15 March, 2009 - Ireland was never so funky

As always, there's a lot going on of late. Las night, we made our first appearance at The Old Triangle.  This distinctly Irish establishment has invited us to play - knowing that we are about as Irish as souvlaki kebabs.  Still, it was a great time with an enormous crowd.  By the end of the night, I think we had them converted - the dance floor was packed and they were pretty rowdy.  Thanks to everybody who showed up and a special thanks to the staff at The Triangle.  Always fun to work with such a great bunch of people. 

We have other shows coming up including back to The Manhattan this coming Saturday, The Bayou, The Fox and Studio 7Hundred.  If you haven't seen the band in awhile there have been quite a few changes to our repetioire - check us out.

Also, we're trying to put together a functional studio so we can start properly recording some of our original tunes. The plan is to hand out free music at the shows in the near future so stay tuned.

11 January, 2009 - Next, we take Manhattan

Man, did we have a good time last night.  We played The Manhattan on a great feeling, great sounding stage to a very receptive crowd.  A big thanks to Dana for having us down and to Derrick for making us sound as good as we did.  What a fun place to play.  I had heard rumors that the stage there, while a lot of fun, had some really wonky sound issues but we had no complaints at all.  A big thanks to our regulars who've consistantly come out to support us.  You know who you are, Jean!  Thanks to Colin, of course, for the tequila.  How you feelin', brother?  Not exactly 100%?  Hmm.  Shame.

Also, this weekend saw an addition to my treasured guitar collection.  Actually, it's more of an upgrade.  My old black stratocaster had been feeling very neglected ever since I got my hands on a beautiful G&L strat early last year.  It just wasn't doin' it for me anymore and the poor thing never got to go anywhere suddenly.  Just sat home in the case - a sad place for any guitar.  Thanks to the wizardry of Captain Shane Strugnell and a stroke of luck, it's back in action and better than ever.  New pickups, a new look and a totally new sound.  After road testing it on the weekend, I can safely say I have numerous 'favorite' guitars.

I have a favour to ask.  I'm out of town for the week and therefore can't do my usual word-of-mouth job and beg you all to come to the next gig.  I ask that you keep this date on your calendar and make an attempt to come see us.  We're playing this coming Saturday night at The Fox in Riverview and, for reasons I can't explain, attendance matters for this one.  We'd all be very, very grateful to see a large turnout and we promise to reciprocate with a pretty damned good time.

9 December, 2008 - Ho, Ho, Ho

Well, the holidays are here for another year.  To celebrate (or equivalent), take a look for some bigwhale versions of your favorite (!) Christmas songs on our main page.  Feel free to download them, play them at parties or whatever you like.  Every year at this time, I try to put up some Christmas music as I find Christmas is an interesting time for music, but more on that later.

Want to send out a bigwhale thank you to Captain Chris Colepaugh for sitting in for the Moe at a recent Bayou gig.  while Moe (or 'NoShoMo', as Chris likes to call him) was oddly double booked, Crazy Christopher was all about sitting in.  He especially like the Queen tune.  Next time, Chris, I promise to find a unitard and matching leather jacket... I may even grow a mustache and call everyone darling.  Anyway, a good time was had by all and thanks to Kim for keeping the unruly folks in line as only she can.

Many gigs are on the horizon for both bigwhale and yours truly.  I'm entertaining a friend of Chelsea's during her Christmas party this weekend and then bigwhale are returning to The Fox & Hound next Friday.  Something tells me this will be one to remember - maybe it's the proximity to Christmas, maybe it's all the out of town visitors.... dunno, but it's not to be missed.

Then January is a pretty stacked with moments too.  Check this out;

January 9th, bigwhale is playing the All Ranks Moncton Mess as we entertain Canada's fine military (or at least some of them).  It's part of Support The Troops night with the Wildcats at the Coliseum.  After the game, the party continues at the All Ranks Mess and we're the entertainment.  We're ignoring the obvious references to Spinal Tap and are glad to pitch in.  Details to come on how you can get tickets and attend.  I have a feeling it's gonna be one for the record books.

The next night, January 10th, we're at The Manhattan.  This is a first time for bigwhale and a big thanks to Dana and crew for having us.  It'll be fun to play in town 'proper' again.

The 17th of January, we're back at The Fox, then the 24th, I'm doing an acoustic show at St. James Gate.  Thanks to Kolin for having me over.  I've invited guitar virtuoso, wicked songwriter and all-around good guy Dave Rahmer to do the gig with me.  We haven't worked it all out but prepare for a great, surprising show.  Dave will have released his EP with his band, The Tireless Sedans by then.  It is awesome.  Look for it, and buy it.

So, I alluded to this earlier.  I think Christmas is an interesting time for music from a couple perspectives.  December is one month out of twelve (substantial from a percentage standpoint) where people accept - or even welcome - songs, melodies and musical styles that they would not tolerate ordinarily just because it's seasonal music.  From an anthropological vantage point, I find that 'Spock' kinda fascinating.

I also do advertising on the side (I'm not sure which side, actually) and Christmas is a fascinating time there too.  All this Public Domain music is at your disposal to abuse, y'know?  I've actually used the phrase, "Dashing through the snow, in a loaded 4x4" and it totally worked.  Christmas music has this way of getting into our bloodstream like so much Bailey's and egg nog.  I love the way it turns normal people into holiday mush hounds.

Anyway, try and catch us if you can in the next little bit.  I promise to make it worth the trip through the snow.

14 September, 2008 - Fox, meet guitar - Guitar, meet Fox

After the summer we've calmed down to a couple gigs a month.  We're still frequenting our old standbys, The Bayou in Shediac and The Fox & Hound in Riverview.  Last time we were at the Fox, though, I got to share a special treat. 

I've been working on the NewMilleniumFunkGuitar for quite some time now (over a year).  By working on it, I mean I've been getting other people - qualified people - to do the actual work.  A big thanks to Brian Stensrud from Oshawa for the flashy pain job and Shane Strugnell for his creative tech talents.  When we got into our inevitable set of funk the other night, I put down my favorite strat and grabbed the NMFG for the first time...

She's a beauty!  Not only did it look funky enough, it played like a dream and it sounded better than I ever expected.  I got the kind of odd stares and comments I expected I might get.  Felt great to play and I can't wait to do it again at The Bayou on the 26th.  Come get a look and a listen for yourself.

12 August, 2008 - Moncton in the Rainy Season

It's rained every day for what seems like the past month.  Unfortunately, this is the only month of Summer around here and I believe everybody's feeling a bit ripped off.  But that doesn't mean there's no fun to be had, just no sun. 

Since I've written last, I've had two rainy weeks of vacation, several shows and, going back a bit, one helluva 40th birthday party.  A big thanks to everyone who came out to The Empress Theater for the big bash.  Another special thanks to the mystery person who paid my bar tab!  Still haven't figured that one out!

If you missed the show/party, Kym was good enough to take some really killer shots.  I've posted a few choice ones here.

This weekend should be quite a bit of fun.  Friday night, I'm playing an acoustic show at Cheers.  I'll be trying to play a significant part of the night on my dobro as I've figured out a few tunes that I can play using a slide.  Haven't played a full show at Cheers in awhile so I'm really looking forward to it.

Saturday night we're back at The Fox & Hound in Riverview.  I think last time was an anomaly and we're hoping for a decent crowd - come on by.  We'll have Neil back with us and Shawn Pegg sitting in for Brenty.  We've got new material ready for this show and there should be a really cool vibe on stage.  Hope to see you there.

Also, there's been some movement on the NewMilleniumFunkGuitar and hopefully I'll have something that I can show off soon.

See you on the weekend!

8 July, 2008 - Some New Old MP3s

It's looking like there'll be quite a musical crew at my birthday bash on Saturday.  Last night all five Foundation members were trading emails and talking about which songs to resurrect.  In order to make it easier to remember some of them, I did something I had been planning to do since I started this journal - I put one of my old albums online.   The Foundation's 1994 'Green Walky Man' CD was never released, but we worked on it for a long, long time.

This stuff is really, really different than what I'm doing now but I still love the music - it's pretty 'prog'.  Anyway, now you can hear it for yourself.  Seeing as it was never released the first time, I guess this is it's release.  Go to the music page and check it out.

Saturday, when I turn 40, I'll get to play some of it live for the first time in I don't know how long!  Can't wait.

4 July, 2008 - Cracking the top 100!

I mentioned a couple weeks back that bigwhale's 'Run' was actually charting.  Well now it's moving up the charts.  Thanks to the massive spins on Magic 104, 'Run' has climbed to #87 this week on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart!  That's up from #155 last week!  Check it out!

