Beware! The Leopard

Success!

With 11 days to go, we've already reached our goal.  We still have some time to surpass the goal (any excess gets tossed into the production and mastering fees).  So those of you that have emailed me about contributing but haven't done so, feel free to.  You'll still get cool Beware! The Leopard swag and exclusive access to one of the tracks from the session.  

Just visit fundable.com for all the details!

Thanks a million guys.  You are absolutely awesome! 

Photo courtesy of yours truly in Budapest.

Merch Merch Merch

So the hunt is on to get some merchandise together to promote the music and give/sell at gigs.  I've got some ideas for cool buttons/badges, and an awesome t-shirt idea that is just waiting for the graphic designer to get back to me.  So hopefully in 6-8 weeks I'll have some really cool swag on offer. 

I also got news from the shipping company, my stuff is safe and sound in the middle of the Atlantic and should be reaching my door in 1-2 weeks.  This is awesome news because my keys, and recording equipment are all in there.  I can't wait to get some of my ideas down to tape to tweak them out before going into the studio to lay them down properly.

So things are ramping up for Beware! The Leopard.  It is a slow laborious process, and I appreciate all the support from all the fans.  I wouldn't be able to do it without you.

photo by yours truly in Budapest

State of Play

Living in the suburbs means that you do a lot of driving, and hence a lot of listening to the radio.  Normally, I suppose, I listen to CDs but seeing as how mine are all in boxes in a lock-up in Ottawa, I'm forced to listen to the declining standards of Canadian radio.

Is it just me or has radio in Toronto not changed in 15 years? Q107 is still playing "psychadelic snacks" on Saturdays, and "the Edge" 102.1 is moving further from that edge by playing Nirvana weekends and copious amounts of Tragically Hip, Nickelback and Smashing Pumpkins.  I even caught one station pumping out the Bryan Adams classic "Cuts like a knife", no doubt to fill their Canadian content quota.  Now don't get me wrong, with the exception of Nickelback (bite my tongue), I'm a big fan of the other artists mentioned.  I just don't see how any of it is "edgy" or new.  If you're lucky you might catch a new Metric tune (they are critical darlings with their new release, for good reason), but otherwise Toronto radio stations are playing the same stuff and the same artists they've been playing when I was thinking about how to approach that girl in Gr 9 math class.  I do like the trip down nostalgia lane, but it would be nice if a commercial radio station had the balls to step out of the "classic rock" format and break some new artists.  There's enough new talent out there to fill stadiums, but we never hear these bands on the radio.  Most of these new artists are finding their own way through Myspace, Internet radio, or just being featured as the Itunes tune of the day.  It may be a sad fact that commercial radio will go the way of the dodo if the programmers don't catch up with the times and leave high school behind.

Here's to hoping that I don't hear "Rape Me" today.

A little help from some strangers

Canada Post continues to disappoint. 

Those that have been following my ongoing saga with a Boss power supply are aware of what pain I am going through while I wait.  Unable to practise, unable to write properly, I sit and wither.  It's kind of like having a computer or a television without a power cord.  Except that you need it.  So maybe it's more like being a writer where the only pen you have is out of ink and you are waiting for the refill cartridge to show up.

The only benefit to being sans-necessary equipment is that I have been listening to a lot more new music to calm myself.  The group that is helping me through these traumatic times right now is Black Soul Strangers, an Irish quartet based out of London, these guys were pretty popular in Dublin before making the move to the big city.  With a number of upcoming gigs in London, it looks like they're finally getting some respect in England.

BSS, are an incredibly varied, dynamic band.  Their sound fluctuates between sounding akin to Starsailor, or a Coldplay-ish type of band, and something with a bit more edge like Interpol and Placebo.  They have come up with some really great melodies on their debut album "Paramount".  They are definitely worth checking out, and a guaranteed pick me up when waiting for something that seems to never want to arrive.

photo by yours truly Sighisoara 2009

Random photo.

Just for the hell of it.

