigger & wilder & with even more flavors in the stew. Like last time, we circled up at sunset... I've been to lots of festivals & nowhere else have I seen this--a huge group of adults in a circle, focussing, totally silent... beautiful. There were whirling dervishes and a buddhist nun & folks from the way of grace all on hand to give talks & balance out the rock & roll. We managed to make around 4000 canadian for charity too. This time the proceeds are going to oxfam, amnesty international, doctors without borders & the taiwan association for human rights. You can read all about it on www.hopingforhoping.com, or read an article from the taipei times here. Read Chomsky too while you're at it. peacefest: click on the thumbs for a full-size image... more pics by lynn here.
For those of you
reading this who happen to be in Taiwan, we'll be playing our last show
around here for the forseeable future, at River in Jungli, Friday June
3rd. The 4th & 5th we've got shows out on Penghu, & I'm out
the next day. Hope to see you all before we go. |
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A funny aside to
that story: back before we lost the beach to the rising pond, I'd stuck
a piece of bamboo into the mud at the water's edge, so as to mark the
waterline, I guess. And birds would even come swooping in and land in
it & chill for a while & flit off, & I dug it. Later on,
though, my neighbor told me that it wasn't the custom here, older people
on the block don't like it... Just like you should always lay your chopsticks
down across your bowl, not stick them up in the rice. It's an ill omen,
means death. Exactly why is the subject of some debate; some people
say it looks like sticks of incense at a tomb or funeral, maybe just
a piece of wood sticking up out of the ground has an ancient association
with a grave marker... who knows? Anyway, it was a little late, because by this time the water had risen up to fill the pond & the bamboo was sticking out of the water far from the edge of my overgrown garden. Not wanting to strike daily fear into the hearts of the little old ladies on the block, I tried to lasso it, flinging a rope lamely at the bristling bamboo top, with no success. Scotty Rabel came by & we got a bunch of roots tied to the stick, Scotty snagged it on there & tangled the rope around it while I bent the bamboo down with another piece of that infinitely useful reed. Smooth, just like that, except after twenty or so tries, and after Scotty almost took a filthy swim. A funny spectacle.
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from the Anglers' 2004 canadian summer tour: NAME ty
NAME scotty paycheck The last few weeks have been great, although it's all starting to blend together a bit by now... Where are we again?? From the Koots we went out to Penticton for a show at Mozzie's, a classy joint on Front St., & Mohziar treated us very well. From there we cruised back to Calgary for another show over there, this time at the Merlot, & it was packed & jumping... Two parking tickets, a lot of faux-zootiness & some honk-happy drivers soured us for good on the city, though. Cowtowners, if you have to live there, try to keep your head up... If you don't have to, get OUT while you can!! But thanks anyhow, friends, for the hospitality; it can warm even the coldest places. From there we rode to Lethbridge for a reunion with the sweet folks we know down there from last year... Played at the TOngue n' Groove & had a sweet night. The prairie wind was howling outside but it was warm in there. Wondered about the strange turn-of-the-century goings-on in the old chinese freemason's hall upstairs, & the whorehouse(?) downstairs... Stayed another night at the farmhouse, the one you can see on the cover of our album (thanks Jodi). Darryl's thoughts turned again to fields, & plows, & cowboy hats... He says he could live in Nobleford. & Nelson. & even our old E-town. One way or another, this country is going to have him. From Lethbridge it was a long drive back to Nelson for a little acoustic set after Estevan's open stage at the Royal... (sorry about the confusion about Charlotte's, everybody) Not too many folks out but we had a good time, & bade that sweet little town a fond farewell... Thanks Happi & Pam for all the film work. Thanks everybody else for the warm welcome. See you all next year. From Nelson it was back to the coast for more farewells... The island was green, the berries were ripe, the people we happy... We stayed two days on Cortes & were so sweetly welcomed... Felt like home. We played a mellow evening set at the Tak & a stomping show the next night at Squirrel Cove, out on the deck by the ocean, under a big yellow moon. We were truly touched to see all the people who came out to party; thank you so much everyone. Big love. We'll be back. Friday night we rocked the Cambie in Nanaimo; met some good people & had a good one... The next night we were to be at the Anise on Saltspring but instead got a whole line of bullshit from Rob, the manager... long sordid story not worth repeating, except to say any bands reading this who are thinking about Saltspring maybe oughtta try the Treehouse instead. Daz & I took the opportunity to boat back to Vancouver for Toots & the Maytals & Burning Spear in Stanley Park... Heavy hitters. Great to run into so many people there from elsewhere along the way. The next day we were back to Nanaimo to meet the band & off to our show in Duncan. Guess we picked the wrong weekend... This ended up being our most unattended show EVER. It was us, Long John, this girl Meg who came from Hornby to see us, & one funny drunk who wandered in towards the end... The sound was good, anyway, & it sure was good to see John & the canine 9 (now 12)... Back through Vancouver, a little van trouble, & finally to Banff for our last stop at Johnny Ray's. Big thanks to everybody who came out, especially the folks from Canmore & Lake Agnes... We'll see you next year. Back in Edmonton now for a couple days, hoping it warms up before Waynefest... It's supposed to be summer's last gasp but it might be a death rattle. Two more shows in town after that & we're done. It has been truly amazing. Huge thanks to all the people who helped us out along the way, & to the almighty for steering us right. See you soon, little island. Love, s
Many sorries for the long silence… if anyone’s still checking. It’s been a busy couple of weeks… Our time in Edmonton was great. Lots of old friends from there & afar were around, & everyone wanted to party, as is the summertime custom in our city… the climax of it all was the rocking Saturday afternoon show at the Black Dog. We were joined by Emma Hood & Rachel Martens on vocals, & Patrick from Taichung’s funk heroes, Schlumpy, on sweet sax. He came from Vancouver by motorbike for the show. Emma played a beautiful set in between ours. Spanglers represented. Love & beers flowed on the rooftop patio afterward. Was actually a little overwhelming to finally play at my old watering hole & to see all the beautiful people there. Thanks friends. We stayed a few more days in town, & caught the Cracker Cats’ show at the Druid… David Ross McDonald & many more talented folks were out & it was another great night of music. Patrick jammed with us one more time before he left for BC on his bike. That Thursday we went to Jasper for a repeat engagement at the Downstream, & had a great time as usual. Many thanks to Tony & the staff for the warm hospitality as always. We slept up at Snaring River & showed the boys the icefield on the way to Ymir the next day. The reggae festival was a great time—great tunes by the Cracker Cats, Wassabi Collective, Selassie I Power, The Ibo Reggae Band, the Kootenay All-Stars, and many more… good