I'm writing you from that monument of sterile modernity, Hong Kong International Airport, as I wait to board a plane for the brown, brown grass of home. I'm just wrapping up an almost three-month visit to Taiwan, capped off with one night in Hong Kong, including my first ever show there, thanks to a hookup via The Bollands, a great Kiwi folk duo I met during my first swing around Taiwan in January. I pulled in last night without much time to spare and soon realized that the Hong Kong Sevens (a huge international rugby tournament, for those like me who have no idea what that is) is happening this weekend, and consequently the whole place is crawling with burly English dudes in athletic wear. Perhaps most among the sports, rugby fans look like rugby players. I hopped a shuttle and eventually wound my way to Wan Chai, where even more rugby fans mingled with bankers, brokers and businessmen in tailored suits, elegantly dressed Chinese ladies, and working girls from every nation in the pervasive rowdy din and neon glow. I was mighty tired, lugging two big bags and feeling the effects of a predictably epic last night in Taipei, but the thought of a hotel to drop my stuff at was quickly abandoned when the incomprehensibly quoted HK$ price was helpfully recalculated into an easily understood 487 USD. Nevertheless, there was fun to be found in the boom town, even for a poor boy like me. I played at a storied old bar called The Wanch alongside three high-energy local rock bands, sold CDs at name-your-price since I had no idea what the going rate was, met some kind folks, and felt that familiar kind of new and alive that goes with being in a totally unfamiliar place.
It's been an epic ramble on this side of the world, friends, but my mind's already wandering Turtle Island. I'm actually kinda homesick for friends, family, and Old Blue, the Dodge Caravan I like to call home.
The summer ahead's looking great so far, with lots of exciting news that I'll tell you about soon. In the immediate future, there are a couple things I want to mention: Wednesday March 28, the Long Weekends and I are playing a show in Calgary's big, beautiful Engineered Air Theatre, as part of the Transcanada Alberta Music Series. The whole series is going to be incredible, with a different theme for each of the four nights. Joining us for the Folk/Roots Session are Picture the Ocean (the band that used to be known as Jesse Dee and Jacquie B), Hollow Brethren & John Wort Hannam. Tickets are priced affordably at $15 for the night or $53 for a pass for the whole series. This is by far the biggest show we've ever played in Calgary, and we really hope to see some familiar faces. Get your tickets here.
The other thing coming up soon that I'm really excited about is Corin Raymond and the Sundowners' appearance at Festival Place in Sherwood Park, Sunday March 25. This is another big, beautiful room and I sure hope us fans of real music can pack it for what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable evening. Corin's band is truly incredible, and they've got fistfuls of accolades between them to prove it. His killer sidewoman Treasa Levasseur will be opening the show with some of her own soul, blues and funk-inflected tunes. Do not miss this night if you're anywhere in the vicinity, it's gonna be flat-out amazing. There's a link to tickets here.
Other dates on the horizon include:
Thu - March 29 - Rosebud, AB - CANCELLED, sorry!
Fri - March 30 - Twin Butte, AB - Twin Butte General Store, 8pm.
Fri - April 6 - Canmore - The Communitea with Gabrielle Papillon and Corinna Rose!
Sat - April 7 - Edmonton - Black Dog Freehouse with Gabrielle Papillon and Corinna Rose, 4-6pm.
Sat - April 7 - Edmonton - Waldorf School fundraiser at Bonnie Doon Hall, details TBA.
Thu - April 19 - St. Albert - LB's Pub
Tue - April 24 - Edmonton - with Jake Ian, Ayla Brook and Sean Brewer at New City Legion
Shortly after that, I'll be headed out to the Kootenays for another bicycle tour, forbiddingly named the Wrong Way to Wander? 2012 Tour. Wish me luck, and snowless roads!
Looking back on this Taiwan ramble, I want to extend my deepest thanks to all the friends who put me up, put up with me, and otherwise made my stay an amazing one. I was especially thrilled at the reprise of Hobo Happiness in Taichung, the two Taichung house concerts, our triumphantly rowdy return to the River in Jungli, and the grande finale at Taipei Artist Village, with talented special guests aplenty. That was one for the ages, I tell ya.
Alita Rickards did a great writeup in the Taipei Times about the last show, linked here.
While here, I also had the opportunity to make two music videos with a very professional production outfit down in Taichung known as The Silent Film. The second has yet to be released, but the first is viewable here. Hope you enjoy.
And while I'm at it, one more link to add to this salvo. I mentioned that I'd written some songs out in Fulong, and I'd like to share one of them with you loyal readers. Russell Rodgers helped me record it in his home studio in Taichung last week. It's a tune inspired by an after-sunrise conversation on the veranda outside David Ross MacDonald's hotel room at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals in Niagara Falls last year. David plays an eighty-something-year-old guitar, and makes it sound uncannily beautiful. He was telling me that he'd just had some work done on it, though, and it was like it lost some of its age and funky charm in the process. I offered my condolences, but he shrugged it off, and said he's just borrowing it from the next guy anyhow. That brilliantly stated thought was the seed that grew this song. Hope you dig.
As always, there's some bittersweetness in leaving this side of the world, the familiar sights and smells, the thick-carpeted jungles, the human sea of the cities, and all the people that I care about here, living, struggling on, flourishing, watching their kids grow up. Life goes on everywhere all at once, a truism that becomes clearer and heavier the more places and people we grow to love. In a way, learning to live is learning to let go, and take here and now for what it is, for all that is. Here's to you now, friends, wherever you are. Be well, big love,
s
February 27, 2012
Hi there friend,
If you're reading this on Facebuck, wouldn't it be nice to take this conversation off somewhere a little more private and homey, like your email inbox? Drop a line to grooverevival (at) gmail (dot) com and you'll get my Travelogues live and direct, simple as that. On the other hand, if you're tiring of the sound of my disembodied voice, just reply with 'unsubscribe' and I'll let you off this ship of fools at the very next port.
This particular Travelogue has a novel claim to fame, in that it's the very first Travelogue not to include any travel. I've been parked for a month, and now that it's coming to a close I suppose I can tell you all where I've been hiding. I'm in Fulong, a sleepy little beach town on the northeast coast, where I've rented a place above a Taiwanese gambling den (no word of a lie) for the month. It's been raining nearly constantly, which has been good for my work ethic, but it has shown me a few splendid sunny days as well, including this beautiful sight. I've gotten caught up on plenty of things, emptied both my email inboxes, and even written three songs. But the time here's been good for more than work; it's been good for my soul. As I said last time, I haven't had a break like this since I started this full-time rambling almost five years ago, and as it turns out, I needed it even more than I knew.
Besides work, I've been filling my hours with exercise, yoga, bike rides, and eating healthy, mostly raw. I've haven't had a drink in three weeks, which was a milestone and a learning experience in itself. It's been a drastic change of pace from the road, slowing down, listening to and learning to inhabit my body rather than just driving it around like I do, paying attention to my breath, and watching as thoughts and emotions come up and drift by. Along with all that has come plenty of reflection on this life I've chosen, the enduring reasons for doing it, and the precedence of real human connections over work. I'm very grateful to have had this chance, and all it took was saying no, something I'll hopefully learn to do more often.
The real trick will be remembering all these lessons once I'm back on the road, which is fast approaching. If you're a Farcebook friend of mine, you likely already know that I've got a very physical reminder of a new leaf having been turned... I am shorn, and reborn. If you're still quaintly reading this from the comfort of your own email, here's photo proof. After wearing the same hairstyle (if you can call it that) for twenty years, a change really does feel good. For those who fear I'm sliding perilously close to getting a real job, or joining the Conservative Party, rest assured, my haircut may be respectable, but if so it's alone in that regard.
I've got ten shows coming up around the island in the next three weeks, including visits to Taoyuan, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and the ol' stomping grounds in Jungli, and I'm excited about them all. I'll happily direct you to my website for the details on those, or here if you'd rather stay in Faceburg than dirty your feet in my digital den. But while we're all gathered around here, there are four in particular I'd like to talk more about.
This coming Saturday, March 3rd, my old band The Anglers will be reuniting to rock out at Bobwundaye, alongside our good buddies in High Tide. I'm so looking forward to playing with these guys again. There will be smiles, and hugs, and dancing, probably followed by drunken folly. The Facenbuchen event's here.
Next Friday, March 9th, I'll be playing another house concert in Taichung, in a bigger space this time, with a couple awesome musical guests who will remain unnamed for now. The last Taichung house concert, at Cat Brown's place, was my favourite show of tour so far, and if you were there I think you'll know what I'm talking about. People cried. It meant something.
Music plays all sorts of different roles in our lives, and far be it from me to pick favourites. I like going to a party & carrying on & dancing to a band as much as anyone; in fact, maybe more than most short-haired folks do. But actually sitting down, listening to songs and letting yourself be moved by them isn't what we go to bars for. A listening crowd is a rare thing among the folks I run with here, and I'm very grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to share songs in that kind of setting. Songs can do a lot for you if you hear the words all the way through. They can show you things. They can open your heart. If that kind of thing sounds like your speed, I hope you'll join us on March 9th at Eric Ganassin's house, which also happens to be a great place to go learn yoga, and the very same place I'll be sweating out booze in downward dog two days later. The details are here.
The next day, Saturday March 10th, will indeed be a party. It's been almost two years since I last played the Dakeng Refuge, on a sunny afternoon in May, for a little fest Paul named Hobo Happiness. The Refuge now has new digs, which are amazing, in case you haven't already seen 'em, and Paul's been kind enough to host an even bigger bash this time. It's called Hobo Happiness II; a celebration of the rambling life and a group hug of a day that will include sets from the Anglers, Three Day Bender, Andy Goode & Chris Bailey, Nick Fothergill, Pat Reid, Pauline Edwards, Carrion Crow, Nathan Javens, Kevin MacCash, Tyler Dakin & the Long Naked Bottles, and Taichung's prodigal son Mike Mudd, as well as yummy food, drinks aplenty, good friends, games (oh yes, a party's gotta have games), and as a bonus, no po-po to party-poop. Lordy, it'll be great to see all you good folks. I've been working on a couple old hobo tunes for the occasion that I'm very excited to show you. Doors open at 2pm, music starts at 3pm, and I'm on at 5:15. And I should specify that when I tell you those times, I don't mean Boston Paul time, I mean the time on your watch. I hope you can make it out early, but rest assured, we'll be jamming til late, and when I say late, I mean Boston Paul time. All the info you need is right here.
My last show on the island will be the following Saturday, March 17th, at Taipei Artist Village. This here Freemosan Farewell will feature another boatload of talent, some of whom may be entirely new to you, and some of whom may be all too familiar (you decide). Paul Lawrence, Mister Green, Neil Surkan, Arman Torus, Nathan Javens, Mike Mudd, Tyler Dakin & the Long Naked Bottles, and David Chen & Conor Prunty will all be playing short sets, and of course those ever-lovin' Anglers will close out the evening. Doors open at 3pm and I'm playing at 4pm sharp. It'll all be done by 11 so we can go afterparty wherever's suitable. The deets are right here, and I must say, the poster tickles me somethin' fierce.
Shortly afterward, I'll be packing my bags and boarding a plane for home, with a stop along the way in the Evil Empire, playing the Wanch in Hong Kong March 22nd. If you happen to know anyone there, please send 'em my way. My next big show will be March 28th at the Engineered Air Theatre in Calgary for the Transcanada Alberta Music Series, which is gonna be awesome, and my next hometown show'll be Saturday April 7th at the Black Dog in Edmonton with Gabrielle Papillon and Corinna Rose. Plenty more dates are written on the wall of my humble internet abode over at www.scottcook.net, and you're welcome to stop by any time.
I hope you're all living well, and finding what you need. Like Woody sez, take it easy, but take it. Big love,
Scott
January 31, 2012
Hey friends,
I'm writing you from Tianshang, atop Taroko Gorge near Taiwan's east coast, where I've been bunkered down for a couple days at the Catholic Hostel, chilling out and digging the dizzying mountain views. I wrapped up this leg of my Taiwan tour on Saturday, with a lovely house concert alongside my old friend Mister Green at the St. Onge house in Hualien, and I am now the proud new owner of a month off. I don't think I could be more excited about anything. Some of you may know that I was planning to head to Vietnam for a month of backpacking, but I'm learning, as I trust you are, to listen to that oft-ignored inner voice, and that voice has been whispering for quite some time now that all it really wants is some time in one place, off the road, off the sauce, and out of the scene. I can't tell you where I'll be, because I don't want visitors, but I can say that I'm really looking forward to a disciplined daily routine of exercise, healthy eating and practice.
My sincerest thanks go out to the good people who put me up along this tour; this road-weary hobo is incredibly grateful for your warm welcomes. I also want to thank the venue owners along the way, and especially the hosts of my first three Taiwan house concerts, who helped me introduce a new idea to this island sweetly and painlessly. Thanks also to all the kind folks who came out to say hi, took in the shows, and let themselves be moved by music. It can be a cold, unfeeling world out there, and I'm sure glad folks like you are in it. Thanks lastly to the people of this island, for their unfailing kindness, helpfulness, and generosity toward strangers, reminding me why I love this place so much.
It was an amazing ride around the island on two sets of borrowed wheels (thanks Alita & Steve), and I even covered some completely new territory along the way, thanks to a golden page of directions from a veteran explorer of this island known as Tea Andy. Cha Shan was the town I dug most, and I'd recommend it to any Freemosans reading this and thinking about a road trip.
Spending a lot of time alone on my old stomping grounds has given me plenty of occasion for reflection, on old times here and on how much my life has changed in the almost five years since I left the classroom to embark on a full-time career in the financial bonanza that is original roots music. Each visit back to Taiwan shows reminders of the years passing, new grey in friends' beards and hair, new wrinkles, a new measured pace to some of our lives, new acceptance of time's lessons, new gardens, new babies joining our families, and forever new plans and schemes growing and hatching. One thing I've been continually reminded of along the way is how grateful I am for old friends who know you and are on your side come what may, and how wonderful a gift it is to go through this life in such good company.
Lots of fun stuff is coming up in March, and I'll be in touch about all that closer to the time. For now, all I really want to say is Xin Nian Quai Le, or for those who don't read that, here's wishing you a happy (lunar) new year. It's the year of the Dragon, which happens to be my year, for whatever that's worth.
If you're in the mood for more reading after this amazingly succinct Travelogue, here's a poem for the new year that a much younger me wrote around this time eleven years ago, closing out the last Dragon year, the words of which have been coming back to me along this trip.
Be well, keep pushing,
Scott
PS: I had to add one little item of interest on here, and see no more fitting place than a postscript, as it's about the king of postscripts himself, Corin Raymond. As loyal readers of this Travelogue already know, he's one of my favourite songwriters ever. He's written so many killer songs that it's kind of ironic that a little novelty tune about Canadian Tire Money that he co-wrote with Rob Vaarmeyer is getting him more media traction than anything else he's done, but so it goes. His band The Sundowners made a live recording of two shows last week, consisting of songs by friends of his (including, to my great delight, my tune 'The Lord Giveth'), and his campy new campfire classic Canadian Tire tune. He's going to release a live album compiled from the two nights, and he's hoping to pay for the whole thing with Canadian Tire Money. This uniquely Canadian effort has landed him spots on The National, As It Happens, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Global TV, the Toronto Star, and who knows where else... even fan videos like this wonderful little serving of Vancouver love. If you're curious, you can read all about the ongoing campaign at www.dontspendithoney.com. The short of it is, he still needs a lot of Sandy McTyre's to make this crazy dream happen, so please, if you've got some of the stuff lying around, send it on to Corin Raymond, 39 Oxford Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1N8. Nothing would make 'the enthusiasm that walks like a man' happier.
That's all for now, friends. Here's to new chapters that we write ourselves. Big love,
s
December 7, 2011
Hey friends,
I'm writing you from my prairie home, where I've been laying lower than usual for three weeks already, really appreciating the chance to get off the frosty road, slow down, and catch up on life. There's still lots to be done before I fly out to Asia January 3rd, including years of back taxes to file, which I'm naturally elated about.
I played my one proper hometown show of the season on Saturday, opening for Bill Bourne and the Free Radio Band, and was sure glad to be a part of that magic night. I've got a few more things coming up around the province in the next while:
Fri Dec 9 - Calgary - house concert in Northwest Calgary with Trina Nestibo
Sat Dec 10 - Calgary - house concert in Southeast Calgary
Mon Dec 12 - Edmonton - hosting open stage at Devaney's
Fri Dec 16 - Edmonton - playing a few tunes with the help of the Hobo Hifi to raise funds for Occupy Edmonton at the ARTery
Sun Dec 18 - Edmonton - playing a few tunes to help raise money for the Bissell Centre at On The Rocks
Wed Dec 21 - Edmonton - singing at the International Airport, 2-5pm
Thu Dec 22 - Canmore - joining Jesse Dee & Jacquie B at the Canmore Hotel
Fri Dec 23 - Golden - Winston Lodge
All the details, as usual, are on my site. I'll be spending Christmas with my family and shortly thereafter I'll be boarding a plane for Taiwan. I sure do miss Ihla Freemosa, and am really looking forward to spending time with the good folks there. Shows are being added as we speak, and the whole calendar will be viewable on my site as it comes together.
Speaking of all that, there's an idea I'd like to float out to the good folks reading this, and especially those in Taichung City, and that's the idea of hosting a house concert. I don't think I can overstate what a big difference the recent revival of the house concert idea has made to my career here over the last four years. Frankly, house concerts are what's kept me on the road.
A bit of explanation's evidently in order, because plenty of people keep asking me what they're all about. First off, it's important to distinguish a house concert from a house party, because I've run into that confusion firsthand, and while I love house parties, I don't schedule shows at them, usually just preferring to get inebriated and make a fool of myself. A house concert, on the other hand, is a concert in a house. Like a concert in a theatre, the audience doesn't carry on conversations during the show. But unlike a concert in a theatre, there's no stage and no amplification, which makes for an intimacy you can never get in a big venue. The host invites their friends, who bring their own booze and food to share if they like. They show up, hang out for a bit, then sit down and watch the first set, followed by a break to stretch legs, refill drinks, meet folks, and (hopefully!) buy lots of CDs, followed by another set of music. Things are usually done before late, and it costs way less than a night out at the bar. Tickets are sometimes sold in advance, or the money can just be collected at the door or during the show. House concerts here usually draw 25-50 people (some rare ones seat up to a hundred), and charge $10-$20. Lots of established artists in North America and elsewhere are going this route, finding that they make more money, connect on a deeper level with audiences, and get to avoid spending their lives in bars and dealing with sleazy promoters.
As far as I know, this idea hasn't really caught on in Taiwan yet. But a city like Taichung, where all the small venues have been shut down by an overblown licensing issue, seems ripe for trying it out. So I'm floating this out to you, dear readers. I've already scheduled an appearance at Boston Paul's Refuge in March, but I'd really like to do an intimate, unamplified show in Taichung City on Saturday January 14 or Sunday January 15. I'm also open to shows elsewhere on the island, and anywhere in the world for that matter. If you can reasonably expect to get 25 or more friends together (at 200nt apiece, for those in Taiwan) I would love to hear from you. Drop me a line at grooverevival (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll get the ball rolling.
If you'll bear with me, there are two more orders of business I should mention in this uncharacteristically brief travelogue. First, it's the time of year when performer lineups get decided for Canadian festivals. I'm applying to a bunch of them, but not much usually happens on the basis of a presskit alone. If you'd like to see me at your favourite festival, please, say so to the booker. It couldn't hurt, and it could very well help. Secondly, it's also that time of year when you might be trying to think of Christmas presents, so I'll take this opportunity to suggest (not without ulterior motives, of course) that CDs make great gifts. If you order in the next few days, it'll have plenty of time to get there. I'll even sign it for the intended recipient; just add a note to the order or shoot me an email so I make it out to the right person.
And that, friends, is a wrap. Wasn't that quick and painless? Thanks, as always, for reading, and for your gracious support. Here's wishing you a blessed Christmas, Hanukah, Solstice, Festivus, and whatever else floats your holiday boat. Sending big love your way, and hoping our paths cross soon,
Scott
November 2, 2011
Hey friends,
I'm writing you from the upstairs of the Apollo, that most stalwart of stopovers along Lake Superior's north shore, where nearly every musician in Canada has laid their head at one time or another, and many have left their empties as proof. Sheila and Tina (and Alex, their sound guy) are a bulwark of hospitality in this somewhat desolate, sketchy town, and have long been one of few stops along this sparsely populated stretch of road. Last night I played another, Serendipity Gardens in Rossport, for four customers and two staff. Tonight there was TWICE that many, a good night in T-Bay. The night before last, I played at a new Northern Ontario stopover, The Auld Kirk in Thessalon, where I thankfully had some family to round up a crowd that broke ten. Friday night I'll be visiting another such place, Pappy's Cafe at Green Achers (sic) in lovely little Wabigoon, where I expect similar numbers.
First-time travellers would find it hard to believe this is the middle of Canada. It's a whole lot of rock, dotted with trees, lakes, birds, roadkill, and tiny little towns with obscure but loudly-trumpeted claims to fame. Home of Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space! Home of this one-time Olympic pairs figure skating medalist or that two-time champion curler. Home of Winnie the Pooh; or rather, the town where the bear cub was sold to the guy who wrote the story. In every direction, the wilderness stretching out huge and as yet untamed, and the crackle of the CBC (which incidentally turned 75 today) bringing news of the wider world through the static.
The last time I wrote you, friends, I had just arrived in Toronto, which is a different sort of place, at the beginning of a month in Ontario. The big town treated us kindly, on four consecutive Tuesdays in the front room of the Cameron House with Jesse Dee, Jacquie B, and other musical friends. It actually felt like we built something over the month, which culminated in a joyous sendoff last Tuesday. Thank you, Torontonian friends, for the warm welcome.
The rest of the weeks were spent out of town, together or apart. We had a sweet visit to the Pie Bird Guesthouse in Nipissing, where we hung out with our hilarious hosts Sherry & Yan and the lovely Jenny Ritter, and attempted to make a music video with a camera strapped to their adorable but wilful goat, Mighty Pepe. We also played Grumpy's Bar in Montreal, the Corktown in Hamilton, and a couple really heartwarming house concerts in Ottawa and Sudbury. On my own, I visited the Acoustic Grill in beautiful Prince Edward County, O'Reilly's Pub in Perth, and a co-operative living space called Terra Firma in Ottawa for a show with my old Taiwan chum Eric Mandala. And for one amazing weekend it seemed all of us roustabouts were together again, in Niagara Falls for the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, where we schmoozed, boozed, and jammed until the wee hours of the morning. The after-hours scene in David Ross MacDonald's Tunesmiths Room was singularly enthralling, with tunesmith after tunesmith blowing minds, one song at a time, while the rest of us sat enraptured. Somehow I managed to find myself gaping in amazement at the sunrise over the falls two mornings in a row, with Jimmy from the F-Holes blowing the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey both times. Passing tourists en route to my van in such a state, I was reminded of many wide-eyed Taiwan sunrises gone by.
Along the way this month, C.R. Avery got two big tears rolling down my cheek with a song called "One of Those Faces", and Tannis Slimmon made me weep with a song called "Edmonton". Both instances reminded me of what songs can do, and why I set out on this path in the first place.
Speaking of this path, it's leading me homeward for the time being, with some new songs to sing for you along the way. As I said, I'm in Wabigoon tomorrow, then Kenora on Sunday, Winnipeg on Tuesday, Regina Wednesday, Lethbridge Thursday, and then opening for Winnipeg's incredible Scott Nolan as he releases his new disc Montgomery Eldorado at the Ironwood in Calgary, Friday November 11th. If you're in or around Calgary, don't miss this show, it's gonna be magic. It'll also be my last before I head back to Edmonton for six weeks of (mostly) downtime.
The new year will find me back on the green isle of Taiwan, aka Freemosa, and that's something I'm mightily anticipating. I even bought a book with CDs to brush up on my Chinese. For those of you who are already on the island, this year's Peace Fest is coming up next weekend, Nov 11-13, by the pristine mountain streams of San Jhan, Hualien County.
Peace Fest is nine years old this year. It's been through many manifestations, with all kinds of tangles along the way, but at its root, Like the Occupy movements currently catching fire around the globe, it's an exercise in community-building, non-violent political advocacy, non-hierarchical and consensus-based decision making, elucidation of our current political problems, and scheming toward solutions. I hope you can join the good folks there. They're likely still looking for volunteers, and might even have room for more bands, speakers and vendors. Get in touch with them here. Circle up!
That about does it for me, friends. It's going on four in the morning and I best be getting into bed. The pigeons are still roosting outside the window here at the Apollo, and the good songs are still being sung somewhere. Big love and admiration, your friend,
Scott
October 4, 2011
Hey friends,
It's been a while, hasn't it? No excuse but the usual; roads have been keeping me very busy.
I arrived back in Canada yesterday after 3 weeks south of the border, mostly in Michigan. I've had a great time singing songs, camping out, catching up on things, and watching the colours change. This was my fourth year at the Earthwork Harvest Gathering, and it was wonderful as always. This year I was lucky enough to have a band, consisting of my cousin Dylan Cook on banjo and mandolin, head farmer Seth Bernard on guitar, "Huggy Bear" Mark Lavengood on dobro, fine cobbler and all-around great dude Tim McKay on bass, and my friend, Kalamazoo's singing bartender Alison Cole, singing backups on a couple tunes. We played in the barn, site of much Earthwork magic, at 9pm Saturday night. We'd just gotten everything plugged in when the lights went out. Turned out a transformer had blown up, then melted, and both lower stages were out of power. Thankfully, we were all playing acoustic instruments, so we just stepped forward and played in the dark, lit by flashlights from the crowd. It was like time had stopped for the set, pure magic. In the last song, Seth was taking a solo when the christmas lights flickered & then came on, to reveal a roomful of beautiful, beaming people. I walked out of that barn elated at our good fortune. Sometimes life just chooses you. Here's a clip of it, for those of you who couldn't be there.
The following weekend I attended the Folk Alliance Regional Midwest (FARM for short) gathering in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Fellow Earthworkers Red Tail Ring, Trevor McSpadden, and Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys were there. The Flatbellys even backed me up on Saturday night, as Scott Cook and His Very Own Bellies. The whole weekend was fabulous, and a marked contrast to the national event, where I felt more overwhelmed than anything; it was small, unpretentious and just oozing midwestern charm. I also made a lot of connections over the weekend, which explains why I plan to spend more time in the midwest next summer.
I just arrived in Toronto and am digging the sunshine on Queen Street West, despite a little lingering fogginess from the huge Taiwan reunion last night at the Moonshine Cafe in Oakville. Jesse Dee and Jacquie B will be pulling in soon; they're in the midst of the CD release tour for their excellent new album, Our Ghosts Will Fill These Walls, and I feel like I haven't seen them in forever. We're playing the front room of Toronto's storied home of roots music, The Cameron House, this and every Tuesday evening this month, 6 to 8pm. And we'll be releasing both our albums tomorrow, October 5th, in the Cameron House's beautiful, candlelit back room, with our buddy Corin Raymond opening the show. It was actually meant to be David Ross MacDonald's release for his new album Thorns to Sleep, but an unfortunate whittling accident left him with an injured hand, unable to play, so we're taking over. Be careful with knives, kids. Apologies for the short notice, but that's how it happened.
Other dates booked so far are:
Sat Oct 8 - Nipissing - Piebird Bed & Breakfast, with Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
Tues Oct 11 - Toronto - Cameron House, 6-8pm, with Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
Thurs-Sat Oct 13-16 - Niagara Falls - Ontario Council of Folk Festivals
Tues Oct 18 - Toronto - Cameron House, 6-8pm, with Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
Wed Oct 19 - Picton - Acoustic Grill
Sat Oct 22 - Montreal - Grumpy's Bar, with Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
Tues Oct 25 - Toronto - Cameron House, 6-8pm, with Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
Sat Oct 29 - Sudbury - House Concert
Wed Nov 2 - Thunder Bay - The Apollo
Fri Nov 4 - Wabigoon - Pappy's Cafe
Sat Nov 5 - Fort Frances - Little Beaver Cultural Centre
As you may notice, there are still plenty of gaps in there, which I'm open to any and all suggestions to fill. House concerts would be particularly welcome. Feel free to drop a line to grooverevival@gmail.com or call me at 780 695 3474.
There were a lot of roads between now and when we last spoke; so many roads, in fact, that a thorough summer recap would surely bore even you loyal readers to tears, so I'll cut a few corners.
I had a blast showing Steve Gates around our fair province a little bit in July, then reunited with the band for Wild Mountain Music Fest in Hinton, which was a blast as usual. From there we drove out over the Chilcotin plateau, a truly otherworldly stretch of BC road, and down the harrowing switchbacks to Bella Coola, a tiny town tucked into an inlet on BC's wild western coast, for their Discovery Coast Music Festival. We had a great time at the fest, got to know the locals, and were treated to plenty of 'shluk' (salted fish).
After Bella Coola we drove back to Kamloops to meet up with Toronto's own King of the Small Time, Corin Raymond. After a lovely little house concert there we toured our way up the Fraser Valley together to land at the ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art, aka The Bestival. If you ask me, this year was even better than the last. Everybody brought their A game. It was off the hook. I could say more but really, you kind of had to be there. Go next year if you can, you won't be disappointed. Corin got a huge welcome, with a couple standing ovations, and his song 'There Will Always Be a Small Time' became the unofficial theme song of this year's festival. Our grande finale super-band Pooley Street (Corin, Jesse Dee, Jacquie B, Raghu Lokanathan, Karyn Ellis, Taylor Ashton, Sarah Hart, Matt Blackie, Zoe Guigeno, Dave Newberry and yours truly) closed down the fest proper with a big singalong on it, smiles all around.
After ArtsWells I actually had a weekend off, and took in the Edmonton Folk Fest, which was lots of fun despite all the standing in line. I came up with a brilliant idea for a hip-hop version of Four Strong Winds, which I'm told is a shoo-in for next year's finale.
I spent the end of August in Northern BC again this year, playing Robson Valley, Music on the Mountain, and Sweetwater 905 festivals, which were all awesome. I also managed to get some solo camping time in, which was really good for the soul. My summer basically started at the end of April, and continued without a break until then, and I must confess I was starting to get a little tired of partying and meeting people, which is a rare state of affairs, as my friends well know.
Balance is a lifelong lesson, and a lesson for long life. Speaking of which, it's been four and a half years since I left the classroom to play music full-time, and I'm about due for a little vacation. If all goes according to plan, the new year will find me back over in Asia for some downtime, some Chinese study, and hopefully some re-connection with the reasons I set out on this road in the first place. If any of my Freemosan friends know of an available motorbike, I'd be glad to hear about it. I'm looking forward to spending lots of time in the mountains, walking in the jungle and swimming in the streams.
I suppose there's time for one last bit of news in this here travelogue... If you're like me, you may have found occasion for hope in the Occupy Wall Street protests that are currently spreading to various cities across the US and around the world. If you get your news from the TV, you wouldn't have heard much but the oft-repeated claim that they're unclear on what their goals are. If you get your news from the good folks at Democracy Now, you'll likely have a better idea of what's going on. In short, people all over the world are rallying behind the realization that politics as it stands is so completely dominated by corporate, big-money interests as to offer no meaningful choice to voters. If any more evidence is needed in the US, we need look no further than the Democrats' and Republicans' unanimity in support of bailing out the banks and reappointing the very folks who caused the financial crash in the first place, in support of torture at secret sites around the world and here at home in the case of Bradley Manning, in support of environmental destruction for the sake of profit, and in support of the wars that Bush took us into and Obama has escalated. Thankfully, some people in the US are finally refusing to take it lying down. For them, and for you, here's another tune from Moonlit Rambles, inspired after watching the excellent documentary 'Inside Job'. Here ya go, hope you enjoy!
That's all for now, friends. Thanks so much for reading, and you'll hear from me again before long. Bless ya, big love,
Scott
July 1, 2011
Dear friends,
it's taken me three sittings to put this travelogue together, so here they are, in the order I wrote 'em. Thanks for reading & I hope to see you real soon!
-----
Good friends, I'm writing you from the road again, the Trans-Canada this time, as Moses pilots us steadily toward Revelstoke. I managed to catch a couple hours of sleep en route, which was sorely needed after last night's North Country Fair Afterbender, the fourth annual party by that name. We had help from musical friends aplenty: Michael Dunn & the Moanin' After, Robbie Taylor, Haley Myrol, Britt Pernille Froholm, Sean Brewer, onepercentyellow, Johnnie 99, CPTN THNDRPNTZ!, Miss Quincy, The Party on High Street, Aurora Jane, Yuji Ihara, Paul McGowan, and of course Jesse Dee, Jacquie B, and those Long, Long Weekends, living up to their name as usual. With the huge turnout of smiling, dancing folks, I'd say it was the best one yet, an afterparty of homeric proportions to cap off a party as colossal as this year's Fair.
