I guess that kind of stamina I was talking about in the last post is true for life , too. cause sometimes staying true to your beliefs can be like riding a wild horse in a storm and you just have to trust you're on the right path and be one with the horse. another similie- when spock is growing up too fast and you see him go through the pain of growing up. So right on, that scene. It's painful to transform. You're shedding everything you know, your ego. You're brought to an unknown place. Then in that beautiful empty space before ego forms again, you create. It's actually harder to live through giving up than persevering, so, at this point, giving up is not an option.

I have a show april 2 , 2010 at the sidewalk cafe in NYC. 9:00pm. It'll be my first usa show since 1996 or even maybe 1995. can't remember. but around then, I opened for Half-japanese at Lounge ax, under the name Crappo, maybe the last show was at the empty bottle. if i remember correctly. Anyhow. long overdue, especially from someone who is american. Certainly, having three children and going through a divorce can limit touring. I've been living in toronto and now montreal since then. I look forward to playing to americans, cause I have a pretty good handle on what it's like playing to canadians. after doing that on and off for twenty years. I'd love to play in europe sometime, too. I know when i've been an audience member there, everyone was so attentive.
Not that playing live has to be a really cool experience. I guess it tests your will to continue with music. do you really want it? if you keep coming back, you come back stronger and more sure. It's a bit like art school and the critiques. You just love art and you go through the exminations and the unsolicited remarks and if you're still holding onto something, then good, here it is. I pretty much gave up on music in like 2002 or so, and it wasn't until 2006 or so that a chance meeting with Mr. Spike Taylor resulted in him telling me that I should keep playing music. And I thought about it over the summer and came up with the "Laura" album and now I'm like making way more music than ever and in different genres. Now I love home recording. I don't know what happened. I guess it's that thing of just holding on, and riding out the weird moments, and long quiet periods. And the "why?" expressions from friends and family. Holding on to that last shred of love you have for music that no one could rip out of your hand. See, open your hand and it's still there. that tiny piece of love that can grow into concept albums. That's all you need.
So, whether i'm playing Toronto CMW in March or april in the usa, you'll see that love I have for music, and I can't guarantee how it'll come out. but it might sound like my album.

The ipad is a knee-jerk reaction to the awesome amazon kindle that doesn't do more than let you read books on what looks like paper. ipad...it plays movies..you can hold that hot rectangle for hours. or lay it flat on the table and not watch your movie. you can do your email in full view of everyone. you can buy sleeves for it and stands for it. it's the future! 499$ buys you this betamax 8track. and when it breaks when you chuck it in anger against the wall, it makes a great tray for two champagne flutes.if you need to type, buy the other half of your laptop -a keyboard. are they going to make super big back pockets for those things.It's like when they all said vinyl's dead. now they're saying big half-laptops are really it. i'm just going to break my laptop in half and ditch the keyboard and pretend i have one. cause i will surely be the coolest person at starbucks then. with my oversized screen. and all my friends who can bring themselves to say "grande" when ordering coffee not in italy can eavesdrop on my wicked funny emailing and blogging, in FULL SIZE.

I've been noticing what an awesome song the star spangled banner is. I'm pretty into it. And upping my ability to play covers- so far have like four memorized. Louvin bros, carole king, and the rolling stones. and one kinks song. I'm just at the gate of learning how to roam on the fretboard to be able to play more varied stuff, thanks to a couple of kind gents who were willing to sit down and talk me through the theory behind soloing. but so far it only makes sense in my head, although, when i play with another guitarist and we trade off solos, i don't do too bad. It's just a matter of time till i'm wailing solos like those people i admire. i hope.
The only other news is I might try doing stand up at an open mic some time soon. Not with a lot of expectation, but more to vent on a few music issues. If I do it, i'll record it and post it. regardless of my achievement level.

I'm looking at guns and roses with fresh eyes, and I am into them now. I'm talking about their old live concert videos. They give plenty of room for soloing, axl can sing, ..when he's whistling and walking around in red hot pants, that kind of confidence, you don't see every day. I think he's in the plant/osbourne/roth grouping. I got to hand it to him. I was wrong to not be into it before. I got to do one at karaoke now.

If I ran a government office or a doctor's office- i would have karaoke set up for the waiting people. and an encouraging mc. you know why we're so miserable waiting in silence, cause humans were meant to sing for eachother songs of love and loss by GnR and the cars, celine, etc

people would line up to line up.

I put up the first single by my band- Le Look. Ryan Myshrall co-wrote 6 songs with me. It's called "Vide". It's a french band. I have about a grade six level of french and I'm confidently putting it to use here. French is the language of love. All the songs are very affectionate. I hope you like it.

I'm going to play at CMW in March and I'm not totally sure who's accompanying for that show, but I hope to have a venue that will allow quiet music. Last year that festival had the best programming. like-minded bands on the same bill. Still hunting for a show in the states. The ten year not playing in the states will end. I get most of my myspace visitors from the UK and Australia, though, if that's supposed to guide me in terms of touring. People say it's too expensive to tour in the UK. I know when I've gone to see shows in Paris, the audience listened. I did call out at a Paris Will Oldham show "baby Jessica", which maybe wasn't cool- but I had seen him act in the role of her dad in the made for tv movie a couple times by chance. It was fashion week and Cat Power was in attendance. when i walked out, Terry Richardson walked in. Woman in floppy hat on his arm. The UK is the home of my favorite music. 60's and 70's. But I also love the bee gee's, so australia's in there too.
I'm goin to perform my favorite songs at CMW. Hope it goes well.

I'm in the process of trying to break my decade long not playing in the states habit. Not sure why this happened, but it has to stop. So I'm aiming for the weekend of Feb 6 to try and book a show or at the very least play an open mic in NYC. Meanwhile, finishing the Le Look album. I hope to tour that band this year. It's all french so far. I'll be posting a song to my myspace soon. Hope you're good!

Other things of importance- sunken livingrooms with built-in furniture, ballroom dancing for pleasure in non-competitive environments and the montreal Canadiens. I went to two games this season, (first NHL game I ever saw) and whatever hockey fever I had from playing street hockey with my neighbour's friends was pushed to 11 when I saw them play live. I even wrote a song about it-in french for my band Le Look. I got my son on the zamboni during a game, and we were gestured by the hostess to stand right at the glass for 15 minutes. Pure heaven seeing them play up close and use the boards as brakes. Then.. I got to meet Maxim LaPierre and Georges Laraque at the screening of Earthlings . I instantly became vegetarian after seeing it and knew I would never buy leather again. It was difficult to bear witness to the suffering that animals experience due to their contact with humans. After cutting out meat from my diet, I feel a lot better physically, too. So my diet and my music have changed since seeing a live NHL game.

what the future holds

I'm going to make some more comedy videos with Ryan Myshrall and other friends and post them on my video page in the coming months. I hope you'll like them. I'll see if I can work in a video that expresses my wishes for The Who to have been a three piece. We'll see who's game. I can think of only two drummers who can do justice to Keith Moon that I know- A. Scott and M Gaudet. I have to fill out the band and continue from there.

Lately, I've been imagining The Who without Daltrey. The moment when he walked off stage, and maybe kept walking. And then, maybe- Roger joined Yes, never to return to The Who. Just thinking that might have been cool.
Pete has a great voice plus he wrote the songs. I don't really get why The Who couldn't have been an awesome three piece.

Hi, Welcome.

The river goes through my town and cuts a deep watery way past where I live and we can sit and look at it or get on it and see where it goes. It's pushing away from Toronto, out to Trois Rivieres.