people in Ymir who threw the party & good folks from the area with the feeling. We saw some hipshaking drumming & dance from Nelson’s own Afrique & from the Samba marching band that roused us out of bed each morning. Shared a few funny hours waiting around for Lucky Dube to come on stage too. We had a week off after the festival so we finally drifted out on Monday… Ty & Daz rode back to etown in the back of Steve’s truck, & Dunc got a ride out to the coast with the Cracker Cats. Crees & I went to our good friend Jen’s place on the east shore of kootenay lake & slaved for days over our papier-mache costumes for Shambhala… Unfortunately, there probably won’t be any pictures from the weekend posted on here… The photographers in the band were all off with their ladyfriends so Crees & I were off the record for once. Those who want to see the human circus that unfolds by the Salmo river every august will just have to take our word on it & see for themselves. Four days of dancing, swimming, lounging & nonstop beats did plenty of good for my state of mind but nothing for my recuperation… We went to Jen’s & slept it off before heading back to cowtown to meet the boys. Despite our growing feelings of ambivalence toward the city, we had a great time down there. Met up with AJ, Robin, Karla, The B, The Kid, The Dros, & lots more good folks from Taiwan & elsewhere. We hung around the day after the show & then went to Canmore for a show at the Hotel. There was a great crowd out, including a large contingent from Taiwan, & the night went sweetly. Happened to be my birthday too. Joe Splane jammed out with us at the end. The kids from Wasabi pulled in just as we got off stage. We would’ve loved to stick around for their show the next night—they were the musical highlight of Shambhala for Crees & I—but we had one of our own in Banff… Joe & Vanessa took us up to Grassi Lakes before we cut out—beautiful. It was another good show in Banff, & a pleasure working for the good folks at Johnny Ray’s… The parks people were on strike so Tunnel Mountain campground had turned into a drunken free-for-all… we slept through the din for a few hours & rose early for the ride back to the koots. We pulled into Crawford Bay yesterday afternoon & met the good people who organize Starbelly Jam… That festival, two years ago, was actually my first introduction to the Kootenays. This year they couldn’t work it out but decided to throw a one-day party (“Starbaby”) just to keep the vibe alive. The evening started with a sweet set by those prairie damsels of rowdy bluegrass, the Cracker Cats. Was great to cross paths with them yet again this summer. We sang for the smiling people as the sun set, & were followed by two great east shore bands, the Funkdamentalists & Katana, who got the party raging & kept it raging even through the thunderstorm. Fled back here to Jen’s eventually and dozed to the rain on the roof. Tomorrow night we’ll be in Nelson for a show at the Royal, and then off for another loop around… I promise we’ll be better about the updates. Not much time left. Hope the sun is shining for all of you, s
NAME: crees my apologies for being incommunicado. i have,
for the past six weeks, been in a state of agape. sensory overload and
the need for a bit of time to cogitate on the state of things my only
excuse. people ask me all the time, "what do you think of canada?".
i can only answer superficially since the sheer wealth of experience
far outweighs my paltry descriptions. besides, the adventure is not
just canada. it is also this magical madcap tour we're embarked upon.
i wish i could convey to you the singular pleasure of touring with these
four marvelous hooligans. our promotional materials proclaim our "rootsiness" but i had only a tenuous connection to the concept until we hit the road. being a pale-skinned variety of african, and un-proud of the rape and pillaging of my colonial forebears, i have never given much importance to the bloodlines of the past. dunc and cookie and i are sitting in the backgarden at the cook's in edmonton. guitar and green tea stylie. trying to work out when nomadism first emerged. when apes first climbed down from the trees? the first time an animal had to walk far to find food and water? perhaps i'm trying to reach too far back. what really interests me is not when but who were first to move? and more explicitly, with music? it is to them that i pledge my tribal allegiance. the roots i've always known to be there but never quite touched. five men, the rock pod, a list of safe havens, our deity (music) and the long road ahead. is this not the gypsy way? we play for food, drink and the means to travel on. practical concerns which fade into insignificance when seen in the glow of shining eyes and the shoof-shoof shuffling of beating hearts and dancing feet. we sleep beneath the stars outside the towns we play in, but, unlike our gypsy ancestors, who were hated and hounded and even exterminated, we are welcomed like long lost family by the fine folk we are privileged to meet. blessings abound on the road. hand delivered by beautiful people. thank you for the love and support. well....now that i've romanticized this whole affair, let me tell you some other truths of the road. it's gruelling. long periods of travel and waiting in the smallest of places (we practise backseat zen to attain satori), interspersed with frenetic energy when we hit a town to play. up and down. up and down. up and down. sometimes we journey for days through crazy beautiful topography, only to play for two people. and man, do we love those two people. a lot of the energy and love we access when we play comes from the people we play for. ya dig? batteries become depleted and the illusions of an easier life niggle at our sleep. ever travelled in an overloaded van with five men? thank god for the near-mythical appearance of beautiful women at different times along the road. gail, janine, rachel, angela and liz, thank you for mitigating the effect of too many penises in too small a space. music has the power to encompass so much diversity but it has yet to describe how five unique and headstrong indivuduals can live and travel harmoniously. we have learned. the hard way. the road burns away the chaff. truth cuts both ways. what remains are compassion, understanding and forgiveness. and, perhaps, better humans. would i trade this and my brothers for something different? better? hah! not a chance. for who would carry me when i fall down? alright, alright. enough of this sentimental oratory. when last the chief cookie did post to this journal, we were in p-town. much has happened since. marvels. wonders. even portents in the sky. though we've yet to find ten thousand dancing bears in a moonlit glade, we have played that mainstay of north american movies, the strip joint. the roadhouse tavern featured a triple bill of the anglers, an acrobatic young lady and a well-polished pole. as ty would say, when presented with such a spectacle: "wow, she's a good swimmer!". the first set was quite interesting as we felt the need to cater to the "zz-top-look-alike-club-of-golden" who were holding their daily evening meeting at the time. the second set was immeasurably improved by a bevy of nubiles who danced for fun, humankind and the solace of aging rockers (us). thank you ladies. our lawyer prevents me from speculating, in this esteemed journal, on your average age. next, through the rockies to calgary where we
played a quiet gig at jackdaw's and reconnected with those pillars of
riotous living, aj and the b. alas! for both have been snaffled by local
ladies and real work and their wild ways have been tamed. i heard the
daz bear, while in his cups, muttering of how the mighty have fallen.