We arrived at the Fair on Wednesday night to rain, mud, and the thought that the van might not make it back out on Monday. Thankfully, there were also friends aplenty, and Myles' big trapper tent with a woodstove inside to keep us toasty. We had two grey days of hanging out, snuggled in the ol' Pilsner blanket, to make us really appreciate the sun rolling around on Friday to open the festivities. We played main stage Friday night & I was so overwhelmed to see all the beautiful people grooving in the sunshine that I even forgot the words in the chorus of Fish Jumpin'. Go figure. Our other band set was late Saturday night, 3ish in the AM Sunday morning to be exact, and it went on til the beautiful pink sunrise, our brains all lit up like Christmas trees. We had a special guest on stage with us that night, all the way from Toronto for his first Fair, none other than Mr. Corin Raymond. He sang his song "That's Life (Loving You Right Back)", which we've been singing to close every show on this band tour, and it was one of those moments when you feel an arc that started years ago join to form a circle. What a pleasure to hang out in the muddy Driftpile pasture with that fella. He'll be back out west at the end of July for the ArtsWells festival, stealing more hearts away.
On Sunday afternoon, Mary Rankin closed down the Fair proper with her song "Love", the chorus to which goes "Love love love love love love love love love!", and which might be about the catchiest thing I've ever heard. The folks were holding hands and dancing around in a circle, and all was bliss. Love, that's what it is. It's what keeps us coming back; it's what makes it all worth our while. It's the answer to the Buddha saying life is suffering. It's also the answer to Stephen Harper & Barack Obama and all the other warmongers in this world. It's the answer to why we're born, and it's made real because we die. I feel incredibly grateful to have known it in this life, and to have the chance to pass it on.
-----
The road keeping me busy as it tends to do, I'm continuing this letter from the passenger seat with legendary drunken cowboy Allen Christie at the wheel, as we roll across the soggy Saskatchewan prairie toward Manitoba. We're out on a week-long ramble appropriately dubbed the Acoustic Mayhem Tour, with Allen, Joanne & Haley Myrol, their cousin from Norway Britt Pernille Froholm (who plays the 9-string Hardanger fiddle), and our shared rhythm section consisting of Moses Gregg on bass and familiar CKUA personality Grant Stovel on the drums and the purdy talking. Sure is nice to have a radio voice introducing the show & putting the folks at ease. We've been crowding all seven of us onto the stage each night & backing each other up, which has been a real pleasure and learning experience for me. Joanne & Haley are breathtaking singers whose voices blend like only family can, and Allen's a real honkytonk veteran, an amazing picker and a master of his craft. He's played just about every guest ranch, rodeo, roundup and roadhouse across this land, and it shows in the confidence with which he approaches his instruments and his audience. I'm learning a lot from keeping such good company.
They're making their way out for the Dauphin Country Fest this weekend, and I'll be heading back west to meet up with some other good company, my good friends Shali & Steve Gates, en route from Halifax to play the Dawson City Music Fest. We'll be sharing shows in Calgary, Cochrane, Banff, Canmore and Edmonton before they head further north, and I'm really looking forward to introducing him to some Albertan audiences. Steve writes great songs, and delivers them with smooth-voiced perfection. Come see him if you're around, or check him out on his Myspace if you aren't. All the show info, as usual, is on my news page.
-----
Friends, it's taken me three instalments to finish this letter, which must mean I've been busy. I'm writing you now from a campground in MacGregor, Manitoba, where you can still camp for $8 a night, a sweet reminder of a free world gone mostly by. We finished up the Acoustic Mayhem tour on Wednesday night, at Falcon Trails Resort in beautiful Falcon Lake, Manitoba, where Winnipeg folk trio The Crooked Brothers (a great band, and great guys to boot) organize a concert series in the Ski Lodge. The audience was warm and it was a great ending to this little ramble. We capped it off with a midnight sauna & swim under a blanket of stars, digging the meteors and fireflies, and feeling very lucky to be alive.
I parted ways with the rest of the group yesterday, and am now making my way to Mortlach, Saskatchewan, to play their Saskatoon Berry Festival. With two days to make the trip, I've pulled out my bluegrass banjo and African guitar books, and am digging into them for the first time in a long while. Very happy for that.
I feel like I've already had a whole summer, with 7 weeks of Long Weekends tour in my rearview, and what an epic tour it was. Last I checked in with you, faithful readers, we were heading west from the Kootenays, bound for the islands. In Victoria we met up with Brin of Party on High Street, who you may already know from the Hobo Song, and who would be filling Moses' bassman shoes for two weeks. We had loads of material to teach him but thankfully he's a quick learner. He's also one of the easygoingest people I've ever met. He's got plenty of experience getting around by his thumbs, and he's got a sleeping setup that consists of a hammock & a camouflage tarp that he can string up anywhere. A bona fide hobo, that Brin Porter.
We had great fun rambling around the islands for two weeks, and visiting a lot of places the band had never been. The kind folks on Denman, Cortes and Saltspring Islands were especially hospitable. We had a weird run of luck out there, though, which some of you have likely already caught wind of: first, someone broke into the van in Nanaimo (which by the way is no town to leave stuff lying around in) and stole two cameras and a GPS. The next night on Saltspring Island we somehow lost the suitcase that held ALL of Jesse and Jacquie's clothes; we imagine it must have fallen out of the trailer & been picked up by somebody, presumably a well-dressed somebody by now. The following day, Jacquie got word that her cat was deathly ill, and she had to go back to Williams Lake. A strange run of misfortune, but in the end it strengthened our resolve that the show must go on. Losing things is like shedding skin in a way; you feel lighter as you let them go.
Our friend Danielle set us up a show in Ucluelet (she even baked cookies for the occasion), which provided a wonderful excuse to get out to the wild side of the island again. We spent the next day hiking forest trails and beachcombing in Pacific Rim National Park before heading up to Tofino. After the Tofino show, Brin wandered off as usual and set up camp down by the water, stringing his hammock up to two pilings at the end of the dock. All was well until morning came, when he went to roll out of his bed and found himself dangling 12 feet in the air! The tide had gone out overnight, and taken the dock down with it. After managing to get himself out without falling into the ocean, he couldn't even reach his hammock. He ended up tying his knife to the end of a boat paddle and hacking at the rope til it gave way, nearly sending all his stuff into the ocean as well. He showed up at the van on time for load-out, with a big grin on his face. Can you see why we love this man?
Jesse & Jacquie made four more videoblogs of the tour, which we think are pretty hilarious, and the final one even includes Brin telling the story himself.
We were reunited with Jacquie B and our good friends Kevin & Yaya in Cumberland, where we drank homemade wine, made up songs around the campfire til the wee hours of the morning, and finally bid the islands a fond farewell. In Vancouver, we played a songwriters-in-the-round charity showcase at the rowing club with none other than Tatam Reeves, our good buddy (& hella guitar player) from Edmonton, who just happened to be on the bill with us after returning from a long ramble down the west coast of the States. It felt surreally like Monday night at Devaney's. The next night we released the CD at Cafe Deux Soleils, with help from special guest C.R. Avery, who lit the stage on fire as always. It was another one of those moments where things come full circle, to be playing the Hobo Song with Brin at the very place we'd tied one on years ago, the night I loaned him a tarp in McSpadden park, just a block away.
From Vancouver we headed up on a friend's invitation to play a house party in the Yalakom Valley, a little-known piece of heaven north of Lillooet. We really had no idea what to expect as we wound our way further and further from civilization along sheer cliff-hugging gravel roads, but we reckoned it would be good. It ended up being the best stop of the trip. We were blown away by the hospitality and the ingenuity that greeted us there. These folks live completely off the grid, with their own hydroelectric system powering five houses, and their own gardens providing their food. They fed us an amazing spread, and showed us to the little creek where they'd put beer & wine to chill for us. When the water jug ran out, we were directed back to the same creek to fill up our glasses. Drinking straight from the stream is a rare pleasure I've only had a few times in life, and it strengthened the conviction in my mind that we had somehow wandered into heaven. They sent us on our way with jars of food and a lingering feeling of magic that followed us up north to Wells and across to the North Country Fair. Thank you, good people.
There's plenty more summer to come, including lots of fests: Wild Mountain in Hinton, Discovery Coast in Bella Coola, ArtsWells in lovely Wells, Central Music Fest in Red Deer, Robson Valley in Dunster, and Music on the Mountain in Fort St. James. Shortly thereafter I'll be heading east again for the Fall, spending September in the midwestern States and October in Ontario.
Some of you write me now & then to ask if I ever take a break, and I'm pleased to announce that I'm planning to take one in the new year, not entirely a vacation, but a break from this particular pasture... I'll be heading to Taiwan, and hopefully making a journey to Australia from there, before returning to play Spring Scream and reunite with the Anglers. I really miss Ihla Freemosa, and am planning to do a lot of chilling out, hiking in the mountains and studying Chinese. Should be good for the soul.
Speaking of finding rest around the bend, here's another free song from Moonlit Rambles for you loyal readers, a song about laying down your burden and finding your way, with help from Jacquie B and Miss Emily Brown on harmony vocals, here.
I mailed a shipment of CDs to Taiwan a few days back, thanks to the initiative of Mr. Bradley Tindall of Rising Hedons fame, so some folks there should be getting them soon. I also mailed out all the North American pre-orders a while back, so those who've ordered should be getting them soon if they haven't already. Moonlit Rambles is up on CD Baby now and should be on iTunes soon, although of course I'd prefer it if you ordered from me, as there's no middle man to pay, and I can even sign it for you. There's a Paypal button on my website, or you can mail a cheque ($20 for one CD, $35 for two, or $45 for three) to Scott Cook, 3 Meridian Road, Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 0N5.
The record has made it out to most college & community radio by now, and is gradually being sent out to folk DJs everywhere. I would really appreciate it if you'd request it on your local station, it helps out a lot.
Lastly, I would be remiss on this Canada Day not to mention that we're also coming up on the ten year anniversary of our invasion of Afghanistan. This is the longest war we've been involved in as a nation, and I hope we can take time today to consider whether it's a just one. Lest anyone accuse me of overlooking the sacrifices our troops have made, I should stress that I'm very grateful for the freedoms we enjoy here in Canada, and for those who struggled to defend those freedoms again the threat of Fascism. Furthermore, I should also be clear that I believe many of our enlisted men and women went to Afghanistan motivated by the belief that they were doing the right thing. But I certainly don't extend the same confidence to the politicians who sent them to fight. They sold this war as a quest to find Bin Laden, then as a crusade to free the people of Afghanistan. The politricksters' talk about humanitarian motives was, as always, just talk. There are people in bondage everywhere, but we only care enough to get involved when those people happen to have oil under their land, or otherwise occupy an area of geopolitical importance. We're now involved in a bombing campaign in Libya which NONE of the political parties save the Green Party (that's right, not even the NDP) took exception to. They all signed off on an additional $100 million worth of bombs without batting an eye. And yet, we're told, these are lean times, and we all need to tighten our belts. I implore my fellow Canadians not to follow our southern neighbours into increasing corporatism and militarism, and not to believe the news. The media are complicit in all our wars by their acquiescence, and they give us no reason for hope, not a word about the resistance that is mounting world-wide against tyranny. Thankfully, we have the good folks over at Democracy Now! doing that. If you don't already know them (and even if you do), I strongly suggest tuning in.
Well, that's all the news that is news for now. If you made it this far, thanks aplenty for reading. Bless ya, see you along the way,
Scott
May 19, 2011
Friends,
I'm writing you from the road. From the back seat of the van, to be exact, as Jacquie B pilots us over the Bugaboo Summit and down toward the Okanagan. We left Nelson town today, only to return after playing the Hitching Post in Hedley, a gig booked long ago that made less routing sense as time went on. We'll be back in Nelson on Saturday afternoon to play Ellison's Market (the best--nay, only--gig I've played in a supermarket) before heading up to Kaslo to entertain the good folks at the Bluebelle Bistro amidst the general May Days festivities. Saturday also happens to be the day that billboards all over the US have been predicting Christ's return, but needless to say we don't expect much eschatological fallout. I'm only hoping, likely in vain, that this non-event, like next year's cataclysmic no-show, will give us all another occasion to stop wishing and start working.
From Kaslo we're off to the Slocan Valley for a gig at Sleep is for Sissies, and from there to the island to meet up with our substitute bassman Brin (of orange tarp fame) and spend two weeks touring that lovely corner of the world. All the shows to come are listed, as usual, on www.scottcook.net.
The tour's been great so far, as you can imagine it would be, rolling through beautiful country with four of my favourite people in the world.
The hometown CD release was especially amazing, with performances from The Proper Charlies, Trevor Tchir, The Low Flying Planes, Dana
Wylie, Nadine Kellman and the Black Wonders, Terry Morrison and John
Gorham, Michael Dunn and the Ramblin' Kind, Myrol, Jesse Dee and
Jacquie B, and Sean Brewer and the Switchmen. Steve Schraeder of Clear Sound Productions put in an epic day of work and had everyone sounding wonderful, even when Mikey and Nadine both pushed the limits of sense with stages full of smiling, sardined musicians.
We've had plenty of days with one to two-hour drives, which is a style of touring I really enjoy. Jesse and Jacquie have been documenting the trip as usual with their video blogs, which make for some entertaining watching. Here are links to the first three instalments:
On Saturday, we stopped in at Calgary's Ship & Anchor to compete in the Pros & Prose category of the Calgary Folk Music Festival's Songwriting Competition. We managed to take home $500 for Best Performance, which sure made the drive worthwhile. Top honours went to by far the most deserving competitor, Edmonton's 100 Mile House.
My winning song is a track from Moonlit Rambles entitled 'High and Lonesome Again'. Here it is for you, loyal readers, in handy downloadable form.
The album's just trickling out to radio, and has already made it into CKUA's top 30. You can help out by requesting it on your local campus or community radio station. I'll be mailing it out to the US soon, and to print and online reviewers as well. If you know of a magazine or blog that could use a copy, feel free to suggest it.
The first review has arrived, by Edmonton's own maverick freelancer Fish Griwkowsky, and he was very kind to it, likening it to "a conversational bottle of Jack passed around a dawn fire, everything burning just right."
I've had vinyl stickers printed and will be picking them up Saturday, at which point I'll begin mailing out the orders. My sincere thanks to those who ordered for their support, and my apologies for the wait; I just wanted to make sure you got your super cool sticker as promised.
If you haven't ordered yet, I would be very grateful for the gas in my ever-thirsty tank. The album comes signed, with a 24-page booklet of my words and photographs, and the aforementioned super cool sticker. Orders can be made with credit card via the Paypal button on my page, or by mailing a cheque to me at 3 Meridian Road, Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 0N5. Please specify which album(s) you want and who I should make it out to. It's $20 for one album, $35 for two, or $45 for three.
I suppose that's all the business for now. Thanks again for reading, and for believing. I hope you're drinking up the lovely days. Your friend,
Scott
April 27, 2011
Friends,
I hope this finds you smiling. I'm grinning as I type, elated by the
sun on my face, the trickle of birdsong, and the adventure we're about
to set out on.
Moonlit Rambles has arrived, and a great ramble is about to begin.
The Long Weekends, Shawna and I are off on the road together for the
next two months, visiting most every nook and cranny of Alberta and
British Columbia, and I couldn't be happier about it. I haven't taken
a band on the road in any serious way since the last Anglers tour in
2004. It's a good call not to repeat something so financially
suicidal, but I think we can actually make a go of it this time
around.
The hometown release is this coming Sunday, May 1st, at Pleasantview
Community Hall, 10860 57 ave in Edmonton. It's gonna be a giant all-
day love-in, running from 3-11pm, with loads of my musical friends
around to entertain us. I'm starting things off at 3pm with the Long
Weekends and some special guests, then we'll have sets from The Proper
Charlies, Trevor Tchir, The Low Flying Planes, Maurice Jones, Dana
Wylie, Nadine Kellman and the Black Wonders, Terry Morrison and John
Gorham, Michael Dunn and the Ramblin' Kind, Myrol, and Jesse Dee and
Jacquie B, in that order.
I'll be getting back up around 9pm for
another set with the Long Weekends and guests, and Sean Brewer and the
Switchmen will close out the night with a set of dancing tunes to take
us to 11 o'clock. We'll be pouring drinks and potluckin' all day
long. Our good friend Sahana of There's More to Life Than Butter
Chicken will be serving up some delicious Indian food, I'm going to
make some hummus, and you're encouraged to bring whatever you like to
add to the spread. Tickets are $10 at the door, and advance tickets
($10 with a free drink) are available at Blackbird & Permanent
Records. Kids are free. Pleasantview is a beautiful old-timey hall
with a recessed proscenium stage like you'd imagine at an old high
school dance, and a little park we can kick the hack in. Environment
Canada's predicting sun all day. It's gonna be wonderful.
Besides Edmonton, we're playing the following dates:
fri April 29 Red Deer, The Hideout
sat April 30 Camrose, Rose City Roots show at Scalliwag's
thu May 5 Calgary, Ironwood with Cam Penner
fri May 6 Scott opening for Steve Dawson at Ironwood
sat May 7 Red Deer, house concert
sun May 8 Golden, Bacchus Books
mon May 9 Field, Truffle Pigs
tue May 10 Banff, Bruno's
wed May 11 Canmore, The Glue Factory
thu May 12 Olds, Tracks Pub
fri May 13 Nanton, the Auditorium
sat May 14 Lethbridge, Tongue n' Groove
sun May 15 Calgary Folk Fest songwriting finals at the Ship, then
Coleman, Blackbird Coffeehouse
tue May 17 Nelson, house concert
wed May 18 ???
thu May 19 Ymir Schoolhouse
fri May 20 Hedley, the Hitching Post
sat May 21 Nelson, Ellison's Market, then Kaslo, Bluebelle Bistro
sun May 22 Winlaw, Sleep is for Sissies
thu May 26 Denman Island Backhall
fri May 27 ???
sat May 28 Chemainus, the Dancing Bean
sun May 29 Nanaimo, Queens Hotel
mon May 30 Saltspring Island, the Treehouse
tue May 31 Victoria, Fort Cafe
wed June 1 ???
thu June 2 Ucluelet, Army & Navy
fri June 3 Tofino, the Maquinna
sat June 4 Cortes Island, Gorge Hall
sun June 5 TBA
tue June 7 Vancouver, Just Singin' Round charity showcase
wed June 8 Vancouver CD release at Cafe Deux Soleils with C.R. Avery
thu June 9 ???
fri June 10 Kamloops, The Art We Are
sat June 11 Prince George, Nancy O's
sun June 12 Wells, Wells Hotel
wed June 15 ???
thu-sun June 16-19 North Country Fair
As you can see from the ???s, there are still a few gaps in the
schedule, which we'd be glad to fill with a house concert or whatever
you might suggest. Details for all those shows and more to come are
on http://www.scottcook.net/news.php.
I'm taking CD orders through the website, and stuff will be up on
iTunes & such real soon. For those of you on Taiwan, I know it's a
while to wait, but I'll be bringing the CDs myself in March.
For all of you on this list, thank you for reading my ramblings. As a
token of my gratitude, here's a free download for you from the album,
a song I wrote in tribute to the North Country Fair called "Goin Up to
the Country", featuring Seth Bernard of Michigan's Earthwork Music on
lead guitar, Adam Iredale-Gray of Fish & Bird on violin, Thom Golub on
the upright bass, Matt Blackie on the drums, and Jacquie B on backup
vocals. Just right-click on the file (or command-click for those
clever folks using Macs) to download it. Hope you enjoy.
Let me begin with a warning, that I have vastly outdone my reputation for loquaciousness this time around. If you're in a hurry and want to skip to the Real News, you might want to scroll down a bit. Actually, a long way, til you hit the asterisks. Those feeling more leisurely are welcome to amble down there with me.
I'm writing you from Robert's Western World in Nashville, Tennessee, with fiddle, steel guitar and high lonesome harmonies pouring off the stage, the fryer at a rolling boil, rows of cowboy boots lining the walls, crowds of old-timers getting their afternoon drunk on, and southern waitresses who call you 'darlin' singing along to the tunes... 'The Wild Side of Life', 'I Met a Friend of Yours Today', 'Honkytonk Amnesia' and various other yodeling, hurting, and drinking songs from times gone by. The sign behind the bar advertises their 'Recession Special' (a friend bologna sandwich, a bag of chips, a goo goo cluster, and a Pabst Blue Ribbon for $5) and their new crowd-pleaser, the 'Stimulus Package' (an all beef hotdog, a bag of chips, a moon pie, and a Miller High Life for $5).
Needless to say the South is not the ideal place to be a vegetarian. In fact, it might be more accurate to say it's a tough place for anyone who wants to eat vegetables at all, save the iceberg on your burger or the okra in your gumbo. I went to the supermarket (bizarrely named 'Piggly Wiggly') and found it long on the processed & packaged and direly short on the fruity and fresh. What fruits and veggies they did have were old and limp, which might explain why no one eats them. They don't recycle down here either, just throw everything in the trash. It feels really strange, but I had to remind myself that it wasn't long ago that we started recycling up in Canada. They told us about it in school, and then we did it, kind of like happened with the metric system (another bit of civilization that hasn't made it down this way yet). It set me to wondering if the real reason the South rebelled was because the North told them to clean up after themselves and eat their vegetables.
Only kidding, Southern friends, only kidding. Northern friends, don't be discouraged from visiting; it really does have its charm, and there's even something admirable in their resistance. I saw a sign in a shop window today: think globally, act hillbilly. Gotta love 'em.
I decided to walk down the street to another place and continue this letter, but I didn't get far. Right next door, at Layla's Bluegrass Hillbilly & Country Inn, the sound of a young stringband ripping time to shreds grabbed me by the ears and pulled me in. An older fella's clogging like the devil himself in the middle of the dancefloor, stomping his bootheels with such authority and conviction that he's eliciting frantic screams from the ladies. 5pmish. Amazing. 'There's another gambling song for ya' says the bassman. 'Stay tuned for prison & murder songs.' Pretty well every bar on the strip has a country band playing every hour, for tips, and when they're done, they duck across the street or down to the block to play at another bar.
Friends, I've gotten such an earful of music on this trip that I can hardly put it into words. I don't think there were any bad players at Folk Alliance just now; none that I saw at least. There were showcases going on simultaneously, changing over every half hour, in the ten or so downstairs rooms, and then more of the same in every room on three full floors of the Memphis Marriott until 3 in the morning. Everybody was good, and plenty of them were great.
Now here in Nashville, the numbers of hungry songwriters lining up to sing, and all the talented folks playing for tips in the bars, give me that same profound sense of my insignificance; in good way, mind you. It's kind of like that feeling you might have when you get out way beyond the city lights and look up at that sky full of stars and think of all the worlds and lives likely going on out there; the smallness of your troubles, your fears, of even the waves of human history, sinks in. And you get a feeling like whatever happens here is not of crucial importance except right here and now, and that in some big inexplicable way, it'll all be okay.
The bass player just played slide on the string bass with a beer bottle. Or tried. As he said afterward, there's a good reason people have never seen anybody do that.
----
Friends, I'm now continuing this travelogue from the home of great songwriter and beard cultivator Eric Nassau in Columbus, Ohio. Sorry for the sudden change of scene, but life does get busy out here on the road, and time waits for no travelogue.
I shared a show with Eric & the Salty Caramels in Athens, Ohio last night, and we're playing together again tomorrow at Eric's sixth annual Townes Van Zandt tribute night, to mark Townes' birthday and raise funds for Ohio Public Radio. It seems like an especially worthy cause at the moment, as Congress' new budget just eliminated all funding for public radio & television. It has yet to pass the Senate, but it does seem like the fight is on to save one of the last bastions of sanity across this land, usually the only channel on the dial that isn't yelling at you. In fact, it seems like the fight to preserve sanity is on in a lot of places these days.
In between Nashville and here I've been down to see my grandma in Alabama, where I think I heard "Ahh tayl you whaaat!" more than I've heard it in my whole life combined. When telling people I was going, I was amazed how many asked me, "you have a grandma from Alabama?" Didn't they hear the song? Maybe they thought I just said so because it rhymed.
This trip has held not only an earful of music but an eyeful of new scenery. Almost all of this has been new territory for me, and I've been slack-jawed in wonder many a place along the way.
The trip across northern BC was snowy and wonderful, with good shows in Valemount, Prince George, and Quesnel, and a week cozied up in Ory No'man's house in Wells, finishing up the tracking for my new album by the woodstove in the basement. From there I did a quick swing through the Kootenays for a show in Silverton and a house concert in Nelson with Aspen Switzer. That part of the world always seems to hold reminders of important things for me, as it did this time around. I managed to cross paths with Miss Quincy & co. there, en route to Europe.
From the Koots I made my way to the west coast and out to the bird-chirping greenness of Vancouver Island, where I stayed with Scotty & Jena, recorded Adam from Fish & Bird, and played shows at Providence Farm in Duncan, on friendly Saltspring Island, and in Victoria with O'Mally. Vancouver treated me well this time too, recording Dave Newberry and Miss Emily Brown, and sharing a show in the round at the Prophouse with the aforementioned Mr. Newberry and Corbin Murdoch. We called substitutions for one round, and were relieved by Rodney Decroo, Meg O'Mally and Wyckham Porteous, star-studded help to be sure.
I crossed the border the next night, and encountered a previously-unknown level of rigamarole this time around. My CDs, they rightly said, were commercial merchandise. That had never been an issue before, but this time it meant searching the van and sending me back into Canada to cross at a different crossing that handled commercial traffic. At the Canadian border the guard asked me how long I'd been in the States; about 20 minutes, I said. I drove to the other border and went into the commercial lineup as instructed, immediately realizing how absurdly misguided I was, my minivan dwarfed amid a lineup of semi-trailers. I pulled up to the guard's window and it was way up high, level with a big truck's door; he yelled down to me "what are you doing here?!?" and I had no good answer but "they told me to!" They x-rayed the van and brought me inside again, where the officer taking care of me looked over a CD and noticed that there's no indication on it of where it was made. He went back to look in a big book of the law--truly the biggest book I've ever seen, this thing was enormous--and after a lengthy search, determined that I would need to label them. I got a sheet of mailing labels from the car, wrote "made in Taiwan" on 89 of them, and affixed one to each CD. It kinda felt like writing lines, something I did a lot of in school. I filled out a customs manifest, paid a $10.75 processing fee, and was on my way, baffled by the needless bureaucracy; incidentally a word which quite literally, and tellingly, means rule by the desk.
Once across, the trip down the west coast was amazing. I will definitely be spending more time in those green pastures. I soaked up the beauty of the Oregon coastline, walked in the sand dunes, and shared a sweet house show in Portland with South African minstrel Dawid Vorster, recently relocated from Taipei. Saw old friends from Taiwan in California, marvelled at the majesty of the redwoods, and dug the vistas of San Francisco. Stopped in Desert Center, California, and gaped at the starry night sky, the dark sandy distance, & all the big trucks sleeping silently. Then drove across Arizona, played in lovely Tubac along the way, and dug the big skies, the joshua trees and yucca plants... Through El Paso, where the shantytowns of Ciudad Juarez are visible from the highway, just across the Rio Grande. And finally to the tiny town of Ravenna, Texas, to see Corin Raymond & Jonathan Byrd working their magic in a living room full of kind folks.
For those who like to look at pictures, my photos of the trip are up on Facebook here.
I played a house concert of my own the following night at Cuervo Acres in Princeton, then down to Austin, which I can now first-handedly attest is one flat-out awesome town. I followed Warren Hood's amazing band on a Sunday night at Momo's, and after the show Warren dragged the party to the Continental Club to see a country super-group called Heybale! (made up of former sidemen of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and the Fabulous Thunderbirds) doing their weekly gig, dialling it in with workmanlike precision, and wrapping up their cables before the crowd even got around to yelling "Encore!". Truly awe-inspiring, those old players. You've probably heard someone say, after watching a master do their thing, that it made them want to quit. But I feel more like it would be a disservice to their example, were I not to shoulder on after them.
From Texas I headed north for a wonderful house concert in Oklahoma City, and east for the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis, Tennessee. Loads of Canadians were down there, and we got up to our usual late-night 'networking' sessions as could be expected. The boys from Deep Dark Woods & our man J-Ski brought out the old Saskatchewan tradition of 'Meat Shoulder', where you toss a slice of cold cut on someone's shoulder and see how long it takes them to notice... wildly inappropriate at such a schmoozefest, but hilarious all the same, at least to my juvenile sense of humour.
Fish & Bird, Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra and New Country Rehab all made quite a stir, and deservedly so. New discoveries for me were Abigail Washburn, Danny Schmidt, the 23 String Band, Cliff Eberhardt, Diana Jones and Raina Rose. I was blown away as usual by Treasa Levasseur, Mary Gauthier, and Corin Raymond, and utterly and completely slain by Jonathan Byrd, backed by some of the band that played on his new record 'Cackalack' (Treasa, John Showman, & Brian Kobayakawa). It was pure, unadulterated brilliance.
Corin & Jonathan are on tour in BC right now (see http://www.jonathanbyrd.com for tour dates), but we'll be meeting up very soon in Alberta for my first shows back in the province, which brings us to:
*****the REAL NEWS!*****
For those who've just re-joined us, rest assured, we haven't been talking about you while you've been gone. Nor are we judging you for skipping out on the real work and just tuning in for the highlights; oh no, we are not judging you at all, far be it from people as thorough and conscientious as us.
The Real News of which I speak is that I'll be meeting up with Corin Raymond & Jonathan Byrd in Alberta for my first shows back, three shows that I'm very excited to be a part of, because I love introducing people to singers of life-changing songs such as these. I've been raving about these two songwriters for a while now to whoever will listen, and I hope that those in the area will avail themselves of the opportunity to see what I've been making such a fuss about.
Jonathan Byrd is a Kerrville New Folk Winner and master of his craft whose newest album 'Cackalack' has been riding high on the US Folk and Americana charts for months now. And Corin Raymond is the guy who single-handedly sang me out of a deep funk and into a more joyous and willingly-embraced life a few years back. To make a long story short, these two are the real deal. Nuff said. Get yourselves down to one of three shows:
Thursday, March 24 - Calgary - a Shop Concert at 3815 Manchester Rd. SE. Doors 6pm, show 7pm, $20 at the door, for those who like an intimate show.
Friday, March 25 - Edmonton - The Artery, 9535 Jasper Ave, showtime 8pm, $10 at the door. Facebook ad's here, here, for those of you who are into that.
Sun, March 27 - Calgary - Ironwood Stage, 1229 9th Avenue SE, 8pm showtime, $10 at the door. Facebook ad's here, pass it on please!
The other item of Real News is that at long last I've finished my work on my newest love letter to the world, entitled Moonlit Rambles. Mr. Brad Smith is currently working on the mixes, and I'm starting on the cover art. I'm really excited about this newest album, and I think you'll like it too. It features musical contributions from Seth Bernard, Matt Blackie, Jacquie Boisvert, Miss Emily Brown, Tyler Dakin, Jesse Dee, Shawna Donovan, Gavin Dunn, Thom Golub, Adam Iredale-Grey, Jason Kodie, Dave Newberry, and Dana Wylie. It has a lot to say about what community means, some to say about where we're at, and hopefully a little to say about the way forward.
I'm taking pre-orders, for anyone who'd like to be among the first to get their hands on the album. It's $20 and it'll come signed with a snazzy new sticker as soon as it comes off the presses! There's now a Paypal button on my website all set up for that purpose. As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity; it really does keep this show on the road.
The album will be released in Edmonton on May 1st, with another big day of music, food, drink & friends, hall party styley, featuring tunes from Brian Gregg & Nadine Kellman, The Proper Charlies, The Low Flying Planes, Dana Wylie, Joe Nolan, Maurice Jones, Myrol, Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Sean Brewer, Trevor Tchir, and of course those ever-lovin' Long Weekends. Jesse and Jacquie and I will be hitting the road for all of May and June around Alberta & BC, ending up in Driftpile, Alberta for the mother of all good times, the North Country Fair. I'll bug you more about all that later.
In the near future, there are shows coming up in Kalamazoo and Pontiac, MI; Chicago, IL; Viroqua and La Crosse, WI; Scobey, MT; and Vermilion, High River, Golden and Canmore, AB; details as always can be found on my website.
My wheels are turned northward at last. I woke up this morning to snow covering the van, and realized I've got some serious cold ahead of me... But my heart is light and spring is in my sights.
I realize that I haven't said anything in this travelogue about all the big things happening in the world right now, in the middle east and closer to home in the American midwest, but I think I've been long-winded enough already. I guess I'll just say that it feels like an exciting time to be alive. Check out Amy Goodman's steadfast newscasting on Democracy Now if you're at all hungry for real news; that is, real news other than the Real News about a daffy folksinger who lives in his van... That news, as always, can be found right here.
If for whatever reason you've grown tired of my torrential verbiage, I don't blame you; just let me know and I'll let you off. For those still on board, I applaud your determination, and thank you for your support. As always, at your service,
Scott
January 2, 2011
Good friends,
The new year is here and I hope it's found you flourishing. We sang
out the old one at McDougall United Church for the second year in a
row, with an amazing cast of musical friends and a massive crowd.
Huge thanks to Penny, Reverend John Henry, and all involved for making
it happen, it warmed hearts. The next day found me at the Black Dog
in the company of Jesse Dee, Jacquie B, Moses Gregg, and a whole bunch
of fine folks, singing in the new year. I've got a good feeling about
this one.
The last while has been insanely busy, which explains the long silence
from me. I've been in Edmonton for about two months now, at least
attempting to lay low, but it does seem like I have more irons in the
fire than ever.