So as you can see, we've got Justin Timberlake and James Blunt beat pretty bad.  It's those New Kids On The Block!  Damn you, Donnie Wahlberg! 

Okay, next show is the big birthday party.  See you there.

29 June, 2008 - Birthdays, reunions and dobros... oh my!

I'm starting to do some acoustic shows lately.  The main focus is still bigwhale (next gig is in Shediac on July 19th) but a couple other things have come up.  Firstly, there's a high school reunion coming up.  It was organized by my old friend Denise Allain - she and I went to HTHS like, a billion years ago and she's organized an informal reunion (aka. 'drinking') for our year and a few years on either side of ours.  The big event happens on July 26th at the newly renovated Cheers on Brandon street.  It's going to be a bit of a revolving stage with various grads of that era taking turns at the mic.   It'll be an acoustic evening so those who want to listen can do that, while others like myself can compare receding hairlines!  Look for me to take the stage as well as old friend Dan Doucet of Fredericton who graduated the year after me.  I think it was around 1920 - or at least it feels that way.

I was just at Cheers on Saturday night and my old buddy Eric booked me in for another acoustic show there on August 15th.  This should be a special gig as I haven't been there in awhile.  I'll probably take the dobro out as it's too cool a guitar to leave at home.  Come by and enjoy some classic eclectic 'Peteness'.  More eclectic than usual, that is.

Reason I was at Cheers (I love a good segue) was to wish happy 60th birthday to my old friend (and I do mean old ;) Mike Granville.  Good ole Mike taught English at the old school those many years ago.  He doesn't look a day over 59!  Kidding.  I'm kidding with all these age jokes - happy birthday, Mike.

Speaking of birthdays (and segues), mine is almost here - the big 4-0!  As some of you know, July 12th I'll be celebrating the big milestone birthday with a party & jam session.  I wanted to get together with friends old and new and just have a good time.  For me, that's a gig.  Chelsea's making fun of me for planning my own party - and I'm sure I deserve it - but I just want what I want, y'know?  Members of The Foundation and bishop have already confirmed attendance as well as friends and family.  While it is a private party, a lot of you who are reading this also qualify as either friends, family or both.  If you'd like more information on this little shindig, email me here.

So a strange thing has happened.  Since I have written 'Run', the produced version is getting regular airplay on Moncton's Magic 104.  That in and of itself is strange enough, but here's the other thing;  it's on the charts!  Simply by the spins it's getting on the mighty Magic 104, 'Run' by bigwhale has entered the Mediabase Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart at #155!  The chart we, the general public can see only goes to, like 40 so we can't see it, but Tony Smith and one of the chief cooks over at Magic assure me that it's happened.  We're on the charts!  How cool is that? 

14 June, 2008 - bigwhale is on the radio

The band played two successful outdoor shows on June 6th and 7th.  Our appearance at the Relay For Life and the Dragon Boat Festival were both all-original gigs.  We played 'Run' for the first time at these shows.  Thanks to Brian Robertson for posting Friday night's version of 'Run' on You Tube.  Also, a big thanks to public and private radio for helping to support the song and the relay.  Paul Castle had me on CBC's Shift and played the song.  Plus, Magic 104 in Moncton has added the song to heavy rotation.  Thanks for that!

We also just played our monthly barn burner at The Bayou in Shediac.  It was more fun that it shoulda been and that, along with the success of the other shows can probably be attributed to our guest guitar player.  Old friend of the band Neil Kennedy has sat in on our last three shows.  The only way to describe the sound with the four of us is BIG.

Speaking of big, plans for my 40th birthday are well underway.  I've wanted to get all my friends together and have a big jam session on a stage somewhere.  The stage is secure, all that's left are the invitations.  It'll be a private function, but a good time for sure.  I'll try and post some pics.

Next show is July 19th back out in Shediac.  See you there.

31 May, 2008 - 'Run' is finally finished

Okay.  It's done.  bigwhale and friends have just completed work on 'Run', the song I wrote for the late Sean Collins.  Sean was Chelsea's cousin who died after his battle with cancer last year.  I wrote the song about a month ago and the band has spent the better part of the last 3 weeks recording it. 

We started by enlisting the help of our good friend Robin Anne Ettles who agreed to produce the track.  We recorded the drums on the stage of Moncton's Capitol Theater (thanks Nathan for the gear and the expertise), then recorded bass and guitar chez moi.  At the same time, I asked my old friend and musical genius Neil Kennedy to provide some programming for the project - he contributed keyboard, loop and sample parts that really brought the song to really cool place.  We added all this to my original loop and the digeridoo samples I found.  This is the instrument that Sean was so fascinated with during his trip to Australia.

We did the vocals at an 'undisclosed location' and Robin tracked some more guitars on her own.  Then we mixed at one of the coolest rooms I've ever worked in - a big thanks to Chris Gougen and to Paul for their help and hospitality.  We sent the finished mix to be mastered by the same guy who did such a great job on my album 5 years ago - Brad Blackwood at Euphonics Masters in Memphis.  For those who don't know what mastering is, it takes the finished mix and just evens stuff out - like the final coat of varnish or something.  Brad did a tremendous job and turned it around in record time.

Anyway, it's finally done.  I really want to thank everybody who pitched in and I also want to say thanks to Chris Roy.  Chris is entertainment co-ordinator at this year's Relay For Life and the idea of the song was initially his.  I've built a special section onto the music page of both this site and the bigwhale site.  Check out either link;

bigwhale music page

peterpost.net music page

So the next time we hit the stage will be Friday night at 10:00 on June 6th at Centennial Park.  It'll be an all original set which will open with the first public performance of Run.  Hope to see you on the hill Friday.

18 May, 2008 - Another busy rock & roll summer ahead

Lots going on.  Lots.  First of all, bigwhale played a couple gigs recently that were indeed a good time.  Most notably May 10th at The Fox & Hound in Riverview.  Thanks to everybody who showed up and special thanks to Marc Clement who sat in with us and did his thing on guitar.  We had more special guest as well - Stephanie Hopper came up and sang a set with us and kicked some serious ass.  The same can be said of our old friend Neil Kennedy who surprised everybody by getting up and playing  a few with us.  First time in... I don't know how long.

Also, thanks to Magic 104 for asking us to do their Dad & Mom Prom on May 3rd.  That was a really fun gig.  Apologies to the Future Inn for the noise :)  Well, maybe I wouldn't call it noise, per se.  Whatever you call it, we had a great time and are looking forward to next year.

A couple big things coming up for the band in a couple weeks.  We're playing the Relay for Life on June 6th at Centennial Park  - we go on at 10pm.  Then we play the next day at the Dragon Boat Festival at Jones Lake.  We're the closing act in the afternoon at 3:45.   We're lucky to share both stages with some great acts.  The bigwhale site has a full schedule of performers.

Both sets will feature original material  - most notably 'Run'.  This is a song I've written for the late Sean Collins.  My good friend Robin Anne Ettles and I have been working on it and we're getting close to the finish line.   As soon as it's ready, it'll be posted straightaway.  You can hear the demo here.

2 May, 2008 - Is it May already?

What happened?  Things seem to be moving pretty quickly.  There's lots going on and I haven't had a chance to update this little journal as there has just been too much happening.  bigwhale is playing quite frequently of late now that Spring is upon us - that's always good.

I was asked a month or so ago to write a song for Sean Collins.  If you don't know Sean's story, he battled cancer for quite a bit of his young life and passed away last year.  It was a pretty daunting task to say the least but one which I accepted immediately.  It's finally finished as of just days ago.  I played it for Sean's parents a couple nights ago and they enthusiastically gave it their blessing.  Now it's time to get it out there so it can do some good.  I'm actually just about to go see my friends Tony and Shelli on Magic 104 and debut the song acoustically.  Nervous?  No!  Why should I be nervous?

I'm working on a fully produced version too.  My good friend and musical genius Robin Anne Ettles has agreed to produce it with us.  This will be a bigwhale song when it's done and our plans are to have it finished quickly.  We'll be playing it as part of our set at the Relay for Life in June (June 6, Centennial Park).

We're also playing the Dad & Mom Prom for Magic 104 this coming Saturday night at the Future Inn.  Tickets are $25 per couple and only available at Magic 104 during business hours so, y'know, today's the day to get 'em.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my little project.  The NewMilleniumFunkGuitar seems to be coming along nicely.  Thanks to Brian, the guru who's doing all the heavy labour.  He sent me some pics of the process to this point and I'm too excited not to share 'em.  If seeing a guitar all torn apart makes you squeamish, avert your eyes...

As with most flashes of brilliance, it'll be done when it's done... in its own sweet time.  But I can't wait, I really can't. 