i never thought to hear "aj" and "meek as a lamb"
in the same sentence. just kidding boys, or rather, just poking you
in the ribs. with a stick. we ended the night by inviting the last remaining
audience member to come up and jam with us. joe splane. you rock. which brings us almost up to date. we're in edmonton
right now, catching our collective breath. dunc and i lurk in the trailer
behind the venerable cook's house while the other boys spend some quality
time with their girls. in steamy seclusion, i suspect. on tuesday night we played at the druid. an orgy
of lovin' where practically the entire honky population of lung tan
merged with clan edmonton. a grand sight. and a grand night. who can
believe how many special people we know? anyway. enough. thanks for the love and and support,
our family. your tendrils entwine the world. over and out.
NAME scotty paycheck James: we're sorry daz dropped you on your face
on the concrete. He really didn't mean to. But he did whup your ass
as promised. You big-city Miners
better watch what you say to rowdy Asian pirates like us.
NAME The Daz Bear all love
NAME The Daz Bear Indeed, ever since Scott Cook's manly hands guided us out of Edmonton in the Rock Pod, it's been one good time after another. Before I get into the hows and the whys, I have to say that Canada welcomed me back not unlike that father welcoming back his lost and wayward son in that old tale from the Good Book. I had no sooner dropped my bags down at the front desk of The Best Westin Hotel in Vancouver when a rather plump middle aged lady looked up and said..."Well how're youuuuu doin"...music to these ears and after that I promptly headed to the bar for a pint of honey brown and a salmon burger...hell it was good to be back. But anyways I'm diverging friom the real task at hand, which is penning a little something about the goings on of the last few weeks. North Country Fair. Well it was somewhere around
4:30am on the last day of the festival when I turned to Scott and said
I'd be damned if this wasn't the best day I could remember in my 26
years, he just smiled, which made me wonder if he'd heard me cause as
I recall all Scott did was smile the whole time we were there, especially
at night. It was hard not to smile though, there we were in Northern
Alberta, listening to great music, being reunited with friends from
the summer before, it was a beautiful scene with everyone just full
of good vibes . The only untoward incident of the whole festival happened
on the Saturday when storm blew in and rattled every thing around for
a while including felling a tree that almost killed our good buddy and
bass player extraordinaire, Mike Liston-Owen from the Rae
Spoon Trio, who happened to standing about 2 feet away from where
it fell, and heavens if it had hit Mike it sure would've hit CR Avery,
who was in the outhouse at the time...and what kind of rock death would
that be people? We hit the road proper about a week later, Sasquatch Fest bound and what a good time was had there. Great performances by Tippy Agogo, Bill Bourne, SMAC, Anselmo, Patsy and Brian the list just goes on. There's such a special feeling at Sasquatch and I always dig the family atmosphere that it has. Then it was Banff where we saw our old friends, the lovely Miss Vanessa, Chris and Ladies and Gentlemen... the man with the biggest Hose in town... Joe Splane - call him if you need any pressure washing down in the Canmore - Banff area. Then it was Nelson where in one fortuitous stop we met the right people, lined up a Reggae Fest in August with Lucky Dube and played a kick ass gig at the Royal. We made a brief stop in Salmon Arm and spent one drunk night with the Doctor... the evening was going well until he tried to tip a canoe, containing myself and Crees, over in the middle of the lake at 2am in the morning. The Railway Club in Vancouver was great and its a big thank you to Meegan from Cheworx and Melissa from Come and See Entertainment for helping us on that one. ...and then... the island and specifically, Cortes Island, where we played 3 great shows, got adopted by the locals and had the pleasure of watching Crees throw himself off an 80 foot cliff into a lake. Big ups to Big Jay, Damien, both Luke Jr and Snr and all others that we met and made us feel instantly part of their community. The days since we left Cortes are all starting
to merge into a hazy blur...one memory is of James from Canary
Mine (a great band we had the pleasure of playing with) wrestling
me onto the pool table and then onto the floor at the Legion in Tofino..."hell!"