The Ontario tour was loads of fun, and even lucrative (a first for me
in those parts). Standouts included three shows and plenty of
harmonizing with the wonderful Allison Brown; a night at the Acoustic
Grill in Picton, Prince Edward County (which felt a lot like Prince
Edward Island); two friendly Tuesdays at Brock Zeman's regular gig at
O'Reilly's Pub in Perth; a raucous Toronto meetup with Jesse Dee &
Jacquie B (fresh off VIA rail), Faye Blais, O'Mally, and Fish & Bird;
a show in Waterloo with Mr. Scott Wicken (poet of long-ago Edmonton
fame and an early inspiration of mine); a wonderful introduction to
the Moonshine Cafe in Oakville; another wonderful introduction to the
Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield with Fish & Bird and Dan Frechette; house
concerts in Kitchener, Dundas and Mount Pleasant; back-to-back shows
in Hamilton and Toronto with my comrades-in-song Corin Raymond and
Raghu Lokanathan (lawd, I love those guys); and of course the
hilarious hotel-room booze- and schmooze- and jam-o-rama that is the
Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. All in all, a good ramble, a lot
of laughs, and a trunkload of memories.
On the way home I got the news that my grandpa had passed away, so I
canceled the last three Ontario shows and went back down through the
States for the funeral. There sure were a lot of people there, from
all over the place. He lived his 88 years well, and I'm a better
person for having known him. If anybody I know deserved a song, he
did, so I wrote one. It'll be on my next album.
As you may know, I'm in the process of penning another love letter to
the world, tentatively titled Moonlit Rambles. I expect to have the
whole thing completed by the end of January, and will be releasing it
with a western full-band tour in May and June. I did the beds at
Sound Extractor in Edmonton with Brad Smith at the helm, Matt Blackie
on the drums, and Thom Golub on the bass. Doing the other parts
mobile-studio-style this month, and I'm very excited about that.
Steve Teeuwsen and I also released Volume 2 of our Great Northern
Revival series a couple weeks back. This edition features 18 tracks
from Edmonton bands (100 Mile House, Boogie Patrol, Brian Gregg,
Daniel Moir, Doug Hoyer, Electricity For Everybody, Greg Amundson, Ky
Babyn, Manraygun, Myrol, The Pale Moon Lights, Sean Brewer, Souljah
Fyah, Straight up Gypsies, Tatam Reeves, Trevor Tchir, and Wool on
Wolves), and beautiful, autumn-feeling photos by local photographer
Erin Prout. There's so much talent in this town, and we hope this
compilation series can be of some help in putting Edmonton on the
national musical radar. The release party was at Hydeaway and
featured performances by 11 of the acts on the compilation--a marathon
night of music even by my over-eager standards. If you're interested,
you can order the album from me, pick it up at Permanent Records or
Blackbyrd in Edmonton, or just buy it from your favorite band on the
compilation.
I have one more show left in Edmonton, tomorrow (that's Monday) night,
hosting open stage at Devaney's Irish Pub, from 8pm to midnight. It's
doubling as my Nashville or Bust! tour sendoff. You read that right,
friends, I'm finally headed to Nashville. And California. And the
heart of Texas. I'm still booking tour dates, but so far the trip
includes:
Thu Jan 6 - Valemount, BC - The United/Anglican Church
Fri Jan 7 - Prince George, BC - Nancy O's
Sat Jan 8 - Quesnel, BC - Gold Pan Dance Studios
Fri Jan 14 - Silverton, BC - Silverton Art Gallery
Sat Jan 15 - Nelson, BC - house concert
Thu Jan 20 - Victoria, BC - Fort Cafe with O'Mally
Fri Jan 21 - Duncan, BC - Cowichan Folk Guild concert
Thu Jan 27 - Vancouver, BC - The Prophouse Cafe with Dave Newberry and
Corbin Murdoch
Sat Jan 29 - Tacoma, WA - The Mandolin Cafe, 6-8pm
Sun Jan 30 - Astoria, OR - Fort George Brewery
Thu Feb 3 - Arcata, CA - Six Rivers Brewery
Fri Feb 11 - Bryan, TX - House concert
Sat Feb 12 - Princeton, TX - House concert at Cuervo Acres
Sun Feb 13 - Austin, TX - Momo's
Tue Feb 15 - Oklahoma City, OK - House concert
Wed-Sun Feb 16-20 - Memphis, TN - hanging out at Folk Alliance!
From there I'll be down to Nashville and then winding my way back
home, with stops in Ohio, Michigan and Winnipeg along the way. I'll
be back in Alberta at the end of March for three shows with Corin
Raymond & the mighty Jonathan Byrd. I'll bug you more about that
later.
For now, as I'm sure you can see, I still have a lot of holes to plug
in my schedule. Any suggestions of venues to play, or offers to host
a house concert, would of course be hugely appreciated.
I hope to see some of you along the way on this next ramble. And I
hope that all of you, wherever you are, are finding time to take care
of yourselves, and to spend with the people you care about. Big love
and blessings aplenty to ya, keep shining,
Scott
September 22, 2010
Hey friends,
I'm writing you from my grandparents' farm in Michigan, where I'm enjoying a few days' downtime before heading into Ontario for a month or so, and then back west across Canada. Read on for tour dates, or just skip to the bottom. But I promise you won't have to scroll far--this here is a short little travelogue, for once!
I was on the Earthwork farm last weekend, and got a heart full of warmth and hope from Seth & May and the good folks there. Check 'em out on www.earthworkmusic.com if you're so inclined. It was a wonderful close to a full festival season (14 in all for me this year!), and a welcome drink from the deep well of inspiration that is bubbling up right now in Michigan. I'm not exaggerating to say that my experiences with that community have given me new hope for the United States--the country of my birth, and a country that's brought out its fair share of paranoia and despair in me. It's uplifting to see people taking back ownership of their communities, organizing to take stands on local issues, linking up regionally, building an alternative economy, and living on this earth like it's their birthright. Not to mention making yummy food, and really, really excellent beer.
I saw some of the same great things just weeks ago on a trip through northern BC, enjoying Seth & Shara's wonderful hospitality at the amazing Robson Valley Music Festival in Dunster, attending the first year of Lionel & Rosemary's Music on the Mountain festival in Fort St. James, and finishing it off with a visit to the Mattson Farm in Rolla for the Sweetwater 905 festival. Not only was the music world-class, and the good times plentiful with friends from far & wide, the whole trip was very hopeful. Northern BC's economy was largely built on primary resource extraction, and a lot of those jobs have dried up in recent years, so it's heartening to see family growing in these communities, connections being forged, and local
art, music, and culture developing. Fort St. John in particular was a wonderful little piece of the world, with Whole Wheat n' Honey, Tim & Tyc's, and local bookstore the Rabbit Hole all valuable assets to that community. We also really dug the Rolla Pub, the house concert at Miss Quincy's Mom's place, and the house concert at the first Rabbit Hole in Grande Prairie.
Oh, and while I'm on the subject of northern BC, I've got to mention the lovely town of Wells, where as Jesse Dee says, we are in the process of building us our very own Woodstock. The festival this year was so much fun that in a moment of exuberance I re-christened it The Bestival. For those who missed it, Jesse & Jacquie put together a very entertaining video blog of the weekend, which can be viewed here. I'm actually in the process of filing an application for a little lot of my own up there. For real, you gotta come experience it yourself to know what I'm talking about. Check it out on www.artswells.com & put it in your calendar for next year!
Now, on to the immediate future... I'm coming back into Ontario this weekend, and will be tooling around the province for over a month, so I do hope to see all you Ontareans somewhere along the way. Tour dates so far include:
Fri Sept 24 - London, ON - London Music Club w/ Allison Brown & Simple Joy
Sun Sept 26 - Bronte - CJ's Cafe, noon-2pm
Sun Sept 26 - Toronto - Mitzi's Sister w/ Allison Brown
Mon Sept 27 - Oakville - Moonshine Cafe w/ BBQ!
Tue Sept 28 - Waterloo - Princess Cafe w/ Scott Wicken
Wed Sept 29 - Windsor - Phog Lounge w/ Allison Brown
Thu Sept 30 - Toronto - Cameron House as a guest of Corin Raymond & the Sundowners, 6-8pm
Fri Oct 1 - Hamilton - The Pearl Company w/ Corin Raymond & Raghu Lokanathan
Sat Oct 2 - Mount Pleasant - afternoon house concert w/ Joe Forster
Sat Oct 2 - Toronto - Cameron House w/ Corin Raymond & Raghu Lokanathan
Tue Oct 5 - Perth - O'Reilly's Pub
Wed Oct 6 - Picton - The Acoustic Grill
Thu Oct 7 - Cambridge - The Groove Kitchen
Fri Oct 8 - Bracebridge - The Griffin
Sat Oct 9 - South River - Renee's Cafe
Sun Oct 10 - Toronto - SPEAK Music Presents at the Tranzac, 5-7pm
Tues Oct 12 - Perth - O'Reilly's Pub
Wed Oct 13 - Montreal - TBA
Thurs Oct 14 - Wakefield, PQ - The Black Sheep Inn w/ Fish & Bird and Dan Frechette
Fri-Sun Oct 15-17 - Ottawa - Ontario Council of Folk Festivals
Mon Oct 18 - Ottawa - Rainbow Bistro
Thurs Oct 28 - Sault Ste. Marie - Loplop Lounge & Gallery
Fri Oct 29 - Rossport - Serendipity Gardens
All the details for those shows, and new dates as they're added, can be found on my news page. As you can see, there are still some free dates in there, and I would of course love to stop in your neighborhood, so feel free to drop a line if you have an idea. Maybe we can set something up in your living room, or at your fave local haunt.
For those back in Edmonton, I want to mention that I miss you all, and will be back in early November to hug you, and record a new album.
For the Taiwan family, a reminder that the Peacefest has been moved to the 10/10 weekend on account of a typhoon, which thankfully gives everyone more time to prepare, and more time for
you to talk your friends into widening the circle. This year's festival is in the mountains of Taoshan, Hsinchu County, and it looks to be amazing. I'll be dropping in with a little video greeting sometime during the weekend to tell you all how much I love you.
I'll close this travelogue by expressing my huge gratitude and admiration to all the people everywhere who are working to build family in their neighborhoods, to try out new ways of living, and to make a new world worthy of the best in us. I'm proud to know ya.
Big love, happy trails,
Scott
July 29, 2010
Friends,
I hope you've missed me in your inbox. Or enjoyed the break from my
ceaseless self-promotion. In any case, I'm back, and loaded with
reams of words to unroll.
Where to begin? It's been a wild four months, I can tell you that.
And consquently, impossible to sum up in a few paragraphs. But I'll
try my best.
For now, let's start with now. I'm presently coming into the home
stretch of what has already been a crazy summer. Nine festivals down,
with five more to go. Makin' that hay while the sun shines. I'm writing you now from Cortes Island, where I've been enjoying a few
days of hanging with friends and swimming in the lake, and which is
pretty much Heaven right here on earth.
Tonight I'll be in Victoria for a set at Spiral Cafe, sometime between
8 and 10pm, and then begin the long trek up to Wells, BC for one of my favorite festivals anytime, anywhere: the ArtsWells Festival of All
Things Art. From there, Jesse Dee & Jacquie B and I will be rolling
back through southern BC, for shows in Revelstoke, Osoyoos, Enderby,
Riondel & Field, before returning to Edmonton for a little show at the
Carrot Cafe & Jacquie B's birthday at the Haven. Late August I'll be
up in northern BC for three weeks, playing Robson Valley, Music on the
Mountain, and Sweetwater 905, before heading through the States to
Ontario for another marathon ramble. All the dates, as always, are on
my news page.
Well, friends, that was the easy part. Now comes the tough part, the
recap. I'm warning you in advance that it could be long. Actually,
who am I kidding, it's gonna be positively Homeric. In case you're
wondering, that's my new word for 'epic', a word that's suffered from
overuse of late. Not to worry, it just means that it'll be long, not
that it'll be in dactylic hexameter.
But I digress, and there's no time for that, what with all this story
to tell! The last time I wrote I was getting ready for the 'Beggars
Would Ride' tour with Corin Raymond & Raghu Lokanathan, who are two of my favorite songwriters in the whole world. It was a resounding success, especially the packed living room show in Calgary, and the lovely show at Upper Crust Cafe in Edmonton, overseen by the very capable team of Jordanna & Pearl Rachinsky. A thick snow fell outside as the show burned steady and candle-like inside. This city wants more of Corin & Raghu, and what do you know, I think they want more of us too. Watch this travelogue for more developments of that kind in the not-too-distant future.
Shawna and I had one final night of revelry and song at Devaney's
followed by a very early morning trip to the airport--the first of a
few days of running on near-empty. On our one-night stopover in Korea we saw our old friend Michelle & new friend Matthew, and got a little taste of the Seoul nightlife. Later on, in a drunken haze of wishful
thinking, I made the executive decision to set the alarm a half hour
later, which resulted in us sprinting through the subway and the
airport, and only catching our flight because the staff were kind
enough to let us cut in line. Not in Canada, let me tell you.
That evening we arrived in Taipei for a show at Sappho with our friend
and gracious host Dawid Vorster, who some of you may know from fests out west last summer. The night ended late, with Anglers trombonist Andy Francis and I chasing my old boss (who shall remain nameless) through the streets as we struggled to find his house. For a guy who could barely walk, he was amazingly agile once he clued in that someone was after him.
The next day Shawna & I rented scooters in Taipei and got ready for
our trip around the island. Shawna had never ridden one before, so I
assured her we'd take it easy... you know, find a quiet alley to
practice in for starters. I must've forgotten that Taiwan's alleys
can be crazier than the streets. Bicycles, scooters, dogs, old ladies
with fruit carts, and cars driving the wrong way all appeared on cue
to welcome our first-time driver with a spectacle of pandemonium and
confusion. Amazingly, she survived, and soon was more daring than me
on her little 125CCs of trouble.
Our first night out we headed to Fulong to reconvene with my old peeps in the Jungli family, who have seemingly all gotten married & are now adopting an ever-widening herd of street dogs. We played horseshoes by the ocean, caught up on two years of history, & felt absolutely wonderful. From there, we took our scooters a ways down the east coast before heading up into the high mountains, through mist so thick it was literally spilling up over the side of the road, past ancient trees, and through little villages where grubby kids stared wide-eyed from corrugated tin shacks.
We rolled out through Taroko Gorge and down the east coast to Hualien for two shows with Mister Green, and from there down to Spring Scream, Taiwan's oldest independent music festival, for a big family reunion that lasted til the wee hours every night. I think Shawna might have gotten a little worried about my total lack of good sense by this point, but we survived, and continued our journey up the west coast, playing in cities all along the way.
We were very grateful for the warm and generous reception everywhere. Taichung in particular was fabulous, with sweet old friends, our gracious hostess Cat, and a packed, pin-drop-quiet house at Retro Coffee.
No sooner did we get our sore bums back to Taipei than we were off to Thailand & Cambodia. It happened to be a particularly interesting
time to visit, what with the Red Shirts fighting the government, and
Songkran (Thai New Year) falling right in the middle of it. While we
did see a lot of police and military along the highways, our experience of the standoff was mostly as an excuse for taxi drivers to overcharge you. Songkran, on the other hand, was right up close and personal. For those who haven't seen it, words can't do it justice. Let me just say it is the biggest waterfight this world has to offer, with everyone weilding supersoakers and buckets of ice-cold water, and smearing each other with liberal amounts of talcum powder. Foreigners, apparently, make especially appealing targets.
From Bangkok we headed to Ko Chang for a blissful week on the beach. It had been ten years since I last visited there, and the rampant development in the intervening time was a stark reminder of what some have called the traveler's paradox--the way our desire to get off the beaten path ends up beating the path, and destroying the very thing we came to find. But we did have a wonderful time on the island, and even came across a King Cobra, at least six feet long, curling out into the road. I had to slow & swerve to avoid hitting it with the motorbike, and Shawna was looking back as it stood up & flared its hood. She vetoed my suggestion of going back for a picture.
From Ko Chang we headed to Cambodia, and ran the gauntlet of scams at the border. A visa, we were told, would cost 1200 baht (about $40 US), rather than the $20 price we were told on the government website. We insisted that the visa cost $20 and they took turns making up improbable excuses before finally just shutting the window on us. We waited for 15 or 20 minutes before they asked us to come inside, and continued trying to negotiate their cut, this time in French. After a lot of scowling, posturing, and deliberate slowness, they finally stamped our passports & let us in for $20 each. We might have been the only ones that day who didn't get taken.
Cambodia is a land rife with creative ways to separate you from your
money. But that being said, it's also a beautiful country, with very
resilient people. I won't get into their recent history because it
would take far too long to explain; I'll merely refer those interested
to John Pilger's informative documentary Cambodia: Year Zero, which
you can watch for free on FreeDocumentaries.Org.
We had time to spend a few days in the sleepy seaside town of Khrong Ko Kong, take a boat through the mangroves, snorkel off the
uninhabited island of Ko Kong, visit the crowded markets and genocide
museum in Pnomh Penh, and explore the astounding ruins of Angkor Wat before we had to bus back to Bangkok for our flight to Taipei.
Back on Taiwan, I reunited with my old band The Anglers for three
shows, including a visit to my old watering hole, Jungli's River Bar,
which kept us out til sunrise as usual. In fact, sunrises and 7-11
beers in the park or street pretty much summed up the last week on
Taiwan. There were also some really heartwarming visits with old
friends and a few great shows, including a mini-festival up at Boston
Paul's place called "Hobo Happiness at the Refuge". It was hard to
leave all those wonderful folks.
If you're the type who likes to look at other people's vacation
pictures, there are a bunch in my newest photo album here.
Once back in Canada, & back to work on this tenuous business of making a living singing songs, I had just enough time to start to feel
overwhelmed before I headed out again. The open roads and prairie
skies of Canada were a gorgeous sight. I played my first show back in
the homeland for an audience of six in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. They
were six awesome people, though, and I was glad to meet them. The
following night I played the wee town of Forget, Saskatchewan, at the
invitation of the kind folks at Ananda Art House, and was reminded of
why I keep doing this. Songs, we often forget, can change lives.
They've changed mine. I'm very lucky to be able to play a small part
in all that.
I returned to Edmonton for the first fest of the Canadian summer,
Springtime in Alberta, and was reunited with the Long Weekends and the hometown crowd for a show at Blues on Whyte the next night, before I set off on my appropriately-named "Wrong Way to Wander?" bicycle tour of southern Alberta.
Now friends, if you're ever considering a hare-brained idea like that,
at least train a bit beforehand, for heaven's sake. Let me tell you,
many a curse passed these lips as I struggled against torrential
winds, long hills, the weight of my trailer, rain, and even hail for
good measure. On my way into Nanton, feeling like a big sail in that
killer crosswind, I passed a farmer sitting in his truck at the edge
of his field. I was struggling by, barely getting up to 10km/h, when
he opened his door to say something. Go ahead, I wanted to say, the
laugh's on me, when he yelled "you better pedal faster, you got a gig
to play!" It was Lance Loree, otherwise known as Uncle Thirsty. He
said he was curious to see what had been spooking his cattle.
In Nanton, Larry of the Auditorium Hotel had me bring my bike &
trailer inside and park it in front of the stage while I played the
show. They welcomed me as some combination of fool and hero. More fool than hero, to be sure, I set out back toward Calgary the next day and made it only as far as High River. Miss Quincy & her sidekick, photographer Jodie Ponto pulled me over on the highway and we drowned my sorrows together with beers at Gitters' Pub. It took me two more days to make it back to Calgary, at which point I decided to listen to my aching knees and load the bike into the van. Down, but not out, friends, I will return to finish the job someday.
Shortly thereafter I drove out to BC to meet up with Jesse Dee &
Jacquie B for five great shows along the Crowsnest Highway.
Thankfully, I'm spared the task of recapping those, because Jesse &
Jacquie have already done so in their typically entertaining video
blog form. Maybe someday this Luddite will get into the game. But for
now here's a link to their vastly superior reportage. It even includes some inter-species miscegenation, if that helps tempt you into watching.
After returning to Edmonton, I headed to Rangeton Farmers Fest, then up to the North Country Fair for five incredible days that left me
with nothing but love in my heart. Despite the near-total lack of
sleep, I was reinvigorated, realigned, and most importantly, reminded
of what it's all about. Huge gratitude to all the good folks who keep
the Fair on track. We'll be seeing you all next year.
For those who missed the Fair or those who just couldn't get enough,
we had our 3rd annual Two-Day Bender of an Afterparty at O'Byrne's,
with help from The Proper Charlies, Allen Christie, Jesse Dee &
Jacquie B, the McGowan Family Band, Bob Cook & the Mucho Nada Band, The Blue Bones, Miss Quincy & the Sideshow, Daniel Moir, Tatam Reeves, Michael Dunn, Joe Nolan, Ariane Lemire, and a big German dude named Roman. Hope I haven't forgotten anyone.
Regrettably, it all had to happen in one night instead of two, thanks
to the last-minute news that our Wednesday night was double-booked
with a U2 tribute band. This despite it being booked precisely 364
days in advance. I was again reminded that it takes a lot of love and
a robust sense of humor (in addition, perhaps, to a contract or two)
to survive in this business.
The point was further driven home when we were informed the following night that the U2 tribute show had fallen through, and they had a karaoke night instead. Not to disappoint the legions of crestfallen U2 fans, we busted out a messy ad hoc version of "With or Without You" in the last set. Except in this case, we weren't talking about whatever Bono was going on about in that song; rather, we were vowing to continue our afterbender elsewhere, and bidding adieu to a venue that jerked us around one too many times in our six year relationship. It felt wonderful to walk away, as anyone who's quit on a lousy boss knows.
That weekend I played the Haven's great 3rd anniversary party, on an
acreage by Spruce Grove. The following week held a fun set playing for
the rowdy drunks in Churchill Square on Canada Day, a sweet back yard
concert in Didsbury, and the Wild Oats & Notes Festival in Tofield,
which only happens every two years but is well worth the wait. The
next weekend I headed up to Fort St. James for Cottonwood Music
Festival, a great little fest that got me really excited about Music
on the Mountain, in the same town at the end of August.
Briefly back in Edmonton, I had the honor of sharing the stage with
Bill Bourne & Indio Saravanja, two huge talents, for two rounds,
folkfest-style, at the Artery. Very grateful to the folks who made it
out & made it magic.
That weekend we headed out to Hinton for Wild Mountain Music Fest, a young (one might even say spry) little festival that got a whole lot
bigger this year. From there I made my way to Calgary to play with my
good friend Radar and an amazing duo called Morlove, which combines the talents of Corwin Fox & Miss Emily Brown. Daring instrumentation, killer songwriting, hushed
harmonies... truly breathtaking, I can tell you. From there, a beautiful drive across BC took me to Vancouver, where I shared a show with Johnnie Ninety-Nine, and then to the charming Islands Folk Festival on Providence Farm in Duncan.
Incredibly, that brings me up to the present date. If you've read
this far, you must be a really close friend of mine, a stalker, or just someone with too much time on your hands. All the same, I thank
you for your perserverance. And I promise I won't leave so long between travelogues next time. I have no shortage of things to rant
about 9the G20, folkfest nazis & self-important rockstars come to mind
immediately), nor things to rave about (like Mmmberta, wild berries,
and the ever-expanding grey market), but it looks like I'll have to
save the rants & raves for next time.
Summer has reared its beery head, friends, and it doesn't show much
sign of relenting. As the song says, party legs, don't fail me now!
Keep love in your heart, remember what a gift life on this earth is,
and enjoy summer to the last drop. See you around the bend,
Scott
March 10, 2010
Hey there kind folks,
It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope this finds you flourishing.
Edmonton's musical pot has been bubbling as always, and I've been
keeping plenty busy, hosting open stages at Devaney's and in Camrose,
and playing here & there in & out of town.
Among the highlights, New Years at the church was pure magic, as those
of you who made it out well know. Despite my head full of ache the
next morning, I have a heart full of hope for this new year. In
January we took the whole band down Calgary to play the Palomino, and
release "This One's on the House" at the Ironwood. I decided to go
down early and soak up what I could of the local music scene, and I
was really blown away by all the good stuff I got to hear while I was
there: Brooke Wylie, Scott MacLeod, Deon Blyan, Steve Coffey, Erin
Ross, and the open stagers at the Ship & Anchor all rocked. I also
had the opportunity to meet and play a couple tunes for David Ward at
CKUA, and I don't think I've had a better time on the radio. The CD
release at the Ironwood was sold out and heartwarming. Best show I've
ever had in Calgary, hands down. Thanks to the lovely folks who made
it so. Also had great shows in Medicine Hat, High River, St. Albert
and Mayerthorpe, a fantastic show in Whitecourt, and my first gig in
Sherwood Park since high school, 16 years ago to be exact, when I was
slinging bass for Super Dooper in the Battle of the Bands at Festival
Place.
In other local news, the Greenhouse had its final shaker in January,
and we all said a misty-eyed goodbye to the place that's pretty well
come to symbolize this town for me (and many a weary troubadour as
well) over the past two years. Jesse Dee moved to Wells with Ory
No'man, and Jacquie B headed off on tour down the west coast with Faye
Blais and Sarah Burton on their Cherry Pickin' Tour, so things are a
little quieter around here.
Mostly I've just been trying to save up money for our trip to Taiwan
in two weeks. Yes indeed, at long last, a return to Freemosa, my home
away from home. I couldn't be happier about the prospect. We're also
going to squeeze in a stopover in Korea and a little trip to Thailand
and Cambodia while we're at it. Especially exciting since it will be
Shawna's inaugural overseas ramble. I've got a few gigs coming up
around town before I leave, all listed on my news page, but there's one really special little run around Alberta I want to
tell you about:
Next week, two of my all-time favorite songsmiths are riding the VIA
rails out this way for a little ramble around which we've entitled
"Beggars Would Ride". Toronto's Corin Raymond, who must be well known by now to readers of this travelogue, and Raghu Lokanathan, who
I first met out on Haida Gwaii in 2003, and whose songs have also
brought many a tear to these eyes, will be joining yours truly for a
few Alberta shows:
Thurs Mar 18 - Camrose - Scalliwag's, 9pm. $10 at the door.
Fri Mar 19 - Red Deer - The Velvet Olive, 9pm, by donation.
Sat Mar 20 - Calgary - House Concert, email me for reservations.
and Sun Mar 21, my last show in Canada for the season, at Upper Crust
Cafe here in Edmonton. Tickets are $15 at the door or $12 in advance
at BlackByrd Myoozik.
All the details for those shows are here.
I really hope you can make it out to see these two huge talents while
they're here.
We'll have one last hang the next night at Devaney's before Shawna & I
head off to Asia. Thursday, March 25, we'll be landing on Taiwan's
soil, renting scooters, visiting my old students (who I haven't seen
in two years), and playing Sappho in Taipei with Dawid Vorster that
night. The following day we're off on a road trip around the east
coast of the island, stopping over to see the good folks in Fulong,
playing with Mister Green in Hualien, and winding our way down to
Spring Scream. After the festival I'll be touring my way back up the
west coast, with stops in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Changhua, and Taichung.
The show schedule is posted on my news page and
shows are still being added.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to those of you who've already voted for
me to play at Spring Scream. It seems, however, that they've changed
the rules a bit during the course of the game... They are now
apparently only counting votes from those who have bought tickets to
the festival. If you are planning on going, the tickets are cheaper
online than at the door, so you may as well get 'em now. Once you've
bought your tickets, you can not only log "VIP votes", you can also
rank the bands you've voted for in order. I will smother you with
affection for your clicks. http://www.springscream.com is the place
to do it all, and the button to get English is up in the top left
corner next the "Spring Scream". Ahh, those online popularity
contests, you gotta love 'em. Or not. In any case, your help is
hugely appreciated.
In late April we're taking a little trip to Thailand & Cambodia. If
we manage to survive the heat, we'll be back on Taiwan at the
beginning of May to reunite with the Anglers for a few shows around
the island before heading back to Canada for what's shaping up to be
an epic summer.
Well, I gotta sign off for now, but I want to wish you the solidest
and best of times wherever you are, until we meet again. Big love,
and happy trails,
Scott
December 15, 2009
Hey friends,
I'm writing you from a sweet chalet overlooking Kicking Horse mountain in Golden, BC, where we Long Weekends have been happily curled up by the glow of the artificial fire. Ahh, the hospitality of strangers. We played Rockwater the last two nights. Moses & Pascal left after Saturday night's show, just in time to miss the flare-up of testosterone that inevitably results from an abundance of X chromosomes paired with an abundance of alcohol. Golden joins Manmore and Manff on the list of mountain towns turned sausage parties for the winter. Jesse, Jacquie and I ventured back down the hill last night for a couple mellower sets, which was really nice. The sun's shining on the mountains now as we get ready to head back to our prairie home.
It's great to be back out west, and the musical pot is bubbling as usual in E-town. My first show back was a lovely house concert at Myles, Tara and Tila's place, with two true masters of troubadourism, Toronto's Corin Raymond (who readers of this travelogue can't help but be familiar with) and the mighty Jonathan Byrd, from North Carolina. Now that was a show. Jonathan grabbed us and wouldn't let go. If you missed him this time around, don't repeat your mistake.
Last week saw the winter edition of our Two-Day Bender of a Homecoming at O'Byrne's, with guests aplenty including The Proper Charlies, Dana Wylie, Tippy Agogo, Bill Bourne, Wool on Wolves, and Stacy Lloyd Brown, newly migrated to our town from Halifax. Despite the cold outside, folks actually stripped down & got sweaty on the dancefloor. Seems we all had some steam to blow off. Two nights later we went out to Camrose for what was probably the best Long Weekends show ever, thanks to our gracious hosts in Rose City Roots and the great crowd of open-hearted people. That kind of thing makes it all worthwhile. When we were about done, Mike, the boss and captain of Scalliwag's Rum Bar, came to the stage with a handful of cash and asked us to carry on. Mose requested a tune that couldn't have been more apropos, Corin Raymond's "Paid to Party":
"I always liked the dark time, I don't like the night to end
When I was a kid at bedtime, I didn't want to go to bed
My dad used to open up my door and say it's time to settle down
I couldn't wait to grow up, so I could live right downtown
Cause I just knew that out in the world there were people like me
And all of us freaks would find each other eventually, you see
Now I get paid to party, cause it's the life I chose
Every night about sundown I put on my party clothes
So let me into your country, Mr. Immigration Man
Which part of 'paid to party' do you fail to understand?
And my down time / is comin' down time..."
Well, it's a hard life, but a good one.
When last I wrote, I was seriously considering throwing it in for now and working for the man. Fear not, loyal readers--fortune has been kind to me, and gigs aplenty have come in, enough to keep me afloat in fact. Among other strokes of providence, I will be singing Christmas carols to greet the arriving travelers at Edmonton's International Airport three days in the coming weeks! I am humbled to be chosen as Edmonton's cultural ambassador of goodwill and yuletide joy. Hopefully I'll be singing close to the guy whose job it is to single people like me out for random searches of my invariably overstuffed luggage.
In addition to that, we have a few other upcoming gigs:
Our good friend Penny of Backporch Swing has cooked up a stellar evening of music at McDougall United Church for New Year's Eve, featuring us Long Weekends, the Bix Mix Boys, The Low Flying Planes, Back Porch Swing, Laurel Maclure, Marshall Lawrence, Brian Gregg, The Proper Charlies, Erin Kushniruk, Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, and Willie James & Crawdad. Admission is a non-perishable food item or cash donation to Edmonton's Food Bank. The show runs 7:30-10:30pm so it's a perfect kickoff to whatever else you're doing that night. And the acoustics in the church are truly incredible. It's gonna be magic.
Saturday, January 16, the Long Weekends and I are headed down to Calgary, at long last, to release This One's on the House at the Ironwood's new location in the historic Garry Theatre, with special guests Jesse Dee & Jacquie B and Scott MacLeod. I'm hugely looking forward to this.
And I'll be hosting open stage at Devaney's more regularly in the near future, including Dec 21, Jan 11, Jan 25, Feb 8, and Feb 22. It's always good fun, we're set up for jamming, & we quite often have time for more than three tunes. Oh, and you get a pint of Big Rock brew for playing. Hope you can make it out. Info for those and all other shows is on www.scottcook.net.
For those of you with time and a computer on your hands, I've uploaded 'Carving Stone' and 'People, Please' to bigrockuntapped.com and would be very grateful if you could spare a moment to tap them.
Even more importantly, it's the time of year when summer festivals make their programming decisions, and I'm sending out my packages this week. It looks like I'm going to be sticking to western Canada this summer, although plans could still change. If there's a festival you'd like to see me at, kindly nag your favorite artistic director for me please. Especially if you happen to know Terry, who books Edmonton Folk Fest.
I'd also like to let you all know that Jez Hellard, who played harmonica on my album, has recently parted ways with the Dana Wylie Band and set out on his own. Find him and befriend him over at www.jezhellard.com.
Lastly, I want to mention that I have been very good at answering orders promptly of late, and vow to continue. The upshot of this is that you can still get copies of This One's on the House in time for Christmas. And I'd be glad to sign them for whomever the intended recipient may be. If you have a credit card, you can order with the Paypal button at the top of the page here.
