Crossing The Finish Line

I checked this morning, and Gravedigging For Two has hit Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes.  Downloads and physical CDs are also available at CDBaby.com.

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/gravedigging-for-two/1321697501

This is a milestone – it’s done.  There’s nothing more I can do on Gravedigging.  The songs have been written, arranged, recorded, mixed, overdubbed, and mastered.  The artwork has been designed.  The thank-you’s said (mostly).

I hope you listen to it.  I hope you like it.

I don’t do this for commercial interests (although a bit of cash is nice once in a while), but I think it’s a good thing.  I write music that I want to hear, combined with what my inner demon wants to say to the world.  With no concession made for what others want.  And that’s what you’ve got in Gravedigging For Two.  Ten songs, ten stories that I needed to tell.  Ten songs that get my groove on.   I wrote this album for me, but I hope you like it too.

The Grave Has Been Dug, Now It's Time For The Headstone.

This weekend I’m back in the studio.  John and I will be tweaking the final mixes for the album, and mastering it.  After that, it's just a matter of sending it out for distribution.

I’ve also finished the cover art.  By which I mean “I took an amazing painting by Jonathan Barrie, and added my name and album title to it.”

The tough part now will be to decide which to release as the “publicity single,” that gets pushed on the free sites.  I’ve got ten children on this album and have to pick one.  Do I pick the most commercial?  Do I pick the one that seems to reflect the album best as a whole?  Or do I pick the weirdest one?  I’m blessed with having too much – whenever I’m listening to a song, that’s the one I want to tell everyone about!

Gravedigging At The Finish Line

We’re almost there…

All ten songs have been mixed for ‘Gravedigging For Two’, and I’m booked back in Soundhouse Studio on November 11 and 12 to close out the project.  One day for a handful of tweaks – lower the bass guitar in Your Loving Song, push the rhythm guitar in My Clown, etc…, and then one day to master the tracks.

After that, it’s just a matter of getting the album artwork from Jonathan Barrie (I’m desperate to use one of his pictures, it actually inspired the album name), and send the songs out for distribution.

So hopefully it’ll be spreading the world in time for Christmas!

Six years in the making, and the finish line is an arm’s reach away.

Recalling the Recall

Wow, what a show!  Total Recall 2017

We played around 35 of my favourite songs from the 80s, and raised a good chunk of change for Ovarian Cancer Canada.

Lots of great musicians, and there were a lot of great moments.  “Copperhead Road” with Brad Searl, “Let’s Dance” with Tommy Blacknine, and getting to pound out that amazing “Under Pressure” bass riff while Tommy Blacknine and Darren James Smith covered the Bowie/Mercury vocals…  Of course I couldn’t help but do that ‘Billy Idol snarl’ as we burned through “Rebel Yell.”

Lots of rehearsals, I lost most of August learning all those tracks, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.  I hope I held down the groove well enough to be invited back next time. 

The house band, Karl Anderson (drums), John Jamieson (keys), Aimee O’Connor (guitar), Stephen Varga (guitar), Shaylynn Anderson (sax), and Eric Meloche (stage tech), did a fantastic job.  A dream band for sure!

Total Recall - update

Total Recall is coming up, this Friday night at DSTRCT in Guelph.

So far, we’ve rehearsed with Brad Searl, Darren James Smith, Joe Vilardo, Cyndi Richards, Keegan Chambers, Kevin Reid, Gene Scarpelli, and Tommy Blacknine.  Tonight we’re rehearsing with Anna Cyzon, the final singer and the final rehearsal.

This has been a LOT of fun! 

Last week, before the singers arrived, we ran through a couple of songs.  I was in heaven, especially during Under Pressure.  Along with playing that iconic bass riff, it was a thrill to hear everyone singing (shouting) along with all the words!  And once we had the singers... WOW.  We all love this music, and it shows.

There are so many great songs in the set, and it’s going to be amazing to be on a stage playing these iconic hits with such a great band.

Total Recall 2017

Great news!

On Sept 8, I'll be in the house band for the Total Recall 2017 benefit for Ovarian Cancer Canada.

Playing bass with some of my favourite musicians, some old friends and some new, and a bunch of great singers belting out our favourite hits of the 1980s.

At DSTRCT in Guelph ON, Sept 8 at 8pm.  Tickets are $10 at the door, includes a DJ and dancefloor upstairs, and more donation opportunities inside.

Come out and support a great cause.  Come out and enjoy some great music.​

Dig Your Grave, or Join The Fight.

On Saturday, John Jamieson and I were in Soundhouse Studios mixing 'Gravedigging', not aware of what was happening in Charlottesville.

I just realized how poignant it was for us to be working on that particular song about complacency and not standing up for what is right.

"Dig a grave and climb right in, Just give up and turn away.

Or tackle the spite, and start the fight, Drop your gloves and join the fray.

Gravedigging your heart away, you could be so much bolder.

Gravedigging your life away, it makes you so much older than you are."

I'm grateful that there were so many people at that rally, fighting against the Nazi hate that's brewing. Hopefully more of us can push this problem back down into the toilet, where it can be flushed like the shit that it is.