I thought "I'm back at the River Bar...we could use a man like
this over there..." but then thats what happens when its $2 for
a pint of Sleemans...things get loose and then if you're somebody like
Scott Cook...things get weird, next time you see him ask him to do his
little dance that he entertained us with later that evening, well when
I say 'us' I should really probably say 'me' because I think it was
for my... benefit...or...whatever...who knows exactly. That is all for now my friends, until next time...I bid you all farewell. Yours with graciousness
NAME scott anyway, no need to worry, we are doing sweetly... been on Cortes for awhile now & been very warmly welcomed... well fed too. our stay in Nelson was awesome... Made some good music connections & ran into some old friends too. We played at the Royal on Sunday & a good crowd came out to dance & lift our spirits... thanks so much to Kiki & Chris for the chance to play, & to Estevan for being so accomodating--we'll definitely be back there soon. Much love koots people. from there we trucked to Salmon Arm to see our friend, professor & sometime pilot (or rather pirate?) of the good ship River, Dr. Dave. He set us up & even took Daz & Crees on a harrowing moonlit canoe ride. Would've loved to stay, but Van city was calling... Got in on Thursday & were stoked to see our old friends pulling in, including plenty of Taiwan folks... Gail happened on us by chance. Kev, Ang & the Kid all showed... King Raph came too & put some of us up for a few days. The Fairview was a little empty (being a tuesday) but we had fun & the regulars were into it. Hung around Vancouver for the next couple days & dug the city & the young hustlers on granville & the boats out in English Bay... Caught up with some long-lost people too. thursday's show at the Railway Club was great. Infinitism (from Duncan) & Arborescent (from Vancouver) were cool. We also met Melissa, the agent who booked the show, & had some laughs... looks like we will be working together more in future. Thanks to all the people for coming out & dancing. we met up with Duncan's lovely Canadian ladyfriend Janine in Van & she's been with us ever since... adding some much-needed class to the contingent in the van & doing well at filling Rachel's old shoes as chief morale officer. took the ferry out to the island, swooned on deck & inhaled the fresh sea air... Made it to Comox the first night for a stay at Miracle Beach & then cruised up here, happy... these islands are really a world apart. OId growth trees, more deer than people, minds & front doors alike unlocked... We got in on Saturday to the news that I had been expected to call & re-confirm the gig... Well, I forgot about it long ago (hard being the singer & agent & road manager at the same time, in my defense), & so Damien at Squirrel Cove had figured we weren't coming after all... Nice guy that he is, though, he got on it right away & rounded up a PA, & we drove around & rounded up a crowd. Thanks so much to everybody who came out & partied with us that night; it was great. & a huge thanks to the people who kept coming back, the next day for our sunday brunch show, looking out over the ocean, & that night for our show in the sweet garden outside the Tak... Great feeling. Saw some old crew & met lots of beautiful people. Big ups in particular to Luke, young tunesmith of Cortes--you write great tunes & tell a great story too. Yesterday we swam in Hague Lake & then over to Big Jay's for a fat Cortes sendoff; ate barbecued salmon & jammed... the sky was milky atwinkle with a million stars over our heads. Can't say enough good things about the wonderful people we met out here--we're full-up with gratitude. See you in September. tonight we're off to Quadra to camp out in the bush at Morte Lake--a little mental-health break before we head off for the next run of shows. looking forward to seeing you all along the way, much love, s
NAME Duncan Canada Day, 2004... We rode out of Edmonton almost a week ago...the green van packed to the roof for our first month on the road...we managed to find a drumkit (Big Love to Newbie for the generous loan), a guitar amp (likewise to Emma for that one) and an adventure seeking girl who we picked up at the North Country Fair and managed to cram between the guitars and the beers...(she has subsequently been traded for more beer)...but seriously, lovely Rachel joined us for the trip to Nordegg and the Sasquatch Festival and we in fact liked her so much that we managed to take her with us to Banff (where she escaped but thankfully after doing all the laundry)...we will surely miss that lady. Sasquatch was awesome. The Anglers were supposed to close the night on Friday but the lineup was were running ridiculously late and by the time we were supposed to be on stage, most of the band were asleep and the sun was beginning to warm the chilly campsite ( nestled alonside a pretty creek and shadowed beneath the incredible rocky mountains). Negotiations by the boss resulted in us being billed first on Saturday night (after the Potluck...which was epic) and this decision went down well with the rhythm section who were not looking forward to leaving the comfort of the sleeping bag...earlier in the evening (still in the sleeping bags) SMAC had provided some incredible dream soundtrack material...a truly inspiring set which I absorbed in a very meditative half sleep, and included a killer rendetion of Zep's 'Going to California'...Saturday - Chris and Dunc threw together a wicked fusion-cuisine cous-cous salad thing for the potluck (i want to say potlatch but that's different...although there sure was alot of food!) and then we hit the stage for an early evening set which was well received by the chilled folks and the fest...Tippy Agogo was loose at the festival as well, his energy contagious, his sales pitches for the African fabrics flawless (Chris and Dunc sold 10), and his closing set on Saturday wicked...'Along the Black Banks'...another chant that has been seeping into my dreams...Tippy was joined by Bill Bourne and later Kelly from SMAC on Drums and our own Crees on Djembe...they blew minds and eardrums until early morn... And then it was to Banff with a night at some completely Majestic scenic lake spot, with freezing River swims and another wicked campfire feast... And then really to Banff, where we unquestionably rocked the little venue of Johnny Ray (now Johnny Reggae's) with a searing three set show that got better and better...lots of pretty ladies (Daz and Chris had only one objective when handing out fliers that afternoon) and appearances from old friends (Joe, AJ, Kate) which encouraged a stunning performance from the band (OK exaggeration...it was good) and there was a request from management to return in August which we shall do... And now we're kicking around Nelson BC...hoping to get booked somewhere (preferably as support for Burning Spear who play here sometime soon) but we'll settle for the Royal...we keep on. NAME Duncan