Well, I suppose that's all the news that's fit to print. Here's hoping that this winter season holds warmth, fellowship and inspiration aplenty for you. Be well, big love,
Scott
November 5, 2009
Beloved,
It sure is good to be back home. Roads were lovely, but getting
colder, money was flowing out rather than coming in, and I think I've
had just about enough partying for the time being (really), so it sure
is a welcome feeling to be out of the van and back among my loved
ones. I'll be hanging around most of the winter (save a few little
trips here & there), working further on releasing my new album,
catching up on things, and perhaps reluctantly re-entering the labor
force. Folksinging is just not paying the bills these days, not even
close. I'm going to give busking the metro a shot but if that doesn't
work out I may be riding that 8am train once again. (You're right
Rob, there is a song in there somewhere...)
A thought just occured to me, though: I've noticed a lot of my friends
are involved in 'mentorship programs', and having toured cross-country
three times now, I reckon I've got plenty of experience in how to lose
money. Any emerging bands or artists looking for advice on utterly
impoverishing themselves are welcome to apply. Or just hop in a car
and drive across the country, you'll get the same lesson.
But seriously though, I have thought about giving lessons of other
kinds. I've developed a very specialized skill set over the past few
years that seems to qualify me for little else but work in music, and
I would love to share what I've learned. If you or someone you know
is looking for help with writing bios, establishing a web presence,
booking tours, doing publicity, or any aspect of performance including
guitar playing (which I'm no expert at but I can certainly teach),
feel free to contact me at grooverevival@gmail and we'll sort
something out. I will work for cheap. If you need some leaves raked
I'll do that too.
But let's get on to the good news, shall we? My new album, This One's
on the House, is starting to chart on a few college & community radio
stations across Canada, and has even hit #21 on CKUA here in Alberta.
I would greatly appreciate it if you could find the time to call up
your friendly neighborhood DJ and ask for a track off the album. I'd
love to see this record make a blip on the national radar.
The other really exciting bit of good news is that my personal fave
songwriter, Corin Raymond, is coming to Alberta! Not only that, but he's bringing along master tunesmith Johnathan Byrd from North
Carolina. I know many of you folks have already heard me wax eloquent
about Corin's songs, play them in my sets, or croak them around the
campfire. Well, now you get to experience the genuine article. Corin
& Johnathan are coming to Edmonton next Thursday, November 12th, for a
house concert at our friend Myles' place, 11106 62 ave. Doors are at
7:30pm and I'll be opening the show with a set of my own at 8.
There's only room for about 30 seats in Myles' living room, so I
highly suggest you make reservations while you can. Feel free to ring
me at 780 695 3474 or even better, drop a line to grooverevival at
gmail dot com & I'll save you a seat. The Facebook ad's here.
For those outside of Edmonton, perhaps you can catch them elsewhere
(like Montreal, Ottawa, Port Dover, Calgary, Nanton, or Black
Diamond). This show just might change your life. Here's the link to Corin's writeup for the tour.
I had a great time playing with Corin in Toronto, for a surprisingly-stilled Thursday evening crowd at the Cameron House, as well as the
night before at the Central with Faye and Diana Catherine & the
Thrusty Tweeters, and the night before that at Mitzi's Sister with
Faye and Janine Stoll. We also had our own apartment for 4 days
courtesy of Mr. Jimi Maze. I think it just might've been my best-ever stop in the big smoke. Nice to know such good folks in town.
We had sweet stops along the way back, too. In Sudbury I played the
biggest show of tour, in St. Andrew's Church with fellow Taiwan expat
& hometown girl made good Faye Blais, and
then two sets in the round at the Townehouse the following night with
Faye & James Lamb, who is a mighty
talent as well. In Thunder Bay we had easily twice as many people out
as last time (when it was just the staff, Mr. Rob Grabowski, two drunk
youngsters and a guy who lived in a tent outside of town), and were
warmed again by Sheila, Tina & Alex's wonderful hospitality. In
Winnipeg I played the Edge Gallery with the Sweet Alibi and was wowed by their flawless
harmonies. Afterward we scooted over to the Times Change(d) to catch
Del Barber and JD Edwards, who were both fantastic, and then to a
raucous house party til the wee hours of the morning. We stopped in
Bradon to catch the Ladies Who Like to Folk (Kaley Bird, Sidney York &
Amy Thiessen) at Lady of the Lake, and play a wee tweener, then headed
to the SK for a smalltown stomper of a Halloween gig at the Nokomis
Hotel with my Saskatoon faves, The Heartstrings. After the show we enjoyed the hospitality of Nokomis' own Little Miss Higgins & Foy Taylor, who are delightful musicians in addition to being fabulous hosts. Jolene was ambitious enough to make up a batch of biscuits at 3 in the morning. Biscuits & borscht after the bar--I thought I'd gone to heaven, and perhaps I had.
I've got a few things coming up around town in the next while:
Saturday, Nov 14 - Notebook Magazine Fundraising Gala & Silent Auction
Planet Ze Design Centre (10055 80 Ave), 8pm-1am
Music from Scott Cook, ido (www.myspace.com/idovanderlaan),
The Low Flying Planes (www.myspace.com/thelowflyingplanes),
and The Dana Wylie Band (www.myspace.com/danawylieband)
Notebook Magazine is a vital part of Edmonton's arts community and
needs your support to stay afloat. Bid on over 75 pieces of work
created by 50 different visual artists from Notebook's pages. Enjoy
food by Cafe Leva and a cash bar featuring Alley Kat beers. Tickets
are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. They are available now at
Delta Art Supply, the Paint Spot and all Colours Art Supply stores.
Tuesday, Nov 17 - Triple Bill
Brixx Bar and Grill, 10030 - 102 Street
Scott Cook - http://www.scottcook.net
Doug Hoyer - http://www.myspace.com/doughoyer
Mark Feduk - http://www.myspace.com/redram11
Doors 9pm, $8 @ door ...it's gonna be a gooder!
Friday, Nov 20 - Fresh Start Bistro in Riverbend, 7-10pm, $5 cover
Monday, Nov 23 - Hosting open stage at Devaney's, 9013 88 Ave, 8pm-
midnight
For shows further down the road, please check out http://www.scottcook.net.
Folks in Taiwan, I sure wish I was with you this weekend. The annual
Hoping for Hoping Peace Festival has moved to November this year, and
has also moved to a new location, San Jhan Village in Hualien County.
I visited this spot the last time I was on the island and I must say
it is amazing! Just outside an aboriginal village at the confluence
of two river valleys, with a rich jungle backdrop, it's a perfect spot
for the fest, especially for this year's, where the theme is "Return
to Innocence". The band lineup looks great, including folk legend
Kimbo, Mister Green & Highway 9, Tyler Dakin & the Long Naked Bottles,
High Tide, the Admissionaries, Dakanow, New Hong Kong Hair City, Kou
Chou Ching, Skaraoke, Divebomb, THC, Kyobashi & Furai from Japan and
much more. As always, it's an all-volunteer endeavor, with all
proceeds going to charity. This year some of that money will go to
help communities in the South that were hurt by Typhoon Morakat.
This is a truly inspiring festival, with a wonderful group of people
behind it, and I really do believe that it has the potential to change
the world, because I know firsthand that it has changed me. This year
we're deliberately going with a more back-to-basics approach, stopping
the bands at a reasonable hour to let people get some rest (or jam out
all night, whichever you prefer), and encouraging the ongoing
conversation on the subject of peace.
One thing that may be worrying to Taipei people is the Central Weather
Bureau's forecast, which was showing rain clouds last I looked.
Please keep in mind that their forecast applies to all of Hualien
County, which is huge, and mostly in the mountains. It rains
somewhere in Hualien County on pretty much any given day. But along
the coast it's been clear weather for the past week and we see no
reason to expect any different this weekend. Don't let the forecast
scare you. Bring an umbrella, but bring your swimwear too, and get
ready for a beautiful, transformative weekend.
Lastly, as the holidays are coming, I'd be remiss not to remind you
that This One's on the House makes a wonderful gift, and you can even
get it signed for the lucky recipient. Use the Paypal button on my
site or mail a checque ($20 for the new album, $35 for both) to Scott
Cook, 3 Meredian Road, Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 0N5 and I'll mail it off
to you right away.
Sending big love to you all, and warmth through the winter months,
Scott
October 20, 2009
hey friends,
Just a wee update from the ever-winding road... We've just been at
the OCFF and had a fabulous weekend, not least on account of so many
of my peeps being there. Jesse Dee and Jacquie B are on their first-
ever cross-country tour with Ory Noman, and they stopped in and
played, as did our friends Sarah Burton, Andrea Ramolo, James Lamb,
Miss Emily Brown, Ben Spencer, David Ross MacDonald, Ben Sures, James
Murdoch... the list goes on. Corin Raymond & Sean Cotton of the
Undesirables did an official showcase Friday night that put the "show"
back in showcase and reminded us what it was all about. Each night
was taken up with unofficial showcases in hotel rooms, which I did
three of Friday night and one of on Saturday, in between going room to
room to check out all the outstanding folks playing. Brian MacMillan
& co. really stood out for me; they had the sweetest, softest vibe
going in their jam. Johnathan Byrd was great as usual. New surprises
were songwriter Jon Brooks, Oliver Johnson & Layah Jane, and Alejandra
Ribera. I'm gonna stop listing people now for fear of leaving
somebody out.
Jesse, Jacquie, Ory, Shawna and I decided to shore up our hobo cred
(and protect our dwindling cash reserves) by sleeping in our vans in
the parking lot, and you know what, it actually felt righteous, after
all the money we spent to play at this conference, to save another
chunk on accommodations.
I met a lot of people over the weekend, and even had one of those
mythical 'urinal moments', you know, where you've been trying to get
someone's ear, but can't get past his handlers, and then one day, you
happen to be taking a piss next to the very fellow you're trying to
reach! Sweet fortune.
Last time I wrote I was in Toronto, and funny enough, we're headed
back there today. I'm playing tonight at Mitzi's Sister with great
songwriter Janine Stoll and fellow Freemosan Outlaw Faye Blais, and
tomorrow (Wed) at The Central with Diana Catherine & Faye Blais. Then
on Thursday I'm at the Cameron House from 6-8pm to open for the
outstanding Corin Raymond.
This weekend convinced me again that Corin is not only my favorite
songwriter (yeah, I said it), but also one of the most electrifying
performers I've seen in a long time. The Undesirables lit up the tiny
Tunesmiths Room at 1:30am Saturday night, and Corin & his Sundowners
cast an even deeper spell in another room upstairs at 3:30am, truly
magic. If you haven't seen this man in action, you owe it to yourself
to get over to the Cameron House for sunset on Thursday.
From Toronto we're off West, winding our way gradually home, with
stops in Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Nokomis, and more to be
added. Keep an eye on www.scottcook.net for updates as usual. It's
been an epic tour already and it's still a ways from done. We had a
great time in Montreal as usual, and I had loads of fun playing with
Sarah Burton, Diana Catherine & the infamous Matt Blackie. From
there we shipped out to the maritimes and hit up a beautiful house
concert spot called the Dunk in Breadalbane, PEI. Huge thanks to Hal
for his gracious hospitality, and to Scott MacLeod for coming out to
open the show. Halifax was lovely, and was the place we stayed
longest along this tour, spending six days with Shali & Steve Gates,
who also shared two shows with me while I was in town. It rained
pretty well the entire time we were there, but we did find the chance
to experience torrential winds at Peggy's Cove, and to get
hilariously, but perilously, lost deep in the dark, thorn-ridden
forests by Cape Split. After an hour of desperation in the darkness
we finally found the Rockpod & patted ourselves on the back for our
soldierlike composure.
We spent Thanksgiving day in Fredericton, playing a matinee show at
Crumbs Cafe, a sweet new spot in town, with Taiwan buddy Geoff North
sitting in on the bass. The following day we dug Quebec City and
later hooked up with Joe Splane (who will be familiar to longtime
readers of this travelogue), his lady Catherine & their new son Nova.
There's an awful lot more to be recounted but it's best done in
person, over a campfire or a couple pints somewhere. Hope to catch up
with a y'all soon.
In other news, the first couple reviews have come in for my record,
from Fish Griwkowsky at SEE (http://www.seemagazine.com/article/music/
music-feature/listen0924/) and Eden Munro over at Vue Weekly (http://
www.vueweekly.com/article.php?id=13262), and I must say they were both
very kind to it. The album's gone out to all the college & community
radio stations in Canada, and should hopefully be added to their
playlists by now. Feel free to call & request it, I sure wouldn't
mind the help. Our Edmonton compilation, Great Northern Revival, has
also gone out & should be requestable by now too. I know CKUA's
already playing my record, for one, and would really appreciate if
you'd let them know that you like it. While you're at it you could
also do the same over at bigrockuntapped.com.
Huge thanks to all of you for your support through the years, it means
the world to me. I'm running home with an empty wallet but a full
heart, and a very good feeling about things. Big love, see you round
the bend,
Scott
September 26, 2009
Hey good friends,
Just a quick update from the road... We're in the lovely city of
Toronto right now, enjoying the hospitality of miss Jessi J. I'm
playing here tonight as part of the Songwriters Unite showcase at
Grafitti's in Kensington Market, and then we're headed east tomorrow.
Winding up the summer, Jesse Dee, Jacquie B, our merch angel Shawna &
yours truly had a killer time out west on our "From Our House to
Yours" tour, which I have insufficient time to recap, so I'll just
direct those interested to Jesse & Jacquie's video blogs on Youtube:
We closed off the tour back in Edmonton for my hometown CD release at
Pleasantview Community Hall, with those ever-lovin' Long Weekends,
Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Bop Ensemble, the Low Flying Planes, Dana
Wylie, Maurice Jones, and Winnipeg's Dusty Roads Band. It was truly a
historic evening of music & community, with such fine folks in
attendance, it warmed my heart & filled me up with love. We stayed
around til the wee hours and drank the bar dry, with the Dusty Roads
Band representing the Peg to the bitter end.
We had a couple days to get our things together before heading off
again, this time East with just Shawna & I in the van. The trip so
far has been fabulous, although mighty lean on cash... In fact, I
think I broke a new record, playing in Superior, Wisconsin for an
audience of about six people at the show's peak, and walking away with
$7 cold hard cash in hand. But the roads have been lovely, and
Shawna's been stoked to see all the new sights along the way. It was
her first trip to the United States, and not suprisingly, they held us
up for an hour and a half while they asked us the same questions over
& over and took a drug-sniffing dog on an extensive tour of the fully-packed Rockpod.
But it was all worth it to return to the Earthwork Harvest Gathering,
on the beautiful Bernard family farm outside Lake City, Michigan--
truly the coolest thing I've ever been to in the States, and I was
hugely glad to return for another year. Its mama & papa, Seth & May,
run both the record label and the farm, and fed us all weekend with
vegetables fresh from the ground. Truly inspiring. They're on
www.earthworkmusic.com.
Now we're headed out to the east coast, and back through this way for
the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals in Ottawa in October. I'm still
patching together the schedule, but dates confirmed so far are:
Sep 26 - Toronto - Songwriters Unite Showcase at Grafitti's
Sep 27 - Cobourg - Matinee show at the Human Bean, 2-4pm
Sep 29 - Montreal - Barfly, with Diana Catherine & Sarah Burton, yay!
Sep 30 - Montreal - Kicking off the jam at the House of Reggae, 10pm
Oct 02 - Breadalbane, PEI - House concert at The Dunk
Oct 03 - Maritimes TBA
Oct 04 - Halifax - Matinee show at Company House with Steve Gates, 3pm
Oct 05 - Halifax - Just Us Coffee with Steve Gates, 7pm
Oct 10 - Halifax - Sing For Your Supper songwriters showcase at the
Carleton, 2-5pm
Oct 14 - Ottawa - Rainbow Bistro, with The Release Jam Band from
Whistler
Oct 15 - Ottawa - House Concert
Oct 16 - Ottawa - OCFF showcases: Tunesmiths Room 12am, Songwriters
Unite Room 1:30am, Alberta Room 2am
Oct 17 - Ottawa - OCFF showcase, Tunesmiths Room 2am
Oct 20 - Toronto - Mitzi's Sister with Janine Stoll & Faye Blais, yay!
Oct 21 - Toronto - The Central with Diana Catherine & Faye Blais
Oct 22 - Toronto - Cameron House, opening for Corin Raymond, 6-8pm
Oct 24 - Sudbury - St. Andrew's Place with Faye Blais
All the info for those shows is on www.scottcook.net/news.php. More
dates are coming in as we speak, so please keep an eye out for them as
they're added. And feel free to write if you have any leads for
plugging holes in this admittedly porous schedule.
Those of you who've pre-ordered "This One's on the House" will be glad
to know that I put them in the mail yesterday. Orders are still being
taken on www.scottcook.net, via cheque or paypal.
Oh, & though I got shut out last time, I'm not giving up on getting
onto that Big Rock Untapped CD... I've just uploaded two songs from
the new album onto their site & would really appreciate it if you'd go
by & 'tap' them so they can move up the charts--the site's www.bigrockuntapped.com and the songs are "Carving Stone" and
"People, Please".
Sending huge thanks, love & blessings aplenty your way, happy trails,
Scott
Aug 28, 2009
Hey friends,
At long last my new album "This One's on the House" is finished! I just sent the last artwork corrections in today, and I should have the CDs (& their snazzy little booklets) in my hands within a week. I can't wait to get them into yours. I've already gotten some pre-orders for it from across Canada, which I'll be mailing out as soon as the CDs arrive. Which is likely to be in Vancouver, already a couple shows into the tour. That's just how I roll. At least I have vowed to never again make an album in the summertime, it's just plain masochistic.
Anyhow, I just set up a Paypal account, and will be accepting pre-orders through that or by checque. You can pay by Paypal from the front page of my website. Just look for the orange "buy now" button near the top. Or you can mail checques to Scott Cook, 3 Meredian Road, Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 0N5. Please enclose $20 for a signed copy of the new album, or $35 for two signed copies, or signed copies of both the new album and Long Way to Wander. Please indicate which albums you want & who you'd like them signed to (if not you), & make sure you don't forget your return address!
Jesse Dee & Jacquie B are also releasing a new EP this Saturday at the Black Dog, and we'll be doing a two-week double CD release tour out west together. If you can't make it at least watch Jesse & Jacquie's ever-entertaining video blogs! Here are the dates:
Sun Aug 30 - Golden - Rockwater Bar & Grill
Mon Aug 31 - Come find us in the woods
Tue Sept 1 - Penticton - Voodoo's
Wed Sept 2 - Vancouver - Cafe Deux Soleils
Thu Sept 3 - Vancouver - The Main on Main
Fri Sept 4 - Victoria - Solstice Cafe
Sat Sept 5 - Courtenay - Joe's Garage
Sun Sept 6 - Cumberland - Tarbell's Cafe
Mon Sept 7 - Kelowna - Streaming Cafe
Tue Sept 8 - Golden - Rockwater Bar & Grill
Wed Sept 9 - Lethbridge - The Slice
Thu Sept 10 - Nanton - The Auditorium
Fri Sept 11 - Canmore - Zona's
Sat Sept 12 - Red Deer - Triple CD release with Bop Ensemble at Matchbox Theatre
And then the main event for me, the hometown release of "This One's on the House", Sunday September 13 at Pleasantview Community Hall in Edmonton. Doors open at 6pm with food (I'll cook, but potluck items are also MOST WELCOME!) and of course the bar will be flowing. I'll start things off with a short solo set at 7pm, followed by music from those lovely Low-Flying Planes and some other surprise special guests. The Long Weekends and I will get up around 9:30 or 10 for a set of more danceable tunes, followed by the Dusty Roads Band from Winnipeg, who'll take the night out with a set of rocking blues.
For those of you on Facebook, I'd appreciate it if you'd pass on the invite, thanks!
After the release party, it's off across Canada again, touring the album down into the States and all the way to the Maritimes. In a rare burst of brevity, I'm going to tell you about that another time. But I can tell you that bookings are still very patchy for that trip, so any help with venues and/or shows to share would be much appreciated.
And a last note to my Taiwan peoples: Coming your way in the spring. Soooo looking forward to it.
I trust you've all been enjoying the summer, and I hope to see you out there along the way. Big love, happy trails,
Scott
July 22, 2009
Hey friends,
It's been such a long time since I wrote last, in fact, it's probably the longest break you've had from my blather, and I can't think of anything to blame besides the incessant pace of partying that inevitably follows on the heels of warmer weather in this wintry nation of ours. I hope this note finds you happy and healthy. I've got lots to recap but I'll start out with the news for those of you who only read so far (I can't blame ya, I'm a long-winded rambler, and this promises to be the longest-winded ramble yet).
The first big thing on the horizon is that I'm closing in on finishing my next solo album, tentatively titled "This One's on the House", a paean to hobo living and the good folks who make it all possible. I laid the beds at Edmontone Studios with Mr. Doug Organ on the controls (as well as the piano and Hammond organ), steady Thom Golub on the standup bass, and Dwayne Hrynkiw on drums. Moses, Pascal and I took another crack at the title track with Steve McGonigle at Black Box Studios, and it's sounding sweet. I've taken over the overdubs myself, and have so far captured performances from Jez Hellard & Matthew Ord of the Dana Wylie Band on harmonica and guitar, Jesse Dee on electric guitar, Darrek Anderson on pedal steel, Mike Sadava on mandolin, Bill Bourne on guitar and vocals, Jason Kodie on accordion, Cam Neufeld on violin, and Dana Wylie, Haley Myrol, and those lovely Hotplates on vocals. Brad Smith is doing the mixing in his home studio. I'm getting really excited to see the whole thing taking shape, and to have the help of so many talented folks.
The CD release is planned for Sunday, Sept 13th in Edmonton. Venue and lineup information is coming soon. Right now I'm just sweating the work that still needs to be done to get this thing out, and the cash that needs to materialize before the presses fire up.
Here's where you come in. If you share my excitement about this record, you can certainly help out to make sure it sees the light of day sooner rather than later. I'm accepting advance orders for signed copies of the new album, for either $20 including shipping & handling (I'll be handling them myself, in case you're wondering), or $30 for BOTH the new album & a signed copy of Long Way to Wander, which just went into its third pressing. Bulk orders are also possible for a discounted rate of 7 CDs for $100. You can pay by check, addressed to me, mailed to Scott Cook, 3 Meredian Road, Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 0N5. I'm working on getting a paypal account set up too, to make things easier.
While we're on the subject of new records, I want to let you know that Corin Raymond has just let one drop that is nothing short of a masterpiece. Entitled "There Will Always Be a Small Time", it's a beautiful, enchanting album, thoroughly modern and nostalgic at the same time, with heartbreaking ballads, doo-wop love songs, and the title track, a sort of "Times They Are A-Changin'" wake-up call to the 21st century music industry. The playing is incredible and the sound is crisp and intimate--actually, downright friendly. And the liner notes are fabulous. In an age of throwaway bands whose appeal seems to be based more on their outfits than their songs, here is a wordsmith with the kind of honesty, craftsmanship, and commitment that we can only hope is coming around again. I can't say enough good things about this album. Check him out on corinraymond.com or just head straight to CD Baby and order it now, you won't be disappointed.
As for live shows, there are a few coming up:
Tonight, Wednesday July 22, I'll be at the Empress in Edmonton, with Andrea Ramolo from Toronto our friend Jay Skiendziel on the upright bass. We played in Calgary last night & had a blast. Tonight I've got help from my South Country Fair lineup--Moses Gregg on bass & Haley Myrol on vocals--and it's sounding sweet.
This weekend we're out at Sasquatch Festival in Easyford, Alberta (near Drayton Valley) for what looks to be the best one yet, and unfortunately the last on the current land, a beautiful spot along the Pembina River. This will be the 14th year for this fest (and my fifth time playing) and it is truly a gem. Around 400 people, two stages, a (decidely non-traditional) sweat hut by the river, a big potluck on Saturday, and music from the likes of Aroot's Bazaar, Paul Bromley, Sarah Burton, Garner Butler, Cockatoo, Kevin Cook Quartet, our Long Weekends, Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Barb Dwyer, Steven Johnson, Monica Lee Band, the Low Flying Planes, Nineca, Of Breath, Ory No'Man, Eddie Patterson & friends, Jill Pollock, Jan Randall, Random Order, the Time Flies, Stephanie Bosch, Sophie Fairweather, Daniel Moir, Joe Nolan, Rhea March, Andrea Ramolo, Vibe Tribe, and the Waijo Drummers. Need I say more? Info's here.
After that I'm off to Wells, BC for what is looking to be one of the best fests of the summer, ArtsWells, and a 4-day songwriting workshop before the fest with David Francey. Info's here.
Further on in the summer, I have gig at Redstone Grill in Red Deer August 15, Blues on Whyte August 16, Robson Valley Music Fest August 21-23, and the release party for our upcoming Edmonton compilation CD, Great Northern Revival, at the Artery August 28th. Info for all my shows is on www.scottcook.net.
Well, that's all the news that is news. The rest is just recap, and a whole lot of recapping at that. Read on at your own peril. For those of you of the so-called 'MTV generation', you can satisfy yourself with a little taste of the Long Weekends' summer antics via Jesse & Jacquie's mid-June video blog. For those of you with more patience & a compulsion for trivia, read on:
The last time I wrote you, over 3 months ago(!), I was out in Vancouver, getting ready to turn my wheels eastward. I played shows in Grand Forks, Winlaw, Kaslo and Canmore on my way back, and reunited with plenty of good folks along the way. I joined up with Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Moses, Pascal, and our friend Paul Stewart in Red Deer for a triple bill at the Vat including our first Long Weekends set in months. It was a bit rusty but it made me so happy to be playing with the band again.
Later that month I drove down to Lethbridge to compete in the South Country Fair's songwriting competition at the Slice. It was the first time I'd done anything like that, and I must admit that the row of judges in the front actually made me kinda nervous. I sang "The Ramblin' Kind" and managed to take 2nd place, which was really nice.
The following weekend I played the Slice again with Rozalind MacPhail, and then headed to Twin Butte for another show at the General Store, which is one of my favorite venues ever, anywhere. It was another great night, and some folks even came from out of town to party in the mountains.
In early May I got my bicycle going and rode out to the first fest of the summer, Springtime in Alberta, at Hayloft Acres near Ardrossan. Uwe puts on this fest every year and he did a stellar job. The Low-Flying Planes had no trouble wowing and wooing the folks there with their songs and enourmous charm. We sat around a little pond afterward and sang songs in the sun & felt glad to be alive.
Also in May, I went out to Thorsby to play with Tim Harwill, who just might be the realest country singer in the province. This vegetarian cowboy has played nearly every saloon and honky tonk in Alberta, and has never compromised. He's coming out with a new album which I hope you'll keep your eye out for.
Around town, I played Blues on Whyte with Nerkelwerks (Bill Bourne & Tippy Agogo), and as usual it veered wildly from musical brilliance to outright chicanery, including a roll on the dancefloor for Mr. Agogo. During set break, I was sitting with some friends and another gentleman who'd joined their table. He evidently didn't realize I was playing with the band, because he told me he hoped they wouldn't go on much longer. "You know what that reminds me of?", he said, "back when I was in the pen, they threw me in solitary one time, 48 hours in this little room with nothing in it but a metal piss-pot. And I was just banging on that pot and screaming out made-up songs for hours, you know, to annoy the guards, and keep myself sane... Anyway, that guy, on the floor over there? That reminded me of that." I thought it might make a good quote for Tip's presskit, actually.
May also saw the Show for Joe at the Black Dog, which had an impressive lineup of local bands who knew & loved our hometown soundman, songman & funny man, Joe Bird. Everybody brought their A game. I was especially impressed by Sherry -Lee & her Handsome Fellas, and Jeff Stuart & the Hearts. We all got drunk, as I imagine Joe would've wanted it. It still feels like there's a big part of the heart of our city missing, but we're stepping up the hugs to make up for his absence.
Toward the end of the month, Jesse & Jacquie returned from tour and we played a house concert in our friend Monica's back yard, along with local legend Bill Bourne. For those of you who missed that beautiful afternoon, there's a little video here.
At the end of the month I went down to Calgary for the 4th Street Lilac Festival, had a wonderful time, and was happily reunited with my Cowtown friends, whom I love more & more every time.
June saw the Long Weekends loading into one van & hitting the road for the first time--only three shows, but it was a tour nonetheless, and it even acquired an official moniker: the "Working on a Legend" Tour. I instructed the younger members of the band in the fine art of legend-making and late-night PR or 'networking' sessions, which of course are code words for staying up partying all night long with 'good people to know'. The first night's big PR session was inside & later outside the Whistlers Motel in Jasper, with Brian MacMillan's band (who are amazing), master songwriter Raghu Lokanathan (who just moved to the neighborhood, and surprised me by dropping in for the show), Chrisely Larson, and our good friend Scott Crabbe of the Jasper Folk & Blues Society, who set up the show.
The next day we sped to Evansburg for the Rangeton Farmers Fest, also known as the 'dry run' for the North Country Fair, a basically accurate description, except that the fest is far from dry, and no one runs. From there we went out to Camp Man Boy (our friend's cabin) for an evening of jams, hilarity and BMX feats. Moses took over the late-night PR shift there, and I must say, he made me proud.
The following day we cruised up to Grande Cache for their first-ever music festival and back home, all of us tired and sunburnt, but laughed right out, and a whole $106 richer to boot! I suppose that's what you call a successful tour. Jesse & Jacquie made a great little film of the weekend, including some thrilling BMX wipeouts, which you can see here.
The following Wednesday we loaded up and made the annual pilgirmage north for my first love of festivals, and still the nicest thing anywhere, the North Country Fair. It's very hard to put all the craziness that went down up there into a single page, let alone a paragraph. Suffice it to say that it was the friendliest, sunrisingest, goofingest, jammingest, and bugbitingest Fair ever. If you live anywhere nearby and you missed it, please don't repeat that unfortunate mistake next year.
We followed it up with our second annual Two-Day Afterbender at O'Byrne's, and it was even better than last year. So many good folks came down to play and drag out the lovey Fair vibe, including the Low-Flying Planes, Miss Quincy and the Ramblers, Ange Healy & Fiona Fieldwalker, Jill Pollock, Maurice Jones, Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, The Dana Wylie Band, Cam Neufeld, Boogie Patrol's Rotten Dan, Bob Cook, sailboat troubadour Anselmo, Sean Brewer, Pascal Lecours, Zoe Francis, Jeff Stuart & half of the Hearts, Aroots Bazaar, Daniel Moir, and of course those ever-lovin' Long Weekends. Booker T's band, the Sticky Wickets, also dropped in Tuesday night, and while they've never been to the Fair, we figured that seeing as they played Rexall Place Tuesday night it would only be right for them to play our party too. Everybody rocked out BIG TIME.
The following Saturday I played with Miss Quincy and the Ramblers at the Empress Ale House, and managed to finagle their way onstage at Blues on Whyte too. They rocked out. What a show! Come back soon, ya Ramblers.
Shortly afterward I drove out to Saskatoon for another show with fellow Taiwan expats Shayne Lazarowich and the Dana Wylie Band (the heroes of this year's North Country Fair, in my opinion). It was a sweet reunion and an astounding show as well, with a great solo set from Dana's guitarist, Matthew Ord, who is truly one of the best players I've ever heard. We're still having a hard time getting a crowd together in Saskatoon but it's improving. Steve George & Muogai from Taiwan even dropped in. After the show we retired to Dana's family's cabin on Blackstrap Lake and contemplated the sublime slopes of Mount Blackstrap, a 45-metre high ski hill built of garbage. Only in Saskatchewan.
The following night I played in the tiny town of Bruno, Saskatchewan for a crowd of four people--four very attentive, very nice people, mind you--and decided I'd way rather do that than play for forty or even four hundred yahoos. The venue is a very cool little store called All Citizens, run by an artistic couple from Vancouver who bought the property (including a house & yard, on Main Street) for $6300. That price tag, together with the beauty of the drive, actually got me thinking about moving to the grain fields and open spaces of SK for a break. I heard about the venue from Geoff Berner, who was actually given the key to the city by the mayor when he & Bob Wiseman played there. My host Tyler graciously gave me an engraved plate dubbed the "Canadian Cross-Country Touring Award", an honor that I apparently share with Julie Doiron.
Afterward I cruised down to Mortlach where the Saskatoon Berry Festival was already in full swing. My friends Andrea Ramolo and Jason Skiendziel, Canary Mine, and the Heartstrings were all there and it was sweet to be reunited & to hear them play again. I'd heard about the fest from Jimi Maze last year & decided to make the trip. Mortlach's mayor, Ron Locke, booked the bands, made the schedule, and generally kept the whole thing running. Afterward he set us up at his place with a glowing fire & a cooler full of beer, and this morning his wife Linda cooked us breakfast. Wonderful people, and a wonderful little town; it warmed my heart and got me thinking further about a move to one of the many funny-named towns dotting the prairies of Saskatchewan.
The following weekend we hit up the Pembina River Nights festival, a truly wonderful fest with probably the best lineup yet this year. All the bands rocked out huge, but truly, the Weber Brothers blew everyone away. Particularly for any musicians in the crowd, that's what the bar looks like when it gets raised way up. Amazing. Pascal also continued the Long Weekends' string of good luck by winning the guitar. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, is all I could say for myself.
We got up way too early Sunday morning to drive up to Hinton for the Wild Mountain Music Festival, another excellently-organized festival with another killer lineup. I know I got up too early because I left my guitar and ukulele beside the stage at Pembina River Nights. Thankfully Laura vinson was kind enough to lend me hers & we drove back to Rangeton to get the guitar and the compulsory laughs that went with it, a round for everybody on me.