Okay, more as it happens, I have a feeling the business of late is not about to slow down anytime soon.

27 February, 2008 - Time flies

So it's been months and months since I've written anything here.  I've just been focusing on other stuff, I guess.  Life gets pretty busy, as I'm sure you can attest to, but that's no excuse for letting my correspondence go.

There has been a real drought in live shows lately but I think that's all about to change.  Firstly, Sashas, that wonderful spot we used to play weekly has closed.  the closing was rather unceremonious and quite nefarious but, y'know... not unanticipated.  Sh!% happens.  The poor little staff are scattered to the four winds and yours truly is without a once-a-week gig which had obvious benefits.  Meh.

Now, a few months have passed and things are looking up.  After a relatively snowy and gig-free winter, it seems bigwhale is back in action, playing this coming Saturday at Au Bayou in Shediac, then at the end of the month in Riverview at the Fox 'n' Hound.   We once again have a couple gigs a month at the very least and are looking to find another Sasha's-like residency as it improved our chops, decimated our livers and made for a generally good time.

We've also taken to playing in Fredericton of late.  A friend of the band, Dan Doucet is up in the mighty Freddy and invited us to join him at Gordie's Pub on Queen St.  The place was packed thanks to James and Crawdaddy, Farmer Mark, Carl and the O'Hara clan (just to name a few) and a good time was definitely had by all.  I believe we've been invited back so we're all about that.  I'll actually be up there with my acoustic to sit in with Dan on March 28th - I may even bring my new dobro!

Also, I have a very daunting songwriting task and a class reunion coming up as well.  More on those as they develop.   My guitar collection has reached into the double-digits thanks to a frightening little instrument that I've acquired/modified.  I've got big plans for this disco behemoth although right now it just looks like an oriental fighting star with a humbucker pickup in it!  Stay tuned as the NewMilleniumFunkGuitar comes into its own.

14 October, 2007 - A Country bar and a Martini bar in the same week

There are a few gigs to tell you about in ther near future.  Firstly, I've been asked to sit in another Songwriter's Circle this Tuesday, October 16th at Kody's on Mountain Road - yes, a country bar.  I believe things start at 9:30.  This is Darcy Mazerolle's weekly gig and once a month (as I understand it) he does Tuesday night in Songwriter's Circle format.  I'll be playing a little old and a little new - all on acoustic.  Besides Darcy, I'm not sure who else will be playing but I'm sure it'll be a good night. Hope to see you there.

As always, Thursdays are still cookin' at Sasha's with bigwhale doing its thing.  After a relatively slow September, things are back to normal with good crowds and good times.  Coming up at the end of the month, on the 27th, we'll be back at The Bayou in Shediac for a Halloween party.  Y'know, I'm almost frightened of this one. 

Also, I'm working on a new/old song.  I had written something quite a ways back, maybe four or five years ago called Calling Your Name.  It was a funky thing but it was never really possible for one guitar and it didn't really have a proper bridge. I finished it yesterday and I'll post it on the bigwhale site in a few days.

12 September, 2007 - Never too busy to say thanks

So, time has passed and I've been busy - but I want to make sure I say the appropriate thanks to some very important folks who have helped out lately.  First of all, I've been having some computer issues to the point where I'm typing my first entry on my new computer.  Hopefully this won't retain my old computer's habit of suddenly shutting off for no reason, which was getting a bit much, really.  Now comes the fun part of installing all the little things I need so I can get back to normal.  Slow and painful, but necessary.  So firstly, I want to thank Craig for putting together this little technological wonder for me.  Good guy that Craig Borden. 

Speaking of Craig, I'd like to thank him and Squid for filling in on bass while Brenty was feeling under the weather (whatever that expression means).  See, our bigwhale has seen quite a few gigs lately and two weeks is a long time to be sick by anybody's standards.  He's feeling better now, though, for those of you playing along at home.  It was kinda neat doing three gigs in three separate weeks with three totally different bass players.  Keeps ya on your toes, that's for sure.

Speaking of gigs, we played The Bayou in Shediac over the weekend and a good time was had by all.  We're booked in there till the end of the year and twice next month, actually.  Thanks to Joline for booking us for her going away party... if she's really going away.  I also want to send an extra special thank you out to the staff at Sasha's for being so much fun every week.  They're big supporters and always enthusiastic so thanks to Tara, Kelly and Matt who are there every week with us.  You should join us one of these Thursdays, it's a good time.

Speaking of a good time, I also want to thank some of you who have been coming to see us more regularly than our bass players lately.  Kym, who has been to many, many of our shows, Sergio and company, the amazing Jean, Alan 'The Relic' Cochrane, and of course Heather... how can we forget Heather?  She's been coming to these things and wondering why she wasn't mentioned in here.  Wonder no more.  Heather, thanks!  Where would we be without you :)

Speaking of where would I be, I want to thank my wife, Chelsea.  I know my crazy schedule gets a bit much sometimes so thanks for encouraging me to play rock & roller lately and being part of the fun.

Speaking of fun, see you Thursday.  We have new songs, old friends and drinks.  Did I mention drinks? 

6 August, 2007 - Gimmie a double-shot of whale with a Police chaser

It's been a month since the last entry.  In that time, I've had 3 weeks off, seen some Greek islands, seen my all-time favorite band The Police in Montreal, played some great shows and just generally a spectacular summer.  Musically, bigwhale is still having fun and last Thursday was our first show on Sasha's patio (just the confluence of events, I guess.  It always rained on Thursday up until then).  The patio vibe was really cool and a good time was had by all.  A sad goodbye to Wayne as he's leaving to join the French Foreign Legion or something.  He was scarce on details.

Coming up is one of my favorite events... a two-gig week!  For a 'hobbyist' like myself, that's a big thing.  This Thursday, as per usual, we'll be at Sasha's, then on Saturday, we're back at the Bayou in Shediac.  We're gonna add some rather ambitious covers this week so if you wanna hear me sing Madonna for the first time (among other things), come check it out. 

I'd like to start recording some tunes with the boys as well.  Although our schedules are quite taxed, we've all agreed to find the time somewhere in the next little while.  Keep checking back here and to the bigwhale site for updates.

As always, hope you can make it to the shows and hope you have a great week. 

7 July, 2007 - It's gettin' kinda hot

Okay, we're really startin' to cook.  And I don't mean the weather.  Weather's actually been crappy.  Rain at least once every day?  That's a little much, don't cha think?  Time to leave the country, I guess.  But not before one more show.  We play tonite in Shediac at the mighty Bayou.  Moe has a hang nail or somethin' and can't make it so we are fortunate enough to have Captain Colepaugh with us once again.  Always a good time.  Hope you make it down. 

We also have more Sasha's gigs coming up.  We're skipping this Thursday coming and the Hot Tamales will be taking up the torch for the week.  But we're back on the 19th.  When I say it's getting hot - here's what I mean.  This band of mine is pretty groovy now if we do say so ourselves.  You gotta come check it out.  We had another bachelorette party stop by last Thursday as well as lots of friends old and new. 

A big thanks to Wayne, Troy and all the folks at Sasha's for making us welcome.  Also, thanks to Alan, Patti and Harold, Jean, Kym, Squid, Duane, those crazy guys from Saint John (Phil, are you feelin' okay?) for coming down to recent shows.  Wouldn't have been the same without ya.

I can't really describe the kind of band we're turning into but I do urge you to come by and judge for yourself.  We're havin' a blast and it's contagious.  Like lesions or something - but nicer.

Then we're back at the Bayou on the 11th of August for one more kick at Shediac summer.  We still have plans to record some stuff but that'll be a bit later. More news as it happens.

I also want to say thank you to Ernie and Troy at C103 for having me on last month to talk about old times.  I had a lot of fun, you guys were great.  The hits on this site took a big spike that day when they gave it a plug so, to anyone who's visiting because they heard about it from the show.  Welcome.

10 June, 2007 - Beaches, Patios, Mozzarella and Memories

A big, big thank you to everyone at 'Au Bayou' in Shediac who came out to see bigwhale last night.   What a good time.  The dance floor was packed all night (we love that) and a good time was had all 'round.  You could just smell the salty beach air... and the Rev the bachelorette party was guzzling.  We will be back on July 7 for another Saturday night in beautiful downtown Shediac!

For those of you who aren't really ready to make the long trek out to Shediac to see us... never fear!  We've just been booked in pretty regularly at Sasha's. 

If you've never been, this is the tremendous little martini bar in Robinson Court.  That's just around the back entrance to the Capitol's Empress Theater.  It is a really great spot and we had fun (some would say too much fun) last time we played there so we've been invited back as regulars.  We start our Thursday night gigs there on June 28th.  We play the 28th and July 5th.  Then we alternate weeks with the Hot Tamales for the rest of July, then we're back on in August.  If the weather's nice, we'll be out on the patio so you gotta come check it out.