NAME scotty paycheck went up thursday after a few days of mad rushing around town (managed to get our gear together & get a couple jams in anyway)... whooping & bouncing the van at the first sight of that big lake. thursday night's party rocked & the people were all happy. played again saturday night with help from our friend emma hood, & sunday night for the volunteer party, with help from tippy agogo on beats, SMAC's vince sanregret on didj, & east van hooligan cr avery beatboxing thru the harmonica & freestyling verses... all 3 sets were at the wait & see cafe, that cute little wood box of a stage under a big twilit prairie sky... smiles & good feeling all around. thank you so much people. big thanks as well to the musicians who filled my head with such beautiful music all weekend... & huge thanks to the organizers & volunteers; this is truly the best festival I've been to, whichever side of the green room fence you're on. great help with everything (especially the sound & lockup guys) & fat hospitality as well. we're off to the sasquatch festival this weekend & then out west from there... pray the rock pod holds up & the sun shines. much love everybody, see you along the way... s |
| from Taiwan, 2004
january, 2004 hey good people... First off a huge thanks to everybody who came
out for A Family Affair in Jungli... We had over 400 people in the door
& it was truly a kicking party. Everybody rocked hard. It was the
last (forseeable) show in Taiwan for the Smoking Cones & Spliffabyss--Crees
& B are outta here! If you missed it, I guess you can always buy
a CD. Sad to see the boys go but hey, such is life... B will take the
money to Dros' folks in Canada himself. Thanks to Blaine & Monica
of Underbits for all their work getting the whole |
|
from the Anglers' 2003 "starter" tour: NAME: ty Well, I made it back to Taiwan safe and sound and my is it hot! Leaving Edmonton, it was about +2 degrees, so I packed all my sweaters. Currently it's 7 pm and it's 29 degrees out. And the humidity ... I's one sweaty boy. Have to say to everyone out there who I met this summer or all you old friends - you know who you are - you made a big difference to this weary traveller. I look forward to seeing all of you again real soon. I trust all is well - Ty
NAME: mc wranglo oh daz you're so sentimental I could puke... yeah, yeah, we'll see you all next year. I'm back in the land of hello kitty & exhaust fumes once again, & back into it... Been wrangling with the little monkeys already... Playing a hip hop set with my boy MC insatiable tonight down in Taichung. Busy busy as usual. Anyway I wanted to say a big thanks to all the fine people who came out to our CD "release" party... (that is, we didn't have the CDs--or our guitars--but we let go of it all anyway.) It was so heartwarming to dance & get sweaty with you people. We love ya. Those of you who filled out an envelope, you'll get your quarter ounce of prevention soon. For those who didn't, we'll find another way to get it to you--after all you need something to shoo the blues away thru those bitter winter months, don't you? Sorry for rushing away like I always do. I actually feel like I left part of me back in Canada, not ready to leave... If you see him wandering around give him a parka. big love, s
NAME: Daz Scott Cook left on Sunday...only the faint smell of smoke lingered in the places that he had been and before he saddled his motorbike he looked up at us, kissed his index and his middle finger together and lifted them to the sky and with that he roared off...we all knew what he meant..."Yannies" indeed... Overnight the weather changed for the worse and
by morning folks were walking the Edmonton streets bundled up in jackets
and scarves and two facts appeared imminent...winter and my departure.
Indeed sadly I will be leaving this fair land shortly. Ty will follow within days of my departure...we all have found comfort in the fact that if the rumours flying around recently are to be believed - Scott Rabel that Rebel Marauder will be joining us come November and there are at present a whole host of good folk that have made their ways over to the island recently and good times are there awaiting. But the most comforting thought is the prospect
of returning with the warmth of next summer and reuniting with all the
amazing people I've had to the good fortune to cross paths with on my
journey through this vast land...it's that that brings a smile to this
old bear's face.
NAME: mc wranglo Hey, it's scott here... Been on the road to Shambles & back; had a sweet time in the Kootenays... Now just hanging around the city & gearing up for our CD release party. So here's the scoop: the party goes on September 6th, at Fiddler's Roost in Edmonton (8906 99 St.) ...our good friend (& fabulous singer-songwriter) Emma Hood, & local oldtime countrified band the George Bushes will be joining us on the bill. We may even sneak some special surprises in there too... Look forward to an evening of sweet song & dance. It'll be $5 at the door; drinks are $2.50; doors open at 8pm & the tunes start at 9. We should only have 50 copies of the CD for sale (the duplication's taking too long), so come early to be sure you can get one! For those of you who miss the party, we'll see you next year--I leave the next day for Taiwan & the boys will follow soon after me. Hard to believe this magical summer is winding down... I leave in a couple hours for a repeat engagement
at the Downstream Bar in Jasper, then for a wedding (of our friends
from Taiwan, Dave & Gloria) in Calgary... Will be back next week;
you can catch us live at the Little Flower Open Stage, Rossdale Community
Hall (right next to Telus Field) on Wednesday the 3rd, at Seedy's (10314
104 St.) Thursday the 4th, and at our party on Saturday... Bring your
dancing shoes.
NAME: ty No news is good news, or so they say, and that's exactly what we have for you . . . no news . . . We have been working over at Bob Cook's studio (located in his basement . . . Bob's a really nice guy! He is also in a band called Bob Cook and the Unherd - of. We saw him play at the Little Flower open stage - it was really good. I guess he has over 300 songs. Some are supposed to be downright silly, anyways . . .) for a week now and we are getting close to our elusive finished product. It has definitely been a learning experience, and we're already looking forward to making the next album. Currently we are working on the mix and should be finished in the next few days. After that, "the gang" will head down to Shum - bala (don't how to spell that!) festival. It's a four day outdoor rave extravaganza located somewhere in the Koots. If you are headin' there and plan on sleeping, earplugs might be a good idea. Or, if you think sleep is for quitters like me . . . don't forget your water! You'll thank me as you grind your teeth away . . . anyhoo, I hope life on the road continues to bless! Cheers everyone!
