Summer blog a bit late…

Ahh the lazy hazy days of summer are upon us here in west Quebec. We have had some time to unwind after the flurry of fun that was June & July, what with the smashing success of the Wolfe Island Garden Party followed by another banner Skeleton Park Arts Festival. I barely had time to catch my breath before my old buddy Jack Grace sauntered into town for a batch of fine Honkytonk shows in Wakefield, Kingston and W.I. of course. We ended the weekend at the Wolfe Island Grill patio where the sunset, picturesque evening sparkled on & on. Played so many great songs and were joined by Jason Mercer & Casey Fisher. Clem Chesterfield and Rusty Ford both were featured as well. A lot of dudes in fine shirts.

I am off to join Tom Savage, Brock Zeman, and Seamus Cowan at the Cove Inn over in Westport for a night of backslapping fun this Sunday August 4th. Brock and Tom and true workhorse troubadours whos songwriting prowess seems to know no boundaries when it comes to quality and sheer output. I feel like I’m doing more of a revue of my songs as I do not write that much anymore but luckily have enough material compiled over the years that it is fun to revisit songs and bend them to my current needs. Also in August I will be playing the Fairbairn House stage here in Wakefield on Monday the 12th. It is a natural amphitheater by the famous covered bridge and locals and such come out with picnics and drinks to enjoy the show. The series was started by Paul Hampsey, a good friend and talented musician in his own right who saw the potential and pitched it to the proper people. Boom! A new live music scene arises. It is a tough row to hoe these days with live music venues & bands struggling to make ends meet. House concerts and the like are more and more common. I did one recently up this way with Jack Grace and it was a jam packed success. Later in the month I will be putting on a super show for a long time music supporter and her friends & family down Kingston way. It will feature Juno Jenny Whiteley and her partner Joey Wright (my half brother cousin), as well as Tara Dunphy, Kelsey McNulty & Jt Taylor from the Wrongs. That is too good to be true, but it is. Autumn holds plenty of potential for creativity as I am determined to ramp up this new noise band I have got going with some pals here. So far we have worked up a sound and the beginning of some hits. Who knows if it will ever see the light of the stage, I am just happy how the rage makes me feel when we play….

Mid July Report

Hello pilgrims! Well what a fun-tastic summer it has been so far for us and hope you too. I have been swimming everyday and walking our super energetic dog all around hells half acre. For us here in Wrongsland the few full band gigs that we play a year as of late have been condensed into a weekend at the Opinicon Lodge at Chaffeys Locks. Between the tight knit group of friends that number a dozen of us, along with a bit of cross pollination/playing with business going on, we make up The Rizdales, Oh Susanna, Carlo, H Chris Brown, Butterfingers! and Lw & the Wrongs. It was our 2nd annual Opinifest at the wonderful lodge and we had perfect weather and a great turnout. The next event up is a show with handsome and talented Tom Savage and pretty (talented) Ms Jenny Whiteley at the legendary Blacksheep Inn in Wakefield, Qc. It is a fine room for songs to shine and between the 3 of us we will have plenty of shiny songs for you. Saturday, August 11th at 8:30 or so. The Blacksheep Inn website has ticket info at:
https://www.theblacksheepinn.com

Spring begins

Hello there, I am not going to lie to you but I have been saying NO to opportunities to play, but I said YES to playing a benefit for the sea turtle sanctuary down Mexico way last month. It coincided with my pal Jack Graces birthday and we played all the hits. Our kind and generous hosts Odette and Eric made it even easier what with their fantastic casa and beachside, sunset, fresh fruit margarita bar where Jackie boy and I dug up all the good songs and more with our new pal Spencer from Cali who sang Español muy bueno.
Yep, that was great. Now summer is emerging and we have some rare, excellent shows coming down the pipe. Stay tuned!

Wolfe Island Records news

Hola amigos! I am excited to be part of the Wolfe Island Records collective. Hugh Chris Brown has built up a great group of musicians and bands through his recording and production skills and as he produced our last album and has appeared on Rebuild the Wall, Guitar Pickin Martyrs and Man of Your Dreams it is a perfect fit.

My first mission is to head to Sayulita Mexico to perform at the Amino Benefit for Campamento Tortuguero with my pal Jack Grace and friends. Then we are working on another Wolfe Island Garden Party event June 15 followed by the Skeleton Park Arts Festival which has me returning as MC. Also in the works in the 2nd annual Opinicon Lodge fest July 7th. Whew, that is all for now.