Also, the Songwriter's Circle, as part of the Homeless Hotel, went very well.  Thanks to Rogers Television who did an outstanding job as did Evan from SSI.  On the ball as always.  The event raised money and awareness and we had a lot of fun in the process.  Thanks to my very talented stage mates; Darcy Mazerolle, Pat Chaisson, Krista D and Phil Acheson and, of course the always tremendous Chris Colepaugh with Samantha Robichaud. It was a pleasure and an honor to share the stage with such talented folk. 

I was particularly struck by Darcy's songs.  I hadn't heard him in awhile and they really blew me away.  I think he's really onto something cool.  Check him out if you get the chance.  Incidentally, if you 'spell check' Darcy's last name, some of your options include Miserable and Mozzarella.  Just something to think about.

This week, I'll be making a special guest appearance on C103's Breakfast Club.  I'll join Ernie and Troy on Friday morning to talk about old times.  For those of you who don't know, I was working at the station (back when it was called Rock 103) when it went on the air in 1987.  All of 18, I was the all night DJ there for a couple years.  As it's the 20th anniversary, they're dusting off some of the old alumni like myself to talk about the good ole days.   I might just dig out my 'station-opening/boat-show/Salute-to-Secretaries' suit for the occasion but I'm pretty sure it won't fit anymore.  Besides, it's the radio and from what I'm told you won't be able to see me... just hear me.  Now, why is that do you suppose?

25 May, 2007 - I've got my three!

Lots going on so I'll try to get right to it.  I have my three songs written for the Songwriter's Circle.  I'm producing demos as we speak and will have them posted the day of the show. 

One of them that didn't quite get finished was actually something I was messing with for the last Homeless Hotel.  It's actually a song about homelessness - or what I know of it.  I dusted it off again but I still don't have it quite right so I'll keep tinkering with it.  Other than that, I've got one about loss and one about being fed up with your spouse but not being able to leave.  I know, sounds like a real 'up' buncha songs but it's not as depressing as all that.  Also, it's fair to point out that I've written these in the third person so, no, they're not about me :)  Look on the Music page as of June 1st and listen for yourself. 

You could also tune into the live broadcast of the event, June 1st at 8pm on Rogers Cable.  For those of you who have satellite... go over to somebody's house.  The show will air from 8pm till 10.  Even better, you could come down and be part of the audience.  It's happening at Riverfront Park, downtown Moncton.  If I'm not mistaken, doors open at 7pm.

Beyond that, bigwhale is playing our first gig in quite some time at Sasha's the following night - that's the martini bar downtown on Robinson Court.  We're filling in on their weekly blues night for some friends in Déjà Blues who can't make it.  We'll be pulling out lots of old blues tunes along with some surprises.  That's happening on June 2nd, show starts at 9.

Then the following weekend, bigwhale is back at The Bayou in Shediac for the rock & roll experience once again.  I believe there's a caravan of folks from town who are coming out for that one.  We're hoping to pack the dance floor again and we guarantee a good time.

Okay, it's back to producing these three demos.  See, I'm at the tail-end of a nasty little case of stomach flu (why I ever got a whole case is beyond me - a single serving woulda done just fine).  I'm not feeling nearly as 'pukey' as I was last night.  Pukey - wasn't he Gumby's friend?  Yeah, Gumby and Pukey... I'm almost positive.

Anyway, it's entirely possible that these recordings may smell a little like that.  If you listen really closely, I'm sure you'll be able to hear that my breathing is a little bit erratic.  Yes, I would predict that on these recordings I may sound sweaty, clammy and otherwise unwell.  But you know what they say... The Show Must Go On. 

It shouldn't matter on recordings that I do appear a little unkempt.  They're audio recordings, right?  Nobody can actually see me, can they?  My face is gaunt and I'm in need of a shave.  Not all the color has come back to my cheeks yet.  But that shouldn't matter one bit. 

Actually, I feel like this is the perfect time to record.  This is the closest I'll come to the after-effects of the kind of rock star mega-abuse many successful musicians perpetrate upon themselves only to be required to 'perform' a short while later.  Yes, this could be it, friends.  This could be my Sgt. Pepper.  This could be my Rumors or my Talk Dirty To Me.  My Exile On Main Street!  Okay, now I've gotta get to work.  I'm inspired, I'm ready!  Hand me that guitar and ready the spit bucket!  Let's rock!

12 May, 2007 - Eeeeew!  Bugs!

So I'm driving down the street the other day and a big juicy Junebug jumps through my sunroof and hits me on the head.   Kate was sitting beside me and, as it was dusk, she didn't see the little beast do his thing.  "I thought you were freakin' out, there", she said observantly as I did my little get-the-hell-off-me dance while driving down the street.  Now, I don't know what purpose those little buggers serve on the planet (I'm sure they feed something) but I know my world would be just fine if they never, ever came back.  I've got nothing against bugs in general but those guys, MAN!  Squirmy little balls of moving crap, y'know?

Anyway, all to segue into the fact that the Junebug is not the only bug that has hit me lately.  It seems the writing bug is back too.  As strange as it seems, the idea of forced creativity has never been a bad thing for me.  I have some decent little songs cooking and they will hopefully be ready in the next couple weeks.  My goal this time - 3 brand new ones.

This, of course, is all due to the fact that there's another Songwriter's Circle on the horizon.  On June 1st, the Homeless Hotel will actually be a home to something - the Rogers Television Songwriter's Circle, LIVE!  I'll be hosting and playing and the rest of the lineup has now been confirmed;

• Chris Colepaugh

• Krista D

• Darcy Mazerolle

• Pat Chaisson

Good times.  Be sure to come down to the event, listen to some great new songs from everybody and be part of a live television broadcast.  What more could you possibly want for nothing?  The whole thing takes place at Riverfront Park, downtown Moncton.  That's very near the big Rogers building by the water. Just look for the big tents.

Also coming up, bigwhale will switch to Saturday nights at The Bayou in Shediac.  We're hoping for fun things as we play one Saturday a month there for the summer.  Although we will miss our friends on the Friday night bar staff, hopefully there are more good things ahead on Saturdays.  Hope you can join us for one of them. 

Okay, my goal is to get the three songs I'm working on finished, in demo form and posted here on the day of the Songwriter's Circle.  That way, if folks like what they hear on the show, they can come here and download a copy for themselves.  The reason I'm saying this is so I will be forced to finish such an ambitious project.  If I don't declare it aloud, who knows what kind of laziness might take over.  Working titles include Tear It Down and Out Of My Mind.  Finally, a song title that doesn't start with a W! 

Also, a big thanks to everybody who made it out to the shows last weekend - especially to Chris for doing such an admirable job sitting in for Moe.  We rocked the Bayou the only way we know how and I had big time fun at Cheers playing material I never usually get to play.  Thanks to Squid for sitting in for a few songs.

3 May, 2007 - Looks like a busy summer

There's lots going on lately so I'm gonna just go through some of the events that are coming up.  This weekend, I'm playing Friday AND Saturday night (I almost feel like a real musician :)  Friday night is with bigwhale at The Bayou in Shediac.  Moe can't make it so we'll have special guest troublemaker Chris Colepaugh on drums.  This will be the first time onstage with my new Les Paul so that alone is gonna make it an event for me, anyway!  Plus, we're looking forward to the nuttiness of the Bayou getting dialed up a notch now that summer is on the way.

Saturday night, I'm doing an acoustic show at Cheers on Brandon Street.  This should be special.  It's a birthday party for Chelsea's mom so that's a guaranteed whack of people right there.  That's usually all I need to make for a great gig.  Plus, I've gone into the 'back pages' of my songbook and pulled out a hundred new songs, literally.  These are tunes I haven't played in years, or ones I've never played before.  If you want to hear an eclectic mix, this is the gig to go to!  And, of course, Cheers has Stella on tap - ya can't go wrong there. The show should start around 10ish and when it's just me on acoustic, I'm kinda notorious for not taking breaks of any kind.  You will be entertained, this I can guarantee!

More stuff coming up includes the Homeless Hotel.  Yes, it's back and this year (weather permitting) will be at Riverfront Park, downtown Moncton on June 1st.  The format is quite different this year when it comes to entertainment.  It looks like Rogers Television will be doing a live broadcast from the Homeless Hotel site from 8pm till 10.  They'll profile the event and interview the organizers but the bulk of the broadcast will be a live televised Songwriter's Circle with yours truly as the host.  So far our lineup includes me, Chris Colepaugh (man, I'm seein' an awful lot of him lately) Krista D and a couple members of Never Tried.  If you've read my previous posts about the Songwriter's Circle, you know how much I love the format.  Having it part of the Homeless Hotel and having the whole thing live on TV will make it extra special.  Now comes the task of coming up with three new songs.  Yikes.  I am working with some stuff I like lately, I just have to iron out a few things.  I'm pretty sure I'll have at least a couple new things by June 1st.