NAME: scott well well... Back in town now for a couple days & enjoying the feed & facilities at my folks' house... Showing Darryl around the old hood & pinting it up on the roof of the black dog... I reckon he likes Edmonton as much as our fair city likes him. Felt a bit let down to leave the road... Much as I love it here there's nothing like moving to keep you clear-headed. Could go on doing this for a long time if we could make it pay for itself. Wanted to say another big thanks to everyone behind Sasquatch--what a beautiful, perfect festival! Huge thanks in particular to John & Anna for welcoming us, & to Bob & June for having us on their land. Those lucky enough to be out there were blessed by the sunshine, northern lights, & beautiful people... Good tunes too. Local jam-rock kings Knee Deep in Grass, songwriter Kevin Cook & his band, & Mike McDonald's band tore it up Friday night. Big ups also to Kenneth Brown, John Gorham, Terry Morrison, Brian Gregg & Patsy Amico, Steven Johnson, and everybody else, for that matter, who brought us sweet tunes throughout the daylight hours... Our set Saturday night happened an hour & a half late (or rather right on sasquatch time), which was fine with us--night fell & people were ready to dance. Thank you so much to everyone grooving--you're the reason we keep going, honestly. SMAC (the Stone Merchants & the Ancestors, doing their thing together now) followed us on & rocked the show. The rumbling didj & laidback grooves had everyone tripping, seeing shadowy sasquatches in the woods & eerie lights in the sky... Wendy McNeill came out with her accordion mid-set & enthralled us all, unamplified... Greyhound Tragedy closed out the night with some hard rockers & reminded me of days gone by. Sunday came hot & early but we cooled down with bags of ice & dug the sweet, simple ceremony for Babe Lloyd & his partner, Lisa. Wishing you both the best of life. To those of you who didn't make it out, don't miss it next year--this festival is friendly, funky, & litigation-free (which means you can drink your beer in front of the stage all you like but you can't sue Bob & June if you fall in the river later on). Really like a sweet party on your friends' acreage... So I guess that's it... We'll be in Bob Cook's studio next week to record our album... Tentative date for our CD release/kegger is September 6th. If you haven't already signed the guestbook, please do & we'll keep you posted about when & where we'll be playing around town. Cheers, s
NAME: tyler well, it seems our time on the road has drawn to a close and we've really had such a great time. We're already looking forward to the next trip! Next up is the CD and release party! So keep in touch all you funky people! Thanks so much for making our first tour so memorable! Keep in touch! Ty
NAME: well... ain't that the road for you boys... ...good times were had by all at the Sasquatch Festival hell I even got to see the Northern Lights on both nights and a funny looking creature I believe to be the sasquatch itself on one of them. We saw some great acts there with Wendy McNeill and the boys from SMAC really stealing the show. So it was all clear starlit skies and northen lights and tings really feeling supernatural there at the Sasquatch festival. We stopped and camped at Elk Island for the last night on our tour and made our way slowly back to Edmonton the next day. Reflecting back an awesome time was had by all...a dizzying combination of beautiful landscape and even more beautiful people whose paths we crossed...BIG UPS to all that we met along the way! On a personal note I've slowly whittled down my "Great-Canadian-Must-See" list...got my black bear, my elk, northern lights, plenty of deer, sure got my buffalo...hell even got that elusive Canadian beaver...a sighting in that mighty North Saskatchewan river of course...(get that mind out of the trash can Nubie) didn't get my moose but 6 out 7 isn't bad. So studio time looms this week and we should be able to have an album ready soon followed by a release party of some sort in Edmonton sometime in August. So a new phase of my time here in Canada but though
our time on the road has ended Lord knows I'm just not ready to give
up my good ol' rambling days and my rough and rowdy ways just yet...
NAME: Daz gonna give you a whippin boy well folks since I last wrote the landscape gradually made the transition from snow capped peaks and hues of lush green to the wide open spaces and hot dusty plains of the Albertan south...with steady hands guiding that 'Rock Pod' Scottie 'Paycheck' finally steered it into Edmonton...and it wasn't long before we met up with that Marauder of motorways, that King of a thousand truckstop toilets, that great highway poet and all round gentleman...Scottie Rabel...many a song had been sung about the legend how he "rode out west" and " gambled with death" how he had once ridden 16 hours straight from Smithers to Edmonton without so much as batting a eyelid only pausing to "shoot dice and men that stood in his way"...and after a few beers at the Black Dog it wasn't long before the booze had loosened our tongues and the stories started to flow thick and fast and only began to ebb when the hour was late. There where was much to talk about and reflect on...the good people we'd met, amazing musicians we'd heard, the crazy situations we'd gotten ourselves into...indeed it has been an awesome three weeks and it feels strange that its beginning to wind down, one more festival lies ahead and then theres an album to record...but alas the 'Rock Pod' must go back to its rightful owners and I'm sure I can speak on behalf of all the boys in expressing our eternal gratitude to the Cooks for loaning it to us on such short notice! Well thats all for now... I guess later on I'll go and see Earl...y'all remember Earl now? And we'll sit out on that porch in the wan light telling stories about Arkansas and listening to ol' Timmy Horton play that wicked bottleneck guitar as the night slowly moves in...