I barely had time to get back & get a little bit more recording done before we headed off to the South Country Fair for another weekend of musicality, hilarity and debauchery. I've been going to this fest on and off for over ten years now & I think this may have been the best. I was especially grateful for a tweener on Saturday that turned into half a set; it was nice to have a chance to stretch my legs on main stage & talk to the good people for awhile.
That made fest number 9 so far this summer, and I've still got 3 more to go. I do hope you'll join me in drinking the summer down to the last drop. I've been chugging so fast it spilled all over me.
If you made it all this way, you are not only a fast reader, but you may also share with me a certain compulsive obsession with completeness. Don't let it get out of control, I forewarn you! Just look at what can happen!
I promise next month's Hobo Travelogue will be shorter. Really.
Big love to you all, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support,
Scott
April 4, 2009
Beloved,
I miss ya all like crazy.
I'm writing you from the meteorologically-fickle city of Vancouver,
where our hopes have been repeatedly fluffed and dampened over the
past few days. Make no mistake, though, the warmer weather is well on
its way, dragging the good times with it. I'm staying at Ange Ella
Healy's place this time, taking it pretty easy, working on new songs,
and hitting up open stages most nights. All set for a big reunion
tonight with my old housemate Shali, the lovely and inimitable Jenny
Mak, Scotty Rabel & Jena, & more.
Tour's been sweet so far. Our tour kickoff at the Blue Chair was
wonderful. The place was sold out full of friendly folks and Trevor &
Jesse wowed 'em. Thanks so much to those who came. Jesse left for
Thailand the next day, inspiring feelings in envy in all of us still
enduring the bitter conditions in E-town.
I got deathly sick the following week and was actually contemplating
cancelling shows on account of illness, which I haven't yet had to
do. But phonecalls to Miss Quincy in Nelson and Steve Teeuwsen, who
wanted to catch a ride to the Koots, along with a (mostly imaginary)
improvement in my condition, convinced me to go for it. We rode off
Sirdar-bound with me sneezing and hacking up all variety of nasal and
pulmonary flora. Sick as I was, though, it felt like a weight lifting
to be back on the move, and life began to make sense again.
My throat was still so bad that I couldn't really sing that night at
the Sirdar Pub, but I figured the four or five folks who'd paid cover
deserved a proper show(!), so I did my darndest. Gave up after two
short sets and settled down to drinks with the locals, who are a very
funny lot. We liked them and the owners Rob & Brenda so much that we
resolved to come back for their Tuesday night jam.
The next day we crossed Kootenay lake and were sweetly received by
Miss Quincy and the ladies of the Sugar Shack. A wonderful group of
old and new friends trickled in through the door, the ladies lit an
army of candles, and the house filled up with love. Everybody sat for
storytime in the first set and got up and grooved for the second set
with the Hobo Hifi. I had help from Nate and some other folks on
drums and Gabe on a sweet dancehall toast. Surely one of the best
shows in my span of years.
Moreover, I finally got to play Brin the song he stars in, inspired by
our meeting around this time last year in Vancouver. For you, my
loyal readers, here's a rough recording of that very tune, finished
just before I left Edmonton, with help from those lovely Hotplates,
Megan Kemshead & Lynett McKell--This One's on the House.
Steve & I stuck around the Kootenays awhile, embarking on a beer tour
of sorts around the lake. The first stop was Sirdar. Funny enough, no
one in Nelson has any idea where that is. I found myself enlightening
locals about local geography surprisingly often. Nelson, like
anywhere, or perhaps even more than most places, can be a bit of a
bubble. But what a wonderful, nappy-headed, oddly-scented bubble it
is! Steve and I bestowed a formal letter of thanks in the classifieds
at Laura's paper, the Daily News, and chuckled to ourselves about
that.
From the Koots I drove to Osoyoos to visit Lady J & Kent of Taiwan
fame, and meet their newest addition to the family, Nadie. The crowd
at the Sage Pub was amply ready to party & promptly got jiggy to the
Hobo Hifi beats. In fact, it seemed they would get jiggy to just
about anything. Everyone there was complaining about the cold except
me, stoked as I was to be out of frosty etown.
From there I headed to Penticton, saw my good friend V, and spent a
few nights camping out by Lake Okanagan, working on scales and songs.
I've really been appreciating the looseness of the schedule so far on
this trip; it may be a testament to my laziness in booking, but it's
allowed me to get caught up on some things.
The provincial parks board was kind enough to leave Okanagan Lake
campground open, with black garbage bags over the pay stations...
remarkably there were only three or four hardy campers taking
advantage of it. I was just happy to be lakeside and not freezing.
During my stay there I played to a tiny crowd at Fibonacci's, and to a
bigger crowd the following night at their open stage. It's good to
see that's thriving, thanks in part to Maiya Robbie, who's an
excellent host. The next stop was Vancouver, for a spring fair in
McLean Park. Just a few people there but they were kind folks,
including two of the gents who run Soundwave out in Ucluelet.
Wednesday's show at Cafe Deux Soleils was much better-attended; it
felt like a big reunion, actually. I'm not gonna start naming guests
from afar for fear of leaving others out. Suffice it to say everyone
was there and if you weren't, well, sigh, your loss. Anyway, a huge
thanks to all who made it out for that, and to Ange Ella Healy and
Renee Layla for sharing the show.
Over the weekend I skipped the Juno craziness and headed up to Powell
River for a show at McKinney's Pub. It was my first trip up the
Sunshine Coast and I was very grateful for all the friendly folks
dancing. Our old etown pal Vince Sanregret joined me on didj and it
was groovy.
I'm back in Vancouver now but will be headed to the island tomorrow to
stay awhile with Scotty & Jena, two of my favorite people in the
world. A couple shows out there before I roll back east again:
Fri April 10 - Nanaimo - The Vault, w/ DJ Rebel Selector
Sat April 11 - Duncan - gonna hit the folk guild's open stage
Sun April 12 - Victoria - Matinee show, 2-4pm at Spiral Cafe
Sun April 12 - Vancouver - House Concert, 9-12 at Tzvi's place
Wed April 15 - Grand Forks - Joga's Cafe
Fri April 17 - Winlaw - Cedar Creek Cafe
Sat April 18 - Kaslo - Bluebelle Bistro
Sun April 19 - Canmore - Zona's
Tue April 21 - Red Deer - The Vat, w/ Jesse Dee & Jacquie B
Sat April 25 - Edmonton - Gazebo Park, 10am-3pm for Edmonton Food Security Network
As always, details for all these shows are on scottcook.net.
I just found out I've been selected as a finalist in South Country
Fair's songwriting contest, so I'll be speeding away from the Gazebo
party & leaving you in Jesse Dee & Jacquie B's capable hands. I'm
gonna squeeze in a few more shows around Southern Alberta along the
way. So far:
Sat April 25 - Lethbridge - South Country Fair Songwriting Contest
Finals at the Slice
Tue April 28 - Lethbridge - hitting open stage at the Slice
Friday May 1 - Twin Butte - Twin Butte Store
More dates are coming soon, so please stay tuned to scottcook.net for those. While I'm back around Edmonton in May I'll be going back
into the studio to get started on a new album of folksongs, which I'm
hoping to release in August or September. Stay tuned for more info on
that too.
A couple more items of business before I sign off... The first has to
do with those house concerts you're hearing so much about lately.
I've only played a couple of these, one just last month, but they were
truly among the best shows I've ever played. Things seem to be moving
more & more in this direction lately, and I think it's a welcome
change. The hosts get music in their home (not to mention the esteem
of their peers) for free, the performers get an attentive crowd who
came to see the show, and good money for their time, and the audience
gets to hear the songs and connect with the performer in a way that
just doesn't happen in bars or venues in general. Even better, you
don't have to buy overpriced food & drinks--most house concerts are
BYOB and/or potluck.
Why am I telling you this? Well, because I want to play more of these
things. I've registered on Concerts in Your Home and applied to Homeroutes.ca, but it appears that the sudden surge of interest in
house concerts has thinned out the opportunities already... So I'm
asking you to consider whether you'd be into putting on a house
concert in your place. Big town, small town, I don't care. You don't
even need a PA. All you need is a living room & 20 or more people who
want to see a show at $10 each. Contact me if it sounds like
something you might be interested in. Perhaps we can even build our
own network, like Homeroutes has done, who knows? Cause I know a lot
of great singers who'd be happy to come to your house.
I close this month's Hobo Travelogue on a sober note: as many of you
have likely already heard, Edmonton lost a legend this week. Joe
Bird, 41 years young, died of too big a heart at home on Wednesday.
He will be sorely missed. His songs, his 'man hugs', his
irrepressible flirting... He was an inspiration and a constant source
of hilarity to so many of us. He lived life like he meant it. Those
of us left behind gotta spread a lot more hugs around just to make up
for his share. And live every day we get to the full, properly,
daringly, with our ears, eyes, and hearts wide open. Thank you, Joe.
Sending big love out to all of you, thanks for reading, and keeping me
in your thoughts. I hope to see you all along the twisty road of
summertime. Be well, happy trails,
Scott
Feb 20, 2009
hey friends,
well, it may not feel quite like spring, but it's coming around to
that time of year again, and the road's calling me back. I've got
tour kickoff parties next week in Edmonton and Calgary, and a whole
bunch more shows across the west, which I'll get to in a second.
First off, though, big love to everyone who made it out to the Long
Weekends show at Blues on Whyte, it was a stomper. It was great to
play out three sets and dig out some dusty jams including Bob Dylan's
Isis and our Bob Marley supermedley, which I've put up online for your
listening pleasure... You can hear your ever-lovin' Long Weekends in
action here.
I've got a few more shows coming up around Alberta in the next couple
weeks before I head west:
-Tonight, Feb 20, I'm back at the ever-friendly Gitter's Pub in High
River.
-Tomorrow, Saturday Feb 21, I'm gonna drop by the afternoon jam at the
Ship in Calgary, then up to Red Deer for a return visit to The Velvet
Olive, with special guest and hometown girl made good Megan Kemshead!
-Sunday Feb 22 The Hobo Hifi & I are opening for Souljah Fyah at the
Haven Social Club in Edmonton. Souljah Fyah was recently nominated
for the Juno for best reggae recording, and I think they're gonna take
it. They are truly amazing. I'm on at 9:30 and it'll only cost ya $5
for a blast of tropical heat. Bring your dancing shoes.
-Monday Feb 23 I'm hosting open stage at Devaney's in Edmonton. I've
done two of these nights already and so far the calibre of musical
guests dropping in has been amazing. Swing by and give us a few
songs, it's always a lot of fun. 8-midnight.
-Tuesday Feb 24 is my Calgary tour kickoff. Jesse Dee and I are
joining local songbird Trina Nestibo for an intimate show at Calgary's
premiere roots venue, Ironwood Stage & Grill. I played with Trina a
month back and I'm thinking this is gonna be magic.
-Thursday Feb 26 is my Edmonton tour kickoff. Jesse Dee, Trevor Tchir
and I will be collaborating live in the round for a unique listening
show that will surely contain some musical surprises. I really admire
the work of both these songwriters and this show will be a great
chance to hear the songs in a listening environment. Jesse Dee's
leaving for Thailand the next day!
Friday Feb 27 Steve's releasing issue 6 of Notebook Magazine at the
Artery, with music by the Whitsundays. I won't be playing, but I'll
be hanging around.
Then I'm off! Tour dates so far include:
March 6 - Sirdar, BC - Sirdar Pub
March 7 - Nelson - House Concert at the Sugar Shack
March 13 - Osoyoos - Sage Pub
March 25 - Vancouver - Cafe Deux Soleils with Renee Layla, Ange Ella
Healy & Magpie Ulysses
March 27 - Vancouver - Trees Coffee House, just a half-hour set, by
donation
April 4 - Vancouver - House Concert
April 10 - Nanaimo - The Vault
There are still a whole lot of holes in there, which I'll be
attempting to fill as soon as possible, so keep tuned to http://www.scottcook.net
for more shows as they come in.
Unfortunately I won't be making Taiwan this spring, although I'm gonna
try for the fall, when I've got a new record (fingers crossed).
Lastly, while musicians today often complain that they keep getting
replaced by DJs, karaoke, or video games which allow you to pretend to
be a musician, this quote from Woody Guthrie talking about "nickel
phonographs" (juke boxes) struck me as highly appropriate:
"Nickel phonographs has really throwed lots of musicians out on their
ass and I don't mean perhaps. Almost every little old saloon use to
have 3 or 4 or 30 musicians and nowadays you put a damn nickel in a
bastardly slot and a whore house light turns on and you got your
music--but have you got as much real old red blooded fun? I doubt
it. I like real people better. Put them back to work. The world
would be a lot happier."
So hey, if you like what the McPubs are doing, or like what Wal-mart's
doing, or what Tim Hortons is doing, throw your money at them. And if
you like buskers, local small businesses, live music and the places
that support it, throw your money at them. That's one vote where you
have a real choice. And use those votes wisely--there aren't so many
of them around these days.
Big love to all of you, and thanks for your continued support. I hope
to meet eyes again somewhere around the bend. Peace,
Scott
Jan 11, 2009
Hey friends,
I hate to bore those of you far away with endless updates about gigs
around Alberta, so I thought I'd sweeten the pot a little this time
with a new song for ya, just written this week and as yet unperformed.
But first, the shows:
THIS WEEK:
Tomorrow, Monday Jan 12, I'll be hosting the open stage at Devaney's
Irish Pub (the old O'Connors, 9013 88 Ave). It runs 8-12pm and I
would be very happy to hear you sing and play.
Wed Jan 14, Jesse & Jacquie are opening
for Ottawa songwriter and one-man band Marc Charron at the Empress, 8ish-12. This'll be
a great show and I urge you to come see Marc while he's in town. Oh
yeah, & it's free.
Thurs Jan 15, Moses & I will be playing the Nest at NAIT, one set at
4:30, and then I'll be heading to Hulbert's (7601 115 Street) to open
for Chanda Cooper at 8pm.
That show's $10 at the door.
NEXT WEEK:
Tues Jan 20 I'll be playing two sets with the help of my Hobo Hifi at
Brixx Bar & Grill, which is the new name for the newly-renovated
Velvet Underground. It opens early for dinner and the show starts at
9:30 sharp. There's no cover before 9 or it's $5 afterward.
Thurs Jan 22 I'll be down in Calgary to play the Thursday Sessions
with Trina Nestibo at Mikey's
Juke Joint (1901 – 10th Avenue SW). Trina's a really great singer and
plays a mean squeezebox too. I'll probably come down the night before
to get in on Trina and Dawn's Pussy Willow Jam at the same place.
Fri Jan 23 I'll be in Okotoks for the first-ever live music show at
Original Joe's, 9-12, no cover.
LATER ON:
We Long Weekends have only two shows left before I leave on tour:
Fri Jan 30 the Long Weekends and I will be playing Breezy Brian
Gregg's Creative Commons release party for his new Pastafarian anthem,
'Flying Spaghetti Monster'. For those of you who don't know,
Pastafarianism is a new religion that I converted to about a year
back, and I take a certain zealous pride in having brought Brian and
Moses into the fold as well. The curious can read more about it here. For the party
we'll be dressing as pirates and eating spaghetti (as is Pastafarian
custom) while turning our thoughts upward to Our Noodly Overlord (may
the sauce be upon him, now & forevermore, Ramen). Brian's family
band, the Greggs (Brian, Moses and Harry, with Dale Ladoceur on
Chapman Stick and Bill Hobson on drums) will be playing a set as
well. Things kick off with the video shoot at 8pm and it's $12 in
advance or $15 at the door. It all goes down in the comfortable
confines of Fiddler's Roost (8906 99 Street), with our main man Bernie
on the bar serving up the $2.50 beers, opened with a spoon. Pirate
regalia is encouraged but not required. Yarrr!
Sun Feb 8 will be the Long Weekends' last show til the summer, at the
legendary Blues on Whyte. Total, utter mayhem is to be expected.
Shortly after that, I'm off on tour of Alberta and BC. I had planned
to fly to Taiwan from Vancouver but things are really up in the air
now, with cash being very slim... I regret to inform you that the
life of a working musician isn't quite as carefree as one might like.
One silver lining, though, is that I might actually get out a new
album before the end of the year! I'll keep you posted on what
happens with all that.
Tour dates, as they get booked, will be going up on scottcook.net.
Having heard of some surprise account deletions on Facebook, I'm in
the process of moving my Facebook mailing list over to email to be on
the safe side. If your current email address is on your profile, I'll
do the work for you, but if not, please do send it to me and I'll add
you to the list and remove you from the Facebook list. If you're
currently getting this to both Facebook and your email account, please
accept my apologies for that, it'll be fixed soon.
Lastly, I just joined a very cool site called The Sixty One where you
can hear loads of independent music for free, and bump stuff to move
it up in the rankings. Feel free to sign up and bump me here.
I hope this finds you all flourishing. Be well, live large,
Scott
December 16, 2008
Hey friends,
This is possibly the shortest Hobo Travelogue I've ever sent out,
mostly just because this hobo hasn't been doing much traveling
lately. Edmonton has been wonderful to me, and I'm very happy to be
stationary for the time being. Getting lots done in the way of
catching up, feathering my nest, learning scales (finally!), studying
music, and working on new tunes. Also booking my spring tour, which
will be starting in mid-February, taking me out to the west coast &
hopefully to Taiwan from there, for a couple months of R&R and work on
our Peace Festival.
Things have been quite busy in town musically, and this week's no
exception. Edmonton peoples can catch me at any of three shows this
week:
Tomorrow, Wed Dec 17, I'll be playing a short set at F&M's Christmas
fundraiser, to help raise money for the REE*start program, which works
with troubled youth in town. Salinger, Daniel Moir, Ariane Mahryke
Lemire, Jesse Dee and Jacquie B, and of course F&M (http://
www.fandmtheband.com) will all be doing sets as well, with the
emceeing duties handled by local funny man Trent Wilkie from Mostly
Water Theatre. Things start around 7 & I'm likely on around 8ish.
Oh, & it's absolutely free, thanks to the generosity of the hosts,
O'Byrne's Irish Pub, at 10616-82Ave. It's going to be a great night
of music.
Friday Dec 19 I'll be opening for the incredibly talented and
irresistibly groovy Aroots Bazaar at Wunderbar, 8120 101 Street. I
start 9ish and it's $5 at the door for a long night of Romanian/
Flamenco/Cuban grooves. I'll be bringing the Hobo Hifi along with
some new sounds.
The next day, Sat Dec 20, I'm playing an afternoon solo show (with a
little help from my friends & the Hobo Hifi of course) at my favorite
bar in town, the Empress Ale House, at 9912 82 Ave. The show runs
from about 4 to 6:30 and there's no cover for all you pobrecitos. I
couldn't think of a better place to get your afternoon drink on. I've
cooked up some special numbers for this show and I'm really looking
forward to it.
That'll be it for this year. In the new year we've lined up dates at
Devaney's Irish Pub, the Nest at NAIT, Brixx Bar & Grill, Blues on
Whyte, Fresh Start Bistro, and in Calgary with Trina Nestibo. I also
want to give you a little preliminary heads-up about Brian Gregg's
release party for his new Pastafarian anthem, "Flying Spaghetti
Monster". It's gonna be a blast, I assure you. Mark January 30th on
your calendar and get your pirate getup ready! Details for all those
shows are on http://www.scottcook.net.
In closing I want to wish you all a happy solstice and the best of the
holiday season. Here's to another spin around the sun! Be well, much
love,
Scott
October 15, 2008
Good people,
I'm writing you from sunny, leaf-crunchingly lovely Edmonton. It sure
is nice to be home once in a while.
First off, two big shows coming up this week: tomorrow, Oct 16, I'll
be playing a solo set to open for Lynn Miles at the Haven. Chloe
Albert's also on the bill, and well worth checking out. It's $15 in
advance and $20 at the door. Doors open at 6 with happy hour prices,
music starts at 9:30. I reckon I'm on first, so if you're coming,
don't be late. You can check out Lynn on www.myspace.com/lynnmilesmusic
Then on Friday, Oct 17, the Long Weekends and I will be showcasing for
the Western Canadian Music Awards, at Jekyll & Hyde Pub, 10209 100
Avenue. There are 5 bands playing downstairs that night & another 4
upstairs. Our slot is 10pm downstairs and it's only a 45-minute set
so come early! It's $10 at the door or $20 for a wristband that'll
get you into all the venues over the weekend. There are over 130
bands playing in 17 venues all around town, and it's gonna be a
blast. The full schedule's on www.wcmw.ca/festival
We've been cooking up some reggae jams, and a couple new tunes I wrote
on the road, and we're really excited for the chance to play them for
you. Hope you can make it out, we really appreciate your support.
Speaking of how invaluable your support is, my huge thanks go out to
everybody who tapped my songs for inclusion on Big Rock's upcoming
compilation CD. Looks like about 60 of you did it; you know who you
are. Thanks so very much. If anybody else wants to, there's still
time, just go by www.bigrockuntapped.com and sign in.
From New York, where I last wrote, I headed out to Connecticut to play
out there & visit my cousin John, then back through to Michigan for a
stay on my grandparents' farm. I wrote a new song on the last leg of
the drive, the fastest I think I've ever come up with one; it's linked
at the end of this email. My cousin Dylan and I managed to get some
jamming in while watching his almost-2-year-old son Ivan attempt feats
of physical daring that would've terrified your average mother. I
needn't regale you with the details; suffice to say he's gonna be one
tough kid. From there I rolled down-state to the Earthwork Harvest
Gathering, on the Earthwork farm outside Lake City. It was one of
those weekends that give the Long Weekends their name--epic, blissful,
and filled with beautiful folks, homegrown food, and far-out sounds.
The head farmer Seth Bernard and his lady Daisy May Erlewine have
gathered an amazing community of musicians around their homegrown
label, Earthwork Music; it actually reminded me of Taiwan with all the
bands sharing members with each other. Dylan got up & played some
mandolin with me, handling his first time on stage with aplomb, and my
Taiwanese hip-hop compatriot Dr. Dan even got up to drop a verse.
Over the weekend my ears were opened to new musical vistas and my
heart even found some new hope for the weary old States. Oh, & in
case you're wondering, the new hope isn't Obama, it's us. Look up
Seth & May on www.earthworkmusic.com for wonderful tunes &
inspiration.
I stuck around to help with tear-down the next day & then headed to
Grand Rapids for a visit with Ken Stead and family in his new digs,
then across to Wisconsin for a visit with my oldtime singing pal Emma
Hood & her new family. The show was pretty well empty, but the
Democratic HQ across the street was full of people watching the
debate, which I guess can't be too bad. From there I hit my last show
in Duluth, Minnesota, playing for my pal Jason at Beaners Central, as
part of his yearly One Week Live recording. The crowd was wonderful
and the other bands all rocked; there couldn't have been a better
ending to the tour. A possible date in Winnipeg fell through & I was
elated to turn my wheels westward for the long run home.
It sure was a great feeling to pull back into my folks' driveway and
settle down to eat at the family table again. The next night I went
into town to see the Ory No'man & Sarah Burton bands (which are really
one band), and my bandmates Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, who set up the show
for our traveling friends. I sang a couple tunes and was humbled by
the warm reception. A few days of laughs followed, lounging around
the Greenhouse, eating big breakfasts, following big strong coffees
with frosty pints, and of course jamming. The Hotplates' new band,
the Low-Flying Planes (aka the B Section), is sounding stellar. These
four wonderful women sang my tune "Worried Blues" to me as I lay on
the sofa and I decided that I can die happy now, having known life at
its sweetest.
I'm really looking forward to a few months of downtime, to catch up on
things, write, practice, and begin work on a new recording. But hey,
there'll be plenty of time for that when the snow falls. For now,
Edmonton is looking about as pretty as a city could. Hope to see you
local yokels this weekend. Freemosans, I'm considering a return visit
in the spring, will keep you posted. Much love to everybody, have
faith and aim for the best. Peace,
Scott
PS as promised, here's a little recording of my newest tune, "The
Ramblin' Kind", just recorded today at Chris Quesnel's house, for you,
my ever-loyal readers: The
Ramblin' Kind
Be forewarned, it's a sad one. You can download it with a right-
click, or ctrl-click on Mac. much love.
Sept 11, 2008
good friends,
I'm writing you from a late-night falafel shop in New York City's
storied East Village. There's a salsa band rocking down the street
and I've just been to see some excellent roots music at the Living
Room. This city truly never sleeps, which is nice for a night-owl
like me... I spent the day wandering around and digging the mighty
throng of people from all over the world, awestruck. But all good
things must come to an end, especially expensive good things like
visiting New York--I'll be hopping a late train back to Cold Spring
tonight. I'm up there staying with a good friend of mine, filmmaker
Andrea Sadler, who I met way back when I was just starting all this
wandering in search of songs eight years ago. It was on her
invitation that I came down to play the Hoot on the Hudson last
Sunday, a wonderful little fest in honor of Mr. Pete Seeger, who's
about as living legend as it gets in this here folksinging game.
It was wonderful to see Pete in action. At 89 years old he's still
sharp, and in surprisingly good shape for all the roads he's been down
and all the floors he's undoubtedly slept on. Years of high &
lonesome wailing have taken their toll on his vocal cords, though, so
these days he tends to just say the lyrics and leave the singing to
the crowd. Everybody knows his hits, and we joined in with gusto on
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "Turn, Turn, Turn," "If I Had a
Hammer," and other classics. And yes, Pete wrote those songs.
For those who don't know him (or confuse him with Bob Seeger, ha), a
little history: this man has been singing since before Bob Dylan was
born, and long before he named himself Bob Dylan. Pete traveled and
sang with Woody Guthrie, and Alan Lomax (legendary chronicler of
American folk music on the Folkways label) pointed to their meeting as
the birth of modern American folk music. He released 3 or 4 albums a
year at his peak, and his discography totals over a hundred albums, a
feat not even Dylan has pulled off. He worked tirelessly as an
activist for peace, civil rights, and the environment, including
spearheading the building of the Sloop Clearwater, which sailed on the
Hudson River and educated generations of kids on the need to clean it
up. The "Dirty Old Stream" is looking beautiful today, thanks in
large part to him.
When I crossed the border the day before, the guard asked (as they
usually do), "what kind of music do you play?" When I told him I
played folk music, he said he liked it, but didn't know any names,
besides of course Bob Dylan. I mentioned Pete & his face lit up; he
said Pete had played at his camp back in the day, and he also knew
that Pete had been behind the movement to clean up the Hudson. Waved
me through with a smile. I never would've thought that a former enemy
of the state would carry such good weight at the border crossing.
Pete was blacklisted for 19 years during the whole communist paranoia
in the States. Most of the defendants who were called before the
House Committee on Un-American Activities pleaded the Fifth Amendment,
refusing to incriminate themselves, but Pete (as well as the
"Hollywood Ten") took the unusual tack of appealing to the First
Amendment, arguing that it was none of the government's business what
they had said or who they had associated with. For that valiant
defence of the Constitution he was sentenced to a year in jail on the
charge of contempt of Congress, a sentence which was thankfully
overturned later.
Many of you have probably seen pictures of Woody's guitar, with the
slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" scrawled across it. Pete, being
a gentler sort of fellow, wrote "This Machine Surrounds Hate and
Forces it to Surrender" in beautiful script around the outside of his
banjo head, and he's still playing it today, the head worn and browned
with age.
He left the party early, but I did get to meet him and we spoke for
awhile as I helped him carry his guitar back to his car (not that he
wasn't perfectly capable of doing it on his own). Along the way, he
stopped and stooped down to get something from the grass. I thought
it was some wild flower or mushroom that he was pointing out, but it
turned out to be a piece of black plastic garbage bag. "It's my
religion," he said as he pocketed it.
Tonight I saw a great duo
called Gillen and Turk, who gave
props to Pete and Woody during their
set... What they liked about both these men, they said, was that they
sang what they thought was the truth. What more can a singer aspire
to? Pete quit his old group The Weavers because they did a jingle for
a cigarette commercial and he just didn't figure he needed the money
that bad. He got cut from TV programs by pissed-off sponsors and
networks for singing songs critical of the establishment and the
Vietnam war, including "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy", a song that
applies just as well to George W's war in Iraq as it did to LBJ's war
in Vietnam. He struggled and sang for peace his whole life long,
often at great expense to himself. And he's still spreading the same
message today. Truly a shining example.
Well, I can already tell that this month's Hobo Travelogue is gonna go
on longer than usual. Thankfully I'm a monster typer and hopefully
some of you are monster readers. I should recap a little as to how I
got to New York from Halifax...
Steve, Zac and I had a wonderful matinee show at Gus' Pub before I
left, and such a fine group of people came out to spend the sunny
afternoon with us. We followed it up with a swim in Long Lake and
beers on the balcony. The next day I headed off to Liverpool to meet
up with fellow Edmontonians James Murdoch
and Nick Perrault for a gig at the Mersey House. Not much crowd out but it's a great venue & I really enjoyed James & Nick's set. The next
day was my birthday and I set out feeling wonderful, tunes playing,
sun shining on the road. It all came to a halt when my car went
haywire and died along highway 3, not far from Hubbards. I got a tow
into town & checked into a hotel, uncertain what the next day would
bring and whether the show was off the road. I curled up with a six
of Keith's and the Olympics on the TV; saw Usain Bolt, crazyass 25-
year old dancehall kid from Jamaica, break the world records in 100m
and 200m, heard the athletes talking about all the work it takes to
make that 0.1 second difference, and strengthened my resolve.
The next day it turned out the alternator was to blame for my
troubles, the same used alternator that I'd installed myself about a
year before that, when I broke down in the mountains outside Fernie.
It was a great relief to be back on the road with only a $140 repair
bill, although it also meant I had to haul ass now. I stopped in
Fredericton for dinner with Geoff North (of Militant Hippi) and
Lindsay, before heading on... Reached Montreal the next day and was
reunited with Alia, my old hound Xiao Ai, Smoking Cones drummer
Pierre, and fellow Taiwan vets Caroline, Francois and Lisa Kohli.
Missed Steve Teeuwsen by a day.
From there I raced back to Collingwood, Ontario, for a gig that turned
out to be cancelled at the last minute to make way for hometown boy &
Canadian Idol finalist Drew Wright's VIP party... ahh, the life of a
musician. The next day I made it to Kimbercote Farm for their Sonic
Orchard Festival. Had a lot of fun, met a lot of kind folks, ran into
some I knew from the other end of the country, and partied in a big
barn. Really dug Romney Getty
from the grass on Sunday. Oh, and for those of you who've met my
traveling companion, Pussaramas, you'll be glad to know that he was
welcomed back home to rapturous applause.
I left there for Hamilton and arrived just in time to help another
Taiwan vet, Tiff, bring her stuff down to the truck before she sped
off to the airport for her flight back to Asia. Played the Pepper
Jack Cafe that night to a small crowd that included my good friend
Suzy Miller, who you'll surely be hearing more about in coming
Travelogues, as she & I have decided to work together and make lots of
money. This came as wonderful news to me, overburdened with bizness
as I am.
That weekend I went up to the Frontier Ghost Town in Durham, Ontario
for Mark Wilson's Come Together Festival, which is a bit of a drunken
gongshow, but in the best way possible. I was feeling a little shaky
for my Saturday-morning set but it went great anyway. All the bands
were outstanding, especially Mark Wilson and the Way It Is. It was
kinda funny because it was the exact opposite of the festival the
weekend before, where they had to track how far people had driven to
in turn compensate for their carbon emissions so the fest could be
"carbon-neutral". Come Together removed any doubt about their carbon
neutrality by setting fire to the biggest bonfires I've ever seen,
both nights. A dump truck came and dropped a load of timbers,
literally whole trees stripped of their limbs... Apparently it was a
relatively small fire, as this year's fest was a smaller gathering,
but wow, the sounds coming from inside of it! We were tripping out in
the treehouse nearby imagining that the fire was normal size and the
people dancing around it were all munchkins, hilarious. In contrast
to Kimbercote's great organic spread, Come Together had a limited
menu, consisting of hot dogs, burgers, and french fries. Some people
seemed to survive on beer alone. People kept giving me incredulous
looks whenever I was eating stuff I'd made out of my van... "Wow, is
that really a tuna sandwich???" or "Are you honestly eating a bowl of
cereal???", like they'd never seen such a thing.
From there I went up to Wasaga Beach to meet up with Joe Splane & his
lady Catherine, and then back to his place in Barrie for late-night
singing and reminiscing with them. From there it was off to Toronto,
where I stayed with my fave acoustic-guitar-wielding MC,
Jimi Maze, and hit up several open stages around
town. On Thursday I went to the Cameron House for Corin Raymond's
sundown set, which had me full-up with joy by two or three songs in.
I was glad that some friends (Amberley, Mike Goede, Seb) came out to
see him too, because he is seriously one of the best songwriters in
Canada, and he gathers great musicians around himself. Sweet to
finally hear "Small Time" (which I've been playing a lot) in its
birthplace, right there with the sign that says "Paradise" on the
wall, and the bartender yelling out "last call for day prices!" at the
end of their set. The show was followed by rotis and a late-night
song swap on Corin's porch that filled me up with words and poetry and
lit a new fire in my belly. Thank you, Corin. Do yourself a favor
and check him out!