Also, another trip to The Bayou on June 9th - this time a Saturday night.  Looks like we're in there once a month for the next little while.  So that'll be fun as the summer heats up.  Gotta love Shediac in the summer.

That's the long and the short of it for now.  There are some things in the works for bigwhale but when there's anything newsworthy to report, I'll let you know.

29 March, 2007 - I like it because it's fun again

This bigwhale thing is getting to be so much fun.  We played The Bayou in Shediac last weekend.  What a time.  Some of the more colorful local patrons were waay more entertaining than we were.  And I gotta say, we were pretty entertaining.  It was our own little Cirque du Solei complete with drink balancing, table dancing, running flips and karate dance moves.  And that was just one dude!   If you ever see me, ask me about 'acrobatic guy'.

Seriously, though, we had a great time and are already planning our return.  We kept the dance floor pretty slammed for most of the night and made some new friends as always.  Special thanks to Mel Keith who came up and sang a couple tunes with the band. 

Also, check out the newly created bigwhale.ca for the latest on gigs, song lists and original material.  I've also posted some of the tunes we recorded live at the Five Points Lounge.  Aphrodisiac, in particular, has some juice. 

I was saying the other day that, after all these years of playing, the excitement hasn't dulled a single bit.  It's obvious that I'm not the fresh-faced boy that I was when I started but I still love pretty much every aspect of doing the rock and roll thing.  As weird as it is, I still love loading gear and wrapping cables, the sound my amp makes when it's really, really loud and everything in between.  I got into this more than 20 years ago and it wasn't to become rich and famous.  It was because I liked the act of making music.

I know I'm not heavy enough for some or not alternative enough for others or whatever but, a few years back I started doing it to please myself again and I started really enjoying it all just like I did when I was 18.

I'm having fun in almost equal measures playing covers and original songs lately too.  For instance, I've got a band that will actually play disco songs with me now.  And just as I always suspected, it works!  Dance floors are becoming our little science experiments... what makes people move and what won't.  It's like all that is new again.

From where I sit, I've always seen three high-level activities associated with being a musician.  Songwriting, recording and gigs.  There are all kinds of sub tasks that go into each of those, and it makes it like a never ending, always evolving uber-hobby.  There are always a dozen totally different activities to sink your time into.  They're all different, they're all fun and they all contribute to the greater whole and the greater goal of furthering yourself musically.

Then, of course there's the promotion and the shmoozing and the whatever but that stuff seems pretty secondary lately.  That's the stuff that can suck.  What's great lately with this band is that we seem to be sticking to the fun parts, most of the time.  We're having our ice cream first and leaving our green beans on the plate.

Anyway, all to say that this beast keeps jumping from hobby to obsession to career and back again with all points in between and I've been feeling pretty lucky lately that I figured out I wanted to do this so many years ago.  There's no sign I'm going to stop anytime soon and I want to thank any of you who have come see a gig or bought a record or had me up on their stage to jam one time.  I'm feelin' pretty grateful.

10 March, 2007 - You never write, you never call...

I know, I'm a slacker for not writing anything here since Christmas but there's a lot goin' on.  Just not time to tell anybody about it.  Latest thing is another bigwhale gig at The Bayou in Shediac...

It would be awesome if we had people show up but it's Shediac so, for once I understand if you can't make it.  Our last gig was a great warm-up.  we played the Five Points Lounge to a full house and recorded the show.  bigwhale has been my musical focus of late and we're working on a new website. 

Also, thanks to Sproll for thinking of me and asking me to open the show for them last Friday night.  Their opener couldn't make it due to weather so I was happy to fill in.  Thanks to Dave Rahmer for sitting in and playing the tunes so brilliantly!

Twigstock II went very well.  We had a great turnout at The Right Spot (RIP) and raised another $1200 for our friend Beth.  She's home, by the way and I'm attending a special welcome dinner in her honor tonite.  I'm looking forward to seeing her as she is now equipped with brand new lungs!  Also at Twigstock II were Urban Myth, the Hot Tamales and my old friend Dan Doucet.

Kay that's it for now.  Hope to see you in Shediac on the 23rd.

18 Dec, 2006 - Merry Frikken Christmas

Okay.  Before I go any further I have to say...  I think I've outdone myself this time.  My goal was to take Christmas songs and 'reinterpret' them.  Although I only have two, I believe I make up in quality what I may lack in the other thing.

I give you 'Deck The Halls' and 'Joy To The World'.  I'll leave them up until the holidays are over, then I'll remove them.  Kinda like Easter Cream Eggs used to be.  I started by trying to do some songs for my daughter Kate to sing.  Quickly, though, they took on a life of their own.  I became a sort of Ronnie James Dio meets Kris Kringle.  It wasn't pretty.

I must say that I do not, in any way, mean these to be serious.  This was simply to make me laugh.  Hopefully it's contagious.  I played all the instruments (save the drums) and sang all vocals.  I do have a version of 'Joy To The World' with Kate singing lead but I will let her release that into the wild if she so chooses.  Consider this my Christmas present to you!

News?  I've been working quite a bit with frequent trips to The City That Greed Built and it has taken me off my focus a bit.  That said, bigwhale is having a great time playing the gigs that do come up.  We played with the folks from Urban Myth and also played the InColor Christmas party of late.  That was a friggin' hoot, that was.  Those people are craaazy.

Coming up in the New Year is the follow up to last year's benefit show for my friend Beth 'Twiggy' Wilson.  Yes, Twigstock 2 will happen Saturday, January 20th at The Right Spot.  We'll be raising money to help Twiggy recuperate from her successful double-lung transplant.  Come down and show your support.  Our lineup includes bigwhale, Hot Tamales and Urban Myth (same as last time) as well as an old friend of mine Dan Doucet from Fredericton and a new friend Dave Rahmer.  Both will be doing acoustic sets with Dave kicking the night off at 9pm. 

Kay that's all I have time for.  Enjoy the Christmas songs and have a great season.  See you in the New Year.

26 Aug, 2006 - Flexing My One Muscle

Well, the weather has chilled and it seems time to take out the long sleeves and all that crap.  I must say, I am looking forward to settling in and making some musical progress this fall and winter.

Looking forward to a little songwriting retreat next weekend as well.  I'm going out to the family cottage to just get away from all the regular technology (in exchange for the musical technology, I guess) and see what comes out of the ole' noodle.  As always, I had big plans this summer that didn't materialize, musically, as there were just too many other things.  Songwriting is no different.  It can be frustrating and rewarding but it is neither of those things if you don't devote any time to it.  I am, I must admit, plenty guilty of this. 

I guess I consider songwriting like a muscle.  The less you use it, the more out of shape - or out of practice - it becomes.  It has been said that Bob Dylan aspires to write a song every day.  Every day.  Think about that for a minute.  It's a lofty goal but not when you consider that it is actually Bob's occupation.  He doesn't work in a call center or flip burgers (although I've seen a couple guys that... in the right light, y'know?).  No, Bob's job, as it were, is to write songs and he's gotten pretty good at it. 

Now, to be sure, everything that Bob writes is not blinding in its brilliance but that's not the point with 'art'.  You've got to keep chipping away in case there's a diamond in there, even if most days you just get a bucket full of limestone.  I do hope that some of Bob's off days produce songs as crappy as my off-day songs.  One can dream, right?  The point is to keep trying.

Although I try to do this Songwriting Retreat thing once every year, I have some added - if self inflicted - motivation.  I have another Songwriter's Circle gig coming up at The Empress Theater on September 22nd.  These gigs are far and away my favorites.  The place is always packed and it's packed with people who are there to listen... really listen.  It's an odd phenomenon nowadays and one that a part-time artist like myself can really appreciate.  It's obvious they're not there for the cheap drinks!

You can literally feel the audience hanging on each phrase and each chord of every single performer.  It's a great place to debut new work which is what I try to do.  I try to show up at each one with four brand new songs.  I already have four new songs (at least new to the Circle) but I'm looking for that other one.  That special one that I show up and say, "I had my set all planned out for tonite but last weekend, this one just blurted out and I really love it and here it is...", that's the one I'm looking for.