NAME: scotty paycheck from Scotty's place (ah, reunited with our badass motorbike hero at last!): wow it's a been a sweet trip thus far... We pulled up in e-town tonight for a few pints at the black dog & my head is spinning from the voyage. People are SO good. Jasper was great. Cheers to everybody there for
listening, Tony for the hospitality, & the Venook brudders for the
laughs. Sorry to the guy we woke up stumbling thru Wapiti campground
in the dark. Next day we played at noon--it was hot but folks danced nonetheless... Was very happy to play fish jumpin because I wrote it at the fair two years before. Swam in the river after the set & dug the music... It's all been sweet. In particular, though, the biggest of ups to Rae Spoon & his band, Wendy McNeill, the Rembetika Hipsters, Darren Johnson, & Lester Quitzau & Mae Moore, who put in a surprise appearance on Sunday. Ran into old friends, Darren & Anders, Shana, & Steve (aka eat lard fudge, cowtown poet laureate), all of whom I met at my first SCF 3 years ago when I hitched down alone. Heard Mica (last name?) kicking it in the poetry stage (first time I saw somebody flexing styles like that after a poem, so funny man) & met lots more inspiring people. Many thanks to the fair folks for the warm hospitality, and to Morris for the good sound work--wishing you good health. Cheers John, Maureen & Stasha too. Open-aired feeling... like-minded people... starlit jams sunday night. On invite from Jenika & Evan we headed to Waterton on Monday, thinking we might escape the heat up higher... the mountains rise up huge out of the prairie there... beautiful. Turned out that the town parties too. Thanks to all the folks sweating it up at the Thirsty Bear. Went out for a trail ride at Jenika's family's place the next day--picked berries from the saddle & bounced around while my ride, Lady, off-roaded... Whether she was trying to be independent or just trying to get closer to Jenna's horse, Hawk, whom she fancied, is hard to say... Such a sweet ride & swim anyway, altho I pulled a muscle I didn't even know I had along the way... besides as Daz says the horse riding's good for the roots cred. Many thanks guys. Thanks also to Katherine for the warm welcome & great breakfasts at the farmhouse at Lethbridge, & to the folks in town for getting funky just when we might've been feeling a little tired. Love. We will definitely come see you all again if you hang around... Melanie--jio yue, wo yao kan dao ni tsai hsin chu. 3:12 now and time for zzzz. Heap big time so far. Will be hard to go back to a real job when this is done.
NAME: ty
NAME: tyler Hello everybody! Life on the road goes on and things are great. The Queen Charlotte Islands are incredible! If you ever get a chance, head out there and really get away from it all. The festival was also fantastic. Mose Scarlett with his smooth ragtime, hip-folkster Glenn Garinther, the beautiful (and inspiring) song writing of Raghu Lokhanthan, Roly Thompson, as well as Rae Spoon, powerful Yael Wand, swing blues from the Twisters, and the Painting Daisies rocking us all. It was fantastic. Shouts out to all the people we met (Anna, Duane, Amy, Scott, Cristina, Kim, Danica, Lorry etc , etc. The list goes on. .. ) Thanks so much for making the time so special. After that we headed over to Smithers and played Tuesday night to an extremely warm crowd of friends at the Mountainside. Next we moved on to Prince George where we played at the Artspace and were hosted afterwards by Bas . . . thanks so much. Tonight we are in Jasper at playing at the Downstream pub. Cheers everyone!
NAME: LOCK DOWN Nice starter journal.
NAME: scott hey people... In Smithers now & things are sailing... Had a huge & perfect weekend out on Haida Gwaii... The boat ride up the inside passage was sweet... Saw dolphins & eagles from the deck; wound our way between huge uninhabited islands... We wowed at the misty forested slopes & the sprawling gold sunset at the end of the ride... Next day we took the ferry to Skidegate; met up with a lot of great musicians on the boat & got a kicking jam going on deck in the sunshine. Vern the bus driver loaded us all up & drove us to the site--a big field along a beautiful stretch of coastline near Tlell--& even made a beer run for us. We were fabulously hosted all weekend & must repeat big thanks to Frank Wall for inviting us, Elizabeth Inkster for having all of us on her land, & Ruth for the heart-warming cooking. We had the oppurtunity to jam with so many talented musicians this weekend that I don't know where to begin... Danny from Switzerland plays a mean harp & backed us up on a few songs onstage. Scott Fox from the Koots & Roi Yalte from Haida Gwaii also backed us up on hand drums--many thanks, guys. I'm short on time now so I'll have to wait til later to sing the praises of all the gifted folks at the festival... All the music was fabulous anyway, & the people were friendly. Left Haida Gwaii yesterday... Pulled into Smithers last night just in time to miss Yael Wand, Rae Spoon & Glenn Garinther, who were all playing at the Alpenhorn here in town... Went back to our friend Lori's house instead to have a few drinks & swap songs. Heard some great tunes from Glenn & Adam Nation, also from Vancouver. Tonight we play Mountainside Cafe here in town. Very much appreciating the hospitality here--big thanks to Danica, Lori, and Amy for the warm welcome (Amy even gave us a jumpstart), & to Anna for coming along for the party. Will be hard to leave all these wide open spaces & smiling faces behind. More soon. Cheers
NAME: scott Hey folks, long silence from us, sorry... Having a sweet time on the island... We were all glad to get out of the city as quickly as we did. Camped in the Comox valley for a couple days... Jammed at the Edgewater Pub in Comox Wednesday night... The blues jam there's hosted by Doug Cox, Todd Butler & Sam Hurrie, three kickass guitar players, with Hans & Pat holding down the bass & drums. Pat sat in with us & got the folks dancing for a few songs. The next night we jammed at the Waverly in Cumberland. Sam Hurrie was kind enough to let us play for a long time & the locals kicked up their heels. Thanks to our friend Allison for the word on all things Cumberland. Left there & went to Quadra Island... Hiked
in to Morte Lake & slept out in the open there, happy... Then to
Cortes, where I'd hoped to find some old friends... Turns out alot of
them had moved on but we were sweetly welcomed anyway... Jammed with
Jer, Kim & Luke at the Tak restaurant's outdoor stage... Decided
to come back & play the next day for free burgers & beers. Big
Al took our tip jar around & we got almost a tank of gas--thanks,
people. July 15 Mountainside Cafe, Smithers see ya along the way... cheers
NAME: Scott @ Arnel & Ed's house: Like Ty says, a sweet time at the Fair... Everyone's
rainy resilience was inspiring. Stayed til the sun shone on Tuesday.