The next day I played the Songwriters Unite Showcase at Graffiti's in
Kensington Market, and loads of folks (Jordan, Amberley, Amanda, Sarah
Calvert, Natalie, Jean, am I forgetting someone?) came out from far &
wide to see me, which was really wonderful. The other songwriters
were all very talented and the night felt really special. I managed
to get to bed before sunrise (the first time since I darkened Jimi
Maze's doorstep), and left the next day for New York.
Which brings me here! I'm actually finishing this post from Cold
Spring, where I'll be playing tonight as part of a songwriters'
showcase. From here I'm off to Connecticut for a show and a visit
with my cousin John (yes, that cousin John), then back to Michigan for
some down-time on my grandparents' farm before heading down to the
Earthworks Harvest Gathering, the ninth(!) and final festival of the
summer for this rover. From there I'll head to Wisconsin to play a
show with my good friend Emma Hood & see her new baby, then to
Minnesota for my third visit to Beaner's Central. The show will be
recorded live for inclusion on an annual compilation CD they put out
called "One Week Live". From there I'll be making my way home, at
last, via Winnipeg and Saskatoon. I must admit that I'll be very glad
to hang up these traveling shoes for awhile. I'm thinking of spending
the winter around Edmonton, and starting work on a new reggae album.
I'll bring this to a close here before you all nod off at your
keyboards... One last thing: if you have time, you could do me a huge
favor by going by www.bigrockuntapped.com and registering as a
user so you can "tap" my songs for inclusion on a compilation CD that
will be distributed to venues all over Canada. I saw this thing
everywhere & I'd really love to get on it, but to be considered for
it, you need to be "tapped" by listeners. Yaknow, a sorta popularity
contest sorta thing. Stupid, but I'd really like to get on this CD,
and would be very grateful for your help in doing that.
Anyway, that concludes this month's Hobo Travelogue, and for those of
you who made it this far, I have a kiss for every one of you! Feel
free to collect whenever you see me. Cheers, big love, keep pushing,
Scott
Aug 16, 2008
hey friends,
I'm writing you from a little cottage on the beachfront in Hubbards,
Nova Scotia, where my old Taiwan housemate, the ever-more-lovely Shali
Manuel, exchanged vows with her man, local singing celebrity Steve
Gates, on the lawn over the weekend. It couldn't have been any more
beautiful. We danced the night away in a big old barn & greeted the
sunrise on the beach. Huge congrats to the lovely couple. As Mister
Green says, may the best days stay ahead of us!
The trip has been great so far. Huge thanks to the good good folks
who came out to my tour kickoff party in Edmonton, it warmed my heart
to see all of you grooving. I left town feeling full-up with love,
which is actually more important than gas, in my experience.
South Country Fair was magic as usual. The last time I visited in
2003 seemed like ages ago, with all that's happened in between, but
there were familiar faces all around, the Oldman River still runs
strong & cold, and Geoff Berner was there again in all his white-
suited, wise-cracking glory. Kevan & Jodi (who once lived in the
house on the cover of the Anglers' disc) appeared from Guelph. Me &
Miss Ange Quincy had a beautiful moonlight song swap. It was Souljah
Fyah's first time out to the Fair, and they rocked out. And Five Star
Homeless got that Southern Alberta crowd wrapped around their little
fingers with their tales of whiskey and fast times. Greatest thing
overheard that weekend, said by a little girl: "When I grow up, I want
to be Jesus! No, wait... a bee!"
From South Country I made my way out to Saskatoon for another stop at
the Freehouse, and a wonderful day spent drinking on sunny patios with
Shayne Lazarowich & Kamila from the Cracker Cats. Ah, Saskatoon.
From there to Brandon for a show at Lady of the Lake, a sweet spot,
which was graced by the arrival of Sarah Burton and the Ory Noman
Band, friends from afar. They were in town to play the Brandon Folk,
Music & Art Festival, along with our friends Eliza Doyle, the Deep
Dark Woods, C.R. Avery and a whole bunch of great folks we just met.
I'd managed to get into the fest at the eleventh hour, again proving
that while there's always something to be said for doing things well
in advance, there's also something to be said for the last minute.
Huge thanks to Matt & Ory for making that happen. I played a Sunday-
afternoon set for a wonderful little crowd and got lots of hugs.
I bypassed Winnipeg altogether, on their unreasonably large-
circumferenced perimeter highway, and into the wilds of northern
Ontario. Anyone who's done the ride will tell you it's hella long,
and full of critters. Thankfully, I spaced it out this time, with
shows in Wabigoon, Thunder Bay and Rossport, with small but attentive
crowds at each spot. Moose, deer, and even a fox with a dead rabbit
in his mouth made appearances along the way. In Thunder Bay I
rejoined Five Star Homeless for more late-night antics. It seems all
Saskatchewan bands finish the night with Wrestlemania matches in the
hotel. If you get the chance, ask Garth & Harley to show you their
finishing tag team move, the Death Drop. Just so you know, it
involves a whole lot of belly.
Further into the absolute hinterlands of Northern Ontario, I was
caught by Mr. Steve Teeuwsen of Notebook Magazine fame, who was making
bat-outta-hell time across Canada on his way to the wedding. I put a
stop to that quickly, & we spent a couple nights out in the middle of
nowhere with beers around a campfire.
In Ottawa we were surprised by the arrival of a long-lost friend from
Taiwan, Alexi, who got a call from a mutual friend in California
letting him know I was in his town. He took us on a slightly
misguided pilgrimage to Meech Lake, site of the famously failed Accord
and apparently a longstanding bush party spot as well. Alex expounded
informatively, albeit drunkenly, on the importance of Pierre Eliot
Trudeau, Lester B. Pearson, and yea, even Brian Mulroney to Canadian
history, and topped it off by teaching us a Senegalese song & dance. Go figure.
From Ottawa it was off to Montreal for a night of revelry at the
Kalmunity jam and the reggae night at Maison du Reggae. In between we
did a little drinking in the street while talking philosophy with
Alex' dad. This can actually be done without fear of getting busted
in Montreal, civilized city that it is. Steve Teeuwsen, in a rush of
patriotism, announced that he too could get used to the French & their
curious ways, if it meant living in this beatific city.
From there it was through the beautiful rolling hills of the maritimes
to Hubbards, where we had a week of reuniting with friends from afar
and partying in beachfront paradise. Shalifest, we called it. It
hasn't exactly ended, either, although it was punctuated by a trip to
Berwick last night to play at Union Street Cafe, the same spot where,
three years back, I came up with the guitar part to Long Way to Wander
in their hospitality suite, sitting on the unmade bed that none other
than Mr. Bob Snider had crashed in the night before. It was a real
pleasure to bring that song back to its birthplace after all this
time, and to have Heather hop up on accordion too.
I'm finishing this post from Halifax, where we're decompressing after
the weddingfestravanganza. I'll be playing here tomorrow afternoon
with the groom, Mr. Steve Gates, and his very funny bandmate Zac
Crouse. They play in a great band called Caledonia (http://
www.caledoniatheband.com) as well as doing solo stuff. Steve & I have
been working out some tunes together & I'm really looking forward to
this show. From there it's off to Liverpool for a couple shared dates
with James Murdoch & Nick Perrault, friends from Edmonton, on their
maritime tour. And then it's back through Montreal, and to Ontario
for a good while. Fellow Taiwan veterans Jimi Maze and the Black Lung
Choir are reported to be lurking in those parts, as is Mr. Corin
Raymond. Jams await. Dates to come:
Fri Aug 22 I'm playing the VIP party for a local Canadian Idol
contestant at the Huron House in Collingwood, Ontario. The mayor's
gonna be there & everything.
Sat & Sun Aug 23-24 I'll be at the Sonic Orchard festival on
Kimbercote Farm near Collingwood. Should be loads of fun & good eats
too. http://www.sonicorchard.com
Mon Aug 25 I'll be doing the feature spot before the open mic at
Pepper Jack Cafe, 7:30 pm.
Fri-Sun Aug 28-31 I'll be at the Come Together Festival in Durham, ON
(http://www.cometogethermusicfest.ca). It's gonna be a blast.
From there I'm unbooked until Sept 19th in Lake City, Michigan for
Earthworks Harvest Gathering. I imagine I'll be spending a good chunk
of time on the old Cook family farm in Michigan, but I'm also game for
shows around Ontario between those dates, if you can think of anything
(wink wink, nudge nudge).
Two more bits of news for those intrepid souls who have ventured this
far into my verbage: first off, I just got the welcome news that the
Long Weekends and I have been chosen to showcase at the Western
Canadian Music Awards in Edmonton, Oct 17-19. I couldn't be happier
about that. Scheduling announcements will be made soon.
Lastly, tonight in Vancouver, the Dana Wylie Band will be rocking Cafe
Deux Soleils. If you're around & free, make sure to go check out this
band, they are outstanding. They're on http://www.danawylie.net &
they sound even sweeter live.
Well, it's about time to bring this rambling rant to a close... If
you made it this far, I salute you. Watch out for a new & improved
Hobo Travelogue next issue, with pictures (gasp!) and maybe even more
fancy multi-media stuff.
Someone said to me the other day that they couldn't believe how
quickly the summer had gone by, and I couldn't agree; on the contrary,
I'm having a hard time believing that it's still summer. It has been
an epic one for sure. And though I haven't been making a fat living,
it's a living in any case. My only advice to all of you is to do
exactly what you want, thereby avoiding the would-have-beens.
Much love to you all, be well,
s
July 7, 2008
hey friends,
it's hard to believe, but my time in Edmonton is coming to an end, and
I'll be off on the road again. Town has been wonderful to me this
past month, really wonderful. Lots happening musically and creatively
in general. Lots of good people being introduced to other good
people. Lots of love flowing.
We've been very busy with gigs in and around town, the highlight of
which has to be the North Country Fair. Amply-lit, fungi-tinted
boreal perfection, it was. If you missed it, well, there's always
next year. Our afterparties at O'Byrne's on Wednesday & Thursday were
full of the same sweet vibe--huge thanks to Jill Pollock, Laurelle
Young, Ido Van der Laan, Paul McGowan, Haley Myrol, Samantha King,
Tonona, Bob Cook, and the B Section (along with anyone I may have
forgotten) for contributing their sweet songs to the festivities, and
huge thanks to all the lovely people who made it out to party with us.
Our last party in town for the summer will be happening this coming
Sunday at Riverdale Hall, 4-11pm. We'll be out at the Pembina River
Nights festival in Evansburg on Friday & Saturday (we play Friday
night at 9:30), and heading back to the city on Sunday for an all-day
afterparty featuring the Long Weekends, the Dana Wylie Band, Jesse
Dee, Lynett McKell, and the fabulous B Section. We'll also have
plenty more special guests including Maurice Jones and Mike Sadava, &
perhaps even the very talented and too-long-away Rae Spoon (fingers
crossed). Riverdale Hall has a playground for the kids, a sweet park
and plenty of shady trees, and the river is right close by... a
perfect place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. It's $10 at the door
& we'll have cheap Alleykat beers, wine & vegetarian eats. This will
also serve as a tour kickoff for the Dana Wylie Band... if you
haven't heard them, this is your chance to catch a truly amazing act
before they ship out (www.danawylie.net). I'll also be leaving
shortly after the show, headed to South Country Fair & then all the
way east to Nova Scotia. It's a long trip, especially for a slow-mo
hobo like me... I won't be back until October. Dates booked so far:
Fri-Sun, July 18-20, Ft. McLeod, AB - South Country Fair
Wed, July 23, Saskatoon - Spadina Freehouse
Fri, July 25, Brandon - Lady of the Lake
Tues, July 29, Wabigoon, ON - Pappy's
Wed, July 30, Thunder Bay - The Apollo w/ Five Star Homeless
Thurs, July 31, Rossport, ON - Serendipity Gardens
Mon, Aug 4, Ottawa, Rainbow Bistro, opening for Scribbler
Fri, Aug 15, Berwick, NS - Union Street Cafe
Mon, Aug 18, Liverpool, NS - Mersey House
Fri, Aug 22, Collingwood, ON - The Huron House
Sat-Sun, Aug 23-24, Heathecote, ON - Sonic Orchard festival,
Kimbercote Farm
Mon, Aug 25, Hamilton - Pepper Jack Cafe
Fri-Sun, Sept 19-21, Lake City, MI - Earthworks Harvest Gathering
Fri, Sept 26, Viroqua, WI - Greenman Music Hall
Sat, Sept 27, Duluth, MN - Beaner's Central
As always, all the info's on www.scottcook.net. I'm actually running
a little behind on bookings, as life's been pretty hectic, so if you
do think of any place in between that might be good to play at, or
know someone who might like to share a show along the way, please do
get in touch, it would be a big help.
There are some great shows in and around town before our party:
tonight (Monday July 7), Jesse Dee & Jacquie B will grace the Black
Dog stage, starting at 9pm, no cover. Tuesday night at 8pm Jesse, the
Dana Wylie Band & many more talented folks will be at the Transalta
Arts Barns for Phil Alain's 8 Concert for Peace (www.
8minutesofpeace.com). Wednesday night Carolyn Mark will be at the
Empress, and Thursday night Doug Andrew & the Circus in Flames will be
at the Early Stage Saloon in Stony Plain. Friday night we're playing
Pembina River Nights in Rangeton Park, and Saturday has lots more
musical treats in store there including the Dana Wylie Band, Come On
In My Kitchen, Myrol, Rae Spoon & Mr. Fred Eaglesmith! All the info's
on www.asmallshieldmusic.ca. Hope to see you out there or at our
party Sunday evening before I take off.
Lots of love to you, Edmonton people! Those across Canada, see you
soon! & Taiwan people, thanks for thinking of me at Peacefest, I felt
it. Big love, see you along the way,
Scott
April 29, 2008
Hey friends,
Just a little note to let you know that I'm turning my sails eastward
again & heading back to Turtle Island. The time here on Taiwan
Freemosa has been lovely, and all too short, which makes leaving
bittersweet.
It's been busy for sure... I managed to fit 15 shows into 30 days, in
addition to all the running around & reconnecting that goes with a
return visit to a place you love... The reception has been wonderful,
CDs are selling well, and the trip has almost paid for itself. Wow.
I even found a few crowds with the patience (or was it sobriety?) to
sit & listen to the words of the songs. Double wow.
We had loads of fun down at Spring Scream despite fleeing the stage
mid-song like criminals during the Anglers set... It was great to see
so many smiling, familiar faces at both shows. Over the next couple
weeks I rounded the island by motorbike, hauling the Hobo Hifi, a
guitar and a uke, and relying on couches. Played in Chungli, Donghai,
Taichung, Tainan, Kaohisung, Pingtung, Hualien, and back in Taipei,
for a rocking party at Bliss and an intimate night at Bobwundaye...
Along the way I drove the Southern Cross-Island Highway alone & gaped
at the dizzying views. Alita Rickards wrote a sweet little article
(with a Bon Jovi-inspired title!) about the tour for the Taipei Times.
You can check it
out here.
Last weekend it was out to Fulong by bike to visit some of the old
crew... Had a sweet time out there but the bike didn't make it back.
In fact it barely made it limping back to Fulong after I realized it
wasn't going to get anywhere near Taipei. So I parked Symba by the
Fulong train station, said a sad & uncertain farewell & thanks for all
the rides, & hopped on a train. Got down to Taichung that night for a
couple shows, the second of which was the Anglers only proper gig this
time around, at the new & much-improved 89K. The people of Taichung
rock our world. Thanks so much to everyone who came out, & to the
intrepid few who made the trip from far away (Laura, The Doolittles &
Changhua posse, Tom Leeming, Mark & Georgina, & all the Hsinchu
kids). We played late into the night & the dancers still weren't
ready to leave. Got up groggy the next morning for our bassman
Roger's wedding, early o'clock at the Courthouse. He looked
surprisingly vibrant and coherent considering the circumstances. Big
ol' gongxi gongxis to Anita & Roger. Then it was up the hill to
Boston Paul's Dakeng Refuge for a sunny Sunday afternoon chilling on
the grass and digging Reniculous Lipz. I'm carrying a ball of warmth
around inside me from this weekend. Thank you all.
Particular thanks are also in order to Paul Chen, my old boss, & the
only one I still call "boss", for all his help with everything, the
lovely Anna for her tireless promotion & hat-carrying, Kimmy for
always having a place for us (nevermind a tequila shot), Paddy for all
his help in Taichung, Laura for all her help and encouragement, the
boys in High Tide & Public Radio for their support up here, and
everybody who came out to the shows. Here's to the grapevine! May it
always grow strong!
Tonight, Wed April 30, will be our last show, back at Bliss,
10pm-12:30 or so. Last Wednesday was a great party and I expect more
of the same. I'll be starting things off with a quiet set of special
tunes at 10pm, & the local family will jam to take the night out.
Sure hope you northerners can make it.
I'm off on the plane the next day, back to Vancouver Island and the
west coast for a month, and then across Canada from there. Plans are
already in the works for a return visit to Taiwan next spring...
kinda hard to leave this place, and even harder to stay away. Viva
Freemosa! & keep it free! Much love, talk soon,
Scott
March 31, 2008
good friends,
the road has a funny way of turning when you least expect it.
at the eleventh hour, the Taipei trade office inexplicably decided to
look kindly upon my second visa application. Having already become
comfortable with the idea of sticking around, I twisted in the wind
for a moment before pointing my sails again westward. I'm flying out
late tonight and arriving bright and early Wednesday. I can feel the
humidity's warm embrace already. I can smell the cabbie's betelnut
already. ahh, Freemosa, it's been too long!
A quick stop to jam with the boys (River Wednesday night, methinks) &
then it's off to Spring Scream! I figure I'll dust Symba off and
drive down early Thursday morning. The performance permit for the
band isn't finalized yet but it looks like all our ducks are in a
row. I'll be playing a solo set to promote the new album at 4:50
Friday on the Rock Stage, and then we'll be up with the band on
Saturday at 7:50 on the Grass Stage, right between Militant Hippi &
Red-I. Hard to express just how excited I am about all of that.
I'll be on the island for a month, and I'm hoping to play wherever I
can, with the band or alone, with help from the Hobo Hifi, which just
barely fits into a backpack. So far, not much is booked besides 89K
with the Anglers on April 26th. Please do get in touch soon if you'd
like to bring us to your town.
It's been a storied month on the road, although I haven't been so good
about sending stories your way... All the shows have been sweet so
far, and I've been running into people in the funniest places. A well-
dressed older lady approached me at the show in Kelowna and asked "do
you know this man?" before handing over a picture of Taichung's
ubiquitous bassman Darren Jorde, decked out in a dress. Don't worry
Darren, it wasn't the cops, it was your mom. Loads of fun in
Vancouver, reconnecting with old friends and niceing up Cafe Deux
Soleils with Jess Hill & Ghosts of the Highway. I finished up the
tour with a wonderful show at Solstice Cafe in Victoria Saturday night
with Meg O'Mally, and am now writing you from Granville Street, where
I'm wiling away the time before the flight.
Saturday night's show will actually be hearable online very soon, as
Jeremiah from Bullfrog Music was kind enough to record the show...
it'll be on http://www.bullfrogmusic.com/podcasts.htm soon enough.
Speaking of kind folks, Kindah from Toronto entertainment mag AnE Vibe
just wrote a glowing review of Long Way to Wander:
http://www.anevibe.com/music-reviews/scott-cook-long-way-to-wander.html
I have one more thing to mention for you Edmonton folks, who I miss
loads already: Terry Morrison, one of the best and best-loved
folksingers in our fair city, will be releasing her new record, Riches
& Grace, this coming Sunday. I've had the record for awhile now & I
can tell you it's really beautiful. The party's at the lovely old
Freemasons Hall downtown at 10318 100 Ave. CBC radio will be
recording the event for broadcast on 'Canada Live'. Performing with
Terry will be some of e-town's best, including Mike Lent (bass), Mo
Lefever (guitar), Graham Guest (piano), Bob Tildesley (trumpet), and
Dwayne Hrynkiw (percussion). Terry will be doing a second set
featuring some of her tunes from past and yet to come recordings which
will feature John Gorham on bass, Chris Smith on guitar and Paul
'Duke' Paetz on percussion. Doors are 7pm, music 8pm. Tickets are
$12, available at Blackbyrd Myoozik, Myhres Music or at the door.
Please come out and celebrate with her. There will be a cash bar and
snacks, & children are welcome too.
And for those in Toronto, Trevor Mills is putting on a fundraiser for
the Eaglewood Folk Festival the same night (Sunday the 6th) at Hugh's
Room in Toronto. It's sure to be great. Details (and downloads of
his music, including that great tune about the kid with the comic
book) are on http://www.trevormills.com
Freemosan massive, we'll be seeing you soon! Rock Stage 4:50 Friday,
Grass Stage 7:50 Saturday. Or somewhere around the island, we'll root
you out. Canadian peoples, see you in the summer!
Big love, be well,
Scott
March 21, 2008
Friends,
Visa Denied. Thus came the ill tidings of Tuesday past.
"According to international custom, we don't need to tell you the
reason" was all the response she could muster to my questions. I
couldn't help thinking of Geoff Berner's song "Traveler's Curse":
"I regret now to inform you Who refuse to aid my plight,
Bad luck will come to those who deny The travelers their rights.
All of my pity upon you, All of my pity upon you,
My luck can only get better, Yours is bound to be worse,
Now I see it upon you: The Traveler's Curse.
Who can deny your moral right To prosperity and order?
You fell out of your mother's cunt
On the correct side of the border.
And your cuntfall gives you all of this
And power over me today, But there are forces in this world
That can take all of that away..."
But gradually the bitter feelings subsided and I got around to looking
for the silver lining in this particular dark cloud. On the bright
side, I guess I'll be getting to know the west coast better, which
can't be all that bad.
I'm still going to make another try at re-applying in person in
Vancouver, but I'm not holding my breath. Taiwan may just have to
wait for next year, alas.
Anyway, before you get bored & start scanning, I want to tell you
about some shows coming up here in BC, & then a couple things coming
up in Edmonton. First, the BC shows:
-Saturday, March 22nd at Del Pollo in Aldergrove
-Tuesday, March 25th at Cafe Deux Soleils in Vancouver
-Friday, March 28th at the Dancing Bean in Chemainus
-Saturday, March 29th at Solstice Cafe in Victoria
I really hope you can help me spread word about those, particularly
the Vancouver show. I'll be playing with Shayne Avec I Grec & Jeff
"Shade Tree" Andrew, who are just beginning a cross-Canada hitch-
hiking tour called "Ghosts of the Highway", and local opener Jess
Hill. It's only $5 & it starts at 8pm.
As for you Edmonton folks, there are two KILLER shows coming up that I
really hope you can make it out for:
This Saturday, March 22nd, our guitar player in the Long Weekends,
Jesse Dee, is releasing his debut CD at the Velvet Underground. I've
had the CD for awhile now and I must say it gets a lot of play in my
van. It's really beautiful, a labor of love, and the radio has been
liking it lately too. Two of the Hotplates (aka the shoo-wop girls),
Megan Kemshead & Jacquie Boisvert, will be there to lend their dulcet
harmonies, along with Jesse's star-studded band. Local boys Lovertine
are opening the night & it's gonna be great. Get out & show Jesse
some love!
Next Saturday, March 29th, your presence is requested back at the
Velvet Underground for another CD release, this time by my good
friends & Taiwan compadres Jez & Dana of the Dana Wylie Band. This is
going to be another amazing night. Joining them will be local
musicians Cam Neufeld on fiddle, Mike Sadava on mandolin & Jason Kodie
on accordion. These guys are all top-shelf players. Also flying in
from England for the occasion will be their upright bass player, Nye
Parsons, who's a wizard on the thing, & their friend Matthew Ord, who
just happens to be one of the best guitar players in the world. You
may think I'm exaggerating but I'm not, this guy is insane. Don't
miss this show.
As for me, life's been good. The shows so far have been wonderful &
I'm happy to be back on the move. Our tour kickoff party at the
Empress in Edmonton was a rager--the place was packed all night &
everybody put in killer performances. Shayne Lazarowich, in
particular, was on fire. Thank you, E-town peoples.
I had a rough ride of it at Tippy Agogo's CD release a couple days
later (equipment troubles) but the jam with Tip, Bill Bourne,
Madagascar Slim, John Armstrong, Michelle Josef & Laurelle felt like
sweet redemption... And Tip's record sounds great. From there it was
off to Red Deer for Jesse's hometown CD release, which was sweet, and
on to Twin Butte, where I rocked late into the night with the locals,
taking a break mid-set to stand slack-jawed gazing at the Northern
Lights... Then to Calgary for another show with Shayne at the Bar
Named Sue, which is history after this weekend. It's a crying shame
because it was really one of the most charming venues around, &
probably the only real country bar in that faux-cowboy town. Then on
to Lethbridge, where Jesse hosted me impeccably at the Slice, to
Nanton for a wonderfully intimate show at the Main Street Cafe, and to
Cochrane for my first folk club gig, opening for Come On In My
Kitchen. The next night found me in Canmore sharing a show with my
old school-mate Jon-Rae Fletcher, who is truly an amazing singer,
oozing sincerity and nailing those high lonesome bluegrass harmonies
with conviction. After that I had a couple days off in the Kootenays,
mostly spent by the woodstove in Laura's little cabin on the hillside,
lovely. Then to Penticton for a sweet and intimate show at
Fibonacci's, and to Kelowna last night to play the Minstrel Cafe,
which happens to be the first venue I played after setting out on my
own in the van for the first time back in 2005.
Lots has been learned since then. The most obvious difference is that
money seems to be coming in rather than bleeding out these days, which
is a welcome change, and bodes well for more visits from me to you in
the future. So I guess things are on the up & up, visa troubles
notwithstanding.
In closing I want to say huge thanks to all of you for your support,
and all the kind words that have shored up my belief in the music
through the years. You don't even know how much it means to me.
Hope all's well wherever you are. Be well, much love,
Scott
February 25, 2008
Good people,
After a wonderful winter here in Edmonton, I find myself on the doorstep of the open road once again.
My tour kickoff party will be this Sunday, March 2nd, at the Empress Ale House on Whyte & 99th, where I'll be joined by The Long Weekends, fellow Freemosan Outlaw Shayne Lazarowich from Saskatoon, local ukulele maestro Maurice Jones, funky beatnik Jesse Dee and of course the shoo-wop girls everyone's talking about these days, Jacqueline Boisvert, Megan Kemshead & Lynett McKell. Mark my words, these lovely ladies will not only "doo-wop shoo -wop shoo-waaah", but also "ooo-waa-ooo" and even "scooby dooby, scooby doo-wop shoo-wah" their way into your hearts. Oh yes, even the scooby doo-wop shoo-wah, I kid you not.
The party's free but I suggest you come early so you don't have to stand in line. I'll start things off with a solo set at 8:30pm (really), followed by a few songs each from our special guests, and a solo set from Shayne. Then we'll get back up there with the band & kick it into high gear to take the night out. There's no cover charge, the beer's delicious, the lines are clean, and the servers are charming... what more could you ask for? (besides Monday off, of course.)
Also around town this week: tonight (Monday) at the Empress, the Wheat Pool, James Murdoch & more are playing a fundraiser to buy new jerseys for the GPHL team's run at the Exclaim Cup in Toronto. It's free, donations in the helmet. Oh yeah, and it's Brent Oliver's 33rd birthday.
This Tuesday night at the Druid, I'll play a 40-min set as the featured guest before Chris Wynters' open stage, around 9pm. Some lucky punter will walk away with 20 free pints.
Thursday night I'll be playing a solo set at King's College with local songwriter Ken Stead, and Simon Hoskyn from Vancouver, both very talented guys. All the details for those or any shows are on www.scottcook.net.
Then Sunday night's our big party at the Empress. I know I already told you; this is a reminder :)
The day after our party, Monday March 3rd, I hope all of you Albertans will find the time to vote.
My last show before I leave will be Wednesday, March 5th, for Tippy Agogo's CD release at New City. Bill Bourne, Madagascar Slim, John Armstrong, Michelle Josef, and Tim Folkmann are also on the bill. You can be assured some wonderful and unfamiliar sonic territory will be charted. It's $12 at the door and it starts around 8:30pm. My Hobo Hifi & I will be opening the night with a special solo set around 9.
The next day, Shayne & I are off on the road for a few shows in Alberta:
Thu Mar 6 - Red Deer - The Vat (Shayne & Jesse Dee)
Fri Mar 7 - Red Deer - Redstone Grill
Sat Mar 8 - Twin Butte General Store
Mon Mar 10 - Calgary - A Bar Named Sue
Then Shayne's headed back to Saskatchewan & I'm carrying on:
Thu Mar 13 - Lethbridge - The Slice
Fri Mar 14 - Nanton - Main Street Cafe
Sat Mar 15 - Cochrane - Cochrane Valley Folk Club, w/ Come On In My Kitchen
Sun Mar 16 - Canmore - The Communitea, with Jon-Rae Fletcher
Wed Mar 19 - Penticton - Fibonacci Cafe
Thu Mar 20 - Kelowna - Minstrel Cafe
Fri Mar 21 - (a glaring opening that I'd love to fill)
Sat Mar 22 - Aldergrove - Del Pollo
Tues Mar 25 - Vancouver - Cafe Deux Soleils w/ Ghosts of the Highway & Jess Hill
Fri Mar 28 - Chemainus - The Dancing Bean
Sat Mar 29 - Victoria - Solstice Cafe, supporting acts TBA
If you live or have friends in any of these towns, I would really appreciate your help with spreading the word. And of course requests to your local radio station are always appreciated.
At the end of March I'll hopefully be on the wing, headed to Taiwan. There are just the small matters of a plane ticket & a visa to sort out first. I'm planning to spend two months there & be back in Vancouver by the beginning of June. Our next Edmonton-area shows will be June 14th at the Black Dog, June 20-22 at the North Country Fair, and June 25 & 26 at O'Byrne's, then I'll be leaving in July for the east coast.
Although I must admit to a little cabin fever over the past few months, it really has been a wonderful winter here in town, with only a half-assed freeze, and plenty of human warmth to make up for it. This city is positively bursting with music right now, as a trip by any of the great open stages around town (i.e. Little Flower, Hulbert's, Newcastle, O'Byrne's, the Druid, the Rose Bowl, etc.) will make abundantly clear. Friday's masquerade ball at Don's was historic--it's not often you get to see that level of talent in somebody's house. What's particularly nice for me is that I only got to know many of these people this year, and we've become fast friends and collaborateurs. Truly, these are great days, and I'm hugely grateful.
There are two more things coming up in Edmonton that I'm going to miss, but want to tell you local folks about in hopes that you'll be able to attend:
Jesse Dee will be releasing his debut CD March 22 at Velvet Underground. The disc sounds brilliant and this is sure to be an amazing show with his band and many more musical friends. If you haven't caught Jesse yet, take my word for it, he's the real deal. Funky, innovative, and oodles of talent.
http://www.myspace.com/jessedeethree
The next Saturday, March 29, my good friends in the Dana Wylie Band will be releasing their newest CD, also at the Velvet Underground, with all-star help from local musical giants Cam Neufeld on fiddle, Mike Sadava on mandolin and Jason Kodie on accordion, as well as their friends all the way from England, standup bass wiz Nye Parsons, and one of the finest guitarists in England or the world (seriously), Matthew Ord. If you like roots music, DO NOT miss this show. Really, it's gonna be amazing.
http://www.myspace.com/danawylieband
Hope you can mark both of those on your calendar.
The last thing I'd like to share (for those still reading, I love you) is a picture I received by email recently. It may be good for a laugh for those of you who've given a good listen to track 10, the title track on Long Way to Wander. Raoul took it on our way to the bus station, right around the time I shot the picture that graces the cover of the album. Not only does it feature a very scruffy Raoul & me, but also several other things mentioned in the song: his handlebar moustache, the canopy of that little cage-like, sidecar-like contraption we were riding in, and the guitar I'd picked up in Chiang Mai, complete with the plastic Nike swoosh. Just so you know that every word on that record is true, here's
proof.
Alright, that brings this rambling rant to a close. Edmonton people, thank you so much for the warm welcome through the winter. Hope to see you this Sunday for my party before I ship out. People elsewhere, hope to see you along the way. All the best to you in all you do. Peace, big love,
Scott
(780) 695-3474
http://www.scottcook.net
January 31, 2008
Hey good people,
I've been slaving over a hot computer altogether too much over the
past month or two, but all the work is starting to pay off, I guess.
Strangers are even calling me out of the blue, which I suppose must be
a good sign. As an apparent consequence of all that desk-work, I have
way too much news this month, & I sincerely hope I don't bore you with
it. The first bunch of news is for Alberta folks. Taiwan peoples can
scroll down until they see the name of their little island. Elsewhere
peoples can scroll on past that. I'll try to make it shorter next
month.
ALBERTA NEWS:
For those in Alberta, plenty of shows coming up in February:
-This Friday & Saturday, February 1 & 2, I'll be filling in for a last-
minute cancellation at the Early Stage Saloon in Stony Plain. It's a
great spot, with an appreciative audience, & I'm really looking
forward to it. Moses Gregg will be joining me on the bass for
Saturday's show. No cover, music 8-12.