I've got some good things already written that I'm pretty proud of.  I've got a song called 'I Want To' that I've only played live a couple times.  Plus, I've never taken any of the Big Whale songs onto the Songwriter's Circle and that'll be an experience.  For those of you who haven't been following along (from the looks of the crowds at my live shows lately, that'd be most of you), I wrote a half a dozen songs for my little rock experience, bigwhale.  They're three-chord rock and roll and they really cook, if I do say so myself.  A couple of them translate decently to acoustic (albeit it a massive barrage of down-strokes with no actual strumming!) so I'll play one or two of those.

But the search continues, you know?  That search for that special one that parts the clouds and makes the angels throw big handfuls of Skittles down to earth (uh, or something).  I'm always searching for that song.  This is going to sound funny but, do you remember the first Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure?  They are brought into the future by George Carlin (who else?) and their band (the Wyld Stalyons, I think!) have made music that unites the masses, ends world hunger, aligns the planets et al.  I believe the 'stand-in' music used in the scene was some random guitar noodling by Steve Vai but that's not the point.  I'm not sure if every songwriter aspires to this goal, but they should.  I know I do.

Don't get me wrong, I know my place.  I realize that a bunch of little songs could never do such things in actuality... especially without a decent distribution deal.  But music used to do that to me when I was a kid.  Whether it was an old Paul McCartney album or the first time I heard Regatta De Blanc from The Police,  music used to be the answer to any problem anyone could present.  Selfishly, I wanna write a few of those.

My writer's muscle is a little flabby (like the rest of my muscles, disappointingly) but I'm gonna give it a go.  It's always a great feeling for me to wake up with a clear head... clear of other people's music, that is.  I usually have something humming in my brain and it's most likely broken by the radio, my CD player, my dog or whatever speaks first.  Having a couple days to just let that little thing germinate and not be killed off before 8:30 is going to be a pretty good start.

Anyway, stay tuned to see what I come up with and stop by the gig and see if anyone around the Circle aligns the planets or stops world hunger.  That'd kick ass, huh?

4 Aug, 2006 - Trying not to be lazy is hard work

So I've been tryin' to get off my ass and get stuff done but it's not workin' out.  I've got some new songs to record.  I feel a burning desire to write again and I don't have that much booked for upcoming gigs.  Lots to do, right?  But I just can't seem to make the time for it, y'know?  I'm just finishing up two weeks vacation that went by like a shot and I didn't really get to much of what I had planned.  This pesky day job that provides for all my needs and keeps me in the manor I've been accustomed is really cramping my otherwise bohemian style. 

I think I actually needed my vacation to stop doing everything.  When I take two weeks, the first week is always a wash and this time was no different.  Then we went camping and I actually managed to shut stuff off.  But I'm finding lately that it's either all on or all off, no in between.  I'm a little too ambitious for my own good.  It's good to have goals, right?  But I try to cram a lot of stuff on my to-do list knowing I won't be able to get to most of it.  Aaah, such is life.

Another gig is on the horizon.  I'm still trying to find my groove at that little place on St. George and Lutz called the Five Points Lounge so I've decided to give it another go.  This time on a Friday night.  Please join me for the widest range of songs you're likely to hear come out of one guy in one night.

I'll probably play another mix of original songs and covers and I keep adding quirky little songs that I dig up all the time.  I've gotta say, one of the things that makes me excited to play my acoustic through a PA lately is my newest pedal, a Boss compressor.  As gear-geeky as this sounds it's really fun to use this thing as a means to improve my sound.  Now, I don't think of myself as a guitar player so much as a 'guy who owns guitars' and for me, it's a means to an end.  I do enjoy it, but my skill is limited and I've never been good at getting 'the sound'.  That said, I love this little thing.  It does exactly what I want.  It evens out the dynamics in my playing and makes all the little hard to articulate things really come out... and it has a very forgiving tone, which I desperately need.  Anyway, just a little geek out there, but I had to share for some reason.

So, you're welcome to come by and hear me, my eclectic mix of songs and my new compressor pedal... good times. 

3 July, 2006 - So it's been 4 months, I've been busy!

Okay, it's been awhile since I've written anything but that's the way it goes sometimes, right?  Busy.  First of all we moved back to town and a very small studio has been constructed at the new place.  It is small but it sounds really great or, more aptly, it sounds 'dead'.  I've got carpet hung on all the walls and the sound doesn't bounce at all which is my kinda room!  I'm starting to do some commercials again for a Chev dealership in Cape Breton so that's been how I've road tested the room.  There has been some songwriting going on but that's not what's been taking the bulk of my time, unfortunately.

I just finished working with an event called the Homeless Hotel.  I've actually played this event since its inception but this year I was drafted as Entertainment Co-ordinator.  It has taken a fair bit of my time, what with all the details, but it was very rewarding and a worthwhile place to put my time to be sure.

Our entertainment this year included yours truly, Jason and Alex from The Divorcees, the ever fabulous Jac Gautreau and the ever insane Chris Colepaugh.  The night closed off with a band I had never heard before the event, Never Tried.  Everyone was awesome and the night was pretty free of technical glitches and the kind of time delays that usually plague a 'festival' stage so I was pretty pleased.  

The guys from SSI did a tremendous job on lights and PA.  The whole thing happened at Riverfront Park and it was a success.  Money was raised, awareness was too and there were no major problems.  I'd call that a success, right?

My set was a lot of fun.  I was joined by Moe, Brent, Steph and Dan Wilson on Congas.  Actually, halfway though my set as I played 'Why?' I heard someone take a solo.  It took me a couple seconds as I figured I didn't have anybody on stage who was capable of taking a solo... then I realized Jac had sat at the piano.  Always great to play with him.

I think the 'unplugged' thing works for me.  The last few shows have been that way and they've been great.  They really let the songs breathe and bring the audience closer.  Existential, I know but whatever... all I know is the vibe is better for the songs.    

I went back on after the last band with Conga Dan and Jonathan Arsenault and we played a wide range of covers, jamming till 3am.  Jonathan was kind enough to go home and get his strat and come back and play.  Jon, I must apologize for not playing anything in the right key.  I transpose at will and I appreciate you keepin' up, man.

I played a crazy gig a couple weeks back with bigwhale in Dorchester.  It was this annual beer garden/dance and I honestly wasn't expecting very much... none of us were.  We get to the fire hall and set up and start playing shortly after 9ish.  From about 9:45 on, it was absolutely nuts.  A room that should hold about 150 people had, by my guess, about 250 in it.  The 'dance floor' was jammed from 10 on.  You literally couldn't move in there.  We played straight through till a little after midnight, took a ten minute break and then kept going till well after the bar closed and the lights came on.  Everybody had a helluva time, including us.  You people really know how to party and we were glad to provide the entertainment.  Thanks for the good time, hope to see you next year!

I'm also starting to play at a little bar called the Five Points Lounge.  It's on the corner of St. George & Lutz.... no, the other corner.  It seats about 30 people so it's a pretty cozy spot.  Friends of mine from work formed a band called Jam Hall and they play there quite frequently.  I thought I'd try it out. 

A couple weeks ago, I had just come home from a work trip to Vegas and promptly got the stomach flu.  I spent two days wishing I could be gutted like a fish only to feel half-human the morning of the gig.  I decided to play the gig anyway (muttering in the depth of my nausea that I had never missed a gig in twenty years) and made it through by drinking nothing but gatorade.  But by 'made it through', I mean that I started at 9ish and played straight through till 1am.  I guess I'm not in the habit of taking breaks lately!

I'm back there on Friday night and I believe Moe will be with me and maybe Steph.  I will probably be doing some original stuff but it'll be a cover gig, mostly.  I have to admit, those are getting fun again. 

The June 2nd Songwriter's Circle I was to attend had to be moved.  The Circle went forward but it was a direct conflict with the Homeless Hotel event so Blair was nice enough to move me to the September 22nd show.  It was a bit of a drag seeing as the June 2nd show was full of close musical friends like Robin Ettles and Melanie Keith, Chris Colepaugh and Brendan Furlotte.  They had a good gig with a great turnout, though and I'm on the bill with Allan Cooper in September so that should be a great show.  More details when I get 'em.

I have two new songs almost finished that I'll most likely play at the Circle.  The goal was to show up with four new ones and I think I can make it.  Stay tuned for news of a Web Launch of these tunes and an accompanying gig at Sasha's Martini bar.

11 March, 2006 - Surrounded By Boxes

It seems like I'm busy enough and there's lots going on but, musically, there's not a lot to show for it.  I'm spending most of my evenings and weekends packing as we're moving back into town after 2 years in Shediac.  I'll have to say goodbye to my wonderful studio and hope that the one I cobble together at the new place will be almost as nice.