Took this one at the train station in Brasov, Romania.

Fundraiser Reminder!

Hey guys, sorry for all the reminders today, but we're halfway there, only halfway to go!  Big thanks to everyone who has helped out.  We've got $480 pledged, only $520 to go so tell all your friends and family and remind them they get access to an exclusive track, and a free badge!   

The way it works is that everyone goes to Fundable and pledges a contribution of $10.00 or more.  If I don't reach my target in 30 days, then nobody pays anything.  If I do reach $1000, then pledges are collected upon the completion of the fundraiser.

I hope you will all help me out here, because I need all the help I can get.

Thanks

Beware! The Leopard

Weekly Reminder!

Just a reminder to all those fans out there, if you want to get the latests and greatest, and have access to special promotions, merch and tunes, make sure you join the mailing list.  It's easy, just add your email below and click submit!

Still looperless

So I guess that Roland Canada isn't as quick off the mark as Roland UK.  It doesn't help that Canada Post has got nothing on the Royal Mail.  All this to say the "universal" power supply for my looper is still enroute from Vancouver.  Hopefully it will arrive by Friday.

Luckily, being unemployed means that whenever it gets here, I will have all day, everyday, until the gig to practice up.

I've also got lyrics for a couple of tunes on the go, so I'm looking forward to getting some music behind them.  It's going to be exciting, but right now it feels like a holding pattern.

Beware! The Leopard

Mash potatoes without gravy.

As many of my Canadian readers will know, Billy Bob Thornton, one time lover of Angelina Jolie, Academy-Award winning actor, and general weirdo turned musician, had a horrendous interview on CBC's Q show.  Apparently he took offense to the host who introduced him by mentioning his acting accomplishments.  Thornton, it seems, wants to be taken as a serious musician.  Now we already know the outcome of his bizarre and rude behaviour, he's been dropped (or quit) from the final two Canadian shows on Willy Nelson's tour, and is still smarting from the public outrage at some of his comments.

One of these comments that has been getting a lot of press attention, was his denigration of Canadian audiences.  He said we were dull "Mashed potatoes with no gravy".  There has been significant uproar over this comment, and I for one, wonder why. 

I'm not trying to defend Thornton's overall interview, I mean the man is a terrific actor, but a horrible musician, and he really wouldn't have been on the Nelson tour if it weren't for his acting creds, but this particular comment is one that I believe holds water.  Canadian audiences can be, especially at small - medium size shows, terrible.

I can't count how many times I've been to see fantastic bands like Metric, Pilate, heck even Death Cab for Cutie, the White Stripes and the Tragically Hip; where most of the audience stands there like construction pylons, occasionally moving to get a better blurred shot with their camera phone. 
We are a placid people, with the exception of Toronto Football Club fans, we wear our civility on our wrinkle-free Eddie Bauer sleeves.  But when it comes to music, this is a trait that we, as artists, wish our fans left at the door. 

A rock show is not like watching the ballet.  There is a certain chemistry that needs to occur between the performer(s) and the audience in order for a show to attain greatness.  While most of the onus is on the artist, a certain weight needs to be carried by the viewers.  We have been dropping the ball at a lot of Canadian gigs, and it is unfortunate that we were called on it by an over the hill actor with a diva complex. 

So as the summer gigs get underway, let's pick up that ball Canada, and show all those great artists, foreign and domestic, what a great audience we can be! 

Small setback

I'm trying to get myself set for the gig on the 23rd, and I screwed up a bit.  My looper, which I bought in the UK, doesn't have a universal power supply.   I've been in contact with Roland Canada who I thought were putting it in the mail Monday.  Well they called this evening to let me know that my credit card was rejected.  Luckily I have a very kind family member who used their card to pay, so it should be on its way.

The problem is that I won't receive it until maybe one week before the gig at the earliest.  I hope that's enough to practice.  I'm debating about going and picking up a cheap one from Radioshack, but it could void the warranty. 

At least the fundraiser is going well.