-Next Thursday, February 7th, the inimitable Mr. C. R. Avery will
grace the stage at the Rose Bowl on Jasper and 117th, and I hope, for
your sake, that you don't miss it. He's a slam poet, keytar player, &
general wierdo who can beatbox through a harmonica like no one else.
He's on http://www.myspace.com/cravery
-Friday, Feb 8 I'm at Fresh Start Bakery in Riverbend. It's mellow, &
free; come on down.
-Sunday, Feb 10, Souljah Fyah will drop their new CD, Truth Will
Reveal, at On the Rocks in Edmonton, & your ever-lovin' Long Weekends
are honored to be opening the show for them! The Calgary release
party will be the night before, with openers Five Star Affair. I
can't say enough good things about this band, really. If you love
reggae music, don't miss it. Now here comes the *important* part: it
costs $5 at the door, but you can get in for free if you bring an
invite from me, or add your name to our guest list. In fact, that's
the only way we Long Weekends are going to get paid at all, so please,
if you're going, drop me an email & I'll put your name on our guest
list. We have unlimited room on the list, so it's fine if you want to
sign up friends, and even if you don't make it after all. If you
think you'll go, email me at grooverevi...@gmail.com & I'll put you on
the list. Then you just tell them that you're on our list at the
door. You get in free & we get paid. Win-win, right? Otherwise, you
pay the club $5 at the door, and we don't get none of it.
-Saturday, Feb 16, I'll be playing in the garage(!) at a very small
family-and-friends film festival in Armena, Alberta. It isn't far
from town & it's open to the public. Details are on my site.
-Friday, Feb 22 we're gonna have a crrrazy bush party at Don's place
featuring The Red Deers, Boot Pony, & yours truly. Details coming soon
on my page.
-Tuesday, Feb 26, I'll be the featured guest before Chris Wynters'
open stage at the Druid, which is always a good time.
-Thursday, Feb 28, I'll be playing at King's College with Ken Stead &
Simon Hoskyn. Show starts at 7pm & there's a $5 cover.
At the end of the month, my good friend and fellow Freemosan Outlaw
Shayne Lazarowich is coming out here from Saskatoon. This guy is a
huge talent & I hope you all get a chance to see him. Our tour
kickoff party is Sunday, March 2nd at the Empress Ale House, & it's
gonna be historic.
I'll be sticking around a couple more days, to open for Tippy Agogo's
CD release on March 5, & then Shayne & I will be off for a few shows
in southern Alberta. After that, I'm headed west to the coast, & from
there (hopefully) to Taiwan for a couple months. If you think you can
be of any help with booking or suggesting performance opportunities
anywhere along the way, please have a look at my schedule so far & let
me know what you're thinking.
TAIWAN NEWS:
For those on Taiwan, I want to let you know that my good buddy Shamik,
beatboxer extraordinaire & all-around wonderful human being, will be
landing in Taiwan mid-February, & will be rocking Beth's party at The
Zoo in Taichung on Feb 16th. Check him out on http://www.myspace.com/teamshamik
or just take my word for it that he is the bomb.
Oh yeah, & my CDs are available at Mojo Coffee in aichung, the River
in Jungli, & Bobwundaye in Taipei. Email me if you need directions to
any of those places.
I'm planning a trip for April-May, but the cash factor is still
looking problematic. If anybody happens to have an extra $500 or so
laying around, please do send it my way, I could really use it. More
likely, if you know of someplace I should play while I'm in Taiwan,
please do let me know.
NEWS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY:
Things have gone really well for the CD, which even hung around the
national college & community radio charts for over a month... It's
dropped off now but your requests are always appreciated, particularly
when I'm coming to your town. Some nice things that have happened
lately include:
I was honored to have a song included in a little video that Bill
Bourne, Aysha Wills, Tippy Agogo & John Armstrong made for their
Vaudeville New Years party at the Roxy Theatre in Edmonton. If you're
curious, you can check it out here.
Ron Wilson had me in to CBC to take the "Edpod Challenge", where I
implore local listeners to find room on their mp3 player for one of my
songs. That can be heard here.
And lastly, although I thought I was much too late in the year to make
any 'best of' lists, Long Way to Wander did manage to sneak into Fish
Griwkowsky's Best of '07 list, which made me feel all warm & kinda
fuzzy inside... have a look
here for more info.
I also want to put in a little plug for two US presidential candidates
who have been largely ignored by the mainstream media but have plenty
of grassroots support... Despite their huge differences on domestic
politics, they are good friends, and seem to me to be the only
candidates championing the cause of peace & speaking the truth on TV.
Which I guess is the reason they try to keep them off TV as much as
possible. The two politicians I'm thinking of are Dennis Kucinich (my
personal fave, a Democrat) & Ron Paul (a Republican). Look them up on
Youtube & see what I mean.
If you find yourself getting into the hang of watching movies on your
computer, don't spend all your time plumbing the depths of inanity on
Youtube. I've come across a site that has lots of great documentaries
for free in streaming video: http://www.freedocumentaries.org
And because politics is terribly depressing, a little something to
bring joy to your life: Claire Jenkins, who I met out at the Eaglewood
festival last summer, has put up a wonderful little video from the
recording sessions for her newest album, Nid De Pie (crow's nest).
They recorded all the songs live off the floor, in order, in a single
day. It is truly magical. Check it out
here.
At last I'll bring this rambling rant to a close with a huge thanks to
all of you, for your continued support, and for being the inspiring
people that you are.
Don't forget, Etown reggae heads get fed Sunday February 10th! Email me
your full name & you're in, easy as that.
Here's wishing you all the best in this untramelled new year. Be
well, big love,
Scott
January 2, 2008
Good people,
Welcome to 2008. I hope it brings you the highest & best. Ask for it, exactly it, & you just might get it.
I'm just glad to be here for another trip around the sun. Enjoy!
love, always,
s
December 25, 2007
Hey friends,
Here's wishing you all a happy belated Solstice and a Merry Christmas,
wherever you are. Huge thanks for all your support, especially to those who've requested
my songs on whatever station they listen to. Long Way to Wander has
just entered !earshot's national
folk charts, which is really amazing to me.
Every request helps, thanks.
I just got back from a wonderful trip out to the SK, complete with
lots of late-night jams with my Taiwan compadres Shayne Lazarowich &
the Dana Wylie Band. They rule.
A few shows coming up in Alberta this week:
-Wed Jan 26 (that's tomorrow) I'll be guest hosting Little Flower Open
Stage, 8-12. $2 cover, $2.50 beers.
-Thurs Jan 27 I'll be jamming with the inimitable Tippy Agogo & Maigan
van Giessen from Eshod Ibn Wyza at Wunderbar. $5 cover.
-Sat Jan 29 at Gitter's Pub in High River. Yeehaw! No cover.
-Sun Jan 30 at the Hose & Hound in Calgary, with surprise special
guests. No cover for this one either. Hope to see all you Cowtowners
out in force.
As always, all the info for those shows is on www.scottcook.net.
I'm in the process of booking a tour out to the coast in March. Stay
tuned for details on that. Bring on 2008! Much love,
Scott
December 11, 2007
Good friends,
Thank you so much to all you wonderful people that made it out to the
party on Saturday. I'm still riding high from the wonderful feeling.
For those who weren't there, it was a full house, over 200 people, and
all the performers did a stellar job. We videotaped some of it so
hopefully I'll be posting something from that soon. The main thing,
anyway, is thanks. It was a beautiful gathering thanks to all of
you. I hope you all got to know each other a bit better.
As much as I'd like to lay back on my laurels for now, it's time to
redouble my efforts at getting this record out to the world. The CD's
been getting airplay on CBC, CKUA, and CJSR, and should be playing on
CJSW shortly. It's also in the hands of Magic 99 here in Edmonton.
If you'd like to help out, you can! Call up the station you tune in
to & request it. Tell them if you were at the CD release on
Saturday. They want to hear from people in town about the music
they're excited about.
Amazingly enough, I looked at the Earshot charts today & saw that
the record's charting on CJSR! It's in the #6 spot on their Folk/
Roots/Blues chart. A first for me, that actually has me feeling a
little giddy. Let's push it on up there!
For those around town, there are a few things coming up well worth
checking out:
Tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 12, Little Flower Open Stage will be hosting
their annual Christmas Party at Fiddler's Roost. It's sure to be a
lovely evening with lots of talent coming out of the woodwork. It
runs 8-12, it's only $2 cover and beer is $2.50 as usual.
Thursday, Dec 13, Travis Boa returns to host Mellow Gold at Leva
Cappuccino Bar, 11053 86 Ave, 8-11 pm, no cover.
Friday, Dec 14, the amazing David Ross MacDonald from Australia plays
his fingerstyle compositions at Hulbert's, 7601-115 Street. It starts
at 8pm and it's $7 at the door.
Also Friday Dec 14, Backporch Swing is playing the Carrot, at 9351-118
ave. It starts at 8pm and it's $5 cover. They'll also be at the
Early Stage Saloon in St. Albert on the 22nd.
The Wheat Pool returns to O'Byrne's on Monday the 17th, and that same
night, John Guliak will be playing his final farewell show at the
Empress, Sue's new bar on Whyte and 99th. I'm gonna try to make both
these shows because they're both great bands.
Shortly thereafter, I'm off to the S.K. for four shows: the Freehouse
on the 19th, Lyd's on the 20th, Biggar Majestic Theatre on the 21st &
Borden Hotel on the 22nd. Then back home for Christmas, & hosting
Little Flower on Boxing Day. Then down south for a show in High River
Dec 29th, and at a new venue, the Hose & Hound in Calgary, on Dec
30th. All the details are on my news page.
It'll be nice to get back on the road.
Much love to you all, and again, huge gratitude for the heartwarming
reception on Saturday night. Peace,
Scott
December 5, 2007
Friends,
I think all my ducks are finally in a row. Long Way to Wander is now available online, through
Bullfrog Music
in Canada or CD Baby in the States. CD Baby's temporarily sold
out but more CDs are en route to them; if you type in your email address they'll notify you when it comes in.
It's also available
on iTunes if
you're into that. They make great
Christmas/Solstice/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus presents too. If you'd like
to buy in bulk, you can order them directly from me for a lot less money.
4 for $40 or 8 for $70, & I'll pay the postage too.
Send a check or money order to Scott Cook, 3 Meredian Road, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada
T8A 0N5.
For those on Taiwan, the CD will be available at a few out-of-the-way places that don't get visited
enough: Bobwundaye
in Taipei, Mojo Coffee
in Taichung (230 Da Yeh Road), and the River in Jungli (18 Da Tong Road). Only
300 bones, my friends, because I love you. You can also get copies from my roving distributor
Calvin aka MC Insatiable, just give him a call, 0916214401. If you need help finding any of those
places, feel free to send me an email and ask.
For those of you in Edmonton, don't go ordering one, just come on down to the Fiddler's Roost on
Saturday and get one there, it'll be cheaper. Only $10 in fact, because I love all of you too.
Reviews are starting to come in, and they've been very positive so far.
Fish Griwkowsky, whose writing I've long admired but who I only met this past weekend, just wrote a
nice review in Saturday's Edmonton Sun, which you can read
here.
And Francois Marchand wrote a great article in the Edmonton Journal's Ed Magazine, including
a podcast with a couple songs on it, which you can check out
here.
Also watch for Eden Munro's interview with me in this week's Vue Weekly,
which comes out in print tomorrow and on the web shortly thereafter.
My CD is in the hands of CJSR, CBC and CKUA already, so feel free to call those stations
any time and request it, I'd really appreciate it.
I did an interview on Monday with Kristina on CJSR (thanks Kristina!), and will be doing another with Jay
Hannley on Friday at 1pm, 88.5 on your FM dial. The wheels are turning.
The party's looking to be a stomper. I want to remind everybody that the music really does start at 8pm,
and it's going to go by quickly because each performer's only singing 3 songs. These are truly some of
Edmonton's best performers, not to be missed. You know I never steer you wrong. Fellow Angler Tyler Dakin
and I will be taking the first set at 8pm. Doors will open at 7 so there's some time to get settled in,
have some eats and drinks, and talk a bit before the show starts. I'll get back up with the Long Weekends
(Ty, Ian Stults and Moses Gregg, with help from our I-Threes Jacqueline Boisvert, Megan Kemshead and Laurelle Young)
around 10:30 or so. Backporch Swing is up after us to take the night out with an old-time dance party.
Oh, & for those who asked, Bernie said yes, kids ARE allowed at this event, as long as they're hanging
with their folks & under control. I think he may need to extend the same proviso to cover some of the
adults there too, ya rowdy bunch.
I've recently added shows around Saskatchewan and Alberta toward the end of December. Have a look
at the gig calendar on my main page for those.
Well, that's all the news that is news for now. Hope to see all in the neighborhood at the party on
Saturday. Bring your smiles and your dancing shoes. Peace,
s
November 16, 2007
Friends,
I'm finally letting it go. And like an anxious mother putting her kids
on the school bus for the first time, I must admit to a little
apprehension. But it's outweighed by an overwhelming feeling of relief
at getting it off my hands, and into yours.
It's been a long journey over roads & oceans from writing these songs
(the oldest comes from way back in 2000) to finally releasing them to
the world. Along the way, the greatest encouragement I've found has
been in the various musical & creative communities I've encountered
along the way, and the power that songs can have in our lives. My
friends have written songs that have broken my heart, & remade it. So
it's in that spirit that I've invited many of them to sing a few tunes
each, open stage style--John Gorham & Terry Morrison, Patsy Amico &
Brian Gregg, Jesse Dee, Travis Boa of the Red Deers, Trevor Tchir,
local ukulele maestro Maurice Jones, Sall Gibson, and more to come.
Around 10:30, my band the Long Weekends & I will take the stage to
play my own tunes, including a couple new ones. I'm also going to play
a few by songwriters I know who have been great inspirations to me,
but just live too far away, including Steve Gates, Rae Spoon, & Corin
Raymond, a lyric of whose inspired the name of the party.
(As an aside, if you haven't already heard Corin, the man knows how to
turn a phrase. Check him out.)
After our set one of my favorite bands in town, Backporch Swing, will
take the night out with an old-time dance party.
The venue, Fiddler's Roost, couldn't be more right. A spacious room
with old-fashioned decor, comfy booths & a dance floor, it once housed
the City Media Club & now houses the Little Flower Open Stage on
Wednesdays. Incidentally, it was also the venue for the Anglers' CD
release back in 2003, & wasn't that a party? There will be free
vegetarian eats and $2.50 beer and mixed drinks to help with the
mingling.
Please help out by forwarding this message to your friends, & posting
it wherever possible. Even if you can't make it, I'm sure you know
some people in Edmonton. Your support is invaluable.
To rehash what's already a rambling rant: come on out, hear some great
music, get to know some new friends, & dance the night away. I'd love
to see you all. Oh yeah, & please remember to bring an extra $10 for a
copy of the CD. It's only cheap because I want every one of you to
have one. Many of the guest performers also have CDs available, so you
might want to bring some extra dough along.
Taiwan people, I'm arranging distribution there as we speak. I'll keep
you posted.
much love,
s
October 18, 2007
Hey good people,
I hope this finds you all flourishing.
I'm currently in hiding in my suburban prairie fortress, working day
in & day out at getting my album out, avoiding human contact and all
the needless laughter and good times that go with it. That and
jealously guarding my candy stash from the hordes of painted munchkins
scouring the neighborhood. Nevertheless, I will be venturing out for
two gigs in the near future:
This Friday, Nov 2nd, I'll be emceeing, performing & running sound
(ooh la la!) at the Global Visions Film Festival's kickoff party at
Naked Cyber Cafe, 10354 Jasper Ave. The show runs 11pm-1am & I'll be
jamming with the Hobo Hifi at midnight. Should be fun.
Next Saturday, Nov 10th, I'll be playing 3 sets, 6-9pm, at Fresh Start
Bakery, 484 Riverbend Square. It's a nice spot, with fine food,
imported beers, and good fresh bread for sale. I will be digging deep
in the songbook & it would be lovely to see any of you there.
I also want to let you Edmonton folks know about a couple other shows
coming up:
this Saturday, Nov 3rd, Geoff Berner & Kris Demeanor will be at
McDougall United, 8-10pm. If you haven't seen these guys yet, go
check them out. You will not be disappointed, especially if you
appreciate deadpan witty banter.
This Sunday, Nov 4th Homefest is on at the Arts Barns, 2-7pm. A load
of great performers local & otherwise are playing to raise funds for
housing for the homeless as the weather cools down in town. www.homefest.ca
& even more importantly, because you're less likely to have heard of
it, next Friday, Nov 9th, the Dana Wylie Band will be playing at 7
street lofts. I had the opportunity to see the Red Deers there a
couple weeks back and it is truly a perfect place to watch a show...
A beautiful downtown loft apartment with a high ceiling and a great
view, a big balcony for chilling on, a nice sound system, and a
wonderful group of people in attendance. Everyone's quiet during the
show so you can actually hear the words. Stephen & Zoe are very
gracious hosts, and they even fix up a tasty spread. I really can't
say enough good things about this place. As for the band, Dana & her
boyfriend Jez are good friends of mine from Taiwan who play roots
music with folk and jazz influences, on a variety of instruments. On
this trip, they'll have their standup bass player from the UK along as
well. They're finishing up a western tour & returning to Saskatchewan
to cut a new album. Come on out & show them some love while they're
in town!
Dana writes very intricate, brilliant songs, and the band is great.
You can hear a sample on their myspace,
& you can see the loft on their myspace.
If you want to come, you need to write to Stephen & reserve a place,
because it can fill up quickly (it is, after all, only their living
room)... His email is loftconcert at gmail. The show costs
$15 & I assure you it's well worth it. Oh yeah, & bring along some
wine too.
While we're on the subject of things to check out online, there are a
few more things I wanted to pass on to you...
First, I finally put up my photos from North Country Fair. Never
having been one to run around cheekily snapping photos, I finally
decided to change my ways this year for the sake of all those good
people in Taiwan who wished they could be at the Fair. I was going to
put them into a page on my website, but the sheer idiot-proof ease of
adding photos to Facebook convinced me otherwise. Maybe later. For
now, they're on Facebook, & you can see them without joining, just
click here.
I also put up a bunch of new pictures from the rest of my ramblings
this summer, that you can see here.
There's one last thing I'd like to share with you... One of the
groups that really blew me away at North Country this year (but for
some reason escaped my camera lens) was Tons of Fun University (TOFU
for acronym lovers) out of Vancouver: CR Avery, Shane Koyczan and Mike
McGee. Each one's a powerhouse poet & performer in his own right, and
together they are dynamite. Here's a video of Shane from a few years
back at the Vancouver Poetry Festival. I love this poem.
That's all for now, friends. I will be announcing the date for the CD
release as soon as it's set. Much love to those on Ihla Freemosa, &
elsewhere. Peace,
Scott
September 18, 2007
hey good people,
Well, it's been a storied couple of months on the road, all the way to
Montreal & back, and I was amply glad to pull back into good old
E-ville again last night. It looks like I'll be hanging around here
for awhile, too. I look forward to slow walks in the crisp air,
yellow leaves crunching underfoot. & to hanging out with all the good
friends I haven't seen in ages.
Three shows this week:
-tonight, Tuesday Sept 18th, before Chris Wynters' open stage at the
Druid. It starts around 9pm & there's no cover. As a special treat,
the inimitable Mr. Tyler Dakin will be joining me on leads, & playing
some of his own tunes. Come say hi to the guy, he's been so long
away.
-tomorrow, Wednesday the 19th, I'll be swapping songs with Chris
Wynters at O'Byrne's on Whyte, 10-midnight.
-and on Friday some special guests & I will be at Leva Cappuccino Bar,
near the University, for an EARLY show, from 7:30-10pm.
There's no cover for any of those shows, so even you pobrecitos can
come. All the details are on my home page.
I haven't been keeping up with my travelogue these past couple months,
as the demands of driving and gigging (not to mention plentiful
socializing & raising of glasses) have kept me off the computer. I'm
in the process of catching up on things, though. Pictures & stories
from this summer are coming soon, I promise. There's just so much to
tell.
I'm in the process of lining up a CD release for sometime in the next
month or so, & will let you know when I have a date for that. I'm not
going to spill any beans but I will say that it's going to be
something really special. In the meantime, for those of you on this
list, my CDs will be surreptitiously available to you in person, just
cause I can't say no to you. But please, keep it on the down-low,
alright?
& for those far away, it'll be available worldwide very soon. In the
meantime, I've put up an mp3 of
'fish jumpin'
for you, absolutely free. Just right-click to download & save.
Hope you enjoy. Many thanks for your support and interest in the
ramblings of this rover, it keeps me going. Big love to you all, talk
soon,
Scott
July 20, 2007
hey good friends,
Hope this finds you flourishing.
After a pleasant month of hanging around town, busking for change, playing open stages, wiling
away sunny evenings on the Black Dog's rooftop, and sweating over bookings in the mornings, the time
has finally come to hit the road. Just a little trip, mind you, but on the road nonetheless.
Tonight (Friday), for those of you in e-ville, & particularly those Freemosan expats among you,
there will be something of a reunion... The lovely and talented Dana Wylie & her beau, the mythical
Jez Hellard, onetime King of Taipei city (you know, before they had a mayor), and erstwhile guitar-slinger
for now-defunct Taipei bluegrass revue Ass9, will be returning to Edmonton for a show at the Fresh Start
Bakery, 484 Riverbend Square. The show starts at 6:30pm and it's free. I may even be able to give you a
lift. After the show we'll likely be found carousing on the Southside. Gimme a ring if you wanna hang out.
Tomorrow, I'm off to the Little Flower Open Stage's second annual "micro-festival", called Flower Fest,
out by Seba Beach. It's only an hour west of town & tickets are only $25 for the weekend or $10 for a day.
There are scheduled performances and also plenty of time for open stage. So if you're coming, get your three
songs ready. First up on Saturday is the CONCERT AT THE END OF THE WORLD, or rather, at the end of a
fifteen-minute hike in the woods, sometime around noon. Brian's low-key promo says it all: "In the event
of rain, we will hold a tarp over the performers." I'll be playing 10pm Saturday night, backed by a fabulous
scratch band, the first incarnation of the Long Weekends, consisting of Pascal on drums, Brian Gregg on guitar,
and Scot Morgan on the bass. It's gonna be a howling good time. Info's on littleflower.ca.
From Flower Fest I'm headed to the mountains. Looking forward to breathing the crisp air. I'll be
playing the Downstream in Jasper Monday night and the Communitea in Canmore Thursday night. Probably hit
the open stage at Zona's in Canmore on Wednesday night too.
Then up through Nordegg to the Sasquatch Festival, July 27-29 (that's ALREADY next weekend!) in Easyford,
near Drayton Valley. This fest is gonna be amazing. It will likely sell out so if you're coming, get your
tickets now (a bargain at $40). It'll be my fourth time playing this humble festival, and take my word for
it, it's wonderful. Thoroughly unpretentious, friendly, and fun, with three or four hundred of your closest
friends. They even have a big potluck on Saturday. I'll be the singin' emcee Friday night. All the info's
on brassmonkeyproductions.com.
After that it's back to the city for a couple days, and a "soft release" for my CD, at a time & location
to be announced. Finally! Just as it was beginning to look like a Sisyphean task, the CD is going to press
at long last. If all goes well it should be in my hands (& yours) by Sasquatch. I'll let you know when I
set up the release party. After that, a couple days around town & I'll be off on the road again, going farther
this time. Here's the schedule in good ol' point form. As you'll notice, there are still lotsa gaping holes
in it, which I'd appreciate any help with filling.
21 Jul Seba Beach Flower Fest
23 Jul Jasper Downstream Bar
26 Jul Canmore Communitea
27 Jul Easyford Sasquatch Gathering
31 Jul Edmonton Long Way to Wander "soft release", TBA
2 Aug Calgary A Bar Named Sue
4 Aug High River Gitter's Pub
5 Aug Creston, BC The Snoring Sasquatch
6-12 Aug Salmo, BC Shambles! not playin, just workin & hanging out...
14 Aug Saskatoon, SK Spadina Freehouse, w/ fellow Outlaw Shayne Lazarowich
17 Aug Aylmer, ON Fred Eaglesmith's Charity Picnic, w/ the Long Weekends
23 Aug Guelph, ON Jimmy Jazz w/ Jimi Maze aka Mr. James Lanbro!
........ Ontario, Montreal, Michigan, back across the prairies.... any help with bookings would be wonderful.
18 Sep Edmonton The Druid
19 Sep Edmonton O'Byrnes (w/ Chris Wynters)
21 Sep Edmonton Leva Cappuccino Bar
... and after that I'll be off to BC for a month or so. It's VERY good to be getting back on the road.
Those of you around town that I haven't called, please forgive me. I lost everybody's numbers & I've
just been running into people when I do. If I haven't run into you, you must just not be coming out enough.
Heck, I run into Irish Mick nearly every day! Seriously, though, please do call if you wanna hang out either
tonight or in a week & a half, when I'm back in town for a few days.
To those swimming through the Taiwan summer, you are missed. Much love from this side of the big marble.
Be kind to each other, & your crazy selves,
Scott
780 695-3474
http://www.scottcook.net
April 12, 2007
hey friends,
I hope this finds you well. It's been a long time since you heard from me last, and it isn't for lack of news, just for lack of time to tell you about it. I have been getting steadily busier, against my efforts & better judgement, & I sincerely apologize if you have written & I haven't responded. Write again, please, & I'll try to get back to you more promptly. The record is well underway (tho taking longer than expected to nail down at the end) and I have one track, "my grandma" up on the website for your listening pleasure. The whole album will likely be out here by mid-May, and in Canada come June.
For those on the good isle of Taiwan, recently rechristened 'Freemosa', there is a lot of music coming up. We just had Spring Scream last weekend, & it was perhaps the best one so far. This year they moved to Shiaokenting, a sprawling resort with plenty of cabins including one known as 'Radio 3038' or 'Stage Roger', that was rocking all weekend long, night & day, with international musical mayhem. The quality of the acts was higher this year & there were more bands from out of country as well. As usual very little sleeping went on.
This weekend begins our FREEMOSAN OUTLAWS HIGH N' LONESOME COWPOKE ROADSHOW, which is supposed to be a CD release but lacks a CD so far... Kinda reminds me of the last time we "released" a record. Some of the finest singer-songwriters on this rock have agreed to play: Ty, Shayne Lazarowich, Faye Blais, Mister Green, & Pat Reid & Nick Fothergill of the Black Lung Choir. We will be hitting nearly everywhere that's anywhere:
Fri April 13 - the Calgary, Chiayi
Sat April 14 - the Grooveyard, Taichung
Fri April 27 - the River, Jungli
Sat April 28 - Cocomo Pub, Hualien
Sun April 29 - Ilan?
Fri May 4 - The Black Dog, Kaohsiung
Sat May 5 - Hud La Voos, Tainan
Sun May 6 - May Jam, An Ping, Tainan (Anglers & Outlaws to be confirmed)
Sun May 6 - the Armory, Tainan
Sat May 12 - tba, Taipei
Sun May 13 - tba, Taipei
The weekend after that, May 19th, we Anglers, Militant Hippi, Faye & the Slacks, & loads more will be up in the mountains of Miaoli County at Yariv & Janet's place, Moonshine Hill, for an all-day benefit party to help out Jess & Dan's school & free clinic for street kids in Varanasi. Geoff, who had a big hand in setting this up, has recently been to visit the school & assures us both that they are doing great work and that they really need the money. Come on out & support a good cause.
Jess & Dan's school will also likely be on the charity list for the Peacefest this year, which will be happening June 1st to 3rd at the same sweet spot in the Longtan mountains... Lots of bands have applied already and it looks like we'll have to make some tough decisions this year. Surely the music
& vibes will be sublime as always. Circle up!
Shortly afterwards I will be getting on a plane bound for Canada. It's been a year & a half already this time around & I sure do miss it. So far I'm booked at two of my favorite festivals anywhere, the North Country Fair & the Sasquatch Gathering, as a singin' emcee for both. I'm in the process of lining up more dates these days, & I may just make it all the way out east again this time around, we'll see.
Well, gotta get some sleep, so I'm signing off. Wishing you all the best, & look forward to seeing you along
the way. Peace,
Scott
September 28, 2006
hey friends,
I sure don’t annoy you with a lot of mail, do I?
First off, for those here on jungly Naruwan, some Anglers gigs coming up… This Saturday, September 30th, we’re playing Daniel Pearl Day at Treasure Hill. This is a worldwide day of music in honor of reporter Daniel Pearl, who was taken hostage & killed in Pakistan in 2002. If you haven’t been to Treasure Hill yet, this is a good opportunity to check it out—a very cool, quiet little spot, originally squatted by vets from Chiang’s army, that’s about to be demolished in the name of old Progress. Loads of other bands are making the trip as well. Things kick off at 2pm and we’re on stage at 4. Tunes go all evening & it’s absolutely free.
The next day, Sunday October 1st, we’ll be playing by the pond in downtown Longtan, 6pm-8. This is a well-loved old spot for those of us who’ve lived in Longtan, and it will be our pleasure to grace it with music for a couple hours. Oh yeah, & there’ll be a wee Peacefest meeting afterwards, somewhere conveniently pondside.
The following weekend is a 3-day weekend for some and a 5-day weekend for others, which makes it a fortuitous occasion for a rock festival. The “Wild Scream” fest is happening all weekend, Oct 6th-10th, in Bei Bin & Nan Bin parks in Hualien. The fest starts around 5 each day so you have plenty of time to hit the beach while the sun shines. Loads of good bands are gonna be there. We’re on stage 3, Sunday at 9pm, followed by the Sound Clashes at 10.
The next Saturday, Oct 14th, will find us back in Taipei at Bliss for the launch party for Pressed Volume 5. This is a magazine of expat writing and art that’s been going for a while now... The party will be bumping with lots of well-educated, good-looking folks, and you get a free copy of the book with 200 bones cover. Also appearing are Faye and the Slacks from Taichung. They play groovy folk and you should definitely come check them out while they’re in town.
In the more distant future, Sunday October 29th we’re reportedly sharing the Huashan stage with the incredible Dirty Three from Australia. I’m having a hard time believing this one myself… Saturday November 4th we’re opening Blues Bash 3 at the Dream Community in Xizhi, and Saturday November 18th we’ll be back at our favorite spot, the Grooveyard in Taichung.
As always, all the info’s on our website. More shows are being added regularly.
For those of you back on Turtle Island or elsewhere around the globe, a hearty "ni hao!" from sunny Taipei. I recently realized that the last some of you heard, I was still planning on touring this summer… Well, events have turned, as they do, and I will be staying here till summer of 2007... I was especially bummed about missing Sasquatch, but for the first time, I decided to give Canada a pass & concentrate on the tasks at hand. Quite adult of me, innit? Foremost in my reckonings is a feeling that I just got here, and have lots to do, and chief among those tasks is getting my financial house in order. Besides, I'm not coming back to Canada without a new record, and that's gonna take awhile. I’ve already started work with Rob Jonkman of Wise Maneuvers, really one of the most technically-savvy dudes I know, & things are sounding promising.
Last summer & fall's coast-to-coast vagrancy was very good for me personally, if not commercially. It was a longtime dream of mine to roam the land in a big ol’ pirate ship & it was wonderful to be living it out in such good company. Now I just gotta work on giving that dream real legs.
I’m working at a new kindergarten in Taipei, and it’s requiring a lot of me but it’s worth it. For the first time, I actually feel good about my boss & the whole operation. I’ve got only one class with ten kids in it, and no co-teacher. My boss grew up in the States & he’s even younger than me; a forward-thinking dude who really cares about the kids & gives his teachers a lot of leeway. Such a change from the usual huge class sizes, emphasis on memorization and repetition, money-mindedness, authoritarianism, dishonesty, ostentatiousness and outright idiocy that characterizes the kindergarten racket here. Anyone who’s taught in Taiwan will know what I mean. Here’s a pic of my school, with snowman atop (& yes, since you asked, that is the world’s tallest building in the background), & a pic of my kids, strange little monkeys that they are.
I began my fourth decade last month, celebrated in proper style with hao duo peng yo by a mountain stream in the middle of nowhere… Thanks to Captain Lynn, the longest-running Taiwan vet I know, for the locale & the xiaomijio. The last pic above is the spot, near Shuewunao… (yeah, I know, where’s that?) We’ve been spending a lot of time swimming in the mountain streams lately.
Things are building here. The Peacefest went off sweetly, despite perhaps being a little too epic in scope... It was like a big ol' Anglers reunion with Crees back up on djembe & Mr. Adam Goring, fresh from Canada via Australia, joining us on congas. Some flicks are up already on the hopingforhoping site. I've also put up some new pics of what we've been up to lately here. Anglers be rockin as always, a little older & tighter, maybe a bit soberer, but makin up for it with sweatier... My new reggae project (still unnamed) has got me all excited too. There’ll be even more gear in the van next time you see it.
Well, that’s the news. Many thanks for your support & belief; it's got us this far. And back atcha! Keep doing what you do best, and do it even better. Much love from the family here to the family there. Peace, courage, guidance,
Scott
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.
This year's performances were truly amazing, despite stretching past sunrise both mornings (my bad). In fact, I
think if there was any complaint it might've just been too much good music, cheap drinks, and good friends... I
saw a stream of people fleeing Sunday morning, looking like they'd just remembered their weekday lives and
resolved to get out before anyone passed them a beer. We'll try to keep things a little tighter and not rub
everybody's faces in it so much next time around.