Even though my time has been spent packing boxes, I have managed to write a song.  I guess I have a goal of writing enough new songs to fill my Songwriter's Circle appearance on June 2nd at The Empress.  I'll need four and I've got one and a half so far.  It's nice to have goals.  The new tune isn't quite ready for Prime Time yet but once I get set up in the new place, I'll be able to put something together and get it online.

bigwhale is playing Cheers this coming Saturday and I really hope you decide to come out.  The last gig there was one of the most fun I've played in awhile so we're hoping for a repeat of that.  That's it, not much to report.

27 February, 2006 - Why do we work for a living?

Why do we have to work for a living?  That's a question I ask quite frequently but more so today as I find that three hours sleep is simply not enough!  Last night I went to Charlottetown to do an ECMA showcase in the Music New Brunswick Industry Suite at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel.  Although I just wet my beak at the ECMA's, I remembered what I like about it.  I saw people I haven't seen in years and years (Hi Moka!!), I got to play a really well received set in front of people who have never seen me before and I had a great time.  The energy at a place like that is really quite electrifying and I kind of made myself a promise to be more visible at ECMAs in the future (provided it's not too costly).  Next year is Halifax and the year after Fredericton.  Yeah, we can probably do that.

I would like to thank my impromptu band for sitting in with me.  Chris Colepaugh on guitar, Robin Anne Ettles on bass and Danny Bourgeois on drums.  Actually, the drums started out as a cardboard box with a mic in it and ended up as Ryan LeBlanc's djembe... thanks Ryan!  It's a great feeling having so many friends in the musical community that feel comfortable enough with these songs and with me to jump up and play.  Anyway, I think I made some new friends.  Also a big thank you to Music NB and Music Newfoundland/Laborador for putting on the room and to the ever tremendous Lynn Daigle for being helpful above and beyond.

Stuff coming up includes a bigwhale gig at Cheers on the 18th and a Songwriter's Circle at the Empress on June 2nd.  Incidentally, there's a new tune I just started that I'll hopefully be able to play at the Circle.

Now I must rewire my brain and get to work.  There are things to build and deadlines to meet.  So why do we have to work for a living again? 

19 February, 2006 - From Cheers to The Pumphouse

Lots has gone on in the last little while.  Firstly, a big thank you for all the people who came out to the last few shows.  We had a great time at Cheers last night with bigwhale.  Moe was otherwise engaged and we were fortunate enough to have Mr. Colepaugh sit in.  We definitely had fun and kept the dance floor pretty packed for most of the night. 

The fine folks at Cheers have invited us back so mark March 18th on your calendar.  A good time will be had by all, this we know.  The unofficial band motto is, "no idea is too stupid" and we proved it last night.  We've been adding cover tunes that nobody in their right mind would attempt and it really makes for an interesting night for both band and audience.  No doubt March 18th will be no exception.  We also emptied out their supply of Stella Artois on tap (and a sadness came over the group) so we hope the sweet nectar will be replenished by the time we get there next month.

The week before was Hubcap Comedy Fest and my 'residency' at The Pumphouse was more than a good time.  Thanks to Rhonda, Karin and everybody from 1070 AM CBC Information Morning for inviting me to open the night during the Amateur Comedy Contest and co-host the whole event with Rhonda.  We saw some very brave people on stage and there were plenty of laffs to go around. 

Thanks also to Paul Castle, Elaine and everybody from CBC's Shift for doing Friday's show live from 4 till 6 at The Pumphouse.  As musical guest, I did four new songs accompanied by Stephanie Hopper and Chris Colepaugh. The place was packed and there were some cool musical moments for sure.

Looking forward, there are a couple things on the horizon.  Firstly, next Sunday night during ECMAs in Charlottetown there's a special industry stage in the Music New Brunswick suite at the Delta Prince Edward hotel.  I'll be doing a late night set on acoustic.

And good news, The Songwriter's Circle is back!  After a little hiatus there, music industry do-gooder Blair Patton is resurrecting the circle with some exciting improvements.  The new sponsor is The Capitol Theater.  The event is still in the cool Empress Room upstairs at he Capitol and the new format now has an 8:00 showtime.  Word is, each show will be promoted more heavily and, as always, Rogers television will be on hand to record and air excerpts from each Circle. 

I've eagerly signed on to do the June 2nd show.  No word yet on other details but more news as I get it.  This has always been one of my favorite gigs and audiences really like the intimate and candid look at songwriting.  If you've never been to one of these things, I'd recommend it.

29 January, 2006 - Introducing bigwhale

I've started a little side project for fun with two of my close musical buddies.  Brent O'Hara on Bass and Moe Fougere on Drums make up the other two thirds of bigwhale with me singing and playing electric.  It's a fun little rock & roll cover band we put together a few months back.  We've played a few shows (not that there are that many to play around town anymore) and it's a pretty good time. 

It also gave me the idea to take some of the heavier stuff I've been writing and put it to good use (heavy for me, that is).  See, I've had a bit of an issue picking a style for quite some time.  I like so many different kinds of music that it's really hard to pick.  I've decided to take all the rawk type stuff and do it with bigwhale and that way I can do my shows more acoustically.  If you click on the bigwhale link it'll bring you to a temporary page I've made with 6 free demos to download.  Webmaster Brenty is in the process of a snazzier site and I'll let you know when that's up.

It started with a song I wrote called Buzzkiller that was a bit heavy to go with the rest of my material.  Then, I set myself the task of having a half a dozen songs in ONE STYLE!!  It was hard not to stray from the goal when some random idea struck my brain, but I stuck to it.  I'm proud of 'em.  They're fun little songs that aren't supposed to be about anything or anyone in particular.  Stylistically, I was going for a Jet meets AC/DC meets The Cult kinda thing.  For the demos, I played all the instruments and used loops of Mick Fleetwood for the drums (!).  The plan is to record them properly with the band at some point in the near future.

We have a gig coming up and we'd love to see you there.  We're playing at Cheers (down by the Brandon Street fire station) on February 18th...

A big crowd would be appreciated as I'm not sure when we're playing next.  The gig will be the original songs plus a bunch of crowd pleasing covers.  We tried to pick fun ones that you don't hear all the time.  And you definitely don't hear them done the way we do 'em. 

Also, the Comedy Festival gigs are coming up February 8th at 6:30 and February 10th from 4 till 6.  Both are with the CBC and both are at the Pumphouse, downtown on Orange Lane.  For the latter, I'll be joined by the lovely and talented Stephanie Hopper on vocals and the not as lovely but über talented Chris Colepaugh on guitar.  Make it down if you can, we'd appreciate the support.

21 January, 2006 - This boy can talk

Well, I've decided to to try and journal my various exploits and this place seems the logical choice.  I'll probably also rant from time to time although I won't be referring to this as a 'blog' since I do find the word a bit offensive.  I'll say right up front that I will not be writing regularly.  I'll write when I have news or something to say and time to say it.

I've got some upcoming shows that will probably be quite a good time.  The Hubcap Comedy Festival is back in Moncton February 8 - 13 and I've been invited to participate.  It's not for my comedic skills (which are of questionable taste), but for my musical stuff.  I'll be playing a 'warm up the crowd' musical set on Wednesday, February 8th and then co-hosting the CBC Radio Open Mic Comedy Contest.  It's happening at The Pumphouse on Orange Lane and my half hour set begins at 6:30.  My good friend Rhonda Whittaker from Information Morning will be the actual host.  I'm basically there to cause trouble.

Then on Friday, I'm back on stage - courtesy of the CBC once again.  This time, I'll be a guest of the Province-wide afternoon show Shift.  They'll be broadcasting live from The Pumphouse and have asked me to provide some musical entertainment throughout the show.  Shift, with host Paul Castle airs weekdays from 4-6pm on CBC Radio One.

That's two Pumphouse gigs in one week.  Mmm... beer.

Here's a thing.  I've decided to give my music away for free.  Quite frankly, the music industry is not what it used to be.  Although I've never had any preconceptions that it would make me stupendously wealthy, 'selling' music has become substantially harder to do.  From the onset of my solo CD, selling it was always secondary.  I wanted to make the CD for the joy of making it, for the art form and to express myself. 

Any music industry person will tell you that once you finish the CD, that's when the real work begins.  For a part-time musician, that's kinda daunting.  I remember saying to friends at the time that I wished I could just give it away.  Unless you're Bill Gates, you don't spend a whack of cash to make something and then just offer it up for nothing.  So I put the CD in stores on consignment, I found an online store that would stock it and I did all the stuff you normally do.  Problem is, I'm really not promoting myself a whole ton (what with this pesky day job that pays my mortgage), so I've still got a bunch of CDs left.