That was all the riding the bike got for now tho--we're in my folks'
van now & drumerless at the moment... For now Scotty is our hero
in the lead on the bike. Meeting our buddy Mike in Prince Rupert to
go play Haida Gwaii... But for now happy on the road & singing...
Came through the mountains, camped by streams, were fed upon by mosquitos,
jammed on the drums... Jammed drums again in the park today (backside
of the Art gallery, robson & howe) where a lazy afternoon scene
watching kids pull skateboard tricks & spectacular falls turned
into a hemp rally (which admittedly it was never far from in the first
place) & sunny jam... A nice Canabis day weeelcome to our spacious
land for our brother from the Southern Savanna. Well tonight we decided to move on--itchy feet all around. I lamented people we couldn't see in Van city & promised visits next year. Gotta go. Should be on the island tomorrow. Cheers,
NAME: ty well, hey folks! been back in the land of the beaver for a few weeks now ... although the little furry guys have eluded me so far, i have managed to track down my folks (located in their little hut over in Ft Sask) for some good eats and good times. Next it was off to North Country Fair where the cold and rainy temps made me wish for my home and friends in asia. the music was fantastic and cold and the rain only made the event a true testament to the human spirit. We've been on the road for a few days now. going slowly down through jasper, free campin' (and mosquitos!) at Little Hell's Gate, Scotty's uncle Arvid in Abbottsford and the absurdity of the Cannibas Day rally downtown Vancouver. ahhh it's good to be back - Ty
NAME: Daz The shores of British Columbia having finally been reached it wasn't long before I was reunited with Scott and Ty ad had met the other Scott...just in time of course because I was bound to get myself into trouble sooner or later... sure the aquarium was great (I visited it while I was waiting for the boys) but theres only so much a Beluga whale and a poison dart frog can keep you off the streets and soon true to form my thoughts had begun to drift...having been told about Hastings street and all the goings on there and having been blessed with a pocketful of spending money but cursed with a mind prone to deviance all this could have added up to spectacular disaster at such an early stage. Luckily though I have been saved (though not rehabilitated) just in time and the tour is under way.
...well... having wrangled a visa out of the Canadian embassy in Taipei I'm all set to head off into the unknown...I keep wondering what awaits me over there in Canada...will there really be one of those mounties with a big hat waiting at immigration saying things like "howdy pardner" and "well I'm co-operating with you here pardner honest" when the interrogation turns rough? Did they know South Africans weren't supposed to be let into any place (they certainly didn't in Taipei)? But these are peripheral questions...the ones that are really pressing are more like how long will it take before the pressure of intense touring takes its toll on the young Cook... perhaps the first sign of cracks will appear when he appears on stage wearing nothing but a purple leotard...yes yes funny at the time but when he starts to insist that we all give up our worldly posessions things will take a nastier turn...and when he eventually snaps and joins the children of God cult in Brazil or heaven forbid becomes a mormon in Taiwan who will be the glue holding the Anglers together? Was Ty Dakin really hung like a rogue moose as rumour had it? Was he really "loose" with his hands and "wild" in his ways? Well readers I'm sure these questions as well as others will be answered in the months to come and I will do my utmost to provide you with a clear and objective account of all that goes on. Remember you can always count on Daz for the truth. Until then...
NAME: scott Well, here I am... Hanging around Edmonton for the time being trying to get my life in order, our tour lined up, & my bike fixed. Ty should be in soon... We'll probably play a few open stages around town & then up to the Fair. If you don't know of it, North Country Fair is probably the best party this province has to offer, held every year on the weekend closest to the summer solstice. The music is always great, the vibes friendly, & the women barefoot & beautiful. If you're in town you'd be a fool not to come. There were great tunes at the Little Flower Stage last night in Rossdale Hall, by Telus Field... A little jew's harp number by Tippy Agogo, who later collaborated sweetly with Backstreet Rob, and a couple reggae jams by Bob Cook later on really stood out for me. See http://home.ecn.ab.ca/~bgbg/flower.html for info... Check back in a week or so for more news... Cheers. |
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from Taiwan, 2003 NAME: scott Been busy... the peace festival in Longtan was awesome... it was a testament to the bands' talents that they managed to play despite the show running well past sunrise and the sheer volume of beer consumed... Everybody rocked out huge but some really stood out for me: Mandala's bamboo gamelan with a reggae swing, Biung's powerful voice & cool repartee, & the Mooks managing to keep their funk tighter than tight despite the late hour. Milk played last & kicked it out like only they can at 6:30 am... Half the band went down for the count & Robbie Bobbie showed everybody what real rock n roll dedication is all about: pissing yourself on stage! Truly a spectacle to behold, for those who can remember. The following weekend saw Milk back in the neighborhood; they played with the Cones, the Anglers & Aquablam! at the enigmatically-named Shiner Age New Life bar... Cheers to SiMi & Blaine for putting it together & to the people for coming out to support. Hats off to Aquablam & Milk for rocking like always... Last weekend we were out in Luodong, partying at Soulstice with our friends (& gracious hosts) Barry & Chad... Aquablam came along too & gave the east coast crowd something to shout about. Many thanks to everybody out there for the warm reception. This Friday, May 30th, we'll be playing with Milk at Hangar 18 in Taichung (corner of shiang xiang lu & min chuan lu--map on www.taiwanmilk.com)... The next day, Saturday May 31st, we'll be down in Tainan for a gig with the Mooks at the Western 2 Bar... This'll be our last show in Taiwan for awhile--Canada calls! Watch this site during the summer for info on our Canadian tour & words from the road... See you in September! Music will carry on at River in Jungli (18 Da Tong Rd)... Aquablam usually jams Wednesdays... while you're there make sure to congratulate Dave & Kim on the birth of Sonia, the littlest newcomer... Cheers friends.
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