But yeah, an amazing weekend of music, with loads of magic moments (many of which will be on the upcoming CD),
and a fruitful meeting of minds from all over the island. Sunday afternoon had a perfect conclusion, with a short
but mind-blowing set by our friends Round Midnight from Taichung, followed by a Dream Community samba drumdown
in the rain... Jimmy (the teacher) had just arrived by plane only hours before. What folks were left danced
hard & celebrated. The rain let off just long enough for people to get their wheels out before it really came
down. The sound company's truck slipped off the road on the way out & we marched out en masse to push it back
on. I narrowly escaped death or at least heavy damages when the hillside I was standing on gave way, landing
me right square in the path of the sliding truck. Nice rush of adrenalin to follow of course. We spent the
night in the temple, jamming, warm on the weekend's embers.
It's all of our hope that this festival and movement will carry on here in Taiwan, even though many of us will
inevitably leave... There's more to it than the music, & the money (100000nt this time, not bad)... it's a
chance to educate each other about what's going on in our world and on our little island, an experiment in
collective, consensus-based decision-making, and a chance for all of us who have so much to give something back.
The ball is already rolling for next year & I'd encourage anyone who wants to be involved to get in touch now
through the website. And again, thanks everybody,
it means a lot.
The following Saturday a bunch of us met up again at Da An Park in Taipei for Canada D'eh. I'd always wanted
to play on that stage, so it was nice to finally do it, though I had a steady stream of sweat running off
my nose the whole time. I started things off solo & acoustic, followed by Mister Green, Public Radio,
the Muddy Basin Ramblers & Milk, who were dressed in a suitably patriotic mishmash of flags and hockey pads,
cranking out rusty old Canadiana like "Takin Care of Business," "Everybody's Workin for the Weekend," even
Rush's "Tom Sawyer"... Sitting barefoot on the hillside digging "New Orleans is Sinking," I was almost there
for a second... but of course it was a lot hotter and there were a lot more Chinese people around.
We zipped over to the Living Room afterward to open things up for Milk's CD release. The disc (their third,
titled 3:0) is great but of course the drunken late-night antics were even better. All kinds of old
chestnuts (some of which one might reckon better-left-un-dusted) were given the falsetto treatment to great
effect. Only true fans remained by the end of the night. Even some of the band had left. Ahh, Milk, still
the best band in Taiwan, though often misunderstood...
Jubba's playing was a little subdued to say the least, as a recent bicycle accident has deprived him of the
use of his right hand for the time being. We're going to take it easy for the next little while & get back
into it once he's healed up. I'll be spending a lot of time around the house, working on tunes on the computer,
& doing pre-production work for my upcoming solo album, which I should have out by the time I hit Canada next
summer. Feels a little strange to be here now rather than there but hey, we've got good times aplenty here,
& it goes without saying that the river of funds runs way deeper here in Taipaid. Those of you who are there,
raise a toast for me when you feel so inclined, and breathe deep. Oh yeah, and check out our friends on
pushforthecure.com and throw a couple bucks their
way, or at least get out and ride with them when they come through your town. Big love everybody,
s
Thursday, June 1
Hey good people,
Long time no talk. Hope you're all flourishing.
Happy dragon boat festival! I hope you all got your zhongze.
First off, news for those of you in Taiwan... For starters, our huge thanks to the good people of Taichung who came out to our show on Saturday at the
Grooveyard... You are lovely people & it was good food for our old souls to see all your smiling faces on the
dancefloor. Much love! Huge thanks also to Roger & Patrick for hosting us sweetly.
This Friday, June 2nd, we'll be opening up for Taipei's ska providers the Sound Clashes at Velvet Underground,
B1, #50, Zhongxiao W Rd, Sec 1. We start around 10pm. 400 bones at the door
gets you 2 free drinks. The Sound Clashes will also be hosting a regular wednesday night reggae jam at Bliss
from this week on. Go out & support!
The show we're really excited about is coming next weekend... Peacefest 2006 looks to be bigger & better
than ever. It runs sunset Friday to sunset Sunday this year, so I hope you'll all bring your tents (or rent rooms
if you like) & hang out all weekend in the mountains with us. The Anglers are playing Friday night at midnight,
& Long Gone Sound will be rocking Sunday around noon. We'll also be participating in a workshop or two throughout
the weekend... That's right, bona fide workshops, like you know from folk festivals at home. It's gonna be great.
Ask anybody who was there last year.
Peacefest veterans Milk will be making the trip again, along with loads more bands, including the Muddy
Basin Ramblers (oldtime jug band), the Sound Clashes (9-piece ska band), Fluent (live hip hop) & loads more... Check
the website for the whole list & all the info you may need to get up there. All the money goes to charitible peace work.
For those at home, sorry for the long silence. Been busy, as usual. Some news:
The new & improved scottcook.net is up & running... A little
thin on content at the moment but more is coming soon. I've also set up
a couple pages on myspace for me &
the band, for those of you who are into that. I've just
discovered it this year, & since then decided I better stay well clear
of it for the most part, lest I waste ALL my time online... me &
that wikipedia are bad enough
together.
I'm settled in back in Taiwan & enjoying a slower pace of life...
found a good kindergarten here in Hsin Dian (a Taipei suburb) &
surprised myself by signing a one-year contract. The original plan was only 6
months but hey, plans change. I've decided it's finally time to pay off
my debt, which was what I came here to do in the first place. So 8:50
every morning finds me dancing to techno songs with 3-year olds. My
personal favorites are "tidy up my life" & "choco-late!".
Actually, considering what a good time I've had,
doing whatever I wanted without a thought about money for the past 5
years, it seems a small price to pay.
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.
We've also started jamming with a new bass player, Kinya, from Japan, & he's laying it down real good.
He plays with a lot of other bands including Red-I & the Riddim Outlaws... we met when he sat in on bass for
us at the Bob Marley Day party in Taipei last year. Jubba is back on the drums for us & it's sounding sweet.
We had our first proper gig with the new combo down in Chiayi, at the
wedding party of our new friends, Mark & Georgina... The party was
at the enigmatically-named Calgary Bar, which is an old sawmill, where
the Japanese would cut up the old growth trees they brought down from
Ali Mountain, back when they occupied Taiwan. Some of the pulleys and
works are still in the roof & the tables are halves of huge trees.
The neighborhood around it's also old wooden houses, which I haven't
seen much of in Taiwan; it looked like another country. We reckon that
every single foreigner in Chiayi county was there, & the party was
raging. Big love to all the dancers! We even tagged along to the after-party
at the pagoda, & dug the local family sing-along. We'll be back
sometime.
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.)
A few weeks after that we were out to XiZhi (Ty's old stomping grounds)
for a great party at the Dream Community, called the Global Rhythm Festival. David Chen & the Muddy Basin
Ramblers, Fireflower, & the Sound Clashes all rocked, as did Ayaco's circus show... There was a big crowd
of good people out, who lingered and jammed well past shut-down... a beautiful night.
And last Friday we were back out at Azul in Longtan for the Peacefest pre-party. We decided to shake things up
& drew names from a hat to come up & jam with whoever happened to be up there. It went til the wee hours & reminded
me just how much I love Jungli people.
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
sunday january 22, 2006
hello from rainy taiwan!
I had a couple beautiful warm days on arrival, & walked around a
lot, rode around on the bike too, & dug the thick air, the tangled
jungle, the familiar smells & words... but since then we've been
bunkered in by constant rain. looks like my planned motorbike trip is
gonna take some determination.
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
sunday, january 8th, 2006!
Edmonton,
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
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
monday, oct 31
well, that's it. four months on the road has finally drawn to a close.
got to my folks' place last night & slept til noon. revelling in
the luxury of having a warm bed, shower, toilet, power outlet, internet,
all that. and, considering the cold, glad to be inside rather than out.
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 I was off towards the kootenays... took a couple days getting
there; spent some time around the crowsnest pass, laying low & playing,
& wrote a new song, 'long way to wander'... then to the kootenays
for about a week, walking in the woods, digging the fall colours, playing
guitar, & catching some music in town... Saw Katana at the CCR pub
over on the east shore, & they were cooking. great to see all the
good people out there too. Played at Estevan's royal jelly jam, &
met some kind folks there. Tuesday night I was doubly ticketed, with
two friends' having shows on the same night: Ityen of Koots
Roots was presenting Sugar Minott & his entourage at Fluid,
while Rae Spoon & Geoff
Berner were playing a double-bill over at the Royal. Both shows
were excellent, tho it had me wishing I could be in two places at once...
Sugar got the place rocking with a grand tour of every reggae style
under the sun. In the not-so-sweaty Royal, Geoff got us laughing with
his new tune, 'don't play cards for money with corby lund'...
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.
saturday night we played to the visual accompaniment of fluffy snowflakes
floating down outside... darryl reckons it was the kind of snowfall
you see at the end of a mcauley caulkin movie. alas, summer's over,
I've come to admit. hanging up the sandals for now.
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
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...
had a great show in nanton on friday... a small, but enthusiatic crowd,
really wonderful people. big thanks to pamela of the main street cafe
for hosting, & big thanks to all who came out.
wild times in town here over the weekend... saw a horde of zombies dragging
their decaying bodies down 17th ave as I drove into town on saturday--calgary's
first ever zombie walk, hilarious. later that night they were supplanted
by an even bigger horde of red-shirted guys, all a little excited, to
say the least, that the flames put the oil down, 3-nothing. hooked up
with taiwan compadres aj, the b, the kid, the dros, robin too... the
daz bear & ang made it down from edmonton for the night too. dug
the big full moon shining through the frosty air. partied in a 100 year
old building scheduled for demolition this week... lotsa fun here in
the big city.
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.
hope you're all doing well & enjoying the season. big love,
s
wednesday, october 12
hey friends,
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
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.
thursday, sept 22nd
hey friends,
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.
I'm in moncton, just stopping over on the way towards st. john... gonna
camp in the woods outside town tonight, play guitar... one good thing
that's come out of this trip is lots of that. practice, rinse, repeat.
making strides, I think, inch by painful inch. like everything, the
beautiful, effortless-looking play you see is the result of countless
hours of grinding it out. david
ross mcdonald, whose guitar playing strikes me as superhuman, affirmed
the same: he'd spent a lot of time in his bedroom, crafting, practicing,
screwing up over & over again. so keep at it, everybody, whatever
it is.
halifax was great. got to hang around one place long enough that I kinda
felt at home. very good to see shali, of course, & hang with her
roomates (I know I already mentioned it below, but I'll say so again:
they're longboarding across canada next summer for breast cancer, &
they need all the help they can get with raising money. they're on eastcoastlongboarding.com)...
got to check out a couple shows, too. especially dug BA
Johnston, who's really funny, & the perfect musical accompaniment
to a night out in that oh-so young & drunken town...
& 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.
peace & blessings to you all. take care,
s
friday september 16
hey friends,
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
sunday sept 11
an unhappy anniversary... Yesterday on the radio I hear Bush still trying
to get mileage out of it by comparing the heroes of hurricane relief
to the heroes of 9-11. Which heroes, the firefighters who died when
they brought the building down? Those people were murdered & their
killers have the audacity to beat their memory for PR. If you still
haven't heard the news (you must be getting your news from television),
it was an inside job. the wikipedia's
a good place to start, & it's got loads of links at the bottom...
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.
slept out by drummondville & woke up to find my phone missing...
On a slim chance, drove back to where I'd gassed up, just outside of
montreal, & asked... found! (that's twice on this trip; the last
time was in toronto when it got picked up by a jamaican reggae producer
& his beautiful friend... good people around, everywhere)
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
wednesday, sept 7
writing from alia's place in montreal... lovely city, lovely place,
lovely dogs & lovely roomate michelle... good to see she found a
good spot. I got here yesterday & was reunited with my canine love,
xiao ai, who wriggled her backside in a show of enthusiasm... later
met up with stephan (aka mc sputnik) & he wiggled his bum about
the same...
really nice to be in quebec, this other country within our own, it makes
me love this country even more. I crossed over yesterday from ottawa,
where I saw Pascal & Kate, & the parliament buildings, &
on my way out, the falun gong practicioners
in mock cells & torture scenes, preparing to welcome Hu when he
comes on saturday... undoubtedly mr. martin will be a lot more polite
& neglect to mention human rights while they're dining on xuei jiao
together... actually Hu probably eats filet mignon these days, good
proletarian that he is...
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
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.
got to town on friday & was shocked to see parking for $25, flat
rate... Of course that was as bad as it got, & the prices fell as
I got further from front st... Was feeling a little overwhelmed though
at the whole bustling hustle.
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
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
thursday august 25...
hey friends,
hope you're well. I haven't written in awhile, eh? been busy.
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
thursday, august 11
hey friends,
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
Tuesday, July 19
I'm on the island now, & sweet to be back. had a good night on friday
at the minstrel cafe in kelowna, slept by kalamalka lake. through kamloops
the next day, where my family lived for a few years... spent the afternoon
checking out childhood haunts & even the playground where I was
first told the distressing news known as the 'facts of life'... Then
west on the 99, through staggering mountain scenery to whistler early
the next day for a show at BBK's in the upper village... Lots of fun
chilling on the patio in the shade with the good folks there. Later
on I took it inside & tried out the new & improved lux sound
system for its maiden voyage... Wouldn't say it was smooth sailing,
exactly, but it was lots of fun anyhow. Great folks hanging out there,
& Josh was a great host, I'll certainly be back. $35 parking ticket
the next day though for being in a parking lot longer than 2 hours...
Which is funny, cause I'd actually left & come back! Rest assured
those sticky-fingered creeps won't get a cent out of me. They can take
their cutesy-ass fake boutique town & shove it up... Oh, but thankfully
I was back on the road & among the trees soon, they're much kinder
before they turn them into signs... Does distress me every time I come
to Canada though, things just always seem to be getting tighter, never
looser. chill out, people!
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
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...
We played to a happy crowd early Sunday, with help from Jay on drums,
Gisto of Wassabi Collective on
guitar, & and Ted on harmonica. Even had a little trumpet solo from
the Twisters' bassman James, & some funny sounds from our edmonton
friend Tippy Agogo. Lots of fun, & nice to see all the beautiful
people moving. Big kootenay love all around here.
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
Anglers' news May 05: a look
back
It's been a year
since we saw many of you last, so here's the news...
Last summer was great. We had such a sweet
time that it was hard to leave... A tenuous endeavor: five broke guys
in a van, rock-n-rolling, sleeping in tents, fighting with luggage &
gear & the smell of each other's feet... but you all made us feel
very welcome along the way. Some shows that stand out for us are the
party on the deck at Squirrel Cove on Cortes, a saturday afternoon at
the Black Dog (my old watering
hole), the reggae festival in Ymir, of course North
Country Fair, especially sunday night, Waynefest,
Starbaby in Crawford Bay,
the merlot in Cowtown, just for the crowd that came out, not for the
parking ticket, the Ho' in Canmore, the ultra-casual Sasquatch
Festival, sweet as always, good parties at Johnny Ray's in Banff,
the Tofino legion with Canary Mine,
a few stops in at
little flower open stage, sharing the stage at the Druid with the
rowdy Cracker Cats & the
unbelievable David Ross
Macdonald, and a particularly sweet night at the Royal in Nelson.
Oh yeah, & of course the sweetest show of all was the northern lights,
laying out in the field on Mike's farm outside Black Diamond, AB.
We want to say big heap thanks again to
everybody who helped us out along the way... & to all our old friends
who put up with us rushing in, rushing out, & all that. An extra
thanks to anyone whose floor or couch we ended up on. It was truly a
pleasure to meet all of you new friends, & of course to touch base
with you old homiez. Some of us are coming back shortly to wear out
our welcome.
some pics: click on the thumbs to see the full-size picture... more
summer `04 photos here,
lots more coming soon.
the good
folks partying in canmore
the cracker cats at starbaby, east
koots
by kootenay lake, where we spent
some time.
why we left.
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
our impromptu
tuesday-night party at River to send Daz off. Jungli rocks hard.
We are very lucky people.
at GiLaVaSai
in Dulan, Taidong, with help from Peace Dave & Precious on djembes,
Mike on tablas, Patrick on sax & Roger on bass.
Spring
Scream Chicken, Kenting, Pingtung County, April 4th... That's Kev
from Milk in the white shirt.
My doctor
let me take a few hours' field trip out of hospital for our old
friend lady J's earth day party up on Yang Ming mt., overlooking
Taipei. Nice pajamas.
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.
the start
of the circle turned into a dance
peace dave,
stoked after chicken rice
the smoking
cones' swan song
the folks
digging it, early saturday
us anglers,
playing for the local crowd & some true fans who made it from hua
lien, sat at one
chicken
rice rocking it saturday night
erin &
anthony from milk, up to their old tricks... still one of the coolest
bands around
patrick
chen, otherwise known as Red-I, taiwan's roots radical, reggae uncle
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.
That's about it for music news. Oh yeah,
we've finally got a quarter ounce of preventionavailable
online now, through bullfrog music... Somebody ordered one, &
I got a check in the mail, so I guess it works. They seem like really
nice people, & were prompt & flexible whenever I asked them
anything; if you've got a CD to hawk you might want to get in touch
with them.
Oh yeah, & I'm starting a new blog,
cause who doesn't have one these days? Trouble is, I haven't learned
how to set it up yet, so it's just a plain-text thing for now. For a
rambling, possibly boring story about our pond & the life therein,
click here.
I've also been hard at work on web design,
when I have the time, & put together new sites for this year's Blues
& Bar-B-Q Bash in Taichung (www.bsot-bluesbash.info),
and for my photographer friends Alia (www.shutterlove.com)
& Clyde (www.snappedreality.com).
Check them out (Alia's isn't quite done, but you can have a look). Anybody
want a website? I work VERY cheap. I'm hoping web work can buy me time
on the beach in Costa Rica this winter, so why not pitch in for a good
cause? Please. I really hate cold.
On a personal note, Xiao Ai has learned
to sit, lie down, go, come, & most of the time, to be good. Tyler
& Crees are handsome as always. We all miss the road, but are loving
it here in the meantime. It'll be great to see you all again this summer.
around lunar new year, february 2005, year of the chicken
the holiday season came to an end under
a big full moon last night, with an interminable barrage of fireworks
& lanterns floating heavenward. The fireworks have been rattling
our little love Xiao Ai's composure for the last two weeks or more.
Even more persistent than the fireworks, though, has been the rain.
We took the only opportunity we had--a rare few days' break--to ride
our bikes to kenting, but otherwise it's been coming down pretty well
non-stop for the past while, & the pond's filled back up.
Some of you may already know that we live
in front of a little pond... Me & Crees (& Darryl & Dunc
too, at different times) three doors down from each other & Ty just
up the hill. This fall, the owner drained it off, presumably to catch
the fish. Apparently there were just too many. We'd see them swarming
in huge schools all over the pond, & Ty & others had even spotted
something huge surfacing briefly now & then, like some kind of scaly
sea monster--huge! Well, for weeks the pond was a big sandbar, while
the owner & his buddies dragged their nets through the remaining
water... Word came through the neighborhood grapevine that it had taken
3 men to pull the biggest fish(?) out of there, & he weighed in
at 60 kilos. We all know what they say about fish stories but even if
it was an exaggeration I'm still amazed.
After the netting & scooping was done
the pond was left to gradually refill from rain & runoff. But it
took its time. In the meantime we were treated to a view of all the
trash that we'd only been able to imagine before, accumulated below
the waterline. It was now debris on the newly-exposed beach. On our
beach, a car battery, pot shards, shoes, rubber netting, fish traps,
a CD-R, rebar, lord knows what else. There was even the charred &
rusted body of an old scooter dropped in there. I cleaned it up in front
of my house & sat down with a beer, enjoying my newly-accquired
real estate. We were going to send you a picture of all three of us
sitting on the beach saluting you, our less-fortunate wintry compatriots,
but our tropical dreams got soggy under a fairly steady 3 weeks of rain
that finally filled the pond back up, & returned all that trash
to underwater secrecy. Now today for the first time in a while we've
got sun shining on our pond and everything has a chance to dry out,
including our tin shack upstairs. Maybe that funky smell will even go
away.
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.
from the Anglers' 2004
canadian summer tour:
NAME ty
DATE Tuesday, September 14th 2004 - 10:49:02 AM
Well the last week here has sure been interesting. About two days before
Waynefest, it snowed! ...left us wondering what the conditions would
be like at Wayne. We headed on down and were treated to the James Murdoch
band and an open stage on Friday night. Saturday saw us playing a chilly
set at 10:00 am. Once the fingers warmed, we soon had people dancing,
and the day was kicked off. Next up was excellent rockibilly band The
Swifty's. Some other personal favorites were the AA Sound System, The
Wailin' Jennys', and Carolyn Marks. Thanks to Brock Skywalker and all
the others for such a great time! After a great Thai/Chinese dinner
with Talia, Laura, Adrienne, and Linda (hi!) it was back to Sherwood
Park and to play O'Byrne's the next day. It was a great show and great
to see some faces that we haven't seen enough of (John, Terry, Andy,
Henry, Kristine, Vanessa, Lance, etc...) thanks for your support! Anyways,
just one more and that's tonight at the Druid! Lots of love everyone
- Ty
NAME scotty paycheck
DATE Thursday, September 9th 2004 - 10:37:57 AM
hey all... A last few words before we adjourn. Woke up this morning
to a carpet of white snow on the lawn & knew it was time to cut
out. Speaking for all of us, we've had the most amazing (& enlightening)
time in Canada, but really, we can't stay, what with winter on its way
& the little monsters already rioting in our classrooms... We left
Crees in Vancouver to wrangle another visa out of the trade office;
he should be on the plane today. Taiwan people, please buy him a drink
when he gets there--he's broke. We'll be following close on his heels,
broke as well...
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
NAME scott
DATE Sunday, August 22nd 2004 - 09:38:36 PM
Friends,
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
DATE: Thursday, July 29th 2004 - 04:48:12 PM
family, friends,clan - hail!
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.
on saturday we played black diamond at a place called the stop. mike,
the owner, treated us like kings and put us up on his farm. i suspect
that mike has a hotline to the heavens since his front lawn was the
prime viewing site for the northern lights which graced us with their
presence that night. falling asleep to their sublime corruscations is
pure magic. especially the first time, which it was for dunc and i.
thank you, mike, and please tell rhett that the soccer/waterfight championships
will continue when next we return.
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
DATE Thursday, July 22nd 2004 - 01:27:58 PM
from hippies to houseboats, from yurts to yuppies... the anglers have
left the beloved, storied islands, & pulled into p-town... that's
pentictown for those who don't know. Aye, from communism & composting
toilets to can collectors, cheap cherries, & chicks on canals...
we floated on tubes down the channel & drank beers in the sun, beautiful.
Stayed with Daz' old school friend Mark & off to Golden tonight.
Almost done the first leg. Cowtown people get ready.
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
DATE Tuesday, July 20th 2004 - 01:35:57 PM
We played a gentle show at the Spiral Cafe in Victoria on Saturday,
a good time was had by all and many thanks to Mike for having us and
feeding us smoothies and chai lattes. The gig ended early so we headed
downtown to catch up with our new friends, Canary
Mine who were playing at Steamers. We walked in about halfway during
their set and after the gig, beer was consumed, more stories were told
and when we parted ways there were many promises of catching up again
in the future. We didn't have to wait that long, 2 days later we saw
them again on the ferry over to Vancouver so there was only one thing
to do...hook up later in the evening at the Backstage Lounge on Granville
Island for the open stage, get horribly drunk and then as has become
our custom with myself and James...fall on the floor and wrestle (as
you remember this occured before after our show in Tofino)...weird strange
primal behaviour at 1am on a Monday night outside a bar...fun... even
though we probably look like complete idiots...anyways I'm signing off
now... so just to recap here...
The Anglers 2 Canary Mine 0
all love
Daz
NAME The Daz Bear
DATE Sunday, July 18th 2004 - 10:35:12 PM
E-MAIL selecta@ekno.com
well there's been so much crazyness in the 4 weeks of being in Canada
that I haven't even had the chance to sit down and write a little something...not
a spare moment to pen a little nugget of all the crazyness, weirdness
and general mayhem that has been going on for the last little while.
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?
But that storm just kept on moving almost like the elements where just
reminding us how blessed we where with the good weather we had had all
weekend. So we all went back to Edmonton with huge banana shaped smiles
on our faces and high spirits.
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.
Now of course I predict he'll dispute this which is why my friends have
with me a vast array of photographic equipment from stills cameras to
digital video so this can all be captured on film and undisputable evidence
can be obtained and I can once again be the Grand Purveyor of Truth
as you have all come to know me.
That is all for now my friends, until next time...I
bid you all farewell.
Yours with graciousness
Daz
NAME scott
E-MAIL grooverevival@fastmail.fm
URL http://www.scottcook.net
DATE Tuesday, July 13th 2004 - 01:07:34 PM
hey friends... thanks for checking in. Sorry we aren't writing in here
as often as we should.
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
DATE Thursday, July 1st 2004 - 04:44:03 PM
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
DATE Wednesday, June 23rd 2004 - 12:29:43 PM
Our extended weekend up at the North Country Fair was an unbelievable
way to kick off the 2004 Summer tour...sunshine, good vibes, cold beer,
awesome music, new friends, 3 great gigs and some incredible late night/
early morning jams...thanks to Rae Spoon and the band for tuning me
in to the country vibe and inspiring the purchase of the cowboy hat,
to David Ross MacDonald and his '36 Gibson for blowing my mind with
his amazing music at the fireside, to Emma Hood for contributing her
sweet voice and great presence on Saturday, as well as the many introductions
to her cool group of friends... Y'all made North Country truly incredible.
Yee-Hah.
NAME scotty paycheck
E-MAIL grooverevival@fastmail.fm
URL http://www.scottcook.net
DATE Tuesday, June 22nd 2004 - 01:42:34 PM
hey people... this journal's back on again. we just got back from the
sweetest of weekends at the north country fair... hooked up with long-lost
friends & dug the big sky & balmy weather.
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...
thanks for stopping by.
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
thing going. Jungli family, we love ya.
The Anglers are taking a month or so off for Chinese New Year &
will be back mid-February. Jams may happen at River but there's no schedule.
If you're in Kenting, look for the Milkmen at magic studio; they'll
tell you where the party's at. Hope everybody has a killer time &
gets rested up.
I've finally updated the website with all kinds of good stuff... There
are lots more photos, lyrics (by popular demand!), and even some of
my old writing, including a poem for the new year 2001... You can also
check the journal & see if the pictures to go with the story are
up yet, or if I've put it off for yet another day...
from the Anglers' 2003 "starter" tour:
NAME: ty
DATE: Friday, September 19th 2003 - 04:53:44 AM
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
DATE Saturday, September 13th 2003 - 02:41:15 AM
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,
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.
I head back east on Sunday, Taiwan-bound but not before an appointment
to see the mighty Burning Spear in Vancouver this Saturday night.
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.
Until then...
NAME: mc wranglo
DATE: Thursday, August 28th 2003 - 09:38:56 AM
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
E-MAIL: tyler_dakin@yahoo.ca
DATE: Sunday, August 10th 2003 - 02:23:12 PM
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
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
DATE: Thursday, July 31st 2003 - 11:12:25 AM
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
E-MAIL: tyler_dakin@yahoo.ca
DATE: Tuesday, July 29th 2003 - 09:02:14 AM
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...
E-MAIL: Daz
DATE: Tuesday, July 29th 2003 - 01:29:25 AM
...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
DATE: Friday, July 25th 2003 - 12:09:48 PM
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
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.scottcook.net
DATE: Friday, July 25th 2003 - 02:09:18 AM
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 had a sweet ride down the icefields parkway... dug the glaciers,
deep blue bow lake, mountain goats, elk, deer, & a bear cub... It
was getting on by now (us, as usual, not knowing when to call it a night
in Jasper the night before) & we knew the music was starting already
down at south country. I got really excited around Bragg Creek &
started bouncing the rock pod (my folks' trusty van) up & down.
Going to the fair!!! We pulled in & found Pascal... ran into some
old crew as well. Enjoyed the swank hospitality, the free eats &
drink, & the friendly campfire. Blackfire & the Deuce (?) Blues
Band rocked. The big yellow moon too.
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
DATE: Friday, July 25th 2003 - 12:33:46 AM
We had an excellent time at the the Downstream pub. Thank you Tony for
the food and the nice venue. Thanks so much to the Venook brothers for
making jasper so memorable. and special thanks to Chuck for the sitting
in on the keys and for the tequila. We hope you enjoyed your vacation
and hopefully we will see down south next time. From Jasper we moved
on to enjoy the dry heat of the South Country Fair. This was my first
SCF and it was great! Being able to cool off in the old man river was
a definate bonus. We played at 12:00PM on Saturday during the 35 degree
dry heat. Needless to say plenty of sunscreen was applied. We were joined
by Pascal as an extra kit player so the percussion was huge! Thanks
so much to the people who danced. During this festival we also heard
plenty of great music. . . Rae Spoon, Wendy MacNeil, Mae Moore and Lester
Quitzau (wow!) and many more great musicians. The best part of the festival
was definately the people we met. The first night we met Katherine who
later turned out to be friends with Steve Janz' cousin Kevan (a friend
from Taiwan) and also sister to one of our old friends from Etown -
Joel Scruton!. (She would also set us up with a place to stay when we
were in Lethbridge but we will come to that later . . . ) Also we met
Jenika and Evan (hi guys)! and their daughters Aisly and Brenna. Jenika
and Evan live in Waterton Park (but will soon move to Edmonton) and
work at a horses stable. On their suggestion we headed down to Waterton
Park. And we were so glad we did. It was beautiful. Thanks to the people
who danced and got rowdy at our impromptu set at the Thirsty Bear pub
in Waterton. Shouts out to Jenna, Kyle, Charles, Jameal and Shamir!
The next day we headed on down to the ol' stables and Evan and Jenika
rustled us up some horses and we trail rided down to the ol' watering
hole which was the Waterton Lake and swum in its brisk glacial waters.
My horse was a pinto named Oreo. The ride was fun. . . one person even
fell off his horse and Scott's horse kept riding off by itself. Thank
you Evan and Jenika for the hospitality. It was a pleasure meeting you
and we look forward to seeing you in Edmonton! The next two nights we
stayed at Katherine's nearby Lethbridge. Thanks so much for the hospitality,
K! We really appreciate it . . . and we played at the Starlight Lounge
where the people got downright funky. It was a great time. We also met
a nice welcome addition to our taiwan family - Melanie! Also thanks
to Chris for the radio interview, Kevan, Erika, Julie, Treena, Meagan,
and all those others who came down and Krysten at the Starlight. Today
we are back in good ol' Etown visiting with some old friends and tomorrow
we are heading for the Sasquatch Festival near smoky lake via the Elk
Island Park. Hopefully we can show Darryl some buffalo! If you live
near Etown come to the Sasquatch festival. Other than us there will
be Knee Deep in Grass, Wendy MacNeil, The Ancestors, and more. It will
be a great time. Anyways . . . time to sign off thanks so much to all
the people we have met so far and have made our time in Canada so much
fun! Keep in touch and soon we may all fish together!
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
DATE: Thursday, July 17th 2003 - 06:29:19 PM
Nice starter journal.
NAME: scott
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.scottcook.net
DATE: Tuesday, July 15th 2003 - 06:51:25 PM
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
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.scottcook.net
DATE: Tuesday, July 8th 2003 - 12:07:37 PM
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.
Had a couple beautiful sunset jams with the friendly folks at Smelt
Bay & a couple sweet nights under the stars at Hague Lake. Someone
said to me, to be poor here is to be unbelievably rich... thanks Cortes.
Off to Port Hardy tonight & up early for the long ferry ride to
Prince Rupert... One more thing: I can't add news anywhere but here
while we're on the road, so here are some more dates:
July 15 Mountainside Cafe, Smithers
July 16 Art Space, Prince George
July 17 Downstream Bar, Jasper
July 23 Starlight Lounge, Lethbridge
see ya along the way... cheers
NAME: Scott
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
DATE: Tuesday, July 1st 2003 - 11:58:26 PM
@ Arnel & Ed's house:
...enjoying the fat hospitality.
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
E-MAIL: tyler_dakin@yahoo.ca
DATE: Tuesday, July 1st 2003 - 10:47:29 PM
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
DATE: Tuesday, July 1st 2003 - 10:25:36 PM
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.
NAME: Daz
E-MAIL: selecta@ekno.com
DATE: Friday, June 13th 2003 - 06:03:47 AM
...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
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
DATE: Thursday, June 12th 2003 - 01:09:34 PM
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.
from Taiwan, 2003
NAME: scott
E-MAIL: sicook1@yahoo.com
URL: http:\\www.scottcook.net
DATE: Tuesday, May 27th 2003 - 04:39:25 AM
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.
"Recent polls have shown growing public dissatisfaction with
the president's handling of the war in Iraq in the face of a persistent
insurgency and the mounting U.S. death toll."-AP, my emphasis
added
They forgot
to mention the price at the pump, which seems to be people's #1 concern...
Civilians in iraq evidently don't matter to US military planners,
or to the mass media... what will it take for their lives to matter
to the US public?