So now, there are a bunch of songs gathering for what could be another CD.  The thought of the recording process, the tracking, the mixing, the tweaking, the labouring has always been fun for me.  Call me sick but I really do enjoy that part of the musical journey.  The thought of spending thousands of dollars... not so much.  I just can't justify going through the fun part, then spending money to press a bunch of CDs only to have them sit in my basement next to my first album. 

One would argue that I'm not really a successful artist from a financial standpoint, but that's never been the goal.  I want to express myself.  I want to write it, record it, then go play it.  I don't have to make loads of cash to do that.  Hence my decision to write it and record it, to the best of my ability - with a little help from my friends, then post it online so you can listen to it for free.

As I said earlier, the music industry has changed forever.  I won't get started on the debate over Intellectual Property because I have some strong feelings about that one.  I will say that I have never illegally downloaded a song.  I have never stolen music.  I don't frown upon those who do, I have just chosen not to do it.  The industry has been turned on its head by its very own consumers.  Kids who buy music worldwide have staged a revolt.  I'm totally okay with that, change is good.  But as a result of that change, how can we, as musicians, conscionably ask people to give us money for something that they can get elsewhere for free?  Charging for music is becoming akin to charging for oxygen.

Of course, then there's that pesky IP issue that I promised I wouldn't talk about only a paragraph ago.  People who create should be protected from being exploited.  That's why there are copyrights, patents and the like.  You have to pay money to go see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.  You have to pay money to own a copy of the Mona Lisa.  If you use a copy of the Mona Lisa to help you sell your hot dogs, you should be smacked down. 

Then, of course, there's the argument that the money from music sales helps the artist pay for the studio costs to make more music.   It had been predicted that downloading would collapse the industry and that artists would not be able to afford to make music anymore.  That didn't happen but I believe there's some truth in that statement.  Artists will not be able to spend a bazillion dollars to record 12 songs anymore.  Is that such a bad thing?  I believe the actual production quality of music will decrease.  How would Avril sound if she was given a guitar, a Marshall stack, a bunch of mics and a computer?  Probably not like she does on her latest big budget CD for Sony.  I'm not pickin' on her, I'm just sayin'.  I like her, I'm not saying she would sound bad... just different.

I made my CD myself but I spent money when money was required to do it right.  It still wasn't done on the scale that a major label project is done.  I did it right but I did it on the cheap and it was totally self funded.  It does not, however, sound like the Sting album released that year.  He spent considerably more cake than I did.

Home studios are awesome.  The computer I'm using to type this is also the same computer I use to record everything I do.  I had a milestone with the song Wish as it was totally recorded in my home studio and it has been called the best sounding recording of any of my songs.  Home studios are awesome and songs done in them can sound awesome... in the right hands.  As soon as you take the highly qualified, highly paid producers, engineers and technicians out of the equation, quality is gonna suffer... it has to.  But here's the thing I'm finding, people don't really care that much.

I've been hesitant to go this route only because I was brought up on the old school values.  I love big productions.  Some of my favorite records are the ones that had a huge budget and sound immense.  It's a bit of a guilty indulgence to put it quite bluntly.  I have dreams of recording with a horn section, a string section, a choir, even an entire orchestra like Ray Charles did but I don't need to do any of those things to express myself.  And I'm certainly not gonna wait till I 'make it' to record the low-budget version.

I'm not a qualified engineer and I can't really mix very well but I know what I like and I know what I want to hear.  My goal when recording a song has always been to get the sounds I hear in my head onto the tape (or the disc or the whatever).  I can get my ideas across pretty cheaply and still have a sound fit for human consumption.

So yes, if you take the music industry on the whole, the production quality will decrease, but the art as a form of expression can be born again as a result.  It's a reality.  Home made music is being downloaded, traded and cherished by millions of people.

Back in the day, an artist would sign to a major label.  They would make literally pennies a CD and spend the rest of their lives paying back a $2 million advance that was gone before they finished recording the first album.  This is what prompted Prince to write 'slave' on his face for the cover of his Emancipation album, then keep it on his face for the entire tour.  A little dramatic?  Maybe, yeah.  But you get my point.

Then, the major labels started eating each other till there were only a handful left.  Tons of artists, some with household names, found themselves squeezed off the big labels and forced onto some smaller subsidiary label or dropped altogether. 

For years and years, we bought what we were told.  If a label wanted you to buy the new Britney best-of, they made sure nothing else was released around that time, promoted the crap out of it, paid to get it on the radio and on TV and flooded the market with copies.  And we bought it.  (Actually, it wasn't for me, it was for my daughter Kate.  But I did look at the pictures.)  Now with fewer artists on fewer major labels, we arguably have fewer choices when going to an actual record store.

Of course, there will still be those runaway hits, those bought-and-paid-for successes.  But they won't be on the scale of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon which spent 741 weeks in the Billboard Top 200.  Or in April of 1964 when The Beatles had all five of the top spots on the Billboard Top Pop singles chart.  Music will never again have that kind of singular force.  Genres have splintered off into sub-genres and the culture of file sharing has created a sea of free music to navigate.

The creative compromises that artists have had to make for record executives were the seeds of what killed the conventional music industry.  One of the jobs of a producer is to say, "Dude, this song has 3 minutes of you playing a G-chord before the singing starts... it's a little boring".  That's a good thing.  A little collaborative editing and constructive criticism is good for the process. 

But the other side of that coin is a record exec saying 'no' to a perfectly good song because it doesn't 'sound like a single'.  Or worse yet, some artists have completed albums that will never be heard because the record company - who owns the recording - doesn't want to spend the money to release it. 

So the quality goes down, the freedom of expression goes up and nobody gets paid.  Sign me up.

Seriously, I'm all about it. And I'm not slagging record companies either.  Many, many years ago music became a business.  Businesses have to grow and sometimes by some unsavory means.  That's okay, everybody's gotta eat.  But free music is a reality that will never go away.

So, here's my goal, I'm going to make all the songs from my first album available on this for free.  If you want to buy the CD so you can have the physical product in your hands (complete with color pics, liner notes, and that new CD smell), be my guest... I've got lots.  I'll also post the most recent mixes of the songs I'm working on.  When there's a better mix or a newer version, I'll swap it out with the old one.

I'm also going to talk with my former band mates and see if I can't do the same thing with my back catalogue.  The Bishop album is out of print, there are a couple hundred copies sitting in a warehouse somewhere.  Our old distributor is out of business so if the guys don't mind, I'll post those songs too.  The Foundation album was never released and, although the sound quality is a bit suspect (with no means to do a remix), the songs still mean something to a lot of people.  I'll talk to everybody and see what I can do, no promises!

Here's what I ask in return, download them, enjoy them, share them.  Hopefully when you hear about a gig, you'll come by and enjoy them live.  Having gigs with a few more people in the seats that know the songs means everything so if you can do that every once in awhile, I'd really appreciate it.  Also, don't abuse these songs.  They're still subject to international copyright laws so don't try to make any money from these or I'll do my best to kick your ass.  Besides, I wasn't able to make money from them, so I can't see how you would.

Okay, I promise not all my postings will be this heavy handed and preachy.  I just got on a roll there, y'know?  Enjoy the songs, check back often for new ones, updates and gig news.

Thanks,

Pete

11 January, 2009

Next, we take Manhattan

9 December, 2008

Ho, Ho, Ho

14 September, 2008

Fox, meet guitar - Guitar, meet Fox

12 August, 2008

Moncton In The Rainy Season

4 July, 2008

Some New Old MP3s

4 July, 2008

Cracking the top 100!

29 June, 2008

Birthdays, reunions and dobros... oh my!

14 June, 2008

bigwhale is on the radio

31 May, 2008

'Run' is finally finished

18 May, 2008

Another busy rock & roll summer ahead

2 May, 2008

Is it May already?

27 February, 2008

Time Flies

14 October, 2007

A Country bar and a Martini bar in the same week

12 September, 2007

Never too busy to say thanks

6 August, 2007

Gimmie a double-shot of whale with a Police chaser

7 July, 2007

It's gettin' kinda hot

10 June, 2007

Beaches, Patios, Mozarella and Memories

25 May, 2007

I've got my three!

12 May, 2007

Eeeeew!  Bugs!

3 May, 2007

Looks like a busy summer

29 March, 2007

I like it because it's fun again

10 March, 2007

You never write, you never call

18 Dec, 2006

Merry Frikken Christmas

26 Aug, 2006

Flexing My One Muscle

4 Aug, 2006

Trying not to be lazy is hard work

3 July, 2006

So it's been 4 months, I've been busy!

11 March, 2006

Surrounded By Boxes

27 February, 2006

Why do we work for a living?

19 February, 2006

From Cheers to The Pumphouse

29 January, 2006

 Introducing bigwhale

21 January, 2006

This boy can talk